Limited Budget
You have a limited budget and want to cut expenses? Here are a few things you can do.
Grow your food. If you are living in an apartment and there is a lawn in the back, ask your landlord permission to make a garden. If that is not possible, put planters on your balcony. Freeze or make preserves with any extra vegetables you might have. Stock up for Winter.
Make compost. You can use it in your garden the following year.
Forage for wild food: berries, roots, mushrooms and the such. Be on the lookout for poisonous berries or mushrooms. Make sure you can differentiate the good from the bad. If in doubt, do not eat them. Use the extra berries to make conserves.
When possible, walk or use your bicycle.
Plant some soapwort and make your soap during the warm season. The soap made with soapwort only keeps for a week so you cannot stock up, but you will still save during Summer.
Join websites like freecycle.org where people give away or exchange goods.
For unexpected mishaps, like a broken car, when you do not have an emergency fund, a small loan will help you. Ask a friend or family member or get an online personal loan. You can then have that car repaired and repay the loan over a few months.
If you need to travel, use couchsurfing.com. This website lets you find accommodations all over the world, free of charge. Couchsurfing hosts open their homes and share their lives with their guests. It is a great way to travel and make new friends.
Living With No Money
If you want to live without money literally for a while (yes, it is possible, some did it and survived with a smile on their faces), the tips mentioned above are all good.
The biggest problem in our country is the cold weather.
One option is to live on a farm or a ranch as a volunteer in exchange for accommodations and food. Some ask for only 2 hours of work per day for accommodations, but you need to provide your food. Others ask for 4 to 6 hours per day and include the meals. In some cases, free access to the Internet, horse riding and other benefits are also included. Terms depend on the host’s preferences and the tasks to do.
Most people will opt for the “cutting the expenses” experience and not go completely moneyless. Whatever your goal, you should strive to be happy and content with your situation, and make the most of it.