Hacks to keep energy costs down over summer

Hacks to keep energy costs down over summer

If you’re dreading your summer energy bill arriving in the mailbox, you’re not alone. Recent research by energy experts, iSelect suggests that 71% of Australians are concerned about their summer energy bills with 87% saying that they’ll be taking some sort of action to help reduce costs.

Energy bills have almost become a permanent burden on the budget but the good news is that there are simple hacks you can apply to keep your energy costs down and make sure you’re getting the best value energy deal.

Summer energy consumption checklist:

• A healthy temperature: Setting air-conditioning to 26 degrees is comfortable while keeping costs down2

• Consider the alternatives: Try to use fans instead of the air-conditioner for a more cost effective option

• Keep the sun out: Close windows, doors, curtains and blinds in the morning and keep them shut until a cool change arrives

• Opt for the clothes line: Take advantage of the warmer weather and use a clothes line instead of the dryer

While cutting back around the home can help reduce your energy usage, for many households it may just be a ‘Band-Aid’ solution. Unfortunately how much you pay isn’t determined purely by how much you use – along with usage, your energy bill is also made up of supply charges and service fees.  It’s important to speak to an energy expert to make sure you are on a plan to suit your needs.

Many Australians have adopted a set and forget mindset and have not reviewed their energy plan in years. This means they’re probably paying more than they need to for their energy and missing out lower rates which should ease the pressure on the household budget.

iSelect’s top 5 hacks to finding a better value energy deal:

1. Don’t set and forget – Retailers are now required to notify you when your rate changes or your discount expires. This should prompt you to compare other plans in the market to ensure you’re getting the best value deal.
2. Look for flexible payment options – Pay your bills weekly, fortnightly or monthly, or sign up for bill smoothing, which will divide your annual usage into even monthly instalments, to avoid bill shock
3. Don’t be distracted by discounts – Many retailers advertise heavily discounted rates (up to 30% off) but are often conditional. Opting for a retailer that offers a lower ongoing rate without discounts can be cheaper in the long-run, especially if you often pay your bills late.
4. Look out for special offers – Some retailers will offer you a better deal if you pay on time, manage your bills online or pay by direct debit. Keep an eye out for these special introductory offers but beware they generally expire after a year or two.
5. Shop around – Use increased energy competition to your advantage by comparing current offers. Call an energy comparison service like iSelect3 and make sure you have a copy of your latest bill handy.

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Improving your health through stretching

 Improving your health through stretching

The health benefits of stretching go well beyond improving flexibility and looser, more limber, and longer muscles.

Being more flexible gives you more stamina, allows for increased physical output and performance and because you use less energy, you’re saving it for other more important tasks.  Regular stretching increases your overall energy levels and makes you more alert by increasing the circulation of blood and amount of oxygen, minerals, and proteins flowing to your muscles and increasing production of beneficial neurochemicals.  Muscles can work harder and longer as muscle fatigue is reduced so you move faster and lift more.

Stretching reduces the risk of injury as tight muscles have trouble achieving their full range of motion which can cause you to pull or tear a muscle.  Increased blood flow also decreases recovery time after a workout because more oxygen and nutrients are delivered to the muscles.

Increased circulation also helps your organs function better and more efficiently which means lower blood pressure and resting heart rate and reduced levels of bad cholesterol in your veins and arteries.  Studies have shown that a 40 minute stretch lowers blood sugar levels by 26%.  The Journal of Medical Science recently reported that stretching may be the “new exercise paradigm for cardiovascular medicine” describing it is a novel and alternative low intensity, therapeutic intervention capable of improving several parameters of vascular function.

Stretching also makes you feel happier by increasing the brain’s production of endorphins and neurochemicals such as serotonin, helping with depression and anxiety. Increased physical performance also makes you feel happier and more confident which tends to make you eat better and look after yourself more.

Particularly important as we age, and for conditions like Parkinson’s and MS, stretching is great for your balance by improving fine muscle coordination and increasing the reaction time of your proprioceptors that cause your balance to shift weight.

Stretching has advantages for specific sports people. For golfers for example, a compact powerful swing is dependent on the relationship of shoulder and hip rotation and we have a number of very excited clients who find it greatly improves their game.  Stiff shoulders, tight hips and hamstrings impact your ability to perfect your swing.  For cyclists, stretching helps improve range of motion to ride efficiently and generate more power.   And there are obvious benefits for runners, walkers and a whole range of other forms of physical exercise.

And appealing to our sense of vanity, tight muscles can cause your back to hunch and limit mobility, which affects your walk.  Stretching improves your posture by keeping your whole body in its natural position and your spine in proper alignment.

Stretch Studios clients book by the Stretch S app, phone or drop by for a 20 minute, 30, 40, 50 or 60 minute assisted stretch, a form of static stretching in which a ‘flexologist’ (professional assisted stretcher) exerts gentle force upon the limb to move it into a new position, holding for a specific amount of time to lengthen and stretch the muscle fibre and tissue.  Stretch studios is open Monday to Friday 8am-7pm, Saturday 8am-4pm, Sunday 10am-3pm

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Spending time with grandchildren is good for your health

Studies have suggested that spending time with your grandchildren is good for your health and your lifespan. It also means that you get to spend more time with your children as the adults they have become. For parents, dealing with their children can increase stress. Yet, for grandparents, spending time with their grandchildren relieves stress. So, hanging out with your grandchildren provides you with a unique opportunity to spend time with the next generation, while making life a bit easier for your children.


The benefits don’t stop there, though. That’s just a nice side effect. The benefits to your health are even greater. Spending time with your grandchildren also boosts your cognitive function. That means improved memory so, you’ll remember exactly where that safe place is you keep putting things. It’s also an excellent way to stay active. Whether it’s walking them in the park or taking them to the playground, your brain and body will appreciate the additional physical activity.


Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of spending time with your grandchildren, though, is what it does for your mental health. One of the biggest risks to us as we age is loneliness. Once we retire we immediately lose the daily social connections that we have forged. It’s common to lose touch with friends over the years, with work and family keeping us busy. So, loneliness is a serious risk to health. Loneliness can result in depression, which comes with a wide range of additional health risks. Spending time with your grandchildren will provide you with a much-need boost in your mental health.


Now that you know all of that, maybe you should volunteer to babysit your grandchildren more often. They can provide you with healing and you can offer them love, wisdom, and maybe a bit of spoiling.

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Holiday scams you need to watch out for

 Holiday scams you need to watch out for

There’s nothing more exciting than escaping the monotony of your life to enjoy a holiday. There are certain scams that you need to ensure you are on the lookout for. It doesn’t matter where you go, there are always scammers out there who want to take advantage of you. So, be on your guard.

Hacks 

When you land, what is the first thing you do? You take your phone out and look for a Wi-Fi connection. It might be to post on social media, but it’s probably just to let your family know you arrived safely. This is one of the greatest risks. Scammers are setting up open and free networks to steal your information. Not only are they watching what you browse, but some travellers have also had their payment information taken. So, if you need to use Wi-Fi in the airport, make sure you’re using a legit connection.

Booking Scams 

Booking your holidays online is now the norm, which means there are more scammers out there trying to steal your cash. They post stunning photos of holiday rentals with prices too great to pass up. There’s just one small problem… they aren’t real! One of the most common signs of this is they ask you to deal with this via email instead of using the company’s booking site. It all appears legit, but it isn’t. Don’t pay by bank transfer. Get the address of the location so that you can check street view to see that it exists as advertised.

Document Fraud

To visit certain countries, you may require a visa. This is something else scammers are taking advantage of. They are selling fake visas or documents that you need to visit foreign countries. It all looks official, but it isn’t. For example, if you want to visit the US you need the ESTA. If you pop over to a search engine and type in ESTA visa, many of the top searches are unofficial. Make sure you’re on the official government sites.

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5 great foods to help your summer complexion

5 great foods to help your summer complexion

Summer means sporting a great tan, but it also means excess sweating and the products you use can lead to complexion problems. There’s a way you can help improve your complexion, though. Believe it or not, there are foods you can eat to improve your summer complexion – here are five of them.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers are packed with water and contain a bunch of minerals and vitamins as well. Not only are they are a great way to keep your hydration levels up, which benefits your skin, but they also brighten up your complexion. Toss them in your salads, your water or enjoy them on the side of every meal.

Leafy Greens

Spinach, chard, and kale are all excellent examples of dark leafy greens. They boost your immune system, help regulate blood sugar, and support your overall health. Better yet, they promote a healthy pH balance which is great news for your complexion.

 Watermelon

It won’t just cool you down, the water content in watermelon also works to flush toxins from your body. Fewer toxins mean a better complexion.

 Avocados

Now you can join the millennials by indulging in a bit of avocado toast. Avocados are packed with healthy fats, vitamins C and E, and they have amazing health benefits. Thanks to those vitamins they keep your skin moist, and eating avocados also boosts collagen production which should keep wrinkles at bay. Your complexion thanks you.

 Carrots

Carrots aren’t just good for your eyes, vitamin C combined with beta-carotene are rock stars when it comes to improving your complexion.

Perhaps the greatest thing about these five foods is that they are affordable, and you can add every single one of them to a salad. If you don’t love the idea of watermelon in your salad, just use it as a side at every meal!

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Most Australian pensioners to retire financially happy: Study

Australian retirees could have more money in their pension fund than they expect, according to a new study. But if you’re a retired female who is renting, you won’t be able to live as comfortably.
The study by the Grattan Institute – called Money in retirement: more than enough – claims Australians are less likely to suffer financial stress in their retirement and more likely to be able to afford optional extras such as annual holidays.

According to a release by Grattan Institute, the modelling shows that, even after allowing for inflation, most workers today can expect a retirement income of at least 91 per cent of their pre-retirement income – well above the 70 per cent benchmark endorsed by the OECD, and more than enough to maintain pre-retirement living standards.

And many low-income Australians will get a pay rise when they retire, through a combination of the Age Pension and their compulsory superannuation savings.

Australians tend to spend less after they retire, and even less into old age. Their medical costs increase, but are largely covered by the taxpayer. Many retirees are net savers, and current retirees often leave a legacy almost as large as their nest egg on the day they retired.

“The financial services industry ‘fear factory’ encourages Australians to worry unnecessarily about whether they’ll have enough money in retirement,” Grattan Institute CEO John Daley said.
But the retirement incomes system is not working for some low-income Australians who rent, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne. And this problem will get worse because on current trends home ownership for over-65s will decline from 76 per today to 57 per cent by 2056.
To boost retirement incomes for the poorest Australians, the report calls for a 40 per cent increase in the maximum rate of Commonwealth Rent Assistance – worth more than $1,400 a year for a single retiree.

Loosening the Age Pension assets test could boost retirement incomes for around 20 per cent of retirees today, rising to more than 70 per cent of retirees in future. It would also deal with anomalies in the system: some people who save $100 while working increase their total retirement income by less than $100 in real terms.

But because most Australians will be comfortable in retirement, there is no need to boost retirement incomes across the board. The legislated plan to increase compulsory superannuation contributions from 9.5 per cent to 12 per cent should be scrapped, saving the Budget about $2 billion a year.
And superannuation tax breaks and age-based tax breaks should be reduced, to ensure the retirement incomes system does not become an excessive burden on future budgets, and endanger funding for aged care and health.

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