Note from the Editor:

This article was kindly written for the SDC by member @Deejay11. This week, Deb has two new competitions to enter with prizes ranging from quality skincare and tea to the ultimate camping bundle, tips to avoid disqualifying yourself from surveys and an easy, two-ingredient pizza base recipe. Let’s jump in.

Hi from @Deejay11,

How’s everyone going? Has anyone entered any competitions? I had a win this week on Sportsbet, somehow I picked all the NRL winners (I know nothing about NRL!), and I also picked the points difference on the specified NRL game. Unfortunately, 2858 people picked all the winners to share $7500. Out of these people, 126 people picked the exact points difference to share $2500. Nevertheless, it scored me a win of $22.46. For me, that equates to a free bag of dog kibble, and my dog will be happy!

I’m following on from my fourth newsletter (which you can read here):



Competitions:

Here are my tips for this week:

Keep an eye on local shops, such as gift shops, butchers, fruit and vegetable shops. If you’re on Facebook, follow their page.

My local Silly Solly’s gives away $100 per month for someone that likes and shares their Facebook posts; once I lived close to a fruit and vegetable stand that displayed a sign to leave your name and phone number in their entry box to win a free box of fresh produce (I won, told my friend about it, then she won!). Local freebie newspapers can also be a good source for finding small, locally run competitions that don’t attract so many entries.



Try your competition luck:

Winter 2025 Giveaway – Koala Tea x Rohr Remedy – Imagine spoiling yourself with a range of tea and skin products. Ends 16/06/2025.

Subscriber Giveaway – Tentworld – Feel like camping? Win an Outdoor Connection Ultimate Camping Bundle. Ends 05/07/2025.

Win your cart (up to $3k) – Koala* – Want to spruce up your home? You can win $3,000 of furniture (of your choice) in this easy-to-enter giveaway. No purchase required. Ends 12/06/2025.

Win 1 of 5 $500 Gift Cards – De'Longhi * – Time to upgrade your morning cuppa? De'Longhi is offering 30% off their coffee machines and the chance to win one of 5 $500 gift cards. Ends 30/06/2025.

As always, make sure you read the T&Cs for each competition.



Surveys:

Don’t rush your way through surveys, as you can be screened out based on your speed.

Be honest with responses, e.g. don’t tick ‘Yes’ to regularly buying horse supplies, if this is simply not true! Be consistent through a survey with your answers (sometimes I identify a question I have already answered, so a different answer could result in me being screened out).

Cooking: Yoghurt Pizza Dough

I have come across this recipe online for Yogurt Pizza Dough several times, but it might be new to some people.



Ingredients:

1.5 cups self-raising flour (I use plain flour + 3 tsp baking powder)
1 cup plain Greek Yoghurt (I use full-fat)
Cooking spray or baking paper

Method:

1. Mix the flour and yoghurt in a bowl, using a spoon.

2. Dust a clean bench top or pastry mat with flour.

3. Tip the dough from the bowl onto the bench/pastry mat. Knead the dough until it is rollable and no longer sticky. To make this work, I sometimes sprinkle over a bit more flour if the dough is sticky, or add drops of water onto my hands if the dough seems dry.

4. Roll out the dough to the desired thickness. Rectangular is fine and easier to shape than round. Either oil the tray or line it with baking paper. Lay the flattened dough onto the prepared tray. Top with your favourite pizza toppings.

My oven has a ‘Pizza’ setting, but if you don’t have this setting, bake at 230° for about 12-15 minutes. Just keep an eye on it; you might need longer. This meal serves 4.



My suggested toppings:

I love seafood pizza! I brush the pizza base with tomato paste, then liberally cover the pizza with lightly fried prawns. (Coles and ALDI sell 280g packs of fresh garlic prawns from $10-$12.50, I’m not sure about Woollies.)

Then, I sprinkle the drained ‘Safcol Squid in Olive Oil’ across the pizza. The last time I made this, I also crumbled a leftover salmon patty across the pizza. Add a sprinkling of baby rocket leaves, black pepper and chilli flakes (if desired), then cover with cheese. I use Woolies Mozzarella Cheddar & Parmesan Shredded Blend. Between the two of us, we eat half the pizza, and the rest freezes well.


Meet the author:

I’m @Deejay11, a mostly retired worker and member of SDC who strives to enjoy life yet live frugally (so I can spend my money on what I want rather than on overpriced groceries!).

I’m sharing some of my recession-busters that may be of assistance. To quote The Barefoot Investor Scott Pape: ‘Tread your own path.’

My ideas are just that: my ideas for making meaningful changes regarding my finances. Feel free to adapt them in any way that suits you!


From the Editor:

I think this might be becoming one of my favourite parts of the week. How about you? I just really love a freebie and can’t wait for the day one of us let’s member @Deejay11 know that we’ve snagged a prize too.

Advice given in this article is general in nature and is not intended to influence readers’ decisions. Always seek professional advice that takes into account your personal circumstances before making any financial decisions. We also recommend that you consider the T&Cs of any survey sites or competitions before entering.