Real-Life Money Saving Tips from the Pepper Team
Estimated read time: 3 Minutes
Are you in need of some much-needed money saving inspiration?
We asked the Pepper Money team to share the #MoneySavingTips that help them get that bit extra out of every dollar. Check out our team’s personal savings hacks and budgeting tips.
Stop lunch from eating into your savings
“I’m passionate about cooking, so my money saving tip is to spend some time on the weekend preparing my lunch meals for the week ahead at work.
This ensures that I can have a delicious and healthy lunch every day of the week - all while saving on buying unnecessary lunches from the food court or restaurants.
If you do the maths of what you spend on lunch every day of the week, then the savings over a year could be significant.”
- James
A secret saving stash
“My money saving tip is to have a secret bank account that my husband can’t see. This allows me to store away 5% of my wages to spend on holidays and other fun activities.”
- Jeni
Say Ciao to cravings
“How often do you buy excess stuff in the supermarket because cravings kick in and you walk out with the exact opposite of what you went in for? My solution is to do my grocery shopping online after having eaten a full meal.
This way I'm less likely to impulse buy and spend money on items I don’t need. Plus, there's no temptations from the freshly baked bread or BBQ chicken.
This also gives me more time back in my day to spend with my kids doing something fun – without them begging me to buy them snacks from every aisle.”
- Siobhan
The five dollar challenge
"My money saving tip is the $5 challenge! I put aside every $5 note I receive into a secret stash and see how much I've managed to save by the end of the year."
- Vase
The trusty rule of three
“My money saving tip is to follow the third, third, third method.
I never spend more than a third of my salary on accommodation – this used to be rent, and now it’s my mortgage. A third goes into my savings. The remaining third goes towards toward life expenses and having fun.
Simple.”
- Jen
Shop with the season
“When I do my grocery shopping, I look at what the weekly specials are and try and buy whatever is in-season.
In-season produce is fresher, tastes better and is usually cheaper. Plus, when I couple this with supermarket specials, I get to challenge my cooking skills and discover some delicious new recipes."
- Michael
A fuelling app-vantage
“I use an app that searches the area I'm in for the best priced fuel, and allows me to lock the price for up to 7 days.
When I'm travelling, I look at prices along the route to find where I get the best price and lock it in.
On a couple of occasions, I have saved $20 on a tank of fuel.”
- Amelia
Dave’s dining discounts
“My money saving tip is to look online at websites and apps before booking dinner out and about.
Sometimes you can sometimes save 30-50% when booking in advance.”
- David
Downsize to upsize your deposit
“My money saving tip is to save on rent when you’re looking to buy.
When saving for our first home, we moved out of our modern rental into a much cheaper place that wasn’t, let’s say, as comfortable.
This gave us that final push we needed to save the money for a house deposit!”
- Mel
Cycling to cut commute costs
“My money saving tip is that I ride my bike to work, rather than taking public transport.
This saves me several hundred dollars over the course of a year – plus it keeps me fit, too!
It’s a win, win situation.”
- Adrian
Contributor | Sarah Pikardt, Chief Marketing Officer
Sarah joined Pepper Money in 2011 and was appointed Chief Marketing Officer in 2025. She leads the marketing function and strategic development of the brand in Australia and New Zealand, with a focus on improving customer experience. Read more.
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