Money well spent

My attitude to spending shifted last year, prompted by a switch to contract work and our move to Canberra. Inspired by Emily I thought I'd share some of the best things I bought last year, starting with an everyday staple - Aldi's organic spaghetti. I bought it on a whim and noticed the difference right away. It's surprisingly delicious for dried pasta!

I bought a serious raincoat that's windproof too so I could ride my bike all year round.  I love that it's black, looks good on and does its job. It keeps me super dry in the rain (it's more effective than an umbrella most of the time) and the high neck keeps the winter chills out.

This little bottle of peppermint oil has brought me a lot of relaxation, especially at the end of long days, or when I haven't been feeling well. I squeeze a couple of drops into the shower which makes peppermint scented steam that's instantly calming. Mine's from Muji and a $20 bottle is still going strong after a year - even though I've taken to using it daily :)

My sister showed me this Moki Bluetooth mini speaker when I stayed at her house last year. Hers is bright pink and she uses it to play music for her daughter, wherever she happens to be playing. I copied and use mine daily to listen to podcasts while I'm getting ready for work, making dinner or to play music if I'm doing some yoga at home.

Chipotle Tabasco is a discovery my friend Angie made - she puts it on rich pasta sauces and lasagnas to give them an extra kick. She owns a giant bottle from Costco and I found this bottle at our local supermarket for $5. We put it on pizzas, pastas and oysters if we're being fancy and love it for being smokey and spicy at the same time.

I sorted out my sunscreen situation last year and use Mecca's To Save Face Superscreen 50+ every day and in the warmer months, I'll wear Aesop's Protective Body Lotion too. I'm happy to report that both sunscreens last a long time and smell and feel great too, which can be hard to come by in a sunscreen.

And here's my biggest purchase of last year - a Trek Lync 5 commuter bike, which I bought on sale. I went from riding a fixie to having 27 gears and integrated lights! I managed to clock up over 1,000 km last year and solved so many problems riding to and from work. I de-stressed too. While it was a big purchase, it's saved me a lot in parking fees and a gym membership too. And I love that it's all black :)

Small ways to spend less

After a holiday, a big celebration and with a few changes happening at work, I figured that now would be a good time to spend less and focus on saving. So far it's meant a handful of small changes and a couple of fun discoveries too. Here are three things I've been doing, including a few habits I picked up from friends:

1. Using my local library

The library in town is excellent and I always check the catalogue if there's something specific I want to read or watch. So far they've had everything I've been after, including some really new releases, cookbooks and documentaries. I've also just started using Zinio for library to download free magazines, which is especially great because magazines are my weakness. I'm using BorrowBox too for free e-books and audiobooks. I've just finished listening to Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians at Kristy's suggestion, it was really fun and great for the nights when I'm home alone.

2. Doing the big shop at Aldi 

I'm way behind on this one mainly because my office is in walking distance of Woolworths. We've switched from going to the supermarket most days (!) to trying do a weekly shop at Aldi and buying in bulk even if it means spending a bit more up front. In terms of saving, it only works if I avoid all of the random stuff in the middle of the store, including all the Peppa Pig items I could be buying for my niece!

3. Coffee at home

Buying a bag of coffee beans means we're able to stay in our pajamas for longer on the weekend and resist the temptation to go out for breakfast. Lately I've been making these cheesy egg sandwiches and I'm keen to try these orange ricotta choc chip pancakes :)

If you've got any great tricks for saving money, I'd love to hear them!