Cost of living is a b*tch. But these 'money influencers' have figured out some cost-saving hacks.

It's the news that has pained many of us this week – interest rates are rising yet again.

On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of Australia confirmed a 0.25 percentage point interest rate rise. The latest hike brings the cash rate to 4.1 per cent, aka its highest level since April 2012.

Ultimately, the cost of living crisis is really biting hard as we hit the six-month mark of 2023. Grocery prices, rents, interest rates, fuel prices... it's a lot. But among the doom and gloom from economists and financial experts, can anyone put a positive spin on the cost of living crisis? 

Apparently, the 'money influencers' can. 

Watch: Ladies... let's talk money. Post continues below.

Kate Hall is the Founder of The Full Freezer, helping households reduce waste and save time and money.

With over 42,000 followers online, Hall said her biggest tip is freezing individual ingredients. 

Say for example she is cooking a lasagne, but she has a half a jar of leftover sauce, or a bit of an onion or other vegetable she didn't use in that recipe, she will save it. And also freeze it. 

"You can freeze pretty much anything. I cook with a stash of ingredients that I've prepped and are ready to use, and then I can cook with them from frozen whenever I want to," she explains to Mamamia's The Quicky.

"Liquids, chopped vegetables, berries, chocolate, you name on it."

Things that don't freeze well she said are emulsion sauces like Mayonnaise, jelly, or creamy dishes. 

But does this savvy tip require an enormous freezer?

"It helps, but it's not necessary," Hall says. "I always tell people to stop thinking of the freezer as being a long-term storage solution. Instead, use it more often whether it's in the freezer for a couple days or a week max."

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A post shared by Kate Hall | Home Food Waste Expert (@thefullfreezer)

Across the globe, one third of all food produced is lost or wasted — around 1.3 billion tonnes of food — costing the global economy close to $940 billion each year. 

In Australia alone, we waste almost eight million tonnes of food each year, 70 per cent of this being perfectly edible according to OzHarvest. 

With this in mind, Hall tells Mamamia that being extra crafty with our scraps and what's already in our fridge/freezer is one of the simplest tips. 

Alex Hourigan is a journalist and one half of the Two Broke Chicks podcast.

She and her co-host chat through their financial life lessons, as well as speaking to guests who have their money moves sorted. Hourigan and her co-host then try these tips for themselves in a bid to save some money.

Hourigan tells The Quicky that sometimes instead of focusing on the negatives, it's better to focus on what we can do. 

"The cost of living crisis is exactly that — it's a crisis. It's scary. Quite often it feels like every headline is telling us about the next thing that's about to get more expensive,"

"We can do more things to be more proactive,  and take our power back."

For those who are renters, one of Hourigan's top tips is for renters to know your rights as a tenant. It may sound straightforward — but you'd be surprised to know how common it is for people to feel quite in the dark with this topic.

"It's important to know how much your rent can be increased by, how quickly it can be increased and how often it can be increased," she says.

"There's actually no laws in Australia that say how much your rent can be increased by, but [laws around] the period of time, that is different dependent on the state."

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A post shared by Sal & Al ❤️‍🔥 TWO BROKE CHICKS (@twobrokechicks)

As for another fun grocery tip, Hourigan says one of her biggest savers is getting the 'Odd Bunch' fruit and veggies from her supermarket. 

Those wonky carrots and odd-shaped apples are always at least 20 per cent of the price of the nicer-looking produce, plus they taste exactly the same.

Plus another red-hot tip is to re-evaluate what electricity and utility providers you're with.

Listen to this conversation on The Quicky. Post continues after audio.

"Often we've either signed up to these because that's what our parents used, or because it was the first option to appear in a Google search. But spend time comparing the latest offers, because it's likely there are more competitive deals out there."

It's an important tip considering electricity makes up for 25 per cent of our bills typically.

Ultimately, there's one major money tip that Hourigan says has stuck with her the most. 

"If you're scared to check your bank account, you need to check your bank account. Burying your head in the sand doesn't help anyone. We want to empower ourselves with knowledge," she says.

"Don't diminish the little hacks that can save you money because even if you save two dollars a day, that's over $700 dollars in savings yearly."

What's your favourite cost of living saving tip? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature Image: Instagram @twobrokechicks / @thefullfreezer.