In recent years, many people have dragged themselves into unsustainably high levels of debt to buy bigger houses, new cars, shares, investment property, plasma TV’s and more and more ‘stuff’.  We as a society have become time poor, stressed out and very unhappy.  We need to start saving, especially for the tough times like we’re currently going through. 

Whether having a baby or heading into retirement, or if you’ve lost a job, want to get rid of debt or even just simplifying your life so you don’t have to work so hard to pay for lots of ‘stuff’ – making free choices makes sense and will certainly help ease the financial load.

Here’s a number of helpful tips for free-living:

·        One of the most obvious choices- grow your own food.  You don't need to grow all of it, just adding a few essentials like tomatoes, lettuces, beans, pumpkin, potatoes, celery, herbs, corn etc. goes a long way

·         Make your own dinners from scratch rather than buying pre-cooked dinners or expensive dinner kits

·         Freeze extra meals for when you don’t have time to cook instead of buying take-aways

·         Catch your own e.g. fish and rainwater

·         Have a romantic picnic instead of going to expensive restaurants

·         Have a ‘bring-a-plate’ dinner party with friends, and rotate houses in future

·         Ride a bike instead of allowing the kids expensive TV or handheld games.  It helps keep them fit, active and a healthy weight

·         Go for a swim, to the beach, play games outside in the fresh air, encourage kids to use their imagination

·         Go to toy libraries and swap toys every week instead of buying toys that they soon tire of

·         Instead of wasting money on over-the-top kids parties, think of free alternatives e.g. bike-riding parties, a teddy bear picnic, a theme party, party games at home and home-made party food

·         Start a babysitting club with friends

·         Send your children to a public school instead of an expensive private school. 

·         Volunteer at the kid's school if you want to make a difference and improve their conditions

·         Apprenticeships are free instead of expensive tertiary education – and you earn money at the same time!

·         Sell stuff you don’t need on eBay, at a garage sale or markets

·         Accept hand-me-down clothes and shoes

·         Have a swap party e.g. toys, clothes and books

·         Swap skills e.g. haircut for a ready-made meal, computer lessons for mowing someone's lawn

·         Donate your body to science instead of having an expensive funeral

·         Collect seeds for the garden, swap plant cuttings, compost scraps and get some chooks for eggs

·         Use less cleaners and have a go at making your own

·         Look for beauty product give-aways

·         Enter competitions and win stuff

·         For free travel, become a WWOOFer (willing workers on organic farms), house swap or go camping

·         House sitting  is one way to access free housing

·         Libraries are useful sources for free books, magazines, CD’s, DVD’s and the internet

·         Reduce, reuse, recycle

·         Get free energy from the sun and wind

·         Ride, walk, take a free train (usually before certain peak times – but check availability) or car pool

·         For free health care, go to a doctor who bulk bills

·         Look for free entertainment opportunities in your local papers, community noticeboards, radio, library, council website, festivals and free concerts

·         For free telephone services, download VOIP (voice over internet protocol) and use your computer

·         Use the internet to find heaps more free ideas

·         Forget expensive gyms - start a walking group, go dancing, do yoga on the beach, go for a walk or ride your bike

·         Write a letter or visit friends

·         Make your own thoughtful gifts, give an IOU for a free massage or do something for them they will love

·         Visit museums, a pretty river, a lake, public gardens, the beach, a cave, rainforests, desert, historical places or buildings, cultural centres, waterfalls, sculptures, monuments, memorials, significant bridges, architecture, Chinatown, rock art sites, markets, heritage walks

·         If you’re in financial trouble, ask for help from friends, family, centrelink or your local charity – nobody likes to see a family struggle

·         Try to give as much as you receive.  If everyone ‘took’ but didn’t ‘give’ the cycle would stop (this doesn’t necessarily mean giving money or stuff, it could mean doing something in return)

·         Use less e.g. 1 product instead of 3 – for example, vinegar can be used for cooking, cleaning and stings or bites

·         Read Live For Free for lots more ideas and a list of useful websites who list free services and lots of free stuff

·         Share, swap, borrow, recycle, reduce, re-use, make, trade, barter, win, find, cook, build, sew, do think, grow and DIY

·         Use the freecycle website: a non-profit organisation keeping good usable stuff out of our rubbish tips and in the loop – www.freecycle.org.au

Ask yourself before you buy anything:

·         Do I absolutely need it?

·         Will I survive without it?

·         Can I use something I already have?

·         Can I borrow it from somebody instead?

·         Could I make it myself?

·         Could I share the cost with a family member or friend