22 hacks to save more money while living in Sydney

There’s something extra special about watching a film at the cinemas. But, you shouldn’t have to miss out on the fun, just because you’re saving. Instead, plan your movie date on a Tuesday when you can nab $9 tickets at Hornsby Odeon, $12 tickets at the Ritz Cinema Randwick, $12 tickets at Dendy Newtown, $13 tickets at Hoyts (for Ticketek members), and half-price tickets at Event Cinemas. 

With the price of petrol on a never-ending upward spiral, it’s only natural that you’ll want to fill up where it's cheapest. Turns out that Wednesday is the magic day of the week when petrol is at its lowest. And if you want to track down the absolute cheapest fuel station near you, then download the nifty Fuel Check app, which you can use to compare prices for service stations in your local radius. 

Affordable, fresh and always surprising, op shopping is better for your wallet, better for the Earth, and (arguably) better for your style. Between just Salvos and Vinnies alone, there are more than a thousand stores across the country and we’ve rounded up our top picks here. You can also stay stylish and save money by trawling the racks at Sydney’s best markets. Glebe Markets is our top pick, and you’ll want to visit after noon when stallholders start throwing discounts like confetti.

Love them or hate them, share bikes are an affordable way to zip around the city while avoiding the hassle of traffic and reducing your carbon footprint too. Here in Sydney, we’ve got a few electric bike rentals to pick from, with Lime bikes being the most prevalent. You have to pay a small fee of around $1 to unlock the bike, plus a per-minute charge between $0.30 and $0.50, depending on the time and area. Pretty much, the faster you cycle, the cheaper your trip (though we're not encouraging reckless cycling, stay safe out there).

Life hack: shopping in the evening is a nifty way to save unexpected dollaroos, as it’s when supermarkets sprinkle discounts on items closing in on their use-by or best-before dates. It's a bit of a risk-it-for-the-biscuit situation, and you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled, especially for baked goods, meats, fresh produce and any other suspects with a shorter shelf life. 

We know the rising cost of living is on everyone's minds at the moment – it's on ours, too. But, as a champion for good times, good food and good drinks here in Sydneytown, we also don't want to stay indoors each evening. So, we’ve done the hard yards and rounded up the very best happy hour deals here in Sydney, where you can snag a schooner for $6, snacks for $5 and cocktails for $10. It's fun you can feel good about. 

It’s true. Art openings have free or insanely cheap wine and beer. This is because they want you to get sauced enough to buy the art. And, you will buy art eventually, once you’ve saved heaps of money on booze over several years. Get yourself on a gallery mailing list or follow them on social media to find out when the openings are. Just be cool about it and actually look around at the art with the drink in your hand and avoid ostentatious displays of “I am only here for the drinks” by say, wearing sunglasses inside or spending too much time looking at the framing from awkward angles.

Moving house? Or want to declutter without paying for council pick-up? Your best bet is to join a ‘Buy Nothing’ Facebook group. It’s pretty much a zero-waste, virtual community where neighbours swap, share and receive, well, pretty much anything, for free. You can find your local group here. 

Want to know what the next best thing to a credit card is? A library card. Besides accessing thousands of books (paperback, magazines, digital and audio), you can use it to stream movies and TV shows, attend workshops and talks, and connect to free wifi (this comes in handy when your wifi unexpectedly crashes). Who knew a small piece of plastic could unlock so much fun? 

We sure are a city captivated by health, but keeping that heart rate up in a gym or attending an organised boot camp can be super expensive. Get some savvy YouTube studying under your belt and hit up one of the plethora of free outdoor gyms in parks all over the city. Or if you’re better motivated in a puffing group, join a run club hit up a site like Meetup and find a cheaper (often social slash free) option with a bunch of like-minded exercisers – and save your pennies for protein.

Time for a monthly money check-up. We suggest doing a quick audit of your bank statements at the start of each month to see which subscriptions no longer spark joy in your life (or your wallet). Keep it simple by sticking to one streaming service at a time, and don't let those sneaky free trials catch you off guard. Set some savvy reminders to cancel before they start claiming their subscription fees.

Buying brand new things in Sydney on top of your regular cash-quicksand expenses can be almost impossible, so why not try to get the stuff you want and need in exchange for stuff you no longer care for? Facebook Marketplace is a goldmine of treasures and you can find exactly what you’re looking for at half the price, or sometimes even completely free. 

It is possible to eat out without forking out, and there are lots of nifty apps to help you do so. You can snag up to 50 per cent off your total bill (including drinks) at more than a thousand restaurants in Australia using the EatClub app. Pro tips: the deals get even juicier during those quieter hours. Groupon is another long-time favourite, where you can save up to 70 per cent off eateries and perhaps even discover a new local fave while you’re at it. 

Got an event coming up that requires a duffel bag’s worth of product on your face? Or just want to treat yourself to less eyebrow or more eyelash? Sephora, Mecca, David Jones and Myer all have expansive options in their gladiatorial beauty arenas. You can often get yourself Spakfilla’d as a complimentary side to a small purchase or get the whole ‘rendered feature wall’ with one of their makeovers that include all the products. Spritz yourself with your fave perfume/cologne on the way out.

Cut the cost of your commute to work by shuttling yourself into the office outside of peak times. You can save 30 per cent by travelling before or after 6.30am-10am and 3-7pm from Monday to Thursday. You’ll also score a 30 per cent discount on Fridays, weekends and public holidays – so make sure to plan those city escapades wisely.

It’s almost criminal that you have to dish out cash to break a sweat. Ditch the gym and instead, get your body moving with free online workouts. You can get zen with Yoga with Adriene, dance it out with Popsugar Fitness, or build muscle with Growing With Anna. 

We’re gonna let you in on a little secret – generic and brand-name staples are pretty much the exact same. Here’s the kicker – they just cost a whole lot less. Swapping to store-brand goodies at the supermarket can help you save 40 per cent on average, which means you have more dough to play with in other areas of your life.

You can grow your own fruit and veg rather than buying it. Who knew? Have a thorough look on your local garden’s Facebook or the council website to see if a plot is available, or chat with someone who’s actually digging around in there. Friendliness is key, especially if you want to trade fresh loot with your neighbours.

The bulk food metropolis is pretty staunchly members only, however, there is one significant loophole to unlocking the beauty of huge quantity purchases without having to fork out the joiners fee: Costco cash cards. Don’t tell anyone, but if a member buys a gift card on your behalf you can use that card to get, say, a kilogram of Cheezels, and no one will bat an eyelid. Rumour has it you can also use a combo of cash card and cash if the purchase goes over the card’s quantity, so just like a healthy casual relationship, you can basically reap benefits without commitment.

Vacate for a week or weekend and let some strangers take over your room or entire abode. It’s pretty easy to price accordingly if you compare your furnishings to some of the posher pads on the site. If your bed is made of cable-tied milk crates maybe ask for less than $200 a night, but if you have a cupboard stocked with more than one variety of tea, charge away.