Cutting costs

Just imagine: you have a great job, earn decent money - and all of a sudden you are made redundant and you have to go on the dole. Here in Belgium we have a system for unemployment aid, organised by VDAB (Flemish Service for Finding a Job). They make up rules for unemployment.

When you are single or head of a family, you get most. The maximum for that would be 1300,00 €. After three months it goes down to 1150, and then it sinks to 1000 a month. When you share your address with others (be it your parents, husband/wife, siblings or just a friend) you start with the same 1300, go down after three months to 1150 and after another three to 900. You keep this sum according to the time you've worked: one year for 3 months of dole. After that, you only get 450 € to live on.

It's a new system, with only two exceptions: either you must be over 55 years of age, or have worked for more than 20 years. In these two cases you don't go lower than 900 €.

Also imagine, you have had a monthly income of 2600 € (what was I earned at the end of my career). And then you come down to 1300 for a while, and even less the time to come. How are you going to cope?

The only way is by cutting costs. So what wouldl you do in this case?

I guess I'd try and first cut down on travel. A whole lot of my budget goes to making trips abroad. If you can't put the money aside anymore, stay at  home. Your garden can be just as nice a place to leisure in than a far away beach.

I would definitely not cut on food. But you can reduce the price of it go down by using fruit and vegetables of the season, which are always cheap. The only thing you need to invest in is in having two or more big freezers. (We have two at home, as we like to buy fresh produce). And sometimes your local butcher or supermarket has reductions on meat. Generally pork is not too expensive, and steak is also reasonable. Veal and lamb are more expensive, as is chicken. Certain types of fish are cheap as well (like polak) while they are just as healthy as other types. By choosing carefully what you buy you can save up a lot of money.

As we have been raised with an awareness for the environment, we try not to spoil anything. Rests are kept and used in other dishes. We never throw away food.

We also save on energy (not because we have to, just because we've always done it). We never put a light on in a space we're not in. And we don't have central heating on the bedroom floor. I don't like to sleep in a warm room. When it's cold I just put on an extra blanket. We also put our heating not higher than 20° C, as it saves energy. When it freezes outside, we put a plaid over our legs when we watch TV.

In the bathroom, you can save water by only using the shower, and not keep the water running the whole time. Just to make yourself wet, and afterwards to wash away the soap and shampoo.

When necessity would demand it, I'd throw out the TV, the computer and everything else that costs some. There is the library, where you can go online for free, and lend books as much as you want. And games you can play in the evening.

And certainly never buy anything you don't need, like cigarettes, drink, IPads or Iphones. A telephone card will do, and then use a public phone.

Anyone has other ideas?