Leo Babauta of Zen Habits (I love that blog) is offering his e-book, Thriving On Less for free. This e-book is a companion to The Power of Less.

From the introduction:

The recent economic recession has a lot of people worried, about their jobs, their businesses, their homes and their bills. When your income is dropping or in jeopardy and you still have a mountain of bills to pay, things can get pretty scary.

However, tough economic times do not have to be a time of struggles! If you look for the opportunity in the middle of difficulty, as Mr. Einstein suggested, then tough economic times become an opportunity to transform your life.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. A Simple Lifestyle
2. Focus on the Essentials
3. Thriving on Less, Not Struggling
4. Focusing on Enough, Not More
5. Make Small Financial Changes First
6. Look at Large Expenses for the Long Term
7. Changing Your Spending Habits
8. A Guide to Getting Out of Debt
9. Tools for a Frugal Life
10. Resources

Read our inexpensive Valentine’s ideas!

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Clothing and personal care expenses are necessary expenses but there are ways to save money.

Clothing

* Buy only because you need clothing and buy only those items that will fit into your present wardrobe. If you are choosing between two outfits, buy the one that goes best with what you already have.

* Buy good, usable clothing from thrift shops, garage sales, warehouse outlets, discount centers, and yard sales. Check any purchases first for stains or worn spots.

* Make purchases during sales time: clearance, end-of-month, or end-of-season.

* Buy versatile clothes that will expand your wardrobe, i.e., a sweater you can wear with two pairs of slacks you already have.

* Instead of buying new clothes, buy accessories that give a new look to the clothes already in your closet.

* Buy multi-season clothes such as an all-weather coat with a zip-in lining.

* Remodel or recycle an outfit you already own.

* Use cloth diapers and launder them yourself.

* If you know how to sew, consider saving by sewing your own clothes, but estimate costs carefully. You may be able to buy certain items on sale for less than you would spend on fabric and supplies.

* Share or trade sewing skills with family members or others in your community.

* Swap outgrown children’s and/or maternity clothes with neighbors or friends. Consider doing the same with shoes, ice skates, sports equipment, baby accessories, activity or school uniforms, etc.

Clothing Care

* Always consider care costs before purchase by checking the care label. Washing by machine costs less than dry cleaning.

* Keep clothes clean and in good repair. Remove stains promptly.

* Store clothes properly to protect from sun, moths, mildew, stretching, etc.

* Protect shoes and other leather items from water and salt stains.

* Buy minimum-care clothing: washable, dark colors. Dark clothes usually show wear less than light colors — especially coats, slacks, etc.

* Use self-dry-cleaning services and dry-clean your own clothes. Make sure all stains are removed before dry-cleaning. Self-dry-cleaning kits don’t usually work well on oil-based stains such as lipstick, grease, butter, etc.

* Share a dry-cleaning load with a friend if you don’t have enough for a full load.

Personal Care

* Use a mixture of baking soda and salt for brushing teeth.

* Buy personal care items from discount stores or wherever you find a personal care product on sale.

* Buy necessary items such as shampoo and toothpaste at reduced prices when stores offer “specials.” Stock up on specials but no more than you can reasonably use within the life of the product.

* Compare generic, store, and national prices — you may be paying for advertising.

* Give haircuts and permanents at home. Adopt a hair style you can manage yourself and which doesn’t need expensive care products and/or upkeep.

* Try inexpensive cosmetics. Similar ingredients are used in like cosmetic products. The difference in price is often due to promotion and advertising costs.

* Watch for coupons and rebates for personal care products.

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Spending money is easy. Spending money wisely is another thing altogether. If you ever wonder where your money goes, here’s how to find out:

If you’ve ever heard the advice, “never go to the grocery store without a list or when you’re hungry,” chances are you know why: you’re likely to buy more than you need and spend more, too. Regardless of where you’re shopping and how you pay for your purchases, remember to:

1. Shop around. A “sale” price isn’t always the “best” price. Some merchants may offer a sale price on the item you want for a limited time; other merchants may offer items at a discount everyday. Other merchants may offer a deep discount on one item – but only if you agree to spend a minimum that is several hundred dollars more. Also, check your local dent and bent stores for good deals on paper and plastic items.

2. Go online. Check out websites that compare prices. If you decide to buy from an online merchant, keep shipping costs and delivery time in mind.

3. Look for price matching policies. Some merchants will match, or even beat, a competitor’s prices.

4. Clip coupons. Coupons are useful when they save you money on what you’re already planning to buy. You can find some coupons in the Sunday paper or often, at coupon exchanges at your local library. Or you can download others – full coupons or simply codes – from manufacturer and retailer sites online. If you are shopping online, you simply enter the code at checkout.

5. Use debit and credit cards sparingly. To minimize interest and other charges, try to limit credit card purchases to an amount you can pay in full at the end of the month. If you use a debit card, don’t rely on an overdraft feature to spend money you don’t have. When you leave your house, carry only the card you may need to use rather than all your cards “just in case.”

6. Keep track of your spending. Incidental and impulse purchases add up. Jotting down what you spend after every purchase helps keep you mindful of your limits. At least once a month, use credit card, checking, and other records to review what you’ve bought. Then ask yourself if it makes sense to reallocate some of this spending to an emergency savings account.

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