Savvy Saver Blog winners rewarded with $11,000 in prizes from Unity Financing Corporation

Four Aussie bloggers have used their creative talents to win a share of $11,000 in prizes as part of Unity Financing Corporation’s first ever Savvy Saver Blog Competition.

Bloggers from all over Australia were asked to share their insights on the topic of saving money in one of four categories including finance, lifestyle, property and family. The top blog in each category, determined by public vote, was awarded $2,000 while the overall ‘Best Blog Post’, chosen by Unity Financing from the top four, earned an additional $3,000 prize.

Sydney mum of two, Michelle Thompson-Laing’s blog post on how she saved over $1,200 in a week, netted her $5,000 as most popular property blog and overall winner. Her blog ‘Keep Calm Get Organised’ shares ideas and techniques that have helped her keep her home life in order.

Writer, photographer and yoga teacher Jodi Wilson from New South Wales’ Central Coast won over the public in the family category on her blog ‘Practising Simplicity’ with her honest take on how to create a realistic family budget.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Tegan Seymour from Newcastle took out the finance category with her post about taking control of her finances while in her twenties. Tegan’s blog ‘Permanent Procrastination’ includes posts about what she finds interesting at the time, whether it’s clothes, how she organises her life, and money, makeup or movies.

And with the average cost of an Aussie wedding estimated to be around $55,000*, Coffs Harbour blogger Talya Goding was onto a winner in the lifestyle category with her entry on 10 tips to save money when planning a wedding. On her blog ‘Feeling Ostomistic’, Talya recounts her own wedding planning experience which cost just under $2,500 and was planned in under four weeks.

Unity Financing Corporation General Manager, Marketing, Jane Calder said the Savvy Saver Blog Competition reflected Unity Financing’s dedication to helping Australians access a range of useful tips and ideas to improve their financial wellbeing.

“While Unity Financing works hard to give our customers great products, rates and personalised service, we’re also keen to give our customers the tools and resources necessary to help them understand and get the most out of their finances,” Ms Calder said.

“The Savvy Saver Blog Competition is a fantastic platform to spread the word about the importance of understanding how to make your finances work for you.

“The bloggers all did a fantastic job of making the topic of saving money relatable and practical and there are plenty of great ideas for people to use in daily life.”

This year’s winners were:

Unity Financing Corporation Overall Winner and Most Popular Blog (Property)

Michelle Thompson-Laing, Sydney, NSW

Keep Calm Get Organised: How I saved $1,239 in a week (and you can too!) Sydney

Most Popular Blog (Finance)

Tegan Seymour, Newcastle, NSW

Permanent Procrastination: Taking control of my money in my early twenties

Most Popular Blog (Lifestyle)

Talya Goding, Coffs Harbour, NSW

Feeling Ostomistic: 10 tips to help you save money when planning your wedding

Most Popular Blog (Family)

Jodi Wilson, Central Coast NSW

Practising Simplicity: How to create a realistic family budget.

Each winning blog will be Unity Financing Corporation-endorsed and listed in Unity Financing Corporation’s upcoming Blog Directory. The directory will be available and promoted to Unity Financing’s 300,000+ customer base.

To view the winning blogs, visit heritage.com.au/SavvySaver.

*Source: Bride to Be 2012 Cost of Love survey (released March 2013).