Houseplants, the only respite in this wretched world in which we’re packed like a tin of sardines into musty, dark studio apartments.

Renting in Sydney is a horrible affliction, one that can only be remedied by masking a most unsatisfactory living arrangement with a bounty of indoor plants. Weak natural light? prop up a snake plant to feign oxygen! Feel like the walls are closing in on you? cover em’ with devil’s ivy! We are powerless against our bleak living prospects so we may as well lean into the time-honoured bandaid fix.

If you have resulted to numbing life’s woes through houseplants, you know that it’s a costly affair. Just last week I paid $40 for a minuscule string of pearls hanging plant. I knew it was daylight robbery, but I’m a zoomer so I lack the backbone to say no to something after I’ve committed the grand inconvenience of asking a sales assistant how much something costs.

It doesn’t have to be like this. One thrifty plant lover has taken to Twitter to share her hallowed advice on how to score cheap plants at Bunnings. The secret to success? visiting Bunnings stores in well-to-do areas.

“My only gardening advice is to go to rich suburb Bunnings because they will mark down plants with like a single crispy leaf,” @snaxolotl wrote.

In their experience, plants with even the puniest damage will be discounted by staff. In their latest shop, they managed to get their hands on a ficus lyrata (fiddle leaf fig) marked down from $21.95 to the bargain price of $10.

“I’ve never seen a clearance section in bunnings I must be going to the wrong one or the wrong spot!? I want these!” on Twitter user asked. “It’s usually a random rack trolley, could be anywhere lol,” our sage plant hero advised.

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