Frugal living in the city?

One way of saving when living in the city is by transportation costs. You can walk to most markets and other places you want to go. And even riding the subway annually is a lot cheaper than paying for a car, maintenance, insurance, licensing, etc.

I think it is possible to be frugal either way. In the city you are able to walk everywhere, which really helps on gas prices! I used to live in a small town where the grocery store, bank, and post office were all within walking distance. Now if I need to go to those places it costs me $4-$8 to do so! I had a small landing on my apartment where I grew tomatoes in pots and they turned out very nice. Because my apartment was small, I didn't have the tendency to buy things either unless I really needed it since there was limited space. And of course I furnished the entire place with second hand things collected from people I knew and thrift stores/resale shops!

I live right downtown, in my hometown, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I am legally blind, so my CNIB card (Canadian national Institute For The Blind) allows me to ride our public transit for FREE!!! If I was in the country, I'd have to own a car, to get around, and that would cost a lot. Even if I had to pay for bus far, it would still be much cheaper than liing in the country, and driving a car.

I think that every area has its own strengths and weaknesses. In the city you cant make a lot of what you need but there are more stores around to compete with eachother so prices are lower. In the country you can buy the seeds and grow a lot of what you need but the things you need to buy are both further away and possibly higher priced. I live in a city but I have a yard with enough land for a small garden. I cant have animals but I can grow almost all the vegis my family might eat. I shop around all the stores for the best prices on things and I buy bulk as often as possible. I really appreciate the life I have to live.

Off the top of my head, I can think of a couple of areas where city dwellers have a frugal advantage over those in the country. Firstly is transport costs. There are better public transport links in the city, and most places that you need to get to are close togehter. It's easier to forego a vehicle and either rely on public transport or walk / bike it. Secondly, it's easier to shop around in the city as there are more stores close by. In the country, there's not the same choice. Lastly, I think there's more availability of second hand goods in the city as you have more people living close by each other. Even FreeCycle can prove difficult in the country if you live far away from other members.