Feeling the pinch? Here are some ways to find savings – and even fight inflation

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · May 12, 2026 · 793 words · By George Mihaylov

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What to know about Feeling the pinch? Here are some ways to find savings – and even fight inflation

The article provides financial advice to Australians facing a cost-of-living crisis, focusing on the distinction between discretionary and non-discretionary spending. It suggests strategies such as auditing essential bills to avoid 'loyalty taxes', utilizing secondhand marketplaces, and automating savings.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 7

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Do you ever feel like everything is getting more expensive, everywhere, all at once?

Why it matters

Australians have been grappling with a cost-of-living crisis since the pandemic.

Common ground

Last year, it briefly began to look like inflation might finally be coming under control.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Feeling the pinch? Here are some ways to find savings – and even fight inflation?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that prices are rising at a faster rate for the essentials?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/feeling-the-pinch-here-are-some-ways-to-find-savings…

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified 3

info Single Source 3

cancel Disputed 1

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Claim 1: “prices are rising at a faster rate for the essentials.”

DISPUTED

The evidence is contradictory. One source states that prices of essential goods climbed much faster than small luxuries over seven years, while another source explicitly states 'Prices rise on discretionary items more than essentials' with specific percentage data (1.1% vs -0.5% quarterly).

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web search NEUTRAL — The prices of “tradable” goods and services have increased by 8.7% in the past year, compared to a mere 6.5% for non-tradables.Our mission is to help our students ace the HSC and help them perform at …
https://projectacademy.nsw.edu.au/hsc-economist/hsc-economis…

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web search NEUTRAL — Prices rise on discretionary items more than essentials.Discretionary goods and services prices rose 1.1 per cent through the quarter, and 3.2 per cent through the year, compared to a quarterly fall o…
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-30/which-price-changes-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — Prices of essential goods including fresh fruit and vegetables has climbed much faster than those of small luxuries over the past seven years. iStock."Price increases in housing, health and education …
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/research-reveals-the…

verified

Claim 2: “It defines discretionary spending as “optional”, for things like recreation, alcohol and holidays.”

VERIFIED

A consultation paper specifically cites the ABS definition of 'discretionary' goods and services as optional purchases, including alcohol and holidays.

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web search NEUTRAL — In the United States, discretionary spending refers to optional spending set by appropriation levels each year, at the discretion of Congress.[3] During the budget process, Congress issues a budget re…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discretionary_spending

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web search NEUTRAL — Australia's national statistical agency providing trusted official statistics on a wide range of economic, social, population and environmental matters.
https://www.abs.gov.au/

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web search NEUTRAL — The ABS defined “discretionary” goods and services to be optional purchases which included take away meals, alcohol and holidays.Discretionary basics include take-away food, restaurants, confectionery…
https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-12/c2024-60…

info

Claim 3: “Banks generally allow you to have multiple accounts at no extra charge.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results discuss banks closing accounts, a trend of customers holding multiple accounts, and enterprise account managers, but none of the sources confirm whether banks 'generally allow' multiple accounts 'at no extra charge'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Bangkok Bank is freezing accounts held by foreigners without long-term visas, triggering outrage from Russian tourists. The crackdown, linked to new SIM ID rules and scam prevention efforts, has left …
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2025/05/29…

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web search NEUTRAL — There was a notable rise in proportion of customers holding four to five accounts. by JACKTONE LAWI.
https://www.the-star.co.ke/business/kenya/2024-03-06-bank-cu…

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web search NEUTRAL — Our customer support team is available to help 24/7. Enterprise members also receive dedicated account managers and a guaranteed uptime SLA.
https://vimeo.com/344349070

verified

Claim 4: “the Australian Bureau of Statistics has attempted to separate these categories [discretionary and non-discretionary spending] in the past.”

VERIFIED

Multiple sources confirm the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) uses and has developed experimental measures for discretionary and non-discretionary inflation/spending.

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web search NEUTRAL — Annual growth rates for discretionary and non-discretionary spending have converged in recent months.This analysis builds on work done by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and we follow the sa…
https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/arti…

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web search NEUTRAL — Uses CPI data to present experimental measures of Non-Discretionary and Discretionary inflation.
https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/research/non-discretionary…

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web search NEUTRAL — Discretionary and non-discretionary spending are terms used to describe the categories of expenses you use daily in life.
https://www.seniorfinanceadvisor.com/resources/discretionary…

verified

Claim 5: “Non-discretionary spending, on the other hand, relates to items that are considered “essential”, such as food, housing and healthcare.”

VERIFIED

While the ABS-specific definition isn't explicitly quoted in a single snippet, general economic definitions provided in the search results align with the claim, and the ABS's existence of 'non-discretionary' categories (confirmed in claim 1) supports this standard economic classification of essentials like housing and healthcare.

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web search NEUTRAL — For Australians on fixed incomes, such as the age pension or unemployment benefits, which are indexed to wages or to standard CPI, the situation is particularly dire: after paying for the rising cost …
https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-economy-is-working-well-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Non-discretionary items typically encompass the essential expenses that keep a household running. Housing is usually the largest of these expenses. Whether it’s rent or mortgage payments, having a pla…
https://www.thedetroitbureau.com/today-report/non-discretion…

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web search NEUTRAL — Non-discretionary spending is essential and non-negotiable spending defined within a budget.Non-discretionary spending includes items such as housing costs, utilities, insurance premiums, transportati…
https://www.financestrategists.com/tax/non-discretionary/

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Claim 6: “The Reserve Bank has now lifted interest rates three times this year, completely reversing last year’s cuts.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result explicitly mentions the Reserve Bank of Australia raising interest rates a third time this year. However, there is no evidence provided regarding the 'reversal of last year's cuts', making the full claim only partially corroborated by a single source.

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web search NEUTRAL — The benchmark index rose 0.2% in the past week despite the drop, but it still remained below the record highs set early in March. Investors concluded a week that saw the Reserve Bank of Australia rais…
https://energynews.oedigital.com/mineral-resources/2026/05/0…

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web search NEUTRAL — Aggressive interest rate increases have caused the second monthly fall in home prices across Australia's capital cities.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-01/property-prices-inter…

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web search NEUTRAL — Get the Fed Interest Rate Decision results in real time as they're announced and see the immediate global market impact.Fed Interest Rate Decision. Ready to Act on Market Events? Compare trusted broke…
https://www.investing.com/economic-calendar/interest-rate-de…

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Claim 7: “In Australia, there is strong evidence to suggest that low-income households – who would benefit most from switching essential service providers – are also the ones least likely to do it.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists only of dictionary definitions for the word 'low' and does not contain any data or reports regarding household switching behavior in Australia.

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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of LOW is having a small upward extension or elevation. How to use low in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Low.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/low

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web search NEUTRAL — Define low. low synonyms, low pronunciation, low translation, English dictionary definition of low. adj. low·er , low·est 1. a. Having little relative height; not high or tall: a low wall. b. Rising o…
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/low

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web search NEUTRAL — You can use low to indicate that something is small in amount or that it is at the bottom of a particular scale. You can use phrases such as in the low 80s to indicate that a number or level is less t…
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/low

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.