Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Daharja at Cluttercut has asked about changes that people have been making for the better in their lives, especially in terms of saving money and doing things ourselves.

I've always been pretty frugal (some would say cheap), so I have a lot of habits that I don't even really think about more that probably date back to my days in undergrad, if not earlier. While I've always lived within my means, those means have never been huge (especially now with grad school funding), and so I've tried to find ways to not only live within my means, but to live well within my means.

One thing I started doing early on was shopping at thrift stores. Now, admittedly, when I started I was pretty excited by the prices, and did wind up buying some things that I probably didn't need, but overall I did save a fair amount of money. I still always check out thrift stores when I need something, and have bought everything from clothes and shoes to book and dishes there, all at very low prices. Money stays in my pocket, I get to support a charity, and things stay out of landfills.

I also started figuring out what I could do without, or do with less of. A lot of vanity products got scrapped on this one - hair goo of various types, nailpolish and remover, fancy moisturizer. Dinners out got scrapped to - I now only eat dinner out when out of town friends are in town, and even then I've cut it down more by offering to cook at my place. I started getting basic haircuts that grow out well - I can now get my haircut close to home by a lovely woman who charges me $15, much less than half of a salon haircut (which always felt like a huge rip-off, given the simplicity of my hair.)

I don't have a car. Now, admittedly, this one is sometimes a pain, especially when hauling groceries. But I don't need one - I have a bus pass, a bike, and good walking shoes, which seem to do me just fine. For grocery trips I also have a bundle buggy (one of those little wheeled wire carts) that I found outside the trash at my apartment building.

I eat low on the food chain. When I'm away from home or out for dinner I'll eat some fish. But, other than that, I eat primarily vegan at home. My version of vegan is high in whole grains and fruits and veggies. I eat little dairy, which is pretty expensive, and not much in the way of processed foods either, which are also expensive. While not quite the cheapest of all meals, I am concerned about health, and am willing to pay a bit more for good, wholesome food. But, overall, it's pretty cheap. Where possible, I buy local or organic, and grains and beans I buy dry, so as to not have to pay for shipping the water that usually comes along with them.

Finally, I look for activities that are cheap or, better yet, free to keep me busy (although it's not like I have all that much free time.) I've started playing my guitar again, I knit (not exactly free, but very practical), I attend free concerts, movies, and lectures at the library, I go for walks, and I hang out with friends. It's low key, but it suits me, and it means a minimum of travel and expense. And, in some cases, I'm even building up some useful skills.

Of course, there are things that I'm willing to spend money on, especially if I can't find them second hand - good tools, truly useful books, quality materials, organic food, and things that will last me a long time. But overall these purchases are pretty rare, and I think my other efforts more than make up for them.

So, I ask the question to you now? What changes are you making?