Thanks to the thrifty techniques developed by the financially savvy Castellas family, they’ve shown how by being frugal you can feel all the richer!
On school days, Erin Castellas rinses out strawberry punnets to pop her children’s lunches inside, and their sandwiches are wrapped in plastic bags that once held rice or cereal.
Rarely using commercial cleaning products, Erin, 35, scours her kitchen and bathroom with baking soda and white vinegar. She doesn’t use costly beauty potions, either, instead whipping up a face mask using avocado or yoghurt.
Related: Stash before you splash: 7 cash-savvy habits
In the Castellas home, every dollar spent is carefully considered –that doesn’t mean that they’re missing out though. “We don’t go without. I prefer to think we seek out value,” says Erin.
It all started in October 2012 which, like this month, was Buy Nothing New Month, which encourages people to reduce spending and waste. Erin took it a step further and started her own Buy Nothing New Year.
“We are a blended family with five children,” Erin explains. “I couldn’t work when I first moved here from California, so we had to find ways to save money.”
The thrifty habits stuck, saving the family thousands. For starters, finding or making gifts saved $2300 at Christmas. “When you aren’t spending a lot you have to be more creative and thoughtful,” says Erin, who also saved $60 a week just by not going to the shopping mall.
Related: Five New Year’s resolutions for your finances
It’s all paid off in a big way. Not have Erin and Peter saved enough money to take their kids Joey, Marco, Oscar, Charlie and Silk a big Queensland holiday, they’ve also just bought their own home.
Read more the Castellas family’s savvy saving techniques only in Woman’s Day – on sale Monday 20th October.
How they did it:
They bought their baby stroller on Gumtree for $200 – Saved $1000
They bought all their clothes second hand – $400 – Saved $1600
They bought a refurbished Macbook instead of a brand new one – $1600 – Saved $500
Their couch came from The Salvation Army – $100 – Saved $500
They only spend $50 on cleaning products – Saved $450
Visit buynothingnew.com.au to learn more about Buy Nothing New Month, which runs through the month of October every year.
Related: Guide to online shopping and saving money
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