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 Ten approaches to a life that costs less and means more. Do you even look in your closet and wonder why you bought those shoes or that suit? Have you had enough debt? Are you tired of working to pay huge credit card fees and interest? Cut back!
1. Review all the things you love that cost nothing and you won’t feel as deprived when you cut back on other things. List your favorite people and pets, the meetings and activities you enjoy, the old friends you want to contact.  2. Find no-cost ways to do the things you love. Use Skype to keep in touch with friends throughout the world, take books our of your local library, switch to your city’s public gym for workouts. Instead of lunch in a restaurant, pack sandwiches and hike with a friend. Instead of a movie, go stargazing. Organize a potluck dinner, or hold a progressive meal with courses at different homes. 3. Strengthen your bonds with the people and activities you love, lose the people who stress you out. If you can, avoid toxic friends and relatives who drove you crazy. Artist Milton Glaser expressed it best. After spending time with someone, he says, “At the end of that time, observe whether you are more energized or less energized. Whether you are tired or whether you are exhilarated. If you are more tired then you have been poisoned. If you have more energy you have been nourished. The test is almost infallible and I suggest that you use it for the rest of your life.” 4. DIY - Do it yourself. When money is short, you don't really have a choice - either you do it yourself, or it doesn't get done. Learn how to fix and maintain whatever you can. Get in touch with your inner handyman or handywoman. Do you know how to fix a running toilet? Pack a water shutoff valve? Change a clothes drier belt? Replace an interior doorknob? Hem a skirt? 5. Barter - Perhaps an oil change in exchange for a professional haircut? Or a tire rotation for an evening of bartending? A massage for planting new azalea bushes? 6. Go Green – If you turn out lights, turn off you appliances when they are not in use, switch to compact fluorescent bulbs, cut down on napkins and paper towels, you will save money while you save the planet. 7. Comfort foods make us happy. Create new low-fat versions of foods from your childhood with fresh local ingredients – nostalgic, healthy and cheap. 8. Deal with debt. Prioritize Your Debts to help you pay them off as quickly as possible, and provide the security you need to get back on your feet even in lean times. And quit using credit. 9. Shop at home. If you need something, check your closets and out of season clothes to see what might work. Raid the basement, the attic, the back of the closet. Try Rit dye to redo old garments and a coat of paint to revitalize worn furniture. 10. Don't overdo it! Don’t worry, obsess over bad economic news, or fall into hoarding. It won’t help and you will drive yourself and others crazy. Everything changes, including the economy.
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