For me, it’s cultivating Yankee values:

Buy classic clothing. It never goes out of style.

Don’t eat out so often.

If you can’t sew, have a tailor replace the straps on an otherwise intact handbag or remove those ’80s sleeves from an otherwise gorgeous dress.

Collaborate with friends: “I got a gift I can’t use; would you like it?” “I need work done, you need work; let’s get together.”

Also, look for the positives:

Do we really need more “luxury” buildings everywhere?

Aren’t we better for economizing?

You walk into a store and find knowledgeable staff, eager to help. Good prices, too.

Finally, cultivate a “we’re all in this together” attitude, because, for the most part, we are.

1. Restaurant.com — you can buy discounted meal coupons at restaurants all over the country. And once you sign up, the site will send you codes for further discounts on your discount. I just got $35 worth of coupons for under $4!

2. If you need to buy something, google the store’s name plus the word “coupon.” You’ll see whatever it’s offering at the moment.

3. eBay is your friend. If you try on something at a store that is too expensive, jot down the name, make and model number. Search eBay and you may find it at a fraction of the price. You can also instruct your account to search on those search terms and alert you when a buy comes up. I just got a $125 Donna Ricco dress for $5.