Frugal living online

But take heart. You can find other like-minded individuals. Here are some great sites you can visit for tips, information, and discussion with others taking the same lesser-travelled path. And of course, they're all free (other than the price of connecting to the Internet, of course!)

About.com's frugal living site (http://frugalliving.about.com/), although lacking a guide at the moment, remains a fantastic source of ideas, links, and articles. I particularly like the inspiration section, and the monthly shopping guides are very helpful, cataloguing what's likely to be on sale – and what's likely to be expensive. There is an active forum available at the site, but visitors may find it to be a little difficult to use. Quote from the site keep savers on track: “Having a clear goal in mind is half the battle, no matter what it is. You can't get 'there' without knowing where 'there' is.”

The Simple Living Network (www.simpleliving.net/) has been an online resource for 11 years, and it shows. Based largely on the philosophies outlined in Duane Elgin's books Voluntary Simplicity, and Your Money Or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin, the site supports a relationship to money that focuses on simplicity - “it is about living an examined life -- one in which you have determined what is important, or 'enough,' for you, discarding the rest.” The free newsletter is motivating and the articles are helpful. But at the heart of the site are the discussion forums, where members support each other in making changes or finding alternatives to expensive solutions to life's roadblocks.