[Maddison Dwyer]

The SDC's Top 21 Stories of 2021​

And we did it members! We’re down to the last days of 2021. We’ve made it through another challenging year amid the global pandemic. Who here is excited to welcome 2022?

In just a few days, we’ll be saying goodbye to the year that brought us so many things to be thankful for. As it turns out, this year was not as bad as it seemed even though some of us e spent most of it in lockdown, isolating at home. It seems we managed to make the most of it by discovering a new love for cooking, decorating, hacks and other activities.

Before we bid farewell to 2021, let’s take a moment to reflect and think about the year we’ve had and the year that’s ahead.

Today, we are taking a look at our top 21 stories of 2021. These are the stories you lot loved the most and they ranged from some of the supermarket’s biggest deals, to genius DIY hacks, mouth-watering snacks and so much more. We’ve also linked every article for each story, in case you want to read the entire article!

So sit back, relax, and grab a cup of your favourite cuppa as we give you the top 21 stories of the year.

1. This year, giant supermarkets announced major changes to their stores across the country before Christmas, such as Kmart's 'buy now, pay later' scheme, which got Aussies excited for the holidays and beyond!

Lines outside of Kmart. Image source: News.com.au.
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2. Have you tried hunting for this kind of discount yet? A young bargain hunter revealed how she scored a $40 scotch fillet steak for less than $2 at her local Coles. Click here to learn how you can snatch it too!

3. Oh gosh, excuse us but we forgot about this one. We might have to duck out to Aldi quickly even with all these leftovers, because who doesn’t want an easy-to-make truffle treat, which you can get for only $4.99? Umm everyone.

The popular Aldi Truffle Treat. Image source: Aldi.com.au.
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4. We've had a couple of beauty products make the cut in our 21 top stories for 2021, and honestly, we aren’t surprised because who doesn’t love a bit of skincare? Well this $6 age-defying product is a 57-year-old model’s go to product as she swears it maintains her age-defying beauty (and we will be the first to admit, it actually looks like it works).

5. If you haven’t tried this cleaning hack yet, we recommend you give it a try! Now, before you judge, there were a few of us here at the SDC that actually had no idea this little drawer existed, so maybe you knew, maybe you didn’t?! But for those of you who didn’t know, this Aussie cleaner shared an amazing cleaning hack after discovering a little-known feature in her dishwasher that will change the way you clean your cutlery.

6. Ah, the magic words for anyone needing to clean: No scrubbing involved. Trust us when we say, this is the hack that you never knew you needed! This cleaning hack made the rounds online this year for cleaning old, filthy grout around tiles fast, and we will say it again, WITHOUT SCRUBBING!

7. Now we know fast food isn’t for everyone and that’s absolutely fine, but who here doesn’t love a little insider secret? Well these employees snitched on their fast-food chains' secrets, including this Macca's employee who confirmed a shocking claim about their drive-thrus. This made us think twice about going on a snack run (but we still do it of course).

Macca's drive-thru secrets revealed. Image source: TikTok.​

8. Oh gosh. The team is devastated that this advent calendar is done for another year. Yep, you bet. We had a cheese calendar to share because we are all cheese fans here (And Maddie had a chocolate advent calendar, because she is a bit of a chocolate addict) We will all dearly miss the advent calendars sold in supermarkets now that Christmas is coming to an end and we are gearing up for New Years BUT if you’re lucky, your local Woolies might have a few advent calendars on sale for you to grab this week…

9. This year, we've also received numerous warnings from concerned shoppers (bless their hearts) so that we won't have the same bad shopping experience that they did. This one Aldi shopper warned other customers of this detail after spotting it on their purchase after they had already paid for it. Honestly, it really pays off to check the products you’re purchasing carefully, every time you shop.

10. This year brought a plethora of gadgets and useful tools to help us survive the pandemic. One of the most popular little gadgets is the air fryer, which has been dubbed the ‘kitchen gadget of 2021’. If you've used an air fryer, you'll understand how difficult it can be to clean. So we were grateful for this TikTok user who revealed a 'genius' hack for removing grime from your air fryer without scrubbing! (Oh yes, those beautiful words yet again).

11. Call us the hack-ers because ladies and gents, we have yet another hack for you. This brilliant hack is perfect for transforming dirty grout to sparkling white with minimal effort.

Transformed tiles! Image source: Facebook​

12. Oh, we loved this idea! And you know what, it isn’t just for Christmas, you can use it all year round, so there is still plenty of time to try it. We were blown away by this 'genius' hack shared by a mother for reusing unused and excess Woolies paper bags for Christmas.

13. Who can forget the heated debates sparked by supermarket buys on social media? The biggest one was this Aldi honey that wasn't as Australian made as it seemed… Remember members, always check the labels and support local where you can.

Aldi honey buy is made by few Australian ingredients. Image source: Facebook. ​

14. FREEBIES! This year, giant supermarkets brought us fantastic freebies, including this one from Coles, which was hugely sought-after. If you missed out don’t fret, we heard it was a hit and that they may be bringing it back in 2022…

15. Of course, we can't forget about the decadent desserts that sparked such a frenzy among shoppers (including ourselves), and we completely understand why! This Aldi dessert was a very welcomed, new twist on a traditional Australian dessert.

Decadent desserts at Aldi! Image source: Facebook.
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16. There’s no doubt 2021 was the year of DIY hacks. We learnt a lot of amazing tips for transforming dull spaces in our homes into a new and refreshing look for only a few bucks! Like this one, shared by a mother who transformed her home office space with a $18 Kmart item.

17. While the big supermarkets gave us some great deals, there were a few hiccups here and there. Such as this frustrating discovery made by a customer at the entrance to a Woolworths store in Melbourne.

Woolworths store. Image source: 7news.com.au.
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18. And can we just give a shout-out to the shoppers who shared their clever hacks for getting the best deals at supermarkets? They are today's heroes, and they saved us from spending a lot of money. Like this regular shopper who revealed the surprising location where you should always check for epic markdown meats at the supermarket—and it's not where you think it is.

19. You lot really love kitchen hacks, especially this one revealed by a mother to keep bread fresher for longer. Some of our members also shared their incredible bread hacks, and we thank you for making every article's comment section worth reading! We've also learnt a lot of fantastic hacks from you!

Keep your bread nice and fresh. Image source: Instagram.
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20. From a shard of glass in a vanilla slice to a nasty finger inside a burger! (yes, you read that correctly) This year brought some of the craziest and most bizarre finds in some supermarket buys. And this one discovered by an Aldi shopper takes the cake as it left her horrified.

21. Finally, there were the good old technical errors with supermarket cashiers, which cost customers hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in overcharges. This Woolworths shopper took to social media after spotting an error on her grocery receipt. Members, always double-check your receipts to ensure that you have not been overcharged.

What was your favourite story on the list? Was it a deal, a snack, or a DIY hack? Obviously, the snacks were our favourites!

Ah, 2021, thank you for giving us these stories. And, we thank you as well for sticking with us and reading our articles every day. It always warms our hearts.

We're excited to bring you more stories about the best deals, genius hacks, newest snacks, and more! And we hope you’ll still join us in the years to come.

See you in 2022!

 

[Ricci]

Wow, two different ways to clean grout, and I can't be bothered to do either! Maybe I'll have more energy and inclination in 2022. Luckily my tiles are less than 3 years old and do get washed regularly.