Zany ways to beat cash crisis

A growing number of Russians are searching for alternative solutions to overcome the world financial crisis. From relatively conventional ideas like sharing offices, to more unusual methods like turning to astrology or feng shui, people will try anything

In one case in Moscow, a group of small businesses are saving money by banding together and sharing a large communal work space to reduce running costs.

“It has become more difficult to find more investors,” said Ilya Lagutin, manager at Romex.ru. “They have become very cautious because of the crisis. They are more selective. We have to become more competitive in the fight for investors’ money. The co-working idea helps us.”

While some have been focusing on the numbers and the bottom line, others have been seeing stars.

“As far as the economic crisis is concerned, both Nostradamus and the Apocalypse say we cannot avoid it. We can prepare for it but we should avoid playing complicated economic games,” say astrologers Nadezhda and Dmitry Zima.

Some people believe they should enlist the help of a Feng Shui specialist to create good wealth vibes in their homes. However this involves a great deal of furniture-moving.

As far as anyone knows the fate of their financial future, it seems it could be written in the stars – or in the positioning of the humble living-room sofa.