The easiest way to throw a party on a budget is to borrow the big, one-off items instead of buying or hiring them. Tables, chairs, eskies, gazebos, fairy lights, speakers, platters and lawn games can usually be borrowed from friends and family. That leaves more of your budget for food and drinks, and less stuff to store afterwards. Whether it's a milestone birthday, a backyard barbecue, a kids' party or Christmas lunch for the extended family, hosting can get expensive fast.

A library of things is a shared collection of useful items, like tools, appliances, camping gear and party supplies, that people borrow instead of buying. It reduces household waste by cutting the number of products that need to be made, keeping items in use for longer, and stopping rarely used things from ending up in landfill. Whether it's run by a community group or shared between friends, it's one of the simplest ways to live more sustainably. What is a library of things?

If you're new to camping or only go once or twice a year, borrow the big-ticket gear, like the tent, swag, camp kitchen, esky and chairs, and buy only the small personal items you'll use every trip. Borrowing lets you try camping without spending a fortune, and helps you work out what you'd actually want to own before you buy. Camping is one of the great Australian holidays: long weekends by the river, beach campgrounds in summer and starry nights in the bush. But kitting you

The easiest way to start gardening on a budget is to buy a few basic hand tools you'll use every week, and borrow the bigger, pricier ones you'll only need a few times a year. Hedge trimmers, whipper snippers, specialist tools and wheelbarrows are ideal to borrow from friends and neighbours.

Items you only use once a year usually cost far more than their price tag suggests. Once you factor in cost per use, storage space, maintenance and the chance they'll break or go missing before next year, many occasional-use items work out to be surprisingly expensive. For things like pressure washers, carpet cleaners and camping gear, borrowing is often the cheaper and simpler option.

The best items to borrow rather than buy are the ones you only use a few times a year. Borrowing them from friends, family or neighbours saves you money, frees up cupboard space and maximises usage of the things we own.