More Tips to Live Frugally

Is it possible to live on unemployment benefits?

It isn't fun or easy, but it can be done, for some. Try these tips:

• Minimize your required commitments. Repaying debts? Call the creditors and explain your situation and ask for an abatement. This won’t get rid of your debt, but it can minimize your requirements for the time being. Getting rid of credit card debt should be a priority. Have you noticed recently credit card interest rates and fees rising ahead of credit reform?
• Try to save as much money as possible. Rethink all your purchases: Use the "Stranger" purchasing test.  Do I really need this? Could I possibly get it at a better price? Could I possibly use something else instead that costs less? Buy what you need, not what you want.
• Get Rid of the Car. Having a car is probably your largest single expense after housing. Seriously consider getting rid of it and saving a bundle on gas, insurance repairs etc. Many US cities and towns have poor public transport and are dangerous to ride a bicycle regularly so if you can't live without a car,  consider downsizing it and using it as infrequently as possible. You may even reduce your medical bills due to your increased health and fitness by riding and walking.
• Spend no more than $200 USD a month on household necessities (food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc). The only way to pull this off is to cook pretty much everything yourself (buy raw ingredients instead of pre-prepared food), or get government assistance.
• Simplify your life. Purge and learn to live with less. Garage sale all that unused stuff in your closets and garage. You will be a much happier person and maybe generate some cash.
  Live small, find a smaller house. Consider renting; it enables you to be free to leave without incident. Less is more. Less time to earn and take care of things and more spare time to relax.
• Take every side opportunity you can. There are all sorts of little opportunities to make more money if you pay attention. Doing things like helping someone shingle a roof for $10 an hour cash is an opportunity you can’t let pass by. Free meals? Take them. Twenty bucks for helping an old man clean out his garage? Do it. Ask around for odd jobs and other small-scale moneymaking opportunities – perhaps even get started on your own “handyman” business.
• Minimize your possessions. There are a lot of reasons for doing this. The biggest one is that the more stuff you have, the more money you’ve wasted. Also, fewer possessions mean that you need less room to live. If all of your worldly possessions (clothes included) fit in a single Rubbermaid tub – that'll make it extremely easy to actually live in someone’s living room for a while, if you need to. Sell items you don't need. Amazon, Craigslist and E-bay are great places to sell your stuff. Be wary of scams however. Fewer possessions means you will be more mobile to move to a more job "rich" or lowere cost area.
• Grow your own food. You can grow a significant portion of your food, condiments, and healing herbs yourself very cheaply and for a few hours work a week. If you don't have a backyard, many areas have garden allotments available for those who sign up. You can even grow food in containers, on the floor, in window boxes, in hanging baskets, and in 'window farms'. Common seeds are cheap. Or, take home and plant such items as potatoes and herbs from the natural foods supermarket. Many will grow quite well at home because they don't have growth inhibiting chemical additives.
• Get a second job. Face it, you don't have a lot of money to spend on leisure anyway and that first job is taking maybe 10 hours at most out of your day. A second part time job can reduce your expenses while making a huge difference to your total take home pay. It also gets your foot into another door that may lead to a much better paying position if you do your job well.

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And check out the "22 Frugal Tips." Also send in your favorite money saving ideas.

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