23 Easy Ways to Save This Summer

The sunshine season is for savouring – not stressing. And don’t all of us over here living on Slurpee budgets want to live that swim up bar lifestyle?

Here’s the Up team’s best – easy – tips to find a little extra $ left in your beach bag when the sun finally sets on summer.

1. Walk it, bike it, get there for free.

The best saving tips pay double. Slip slop slap then self propel: you’ll save $ on transport AND invest in your health 💪

2. Chill at the park, the beach, or at home.

Park picnics where you all bring something are what memories are made of – and closing time can be whenever the sun comes back up again.

3. Round Up money on what you buy.

Pick any Up Saver and set on your Round Ups. A few cents from everything you buy will go into that Saver, and a little can add up to a lot. Say you Rounded Up a buck daily this sunny season – that’d give you a magic little $90 come March, pain free.

4. Pack your own snacks.

But make them good snacks. Whether it’s iced watermelon or just an insulated water bottle, taking nice things with you might cost a touch more than that muesli bar that’s been hanging out at the bottom of your backpack since 2019 – but also, you also might actually eat them 🍉

5. Libraries are for cool people (literally).

If you haven’t stepped inside a library since Mrs Tunstall took you in year Eight, you might be surprised at how much your free card gets you now. Start with the free aircon and move on to books, audiobooks, and even streaming TV.

6. Pick that old hobby back up.

Look, we know we’re not the only ones with a stash of Fimo clay and an unpainted box of Warhammer figurines at the back of the wardrobe. Is this summer your moment to finally revisit the hobby stash and see what feels fresh again?

7. Save Up 1000, slowly.

Join the Save Up 1000 challenge. It’s literally designed to be the easiest way to save, and in a year you’ll have a literal thousand bucks. Literally.

8. Sell something you don’t want.

Listing stuff for sale is as easy as pointing your phone at that weird Chrissie present from Aunty Marge and voila, it’s listed on Marketplace.

(Never sold stuff? Check out our post on how to do it safely and avoid scammers. Though most people are just ace humans trying to get a discount pair of Docs.)

9. Lock away some money.

Want something big? Set a lock on it so you can’t get that money till you really, really want it. A quick and priceless gift to future you. Go you little red fire engine.

10. Cancel what you’re not using.

Now that you’re hooked up with that sweet library action, is there a streaming service you could lose? Nobody’s suggesting you live Spotify-free, but it can really pay to decide to use, say, Netflix this month and pause Binge till winter hits.

11. Look for a cheaper way to get what you are using.

Sure, there’s shared accounts and such – but be creative! Like — if you’re a gamer, there’s subscription services out there with almost unlimited stuff to play for a few bucks a month, so get into something a bit different to the A1 titles.

12. Macklemore it.

Op shops aren’t just a great way to spend an arvo, they’re your best source of crazy festival threads, and winter goodies for the year to come. Pro tip from our team: take a trip to the fancy suburbs. After Christmas they’re full of the newest stuff, and sometimes some damn fine coats for the year ahead too.

13. Hide money you can’t spend.

Out of sight, out of mind. Spendable in your Up is a new kind of way to look at your bank balance. Tell Up your Pay Day and what regular bills you’ll have to pay. Then Up can show you only the money that’s really yours to spend on Calippos and a new pair of boardshorts, after the phone bill’s taken care of.

14. Learn how to fix or clean one thing.

You know those ‘white’ trainers you don’t wear any more cause they’re grey and manky? Ten minutes of YouTube could leave you with fresh-as kicks and the price of new ones still in your (digital) pocket 👟

15. Dodge the gym membership.

Look this is a personal one, and for heaps of people gyms totally make sense. But beware of the red hot January offers that promise you a hot bod for a few bucks (till Feb when it costs $50 a week). What’s the fine print?

And PS: you look 🔥 just the way you are.

16. Save for what you want. Dodge impulse buys.

January’s full of ads for things that will totally definitely make you a whole new you… some are legit and some only feel shiny for a little while. Why not save for all of them, then buy the ones you definitely still want when you have the $?

17. Decide what makes you happy – and forget the rest.

Stop buying things you don't need to impress people you don't like. Measuring your summer (or your life for that measure) against anyone else’s is a waste of your precious time. Say no to stuff that gets you more likes on Insta than true joy. Sit back on that free park bench and say Om.

18. Don’t buy all your coffees (but maybe do buy some).

The perfect iced latte is a beautiful thing. Somebody makes it for you and hands it to you with a pretty paper straw: perfection.

When you’re battling impulse spending, giving yourself a little treat can make all the difference. And you might be surprised, when you think about it, how little joy the second cup contains. In our experience, having one perfect thing can be everything.

19. Go veg – or a bit more veg than your current level of veg.

You do make friends with salad – especially with your wallet. If your new year plan is to add a few more carrots to the daily reps, it can also make a massive difference to your weekly spend. And if you need some good vibes and inspo…

20. Cook with mates.

We all know that food prep is a money saver but also would rather swim with a Great White than spend a hot Summer Sunday alone over the stove. So why not make it a party? All you need is a mate (or three) and a big pot. One huge batch of pasta sauce + a few mates + BYO containers sorts a good night together and food for the week too 🍝

21. Start an emergency fund.

Using your January ‘new me’ energy to start an emergency Saver (no matter how small) could put you on the path to saving and feeling chill all year. Goodbye catch-up mode.

22. Get to know auctions .

Moving out or changing situations this year? When you’re after big stuff like furniture and cars, there’s a whole underground scene of places that sell or auction off overstock or discontinued items. Hit Google up for auction houses, ‘ex fleet’ sellers and ‘ex demonstration’ sellers near you. You might be shocked how massive the difference can be.

23. Live in the moment.

Summer is magic. The warm breeze on your skin, the smell of sunscreen and mozzie repellent, a cold Bubble-O Bill just when you need it. The best saving tip we can offer you is to forget about stuff you buy, for a while, and go enjoy the stuff that’s free.

Saving isn’t everything in life, and sometimes it’s only right to buy the whole watermelon. But a little extra money comes in handy too. We hope you’ve found a little bit of inspo here on ways to keep life a little more balanced than before.

With love and a party at the beach 🏖️

The Up Team