A satirical 'budgeting tips' post has been doing the rounds on the Australian personal finance section of the popular discussion site, Reddit.

The original post, which is clearly meant to be tongue-in-cheek, starts by offering some 'helpful' suggestions on how to save money, and is titled 'Sitting alone, not moving in a dark room is a great way to save money.'

The post satirises the common (and sometimes quite trite) 'budgeting tips' type content that constantly makes the rounds (such as making your caramel oat milk latte at home instead of buying it) and instead offers some more 'creative' ideas.

It has struck a chord with many Australians, who are all too familiar with the financial struggles of day-to-day life.

Now, members, some of these can get rather dark. Here we go…

One user suggested, 'If you're overweight, you don't need to eat. Just live off your fat for a while and get free vitamin samples from the chemist.’

‘Tea bags can be reused almost indefinitely as long as you dry them out promptly after use, so they don't get mouldy,' joked one user.

One user jokingly suggested re-using tea bags by drying them out after every use. Source: OpenAI​

'Treat milk like cordial. Always add water to a 1:8 ratio. It will go a long way and you can still enjoy a nutritious cereal while sitting in your dark room,' said another.

'Bin liners make great undershirts….no need for expensive winter clothing,' said a third, with one person suggesting that the best way to save money on clothes was by working at a nudist camp.

‘When walking outside, maximise the longevity of your shoe soles by avoiding the footpath and keeping to the grassy nature strip. You may step in dog poo and negate the use of this tip by having to scrape the sole on the gutter but life really is a gamble…’

Although the post and many subsequent comments were humorous, there were also a few more serious ones, with users pointing out that the high cost of living in Australia was no laughing matter. Some of the satirical tips certainly had a darker tone than others, with one user saying: ‘Oh nothing beats sitting alone in a dark COLD room. The only way to make it better is to eat some plain boiled rice from ALDI using my depression tears as a seasoning, yum!’

Some tips were certainly 'darker' than others, with one user joking they'd use their tears as seasoning. Source: OpenAI​

Inflation recently hit a 32-year high, and many Aussies of all age groups are doing it tough as the cost of living continues to soar.

While it's clearly meant to be a joke, there is a serious message behind the post, which is that budgeting and saving money is often much harder than it seems and that for many people, it's a daily struggle just to make ends meet.

How have you been coping with the recent surge in grocery prices? We know from experience that the Woolworths brand instant noodle 5 packs retail for around $2. Of course, we add an egg and some frozen vegetables to class up the meal. Let us know if you have any tips (serious or otherwise) in the comments below.

 

[JayKay]

When my dear Mum had only a halfpenny left in her purse, she'd come home from work with 3 hungry mouths to feed.
She'd dig up some potatoes and carrots from the backyard and pick some peas.
She'd cook these for us, then poach an egg (a gift from a neighbour who Mum shopped for) and create our volcano for our tea.
The poached egg would sit on top of the mashed potato, the carrots would cascade down the sides (lava) and the peas would be the ground around the bottom of the volcano....

 

[Jill57]

I saw a facebook post that said she test drove 3 different cars to do all of her errands and shopping ! more money saving tips to come

 

[Pommyoz]

I actually did that recipe with those noodles, was very yummy!

 

[DrivingGirl]

When my dear Mum had only a halfpenny left in her purse, she'd come home from work with 3 hungry mouths to feed.
She'd dig up some potatoes and carrots from the backyard and pick some peas.
She'd cook these for us, then poach an egg (a gift from a neighbour who Mum shopped for) and create our volcano for our tea.
The poached egg would sit on top of the mashed potato, the carrots would cascade down the sides (lava) and the peas would be the ground around the bottom of the volcano...

When my dear Mum had only a halfpenny left in her purse, she'd come home from work with 3 hungry mouths to feed.
She'd dig up some potatoes and carrots from the backyard and pick some peas.
She'd cook these for us, then poach an egg (a gift from a neighbour who Mum shopped for) and create our volcano for our tea.
The poached egg would sit on top of the mashed potato, the carrots would cascade down the sides (lava) and the peas would be the ground around the bottom of the volcano....

Love it! Glass half full every time!

 

[Esma Rose]

I have realized, long ago how lucky I have really been. We never told what Dad's wages were until we were grown up. They rented & Dad grew EVERY vegetable & fruit tree under the sun, & the chooks in a Rolls Royce shed gave us their eggs, all on a 25 ft frontage. We had what was necessary. That was who I got the great saying from, & I quote......."If you can't do something BIG, you can do something small in a big way." I miss my parent's STILL. In my days of growing up, we accepted our lot. One should never make comparisons with today. Time & people change over the years. Love stays forever, if not, work on it.

 

[PepeLePew]

My tip for cheap clothing except underwear, if you have the time free, is to volunteer in a 2nd hand store. I volunteer at 2 different places, one gives 50% of to their volunteers, the other one gives 30% off on all items in their stores. This way I save a fortune on clothing, shoes etc for family and friends.