The First $1,000 Challenge

Search every name you've ever had money under — it's free, and takes about 10 minutes.

• Write down every name to try: your current name, maiden or former names, common misspellings, and your business name if you've had one.
• Search each one on moneysmart.gov.au (ASIC).
• Then search the register for every state you've lived or worked in (Revenue NSW in NSW; search 'unclaimed money' plus the state name for others).
• Never pay a 'finder' service — claiming is free.

• Link the ATO to your myGov account and open the Super section to see any lost or ATO-held super.
• Check your super fund's transactions against your last few payslips — contributions should arrive within 7 business days of payday.
• Check for any tax years you haven't lodged.

• Search your email for: 'gift card', 'e-gift', 'voucher', 'store credit', 'travel credit', 'refund'.
• Check wallets, drawers and the glovebox for physical gift cards.
• Log in to old PayPal or payment app accounts and look for balances.
• Look at final bills from old electricity, internet or phone accounts for credits you can ask to have refunded.

Take a box or basket into each room. The rule: if you haven't used it in 6 months and wouldn't buy it again, it goes in the box.

• Kids' rooms — outgrown clothes, toys, Lego, books, ride-ons.
• Garage and shed — tools, bikes, camping and sports gear, old exercise equipment.
• Kitchen — appliances and gadgets you don't use.
• Wardrobes — clothes, shoes and bags that don't get worn.
• Storage and under the bed — baby gear, decorations, old tech.

• Search the item on eBay and tick 'Sold items' — that's what people actually pay.
• List slightly above that so you have room to negotiate.
• If it hasn't sold in a week, drop the price by about 10%.
• Seasonal items (heaters, pool gear, Christmas decorations) sell faster just before their season.

• Photos: natural light, plain background, show the whole item plus any marks.
• Bulky items → Marketplace or Gumtree. Things you can post → eBay. Clothes → Vinted or Depop. Kids' gear → local buy/swap/sell groups.

• Meet in a public place, or have someone home with you for pick-ups.
• Take payment before you hand anything over.
• Ignore any buyer who sends a link, asks you to 'upgrade' your PayID or says they've overpaid — these are common scams.
• Baby gear: don't sell car seats over 10 years old or that have been in a crash, and check recalls on productsafety.gov.au.

• Bundle small things into one listing or a garage sale.
• Take scrap metal or e-waste to a scrap yard, and cans and bottles to your local container deposit point (10c each).
• Donate what's left — then it's gone, not back in the cupboard.

Choose something you're already good at and could do with what you've got at home. Some ideas:

• Around the home: cleaning, ironing, organising and decluttering, gardening.
• Kids: babysitting, school pick-ups, tutoring.
• At a desk: editing and proofreading, admin or virtual assistant work, social media, writing.
• Your professional skills as contract or freelance work — HR, compliance, bookkeeping, project management, design. Check your employment contract allows outside work first.

• Check what others charge locally on Airtasker, local Facebook groups or Juggle Street.
• As a rough guide: cleaning often sits around $35–55 an hour, babysitting $20–35, tutoring $40–80. Professional contract work is usually priced per hour or per project.
• Decide whether you'll charge by the hour or by the job — a fixed price per job is easier for people to say yes to.
• Factor in travel, supplies and platform fees.

Your first jobs usually come from people who already know and trust you. Send it to three people, or post it in a local group.

• Kids: tutors need a Working With Children Check. In NSW, babysitting by private arrangement doesn't need one, but agency babysitting does — and many parents will ask anyway. Rules differ by state.
• Cleaning, gardening or anything in someone's home: consider public liability insurance.
• Bookkeeping: preparing or lodging BAS for a fee requires registration with the Tax Practitioners Board.
• Contract work: check your employment contract and any conflict of interest.
• Tax: money from a service is generally taxable — keep a simple record of what you earn and spend. You may need an ABN.

Once it's done, ask: 'If you were happy with it, would you mind passing my name on?' A short review or recommendation in a local group brings the next job.

• Get a comparison price first — it's what makes the call work.
• Write down the name of who you spoke to, the date and what was agreed.
• Ask for any change in writing (email is fine).
• If the first person can't help, ask for the retention or loyalty team.

Compare on Energy Made Easy (or Victorian Energy Compare) first, then call your retailer.

• Check how much data you actually use before choosing a plan.

Get two quotes for the same cover first (same excess, same agreed or market value).

• Even a small rate cut adds up — use your lender's calculator to work out the yearly saving.

• Open the Savings Finder on service.nsw.gov.au and filter by your situation — or book a free appointment.
• Tolls: link your toll account to your MyServiceNSW Account and claim the $60 weekly cap each quarter.
• M5 South-West user? Register for the M5 Cashback.
• Get Family Tax Benefit? Claim Active and Creative Kids vouchers for each school-aged child.
• Check which energy rebates you qualify for (some households get more than one).
• Rego due? Run the Green Slip Price Check first.

Find your state in the State Rebates section of Find Me Money and claim anything that applies — kids' sport vouchers are the most commonly missed.

Open a separate savings account (check any bonus-rate conditions) and name it something like 'The $1,000 Fund'. Move everything you've found or saved so far into it — a saving only counts if the money ends up somewhere.

Set up an automatic transfer the day after payday. Even $20 a week is $1,040 a year — and once it's set, you don't have to think about it.

Emergency fund, a holiday, extra off the mortgage, a deposit, investing — write it down. The first $1,000 is proof it's possible; the next one is easier with a reason behind it.