Crisis? Start to rework yourself

It seems to be hard times everywhere these days. I hope you can find some way to survive, make money, feed your children, heat your homes and have some time to enjoy life.

I think now is the time to look at the things that are free in life. I can think off; walking by the sea or in the woods, hanging out with friends, going to the local park to play with your kids, go for a run or a brisk walk, listen to music, go to the library and get some books to read. Its all good for the mind and the spirit and its all basically free.

When things get better which they probably will eventually there will be plenty of time to go back to buying things outside of the necessaries like food and clothes and so on. In the meantime, look for the free things in life and start thinking about exchanging stuff with friends like books, music, clothes you don’t want.

Have some courage! Open your mind, to new ways. You know, every crisis also opens new doors, new opportunities, new paths to walk on. See the signs and don’t shut yourself down.

Here is a list of things that you might want to consider;

• If you need some kind of software then consider looking into Open Source. Open Source not only has the aspect of being freely available, but also having some great minds behind it. The Open Source Community is mostly very generous and helpful. Sure, we all need to make money, so consider paying some developers for their work. This is still cheaper then paying a license fee and you get what you need.
• Save some money by turning off those lights in your house, when you really don’t need it. Same goes for heating and water usage. You won’t see a immediate saving, but will profit in the long run and your environment will be thankful as well.
• Go over your insurances and contracts. Do you really need each one of them? Do you really need to have the best health insurance around or would a mid-level one do as well? Have you had so many accidents in the last year or could that money be used otherwise?
• If you are short on paying bills then talk to issuer. Let them know that you are short on money (put away your ego for a second) and work out a payment plan with them. You will be surprised how many people will agree to a payment plan.
• Your car! I know, I know. Difficult topic. But just imagine how much money you would save in a month without having to pay for car insurance, gas and leasing. Some of us, need a car to go to work, some live in remote places where it is simply not possible to be without a car. I have nothing against it, all I am saying is that you might be able to save some money each month with a cheaper insurance, model or way of transportation.

Remember, these are difficult times and difficult times call for compromises. Nobody wants you to stop living or not being joyful. Just cut down on some things for a while. Better times will come again!