Dutch Cut Down on Cars

Nine percent of the Dutch who economized in 2012 got rid of their cars. Seventy percent of the population had to cut down on costs, according to a study by the Dutch institute for budget guidance, Nationaal Instituut voor Budgetvoorlichting (Nibud). It is unclear if the nine percent no longer have cars. Nevertheless, Nibud concludes that it is a serious issue; sixty percent of the people are in the last stage of economizing, which means that they have stopped buying products or services. NOS.nl reported that people save most on luxury items (TV, computer, hifi), going out for dinner, holidays and newspaper or magazine subscriptions. Half of them say that they feel like they cannot cut down any further. The most important strategy people use to economize is to buy sale items. Next is to buy less of a certain good or service, followed by reducing on quality or buying better quality to make sure products last longer. The last strategy is not to buy items anymore.