Bui (Also spelt as Bey, & buhi)
Although it is uncommon for women to be greeted with this Bahamian word. It is a form of acknowledgement that is used as an informal greeting.

Eg. What’s going on bey?

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It is easy to lose track of needs and wants. Bills are always going to be present no matter how much we ignore them.  We can start saving easily once we make a list of things needed and wanted most. We cannot neglect our wants completely. Noting our wants makes it easier for us to see what we can use our hard earned money to enjoy. Noting our needs help up to space out our wants or “treat” ourselves for being discipline. This simple procedure translates itself into the previously mentioned bad word: budgeting- a really helpful word.
Today you can choose to get the most from the money and resources you have, even if they are limited follow these make do rules:

10. Don’t buy things you don’t need.

If you don’t need it or really cannot afford it don’t buy it! Most likely a lot of things that you assume are needs are merely wants you have disguised as needs in order to justify purchasing them so “stop it!”
Basic needs are food (including water), shelter and clothing plus the essentials needed to work so that you can provide those basics. That means that the TV (and virtually every other gadget in your house) is a want and not a need.

9. Lay-away is not your friend

You should only buy things when you have the money. You will only really have the money if you’ve set aside an amount for you to splurge every week/month. The benefit of doing this is the fact that you can increase your savings instead of crediting and paying more for products/services you buy. The CEO of Bahamian Illustrated said it this way: “I don’t believe in lay-away. If I don’t have the money for something when I want it I simply forget it.”

8. Purchase by value, not price.

Aim for items of quality which should last longer. Don’t just get items because they are cheap. Always look for the best value (considering other factors such as the life expectancy and additional upkeep costs that come into play beyond purchase price.) Other words look at the long term cost per item.

7.     Buy some Patience

Don’t be the first to buy a hot product. Wait for the early high spenders to embrace technology. You can make do until the hype wears off and the high prices fall to your reasonable budget. Sensible people who make do might be considered old fashion because they tend to be a generation or two behind on the latest gadgets but they function fine for a fraction of the price.

6. Don’t buy everything NEW

Used products are a fraction of the price of new models yet they perform the tasks just as fine.

5. Look for alternatives before buying.

Unless you’re well off, automatically going out and buying it is not an approach that a person who is trying to making do would take. Instead, before spending any hard-earned money on something that may only be used a few times, consider alternatives.
Is it possible to borrow it from a friend, a neighbour or a place? Would renting it be less expensive in the long run? Do you have something else already on hand that can be used to perform the same task? Buying is only one of many options when it comes to getting things you may need.

4. Don’t watch no faces.

Do understand life isn’t a competition over who has the most stuff. It’s important to focus on you and your family’s needs, and not what others are spending their money on. Just because your neighbours bought it doesn’t mean that you need to go out and buy something on par or better. Stop watching faces!

3. Don’t not pay full retail price.

Unless you absolutely have to – don’t. There are a number of ways to avoid paying full retail such as using coupons, finding discounts, waiting for sales and negotiating a lower price. With a bit of preparation and planning, there is never a reason to pay full retail price for anything you purchase.

2. Do not waste.

While this obviously includes the waste of money, it also goes beyond money to such areas a wasted resources and wasted time. Efficiency is your new friend and those who “make do” tend to reduce, repurpose, reuse and recycle the things that they do possess.

1. Do, do things yourself.

This is where we’ve really missed it!

Our ancestors did not have many cars back then and if they did there were no real good roads to drive them on. If they did have cars surely they would not find themselves paying other people to clean them. No one was paid to clean Bahamian homes or to take care of Bahamian children. Mama and Papa used to make do. They knew they had lots to take care of with their little resources and they had to make ends meet.

Yes, it is still a good thing to clean your yard, your car, your house and not your pocket! Unless you truly do not have the time, its time you become a do-it-yourself expert.

While it may take some practice at first, getting these 10 make do rules down will make your savings account look a lot better in the New Year.