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Why aspirations, you ask? Good question!

I have considered a number of other words, such as dreams or wishes. “Dreams” isn’t real enough because we all have plenty of dreams we will never fulfill. “Wishes” isn’t committing enough, it’s kind of weak. “Aspirations” has the strength, the commitment and the determination to succeed. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner – “New Years’ Aspirations” that is.

If you ask me, it makes sense and feels nice to be summarizing the ending year before drawing those used-to-be resolutions. After all, they are called resolutions for a reason, they are supposed to be resolving some problems or issues we had in the past year – so those issues need to be remembered and summarized first, and only then we should think about some improvements to our life.

Concentrating on the resolutions alone, we can easily forget all the good that happened in this past year. We need to remember it, to give ourselves credit and a pat on the back, to feel contented and the proud of this accomplishment, and to keep it up.

Enough said; we’re already living in 2009 and here are my New Year’s aspirations:

I have been working too much. I will devote more time to myself, to my health and well-being than to my job. To be more specific, I will refuse to take more work than I usually do; I will go to at least two concerts this year, pay my doctor a visit and do some check-ups, and start paying more attention to my appearance.

I have been stressing too much. I will try to limit stressful events in my life because nothing is really worth it. I will think ahead, predict as much as possible and avoid stressful situations caused by over-committing and the expectations other people have of me.

I haven’t been physically active enough - I will start doing more sports. I will make sure I walk at least 2 hours a day and do some other regular exercising at least once a week.

I haven’t been spending enough time with my friends - I need to change that and make our relationships stronger. I will call every friend of mine at least once every two weeks.

How about you? What are your New Year’s Aspirations?

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Apart from the utility failures I have already mentioned, in Australia we have to think about natural disasters, such as bushfires, cyclones, floods and storms that were not all that uncommon lately. They too can cause the failure of utilities - for example a bushfire can leave a whole city without electricity by melting a major electrical cable.

That said, here what your proposed survival kit should include:

1. Cash. ATMs might stop working if there is power outage. Make sure the amount you have is in small bills and coins: $1,$2,$5,$10,$20 because stores will run out of change soon enough.

2. Generator - in case there is a power shortage and you still want your fridge to work.

3. Candles - in case there is power shortage and the generator just died.

4. LED flashlight (9 LED’s) and lots of spare AA batteries.

5. Food supply: freeze-dried food, canned food (don’t forget the can opener), noodles, rice and grains (you can find an exhaustive list of groceries to consider here). Store them in plastic see-through boxes for convenience.

6. Bottled water - 3 liters per person per day.

7. Battery-operated radio - to listen to the weather forecast, emergency announcements and the like.

8. Gas bottle for cooking.

9. Lighter and water-proof matches.

10. First Aid kit.

11. Pack of seeds to keep growing your own veggies

12. Pet food - they’ve got to eat too.

13. Hands sanitizer - alcohol based gel or wipes for cleaning hands and disinfecting objects when water is not available.

14. A stock of “barter” goods like toilet paper, soap, deodorant, shampoo, shaving razors, tooth paste, child diapers, etc. In times when the supply of goods in stores is irregular, these things are as good as gold and can be exchanged for other goods that you need.

15. A knife or better yet a multitool such as Letherman or Swiss army knife.

If you feel like being ready for anything and everything, here’s a couple of great resources: Frugal Dad explains really well how to prepare to emergencies of all kinds and SurvivalBlog is the ultimate place to be looking for answers to all survival questions.

Do you have anything to add? What’s missing on my list?

Update: this post has made it into Modern Families carnival

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Do you have memberships in clubs you are not interested in any more? Cancel them and save that money.

7. Cancel your newspaper / magazine subscriptions.

Are you reading every one of those issues? Is it worth to pay for weekly subscription if all you read is one magazine a month? Maybe you could cancel it altogether and read the magazine at the library, they usually have a rich collection of popular magazines.

8. Cancel your gym membership.

When was the last time you went? If the answer is “Can’t remember”, then you should definitely cancel it. Walking is free and an excellent way to exercise.

9. Buy products online.

In 9 cases out of 10 the online stores are cheaper. Do the research, find stores with good reputation and buy there.

10. Don’t buy books.

No, I don’t mean stop reading – use the library. It’s free; it’s a money saver and a great thing to teach your kids. Another idea is to stop buying music CDs and movies. You can listen to the music over the Internet for free and swap DVDs with friends (here’s a great article from Almost Frugal about it).

11. Postpone any renovations and not urgent expenses.

Anything that can wait – should wait. These are the times to tighten the belt and there is no such thing as renovations emergency.

12. Buy at cheaper supermarkets

ALDI is well-knows chain of cheaper supermarket. Give it a chance, do your shopping there a couple of times and then compare how much you save. If it work, you’ve found another way to save. This blog here is a great place to find recipes for dishes, all made from ALDI ingredients.

I am sure you have more tips for better family budget. Care to share?

Update: this post has made it to the Bankruptcy and Debt Carnival.

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1. Pay less for energy.

Many people stay with the same energy retailer just out of habit, when they can find a cheaper one just by shopping around. Go to http://goswitch.com.au, compare all the energy retailers and choose the cheapest one. You will be still getting the same gas and electricity, but paying less for it.

2. Find a cheaper car and house insurance.

It doesn’t take more than a day to shop and find the best and the cheapest insurance for your home and vehicle. Many companies have special offers if you buy the insurance online and it allows saving even more.

3. Switch to a cheaper mobile plan.

It often happens that people have a mobile plan where they are paying for more than they use. Anyone who has had a mobile phone for 6 months or so has the statistics of their monthly usage. Use those numbers and find a cheaper plan that suits you better (don’t forget about the exit fees for your current plan).

4. Consider canceling landline

If you’re not using the landline much, consider canceling it. “But wait”, you say, “what about my broadband, I need my landline for the Internet access”. Well, actually you don’t, because there are Naked DSL plans that let you have the broadband without paying line rental fees. By canceling the landline you could be saving at least $240 a year.

5. Cancel cable TV packages or replace with cheaper ones.

Think about it - how many channels do you really watch? How many do you enjoy? Maybe you can get a cheaper TV package that will still include all of your favorite channels and it will cost less because you’ll get rid of all the useless ones.

More tips are coming, stay tuned. Meanwhile, what are your ideas for a better budget? Leave a comment, let me know.

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You need to make more money to save more money and here is how:

1. Earn more if possible by working more hours.

This is the easiest way, really - no new jobs to look for, no resumes to send, just start handling more tasks at work, do more overtime and consequently get more money.

A nice side-effect of that will be the good impression you’ll create. Having seen that you’re taking more responsibilities your manager will start appreciating you more and hopefully this way you’ll have more chances to keep your job if and when they start firing people.

2. Work from home.

There is a number of things you can do from home - starting from filling surveys online to professional blogging. You can buy and sell stuff on EBay, become a VA (virtual assistant), do anything you like, anything you are good at, and earn more money. I won’t bore you with all the possibilities, you can google “work from home” and get an exhaustive list of ideas.

3. Get a part time job - in addition to your existing one.

If you ask me, having two part-time jobs is much safer during the recession than just one full time job. Simply because the chances that you will get fired from two jobs at once are much smaller. So even if you get fired from one of the jobs, you’ll still have half of the income to live on while you’re searching for another part time job.

But if having two part-times is not an option for you, then consider finding a job that you can do on weekends or evenings, so that it won’t interfere with your main job. It can be house-minding, dog-walking or anything else really.

4. Sell things online.

Ever heard of garage sale? Of course you have. Well, you can hold a garage sale as we know it, in a traditional way, or you could be courageous and innovative and sell the dusty, useless, cluttering-your-space stuff on EBay. Either way you’ll make money out of items that just sit there.

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1. Start walking

Every time before starting the car, ask yourself: do I really need to drive there? Or even better, make a list of your everyday destinations, and think: which ones are within walking distance? You’ll be surprised how many places people drive to just out of habit to reach places by car. This little revision can save you a lot by getting you out of “driving” mindset and into a “walking” mindset.

2. Ride your bike

Some places are not within a driving distance, but definitely within a bike-riding distance. Not only will you save on fuel, it’s also a great exercise and a very “green” way to get yourself anywhere. Whatever it will cost you to buy a bike and a helmet you will save on petrol within about 3 months. Want proof? Have a look at Frugal Dad’s article about riding to work and see all the calculations there.

3. Carpool

If you’re not familiar with the term, it means car-sharing with other people for commuting. Find people (co-workers for example) to share a car with and split petrol costs or just rotate, use somebody else’s car every day/week. Another idea is to carpool kids to school or other activities.

4. Shop on your way

Do your shopping on the way home from work or when running other errands. Plan your route and your day so that you’ll get the shopping done without dedicating a special trip to it.

5. Shop locally

Are there closer shops that you can go to? Shopping locally will reduce your driving distances. Of course it only makes sense if the prices in the local shops aren’t higher then in those further away.

6. Find closer parks

People like going to familiar places, so every family has a number of favorite parks. Explore a little - have a look on the internet to see if you can find other parks, closer to where you live. Give them a try, who knows, your kids might like the new places. This way you’ll kill two birds with one stone - save on petrol and have a new park on your list.

7. Buy petrol cheap

Go to Motormouth website if you’re in Australia or just do a search in Google for cheap petrol from anywhere in the world and you will find websites that list petrol stations with the lowest prices in your area. Another idea is to fill your tank early in the week because the prices always go up towards the weekend.

8. Use fuel dockets

Don’t throw away the receipts from the supermarkets - save the fuel dockets and use them when paying for petrol. Get into a habit of having at least one or two of those in your car. Pay attention to expiry date and make sure you use the older ones first!

Do you have other ideas on how to save on petrol? What works for you?

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Here is a number of ways to have a lot of fun with your loved ones for free:

1. Make a movie night tradition.
Set aside a day in a week (or in a weekend) when all the family gets together for a movie. It doesn’t have to be just immediate family; you can invite the grandparents, aunts and uncles or good friends over.

Stick to that day - to create a tradition, you shouldn’t miss a day for at least two months. Compile a list of movies you’re going to watch and get everyone’s suggestions on, that will give people something to look forward to.

Serve some great movie snacks, here are a few ideas:

• The unbeatable popcorn
• A pizza, easily made at home
• Hotdogs
• Home made burgers
• Chicken wraps
• Mini sandwiches
• Ice cream

The only thing to remember here is that finger food is the best, anything you serve should be easy to eat in the dark and leave a minimum amount of mess.

2. Watch the game on TV, not at the stadium.
The same ideas from family movie night apply to making sports themed nights at home. Allow kids to bring their friends and be prepared for some loud fun!

3. Getting some CDs of a favorite band is much cheaper than going to their concert.
You will be saving on the tickets, the petrol to get you there and back, the drinks, the snacks, the T-shirts and the stickers all together.

4. Get together for a family games night.
No, it doesn’t have to be Monopoly. You can solve crosswords together; play cards, bingo, or charades.

5. Go on nature trips, hiking and picnics.
You would be surprised how many beautiful places are out there, waiting for you to discover them. Buy or borrow at the library a book with a list of parks and nature trails in your area and get everyone to name a place they would like to visit. Every week some else picks a spot. And if you get tired from the walks, there is nothing wrong with just going to the beach, tons of fun for the kids and some lazy time for the parents.

6. Go camping!
I agree, you would have to spend some money on the petrol, but the rest is free - the great outdoors, the sky full of stars, fishing in the river and sitting around the campfire.

And now it’s your turn - what are your ideas of spending less and having more family fun?

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This is why I put together series of articles about how to make sure your household survives a recession. They are covering it all - food, petrol, entertainment, budget and expenses, income, debt, disasters and emergencies and will show you how to revise and optimize you entire household to get through the tough times. They will help you to feel safe, stay positive and enjoy life. Enough said, here is the first bit:

Household survival tips: 7 Recession Food Strategies

1. Grow your own

Growing your own fruits and veggies is one of the most effective strategies to spend less on food. There are a lot of low-maintenance vegetables and herbs you can even grow in pots (useful if you’re renting). They don’t need much attention and can save you a fair bit of money. If you like this idea, have a look how a Frugal Dad built a square foot garden for only $40.

Growing your own fruit will take more time, because the fruit trees take at least 2 years to yield crops. I would say this still is worth a try, because the tough times can last longer than that and you have free fruit supply for life. The fruits can be preserved by canning or dehydrating and you will be eating for free all year round.

2. Barter and trade

If your neighbors are growing fruit trees, veggies or herbs you could exchange the fresh produce - apples for lemons, dill for parsley, you get the idea, right?

3. Bake your own bred

I thought that baking bred at home is difficult, takes a lot of time and the outcome is not worth the effort. And I was entirely wrong because it is a simple process that takes 15 minutes of work and the bred comes out of the oven crispy and yummy. But I won’t describe here the whole process because Trent from TheSimpleDollar has done it already, click here to read his article.

4. Brew your own beer.

Join thousands (if not millions) of Australians who already brew their own beer at home. There are complete beer brewing kits available in the large supermarkets (K-Mart, Big W), they even come with a DVD that guides you through the process of brewing.

5. Cut back on takeaways.

Dining out is more expensive than eating in. Switching to home made meals will require some planning ahead, especially from people who are used to relying on takeaways (don’t feel bad, I am one of those myself), but your budget will reflect it right away.

6. Never go shopping for groceries when you’re hungry.

Shopping when you hungry leads to buying unnecessary things and spending more. It is much easier to fight temptations on a full stomach.

But let’s say you’re already at the supermarket and you’re hungry. The best thing would be to get something to eat first - a sandwich from a deli with a bottle of juice, an apple/banana/peach whatever you like, an then go ahead with the shopping.

7. Women, consider breastfeeding.

I will be cautious about this one - not every woman can breastfeed due to various medical reasons and health conditions. However, if this is only a matter of choice for your family, the here is how much you save: the average cost of formula tin is about $23 and it lasts for 3 weeks (then it expires and you need a new tin). Do your sums and see that breastfeeding saves you at least $400.

Did you like this article? Would you like to get more household survival tips? Subscribe and receive them to your email, click here to subscribe.

Update: this post has made it to the Carnival of Saving Money.

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