5 Ways To Band Together With Your Flatmates And Save Extra Cash

By Sophie Hart
16th Jun 2021

Two women lean on each other while soaked in sunshine.

Flatmates. They’re there for you through thick and thin. When you need to borrow a cute outfit, have no food in the fridge so you eat theirs, or need a ride to the airport. They’re that special person you can always rely on (read: to clean up after you). 

After the unholy year that was 2020, you and your flatmates might have dipped a little too far into the savings—and that’s okay—you’re definitely not alone. To help you and your roomies save a little extra cash on the side, we caught up with flatmates.com.au to bring you this super easy guide. Rest assured if you're living in a share house compared to a one bed flat, you're already saving yourself at least $200 per week.

So, call a house meeting, pour yourselves a glass of wine, and put your heads together to figure out what might work for you and your household. 

Become Frugal Noodles

According to Flatmates.com.au, two out of five households are spending more on food than they were pre-pandemic (probably because we’re all dining out more to make up for lost time). But, it’s time to get back to our ways of taking lunch to uni and work every day. When you think about the cost of dining out every day, you might find you’re spending anywhere upwards of $100 every fortnight. Save cash by meal prepping with your flatmates each Sunday, which will also ensure that all the food gets eaten and all the groceries get used up. 

Split Your Costs

There are plenty of apps out there that make keeping track of your precious dosh damn easy. Catching an Uber with your roomie? Split it right there and then so you don’t forget or need to worry about it later. Sometimes we’re too proud to split small spends, but over time they can really add up. Did you go and pick up cleaning supplies for the entire house? What about that sushi you bought them when they were too hungover to leave the couch? Chuck it all into Splitwise and then you’ll get a reminder at the end of each month with who owes who and for how much. Prefer to transfer instantly in the moment? Then Beem It is your go-to option that makes sharing bills and expenses easy. 

Don’t Be Water Wasters

Water—in case you didn’t know—is expensive. Plus, we hate wasting it. So band together with your flatmates and come to an agreement. Love to take a steaming, soothing bath every now and then? Maybe come to an agreement that you’ll both only treat yourselves once a month instead of every week. And, despite what your mum told you, you don’t need to pre-rinse your dishes before loading them into the dishwasher—it’s a massive water (and time) waster. Let your dishwasher handle this chore for you and your flatmates. And our final groundbreaking tip: wait until the end of the week when you have enough clothes to fill a load or hit up your housemates to share a load.

Share Your Streaming Services

We don’t know about you, but we’re signed up to an unholy number of streaming services, and according to Flatmates.com.au, there was a 35% jump in subscription sign-ups during the pandemic. Sure, you might already be leeching off your parents' logins for a bunch of them, but we’re betting there’s one or two you’re paying for out of your own pocket. Get together with your roommate and figure out if there are any you’re both copping the bill for so you can band together and split the cost. 

Rent Or Borrow

New clothes can really put a dent in the bank account, so consider borrowing or renting an outfit from your roomie instead of dropping big dollar bills on a new set of threads. And speaking of renting, do you have an unused car space? Rent it out and then divvy up the cash between you and your flatmates. And if there’s one thing we know about sharing a house, you accumulate a lot of stuff that you never end up using—and some of it might be worth a bit of coin. Host a garage sale or sell your preloved goodies at the markets. 

Fire up the house group chat and call an emergency meeting ‘cause you and your flatmates are about to save big. For more sharehouse tips and tricks, head to Flatmates.com.au

Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by Flatmates.com.au and proudly endorsed by Urban List. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who make Urban List possible. Click here for more information on our editorial policy.

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