Keeping on top of your budget is easier said than done - particularly when a big chunk of each pay cheque keeps going towards rent. But maybe you're spending more than you need to be. Here are the average rental prices in each state and territory in Australia. If you're paying heaps more, it might be time to think about moving into a new neighbourhood.

Clever tricks for oven-baked versions of fried foods abound, but some things just taste better fried. If you'd like an occasional treat without having to buy a deep fryer you'll hardly ever touch, these tips on deep frying at home are essential.

Everyone is always on the lookout for ways to save money, but sometimes we ignore the fact that we're actively wasting money every day. Here are 10 ways you might be letting money slip through your fingers.

As much fun as holidays can be, actually planning your travel can be tedious and anxiety-inducing. Sure, an all-inclusive package or a travel agent might make the process easier, but that’s going to get pricey, and anyway, some of us prefer to make all the arrangements ourselves—even if we have to rely on a monolithic tech corporation to help us book everything. If that sounds more your speed, Google recently updated its travel tools with better search filters that make it a lot easier to plan your trip.

Happy New Year, and welcome to the first Ratehacker round-up for 2020! Here are all the latest credit card deals, plus the best savings accounts and home loans that you need to know about in January 2020.

In years of driving old cars, I’ve picked up some habits, maybe superstitions, that I’m convinced have helped keep my decrepit vehicles on the road. For the sake of everyone else’s retirement-age cars clinging to survival, I shall impart some of my secrets upon you unwashed cretins.

Since they're cheap and come in bulk, we tend to waste a lot of vegetables and herbs in the kitchen. If you'd prefer to cut down on that a bit, some kitchen staples are dead simple to regrow and don't need a full-blown garden. In fact, these ones don't even require dirt.

A second-hand car can end up being a bad deal if you don't know what you're doing. Thankfully Popular Mechanics has put together a comprehensive checklist to help used car shoppers strike a good deal.

Our major cities would be far more pleasant to live and commute in if city planners and consumers embraced e-bikes. If you never had to worry about being taken out by an angry or distracted motorist, riding an e-bike would be the most pleasant way to commute.

I’ve tested many e-bikes over the past few years, some costing more than my car.

Buying a new phone in 2019 can be an extraordinary investment, especially if you want to own it outright. Even the "mid-range" phones from Google and Samsung go for $649, and the least expensive 2019 iPhone is $1199.

As an alternative, here are three devices released in the last month that punch above their weight in design and performance. All three are from Chinese manufacturers, available at Australian retail, and they each go for an RRP of $499.

We’re all terrified of getting ripped off by car mechanics–it’s a cliché for a reason. And since most people don’t really understand how their cars work or how they’re maintained, the process of getting a vehicle worked on can be nebulous and intimidating. But if you feel uncomfortable with something, you don’t have to take anybody’s word at face value. You can always shop around.

There's a fundamental flaw with lots of financial advice: it assumes you have money. For some people, post-bills income just doesn't exist (and that number is only growing). So you just can't follow all the advice you get during especially hard times.

Entering a car lot is a bit like that scene in Behind Enemy Lines when Jude Law blunders into a booby-trapped minefield. In short, you're going to get badly burned. (Germans might also shoot at you, although that's pretty rare.)

Fortunately, it's possibly to drive out of the dealership in a new car without blowing up your wallet in the process. Here are ten expert tips to ensure you get the best deal.

We’ve all been there: you make a budget, you start making purchases based on your budget, and then you get stuck with some expense that isn’t in your budget.

As much as we love a night in on the couch watching whatever is next in our Netflix queue, there’s something great about putting on outside pants and being part of a live audience. Whether it’s a concert, movie or sporting event, sometimes it’s worth the hassle to experience something surrounded by other fans. But if you want to do these things, you’re going to need to buy tickets, and those can get expensive. Fortunately, there are a few ways to save money on tickets of all types.

If there’s one thing that grinds our gears here at Lifehacker, it’s when personal finance gurus declare that the easiest way to spend less, save more, and rack up riches is by giving up coffee.

Over on Twitter, some people are roasting MarketWatch for an article originally published in January that says you should have double your salary saved by the time you're 35.

Maybe you already kicked off your holiday shopping. You snagged a Singles Day deal or one of the many pre-holiday sales dangled by retailers in early November. But it’s all a run-up to the big one: Black Friday.

Ramit Sethi, author of I Will Teach You To Be Rich and professional financial smart person, joins us on The Upgrade this week to talk about how to reframe our approach to spending, the best ways to invest our savings, and how normal people can find a way to take a six-week honeymoon.