Saving money in tough times

It’s getting a bit scary with prices rises lately. It’s not just the price of fuel, which increases almost every week, it’s also grocery, meat, fish, fruit and vegetable prices. It seems everything is affected by the price of fuel; when that goes up, everything else follows. I thought by now more people would have realised that simple living could address many of the problems associated with these soaring prices, but it seems the blinkers are still on and credit card debt continues to rise. There are a lot of people being evicted from their homes because they can’t pay the mortgage, or from flats because they can’t afford the sharply increased rent. It’s pretty grim.

If you are still trapped in the have-now-pay-later mentality, think about your situation for a while. Petrol prices will continue to increase, so will food, clothing, appliances and everything made or delivered using fuel. If you are struggling now, it’s not going to get better if you don’t change.

It’s time to take stock of what we can do to help us through these tough times and to move to a gentler way of living. I’m pleased to report many of the things you’ll do in your simple life are environmentally friendly and cost less. But you already knew that, didn’t you? Less get on with it then. Let’s compare what you will pay for cleaning products if you are shopping at our largest grocery chain this week – Woolworths. I went online and checked these prices this morning. Let’s say we’re buying the general products used for cleaning in the home: laundry detergent, spray and wipe, floor cleaner, bathroom scrubber cream, dishwasher (machine) detergent, in sink dishwashing detergent, oxygen bleach, liquid bleach and toilet cleaner. Buying all that would cost you $51.91, most of it is environmentally unsound and you’ll have a lot of packaging and waste products to deal with, adding to the environmental expense. You do NOT need a different product for each cleaning job. That is a lie told to us so often by advertisers that we came to believe it. You can clean everything in your home using these five products: borax - $3.44, washing soda $3.22, laundry soap - $1.49, 2 litres white vinegar - $1.21, 5kgs bicarb soda - $6.95. They will cost you $16.31 (today’s prices) and they’ll last you a lot longer than a week or two. Cut up worn out towels for cleaning cloths.

Just on those cleaning products alone, you’ll save yourself $35.60, you’ll save your local streams from the harsh chemicals, you’ll save your rubbish tip from all that plastic waste, you’ll save time shopping less and you’ll add to your life skills by being about to make your own cleansers.

As well as changing what is bought, you could also start stockpiling so that you buy most of your needs on sale, then shop from your cupboard each week. I have written about stockpiling here and here.

There are many other things to be done in ordinary homes as well as saving on grocery prices. Get rid of pay TV, mobile (cell) phones and use public transport instead of driving everywhere. Mend your clothes, learn to sew and make a few simple things, knit. Grow vegetables and fruit, keep chickens, learn to cook from scratch – all these things will save you money. I know everyone can’t do everything suggested here, but everyone can do some of them.

Involve your children in your changes. Today’s children are much more aware than they’re given credit for. Ask one child to monitor your electricity meter and to devise a scheme where you can save electricity – turning off lights not being used, turning off appliances at the wall, buying compact fluro globes etc. Ask another child to monitor your water meter and to come us with a water saving policy for the family – using grey water on the garden, four minute showers, less toilet flushing and do a trial on how to save water on washing up. Is you dishwasher or washing by hand best in your home? There are many ways to get the children involved. Reward them with a family outing when you start seeing the results of their changes, and praise them for their thoughtfulness and their help.

I could go on and on about this but this post is getting too long already, so I'll stop. But I do want to state clearly, you are not helpless in these difficult times. There are things you can do to save money, get rid of debt and regain your independence from large retailers. The choice is yours. If you do decide to change and work towards a simpler life, once one domino falls, they will continue to fall and a new life will open up for you. The first step is yours for the taking.

I will continue on this theme tomorrow.