How+to+save+money+tips+and+treasures!

write some tips or a guide book for your friends on how to save money, or time, or the environment.

Can you make a list of free and fun things to do for different age groups?

Can you haggle article? http://money.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=671595

http://money.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=381993 =Guilty pleasures: beating the money blues= Key pointsFun hasn't exactly been high on the agenda in finance news of late. Instead, doom and gloom have ruled the dayAll the signs are pointing to the fact that it's time to tighten the beltYet it's difficult when all you really want to do is to buy a new one. Or a glossy magazine. Or a glamorous new lipstick. Or a nice bottle of wine to help ease the pain By Allison Tait, **ninemsn Money** As the economic skies darken and companies cut back on staff, there's never been a better time to consider tightening the belt. But, there's no reason you shouldn't consider buying yourself a new one. Fun hasn't exactly been high on the agenda in finance news of late. Instead, doom and gloom have ruled the day. Finance crises. Stock market dives. Wage freezes. Is it any wonder that the number of families seeking advice on how to meet credit card repayments and mortgage repayments has tripled in the last three years, according to the Consumer Credit Legal Advice Line? Not a lot of fun there. All the signs are pointing to the fact that it's time to tighten the belt. Yet it's difficult when all you really want to do is to buy a new one. Or a glossy magazine. Or a glamorous new lipstick. Or a nice bottle of wine to help ease the pain. So you'll be thrilled to hear that the experts heartily endorse a guilty pleasure now and again. "It's important to allow some fun money in a budget," says psychologist Meredith Fuller. "Eating Vegemite sandwiches every day and living an austere life might get the house paid off faster, but you might also drop dead of boredom in the meantime." Richard Jenkins, author of //A simpler way to save: the 60 percent solution// (Amazon), agrees. His book outlines a plan in which 60 percent of your gross income is allotted to committed expenses such as food, clothing, household expenses, bills, insurance premiums and charitable contributions. Of the remaining 40 percent, 10 percent goes to retirement saving, 10 percent to long-term savings, 10 percent to short-term savings and 10 percent to pure fun. He came up with this plan after realising that most budgets were long on detail but short on useful information. "It rarely matters what you're overspending on — dining out, entertainment, clothes. Who cares?" he writes. "It's still debt. Looking at my own spending history, I realised that it wasn't the little luxuries here and there that got me into trouble. It was the large, irregular expenses, like vacations, major repairs and the holidays. To avoid overspending, I had to do a better job of planning for those." Hence he takes care of the fun along with everything else — after all, as he says, "everyone needs to have a little fun". Those who deny themselves everything run the risk of contracting "poor me" syndrome — it all becomes so difficult and the goal seems so far away that the temptation to blow all your savings on something trivial to make yourself feel better is very real. "Little rewards allow you to keep going," says Fuller. "The key is to ensure they don't become necessities." So while you might see your daily latte as a small pleasure to get you through the day, Fuller believes that if you have to have it, you need to rethink your day. "You must think about the frequency of your little treats," she says. "When we're feeling frazzled, overwhelmed, stressed or bored, we look for something different to make us feel alive again. Problems arise when we keep doing the same things and wonder why they're not working." A better plan might be to forego the daily coffee and put the money towards a once-a-week treat that really counts. "The best kind of indulgence is one that really makes time slow down," says Fuller. "Instead of a daily coffee, maybe do a weekly yoga class. Or, once a month, try something new, like paragliding." Her best advice is to think about how you're using your money. If times are tough, make every dollar count and don't forego experience for habit. Of course, there's no point in indulging in a guilty pleasure if you can't get around the guilt bit. The first step is to examine why you're feeling guilty. "Don't let others colour your pleasure with their feelings," says Fuller. "You have a right to occasionally do something special for yourself." If you're in a relationship, you might find that you have different views on small indulgences from your partner, depending how each of you was brought up. The key, says Fuller, is to talk about it and come to an agreement. "Choose a new way, your own way," she says. "Decide what will work for you as a couple, not what worked for your family or his family." Finance experts are always talking about paying yourself first and sometimes this might mean a small indulgence that will go a long way to bringing you contentment. Nobody is suggesting you blow the mortgage payment on a pair of shoes. Or decide the credit card debt can wait. Instead, it's a matter of prioritising your disposable income in such a way that you get the most out of every dollar. You can have your pleasure without the pain if you have a plan. Try these alternatives: The plan: The era of good cleanskins may be coming to an end as the wine glut slows, but they're still out there. And think of the fun you'll have testing them. Quality wines are sold as cleanskins for as little as $3 a bottle. Find a good supplier and you'll never pay $30 again! If only shares co-ordinated as well with the living room cushions... Need help with your budget planning? Check out our [|budget planner]
 * From little things…**
 * Letting go of the guilt**
 * The pleasure:**Glossy magazines
 * The plan:** Buy one a month (even better, subscribe, because you save!) and then visit your nearest library to view the rest. Go at lunchtime and you'll avoid the shops, killing two birds with one stone.
 * The pleasure:** A new lipstick
 * The plan:** Nothing gives a woman a lift like the perfect shade, but do you need to buy it? Visit the cosmetics counter of your nearest department store and try a new one every day. Better still, if you have a special event to attend, book an afternoon consultation and get a mini-makeover.
 * The pleasure:** A bottle of wine