Live on Less and Love It!
(Page 3 of 5)
October/November 2007
By Craig Idlebrook
26. Unplug any unused electric items with lights, clocks or timers. They use an amazing amount of power just sitting there. You can plug multiple items into one power strip to make shutting them all off faster.
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Creative Transportation
27. Carpool with friends or co-workers. Some cities maintain online listings to help people connect with other carpoolers.
28. Ask if your city has a carshare program or start one with people you trust.
29. Convert a diesel car to run on used vegetable oil. You’ll pay once for the conversion or kit, but after that all your fuel can be free. All you have to do is find a restaurant that wants to dispose of their used oil and will let you cart it away.
30. Keep track of your gas mileage and look for ways to improve it — keep your tires properly inflated and don’t speed.
31. Do as many errands as possible with each car trip around town instead of making multiple trips. You’ll save a lot of gas.
32. Book any airplane trips well in advance to get the lowest possible fare. Then show up early and offer to be bumped in exchange for free tickets if a plane is overbooked.
When You Can’t Avoid Shopping
33. Don’t go into stores unless you need something. Always carry a shopping list. Remember, stores are designed to get you to buy things you didn’t know you needed.
34. Hit end-of-season sales for as many items as possible, from kayaks to gardening supplies.
35. Before you shop, try borrowing the items you need from family or friends. Check out local Freecycle groups to find out what people are giving away. Set up borrowing co-ops for tools.
36. Try to find it used before you buy new. You can find a wide variety of items online, in the classifieds or penny papers, and at garage sales, estate sales and thrift stores.
37. When buying new, choose high-quality, durable items. It’s often cheaper to spend more upfront if you won’t have to replace the item in the near future.
38. Instead of shopping, scavenge. Watch the curbs at the end of the semester in a college town. If you live near a high school, try talking to the janitor the last day of school when they’re cleaning out the lockers.
Get Some Clothes On!
39. Buy clothing used whenever possible. You may have good luck finding clothes at garage sales, or find a wider selection at thrift stores, consignment shops and on eBay.
40. Have a clothing exchange party to trade unwanted clothing with friends.
41. Try sewing. Look for cheap material in thrift stores, or try reincarnating your outfits into something new.
42. Watch the clearance racks. It’s always amazing how much stores are willing to mark down unsold clothing.
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