Hikaru25遊樂場

There's never been a better time to live frugally. Although we're not technically in a recession, it certainly feels like a recession to me. As people reduce their spending on things they don't need, the jobs that were funded by spending on luxuries are becoming threatened. Times are tough. Recession or no recession, the economy is pretty tight at the moment, and people are feeling the pinch. There are a lot of families who are only one paycheck away from not making the mortgage repayment, or the rent, or the bills. Any blip in the routine for these families means disaster. Frankly, that's pretty terrifying. However, there are many ways to live on less. Even one small change to your routine can save big dollars over time.

Meat Free Mondays
Recently Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono launched a promotional campaign for 'Meat Free Mondays', in an effort to save the environment, as the production of meat creates a large amount of greenhouse gasses. However, a side effect of eating less meat is a smaller grocery bill. Meat is expensive. While for most people it is an important part of their diet, many people eat far too much meat and not enough vegetables, which contributes to poor health. Having at least one day a week that is 'vegetarian' will put more money in your pocket, and might help the environment too.

Buy local
If you're really keen to help the environment, try buying your fruit and vegetables from local growers. Less transport means less greenhouse gasses, and you can often get some bargains. You can do this through farmer's markets and some green grocers. Vegetables that keep well, like onions and potatoes, can be purchased in bulk amounts when they're cheap. I live in a regional area and often seen farmers selling surplus fruit and vegetables at the farm gate at bulk prices. Better still, there is nothing to stop you growing some of your own veggies. A tub of silverbeet or lettuce on a porch will give you a reliable supply of fresh greens with minimal effort.

If you don't live in an area where farmer's markets or farm gate veggies are an option, try to buy vegetables and fruits that are in season. This is when they're at their cheapest, and they usually taste their best too. You might not get your favourite things all through the year, but you'll certainly get a varied diet.

Internet bargains
You can cut spending elsewhere too. If you've got kids, you'll probably have noticed that kids clothes are unbelievably expensive. Considering kids tend to grow out of clothes when it is most inconvenient, keeping them dressed is a huge ongoing financial burden. However, I've got two friends who've found ways around this problem. One buys and sells items on EBay. She is a stay at home mum with two kids under five, and her partner works full time. She simply sells shopping bags of clothes her kids have grown out of, or other items they no longer need, and then buys bags of clothes from other online sellers in the sizes she needs. While it doesn't bring in the equivalent of another paycheck, it's better than a punch in the face. Admittedly, organizing her kids to go shopping is a pretty big job, but because she isn't confined to set 'work hours', she can sneak down to the charity op shops and hunt for bargains, which she then sells for a small profit on EBay. All she needed to start doing this was a digital camera to take pictures of the items she was selling, and a computer with internet access.

When something she lists doesn't sell, she just relists it at a lower price. Because the items she's selling are small and cheap, like $5 shopping bags of kids clothes, normally they sell well, and she doesn't have to pay postage because people come to her house to collect the items. There are some small costs involved with making the listing, and postage, but normally these are easily covered. Now, I've never sold anything on the internet, but I have bought things, my most recent purchase being the matching bridesmaid dresses for my wedding, which cost me $65.50 in total for two dresses, matching stoles, and postage. Compared to purchasing matching bridesmaid dresses at a store at full price, this was a bargain. I simply got them second hand.

Secondhand savings
Another friend of mine has three kids, two who are in daycare, and one who is in primary school. Her husband is Sudanese, and her eldest will probably be 2 metres tall, just like his dad. Since he's constantly growing out of things, they buy all his clothes at the charity op shops. One Saturday a month, she puts the kids in the pram and hits the op shops. She gets perfectly good shoes, school pants, school shirts, and work clothes for herself, for a fraction of what she would pay at a department store, even during a sale. When the clothes get too small, she just gives them away to someone else.

Buying things second hand, whether off the internet, or from a charity op shop, or even a community market, can save you a fortune. If you're just looking for kids school uniforms, or some basic furniture or baby items, then second hand items will save you a fortune over the full retail price. Compare paying $5 at an op shop for a bag of size 3 boys' clothes to what you would pay per item if you bought them at a department store. Even if some of the garments are not suitable, you're still miles ahead of the person paying $19.99 for a three piece boys set. For generations, kids have grown up wearing second hand clothes. In this economic climate, new kids clothes, especially clothes that won't fit in three months, are a luxury most mums can't afford.

Just change one thing
There are many ways to save money if you're creative. Car pooling with a friend to do the groceries can save you some fuel, and also give you some moral support when you're tempted to buy the magazine or the chocolate bar at the checkout. If you're overwhelmed by everything, just make one small change to your routine, like taking your lunch to work one day a week, or getting a subscription to a magazine instead of purchasing it from a newsstand. Little changes add up into big changes. You don't have to change your entire routine to have a dramatic impact on your finances.