I have a new home on the Internet — Wisebread.com — and the move is part of my frugal strategy. Quite simply, as a long-time frugal blogger, I’ve hit the conservation and delete button. I’m saving my energy and getting greater mileage from my online presence.

Here's what I've learned:

Join a Co-op

Community efforts and joint projects can increase our professional and personal accounts. For instance, as a shopper I participate in an organic co-op that saves money because the cost of a large shipment of organic fruits and vegetables is shared by a large group. We share the expense; we share the discount. My family also plans to participate in a community garden in which we’ll share the labor and the harvest.

Likewise, as a writer, I participated in 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget, a Wise Bread project that was shared by about 40 writers. As consumers, we can save money by sharing tools, babysitters, clothing and books.

The Lesson: Group efforts and co-ops are frugal uses of time and money.

Specialize

As the founder of the Frugal Duchess blog, I was a one-woman shop, responsible for writing, editing, formatting, designing, ad sales, marketing and networking. That’s a lot of hats for one person to wear, especially given the other roles in my life: mother of three, syndicated newspaper columnist, in-house writer for a large nonprofit, poet and author of The Frugal Duchess: How to Live Well and Save. Those duties exhausted me, and I struggled under daily and hourly pressures to update my blog with great content. But as part of the Wise Bread team, I can specialize in the task that I do best: writing and reporting. It’s a better use of my time, and specialization will free up time and energy for other professional and creative opportunities.

The Lesson: To earn more, sometimes you have to do less.

Networking

In addition to my Frugal Duchess newspaper column, I have teamed up with Myscha Theriualt, another Wise Bread blogger to write an internationally frugal travel column from McClatchy Tribune news service, which is being picked up by a number of well-known newspapers (online and print). Our joint efforts have led to additional networking opportunities. In business, art and friendship, networking is a valuable tool that provides introduction, resources and education.

The Lesson: Networking cuts through the red tape that can tie up money, time and other resources.