We are pleased to announce the five overall winners who will each receive a cheque for $100.
The winners are:

1. "Shop in supermarkets after 6pm to get perishable items at mark-down prices!" -  Arundel.
2. "Instead of shopping "every Friday", or "every Saturday", I go food shopping one day later every week, eg, Monday this week, Tuesday next week etc. There is always enough food in the pantry and fridge for one more meal, and every seven weeks, I've saved a week's shopping money, which to me is about $150. This really works, if you are able to shop on different days," - Kempsey.
3. "I automatically BPAY a small amount (etc. $20) off each household bill each week. By the time the bill comes in the mail, the bill is already paid off." - Seelands. 
4. "At first I was afraid, I was petrified, that I couldn't pay myself first that I almost cried. Now it's 10% a week, I don't turn the other cheek and our future's not that bleak" - Ashby.
5. "My partner loves a beer each day, so instead of buying a carton each week, we put down a home brew saving heaps! It tastes good too" - Corindi Beach

Thanks to everyone who entered the competition and shared their tips. Winners will be contacted shortly. The competition attracted so many great ideas and hints that we have selected some of the best to share.

We hope they help you with your day-to-day budgeting and with getting more value for your money.

"I've discovered a fantastic community-based website where all kinds of goods are given away FREE!  There is no cost to join and the network is Australia-wide! Just go to www.freecycle.org to check it out!" - Lennox Head.

"Put homebrand cereal mixed with brand name cereal into a container and the kids won't know the difference!" - Bellingen

"Have two piggy banks (money boxes) for your child/children... one for saving short term and one for never touching (life long investment). This can then be contributed to their savings account. This encourages the next and future generations to be debt free," - Bellingen.

"Buy detergent in the largest quantity possible (ie: 20kg). The savings are enormous when you work out the difference between the monthly price and the price for the bigger size,"  - Warner.

"Start your washing machine (especially if programmable) to run during the night (say starting at 4am), on off-peak electricity," - Scone.

"The rules in our house are simple,
There are only but a few,
We like to conserve our energy,
And save some money too.
So if you are the last to leave
A room that's still aglow,
Please quickly turn the light switch off
To keep consumption low.

When summer's around the corner
And the temperature starts to rise,
Don't turn the air-con on just yet,
Just open the windows up wide.
This will let the southerlies through
It's such a cooling breeze -
Not only is the air so fresh,
As a bonus, it is free.
So save the air-con for later on,
For when it's really sweltering.
You'll know it's time to turn it on
When everybody's melting.

Another way to save a buck
Is on a cold winter's night -
Instead of using an electric blanket
My hubby hugs me tight.
There's nothing else quite like it
And best of all it's cheap -
It's the loving warmth that radiates
From your partner's body heat.
-    Emerald Beach.

"Set up a 'bills' account and transfer money required for recurring bills directly to this account every pay day - you won't be caught short!" - Coffs Harbour.

"Write down everything you spend every day and include all incidentals. You will be surprised on what you're wasting and where your money goes. Then see what you can cut out or go without," - Grafton.

Great minds think alike....

Many of the entries received in this competition talked about setting up Christmas Club accounts or household budgeting accounts where money could be "farmed out" each pay period so bills are accounted for before they come in. Remember, with BCU, these
sub-accounts and internal transfers are  fee free! A variation on this theme is setting up BPAY for all the regular big bills and transferring a little across each week.
It's a system that works for many of our members by saving them from a nasty bill at the end of the month.

Top five tips for saving $$ with BCU

• Open a Christmas Club Account -  your money is safely out of reach until November each year! 
• Open a Direct Saver Account - no CueCard means less temptation to spend and you'll receive a great rate of interest.
• Bring all of your loans, cards and transaction accounts to BCU - you could save plenty through generous loyalty rewards.
• Investigate the merits of an offset account to maximise your interest savings on your home loan.
• Withdraw cash using BCU ATMs or EFTPOS.