This short article made me laugh. I realized today that there is an entire niche for minimalists like myself. The Minimalists and Becoming Minimalist are two other interesting blogs to reduce your possessions. In case you were wondering if you could be happy without spending so much money, you may be inspired by minimalist stories. Many people have became happier with less possessions.
Since minimizing my wardrobe, I have enjoyed wasting less money at the mall and wasting less time on deciding what to wear each morning. I had to learn that shopping is not a recreational activity.
My current weakness is junk food. I frequently get cookies and chocolate bars from my corner convenience store. These trips are a waste of money and the calories are not beneficial. If I'm hungry, I should eat something that offers valuable nutrition. As a stepping stone, I am going to start buying sweet cereals. These "part of a balanced diet" children cereals can satisfy my sweet tooth, while providing fiber and vitamins. I have started tracking my calories also. Not because I want to lose weight, but because I need to eat enough calories to avoid junk food binges. I should be able to reduce the money I spend on candy by increasing my consumption of more economical proteins and carbs.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Two suitcases
Most people are guilty of owning more clothes than they need. You probably wear your five favorite shirts about fifteen times more often than some of your least favorite shirts. In my closet, I currently have 6 short sleeve shirts (including an oversized one for sick or laundry days) and six long sleeve shirts. I also have one belt, five pairs of jeans, one jacket and about a five day supply of undergarments. I also have three pairs of shoes.
My spartan closet is due to our lifestyle of frequent traveling. In the past three months, we've been to Pensacola, Atlanta, Amsterdam, San Francisco, and Santiago. My son is young enough to be "in arms," so we have two free checked bags for the three of us. All of our clothes, reading books, baby toys, cloth diapers, and toiletries divided among two checked bags, with computers and our dSLR in our carryons.
The high school me would have been shocked by my limited wardrobe. I loved shopping for clothes and had to keep up with all the trends. Now as a mom, trends are an unnecessary use of energy. I have come to appreciate style more than fashion. My style is a solid colored shirt with a flattering fit and no graphics, words, or logos; jeans; my large belt that is a neutral color; Keens; glasses, and my hair worn naturally curly. Simplicity is much easier. I don't spend thirty minutes each morning debating what to wear.
To minimize money wasted on clothes, become more critical of the clothes you do buy. Determine how much money you are willing to spend on an item. Don't bother trying something on if it exceeds your price expectation. Consider the color. Do you already own enough of that color? Would you need to buy new shoes or a belt to match? What material is it? Avoid buying things that need ironing if you are not in the habit of ironing. Is it in good condition? Jeans with holes often are destroyed in the laundry. Clothing from clearance racks especially may have make up stains or ripped seams. When you try it on, does it fit you PERFECTLY? If you think, I'll just lose a couple pounds, or I can make sure this strap doesn't fall down, or I'll just keep pulling it down over my tummy during the day, then it does not fit. It should be comfortable to wear and flattering to your figure. Don't buy anything that you aren't excited about wearing tomorrow.
To decide clothes that are worth keeping, consider the quality and versatility. My small shoe collection covers everything I need. Silver heels, black boots, and green Keens. These shoes are so amazing. I have worn them hiking, sailing, at the beach, at the grocery store, and on walks with the stroller. I have had them for two years and worn them almost every day since I bought them. I've never had such a comfortable and useful shoe. Sneakers usually last me six months before they need replacing. Hiking boots last about a year and cost more than my H2 Keens. They are definitely worth the investment. Keep items that are going to last and you can use often.
Even if you don't travel as much as we do, living out of a suitcase can be a fun experiment to learn which of your posessions you truly need. You may surprise yourself when you discover what you personally value. You may also enjoy being able to trade the what to wear routine for a half hour of extra sleep each morning.
My spartan closet is due to our lifestyle of frequent traveling. In the past three months, we've been to Pensacola, Atlanta, Amsterdam, San Francisco, and Santiago. My son is young enough to be "in arms," so we have two free checked bags for the three of us. All of our clothes, reading books, baby toys, cloth diapers, and toiletries divided among two checked bags, with computers and our dSLR in our carryons.
The high school me would have been shocked by my limited wardrobe. I loved shopping for clothes and had to keep up with all the trends. Now as a mom, trends are an unnecessary use of energy. I have come to appreciate style more than fashion. My style is a solid colored shirt with a flattering fit and no graphics, words, or logos; jeans; my large belt that is a neutral color; Keens; glasses, and my hair worn naturally curly. Simplicity is much easier. I don't spend thirty minutes each morning debating what to wear.
To minimize money wasted on clothes, become more critical of the clothes you do buy. Determine how much money you are willing to spend on an item. Don't bother trying something on if it exceeds your price expectation. Consider the color. Do you already own enough of that color? Would you need to buy new shoes or a belt to match? What material is it? Avoid buying things that need ironing if you are not in the habit of ironing. Is it in good condition? Jeans with holes often are destroyed in the laundry. Clothing from clearance racks especially may have make up stains or ripped seams. When you try it on, does it fit you PERFECTLY? If you think, I'll just lose a couple pounds, or I can make sure this strap doesn't fall down, or I'll just keep pulling it down over my tummy during the day, then it does not fit. It should be comfortable to wear and flattering to your figure. Don't buy anything that you aren't excited about wearing tomorrow.
To decide clothes that are worth keeping, consider the quality and versatility. My small shoe collection covers everything I need. Silver heels, black boots, and green Keens. These shoes are so amazing. I have worn them hiking, sailing, at the beach, at the grocery store, and on walks with the stroller. I have had them for two years and worn them almost every day since I bought them. I've never had such a comfortable and useful shoe. Sneakers usually last me six months before they need replacing. Hiking boots last about a year and cost more than my H2 Keens. They are definitely worth the investment. Keep items that are going to last and you can use often.
Even if you don't travel as much as we do, living out of a suitcase can be a fun experiment to learn which of your posessions you truly need. You may surprise yourself when you discover what you personally value. You may also enjoy being able to trade the what to wear routine for a half hour of extra sleep each morning.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
The Paperclips
We started doing this because we don't have a bank account, but it has turned into a great way to monitor our spending. Each week, I give my husband $40 to spend at his discretion, including going out for lunch near the office. I put another $40 in a green paperclip for the grocery budget. I put $20 in my wallet for my discretionary spending. I then put $40 in an interior pocket of my purse for our "entertainment" budget, which includes dining out, beer, and taxi rides for when my husband and I want to do something together. $140 a week for 4 weeks is $560 a month. Any money left over at the end of the week is not rolled over. That means that if we spent $20 on entertainment one week, we get $40 total for the second week, not $40 plus the $20.
Spending cash is a lot different from paying with plastic. You physically hand over the money and watch during the week as you have less and less green (and blue and red and purple in Chile) in your wallet. Before buying anything, you have to know that you have enough. Paying with credit cards makes tracking your spending difficult. They also make it possible to defer your payment, putting you in debt so that you can pay later. The points and 1% cash back doesn't add up to the savings that you earn when you force yourself to handle physical cash.
Our budget currently resets each Friday. This actually helps us keep under our entertainment budget. If I get a new budget on Monday, I am more willing to spend money over the weekend, knowing I'll get more soon. If I start the budget on the weekend, then I have to save enough money for the rest of the week. I am more conservative with my weekend spending, mostly reducing how much alcohol I drink.
Spending cash is a lot different from paying with plastic. You physically hand over the money and watch during the week as you have less and less green (and blue and red and purple in Chile) in your wallet. Before buying anything, you have to know that you have enough. Paying with credit cards makes tracking your spending difficult. They also make it possible to defer your payment, putting you in debt so that you can pay later. The points and 1% cash back doesn't add up to the savings that you earn when you force yourself to handle physical cash.
Our budget currently resets each Friday. This actually helps us keep under our entertainment budget. If I get a new budget on Monday, I am more willing to spend money over the weekend, knowing I'll get more soon. If I start the budget on the weekend, then I have to save enough money for the rest of the week. I am more conservative with my weekend spending, mostly reducing how much alcohol I drink.
Our Situation
We are a family of three. My husband and I have been married almost two years, are in our early-mid twenties, and have a 10-month-old son. My work is cooking, cleaning, and taking care of our son. My husband works as a computer programmer for a small startup.
Our savings is down to $5,000. My husband quit his job to work on his own company, then went without income for 4 months. His product isn't finished, but he needed to go back to work. We have a truck, 5th wheel, lots of SCUBA gear, a dSLR, 2 ocean kayaks, and about two suitcases of clothes.
We are travelers, currently living in Santiago, Chile. We don't know how long we'll be here. Could be leaving in two months, three months, or over a year. Our apartment rent and utilities were arranged and paid for through investment in the startup my husband is now working for. They also provide us with $600 a month for our living expenses.
We do have bills at home waiting for us including our accountant, credit cards, and a few medical bills. We need to live off of less than $500 a month, just to keep $5,000. We do plan to sell our posessions next time we return to The States, but we plan to invest the money into the business that my husband has already spent four months building.
Our savings is down to $5,000. My husband quit his job to work on his own company, then went without income for 4 months. His product isn't finished, but he needed to go back to work. We have a truck, 5th wheel, lots of SCUBA gear, a dSLR, 2 ocean kayaks, and about two suitcases of clothes.
We are travelers, currently living in Santiago, Chile. We don't know how long we'll be here. Could be leaving in two months, three months, or over a year. Our apartment rent and utilities were arranged and paid for through investment in the startup my husband is now working for. They also provide us with $600 a month for our living expenses.
We do have bills at home waiting for us including our accountant, credit cards, and a few medical bills. We need to live off of less than $500 a month, just to keep $5,000. We do plan to sell our posessions next time we return to The States, but we plan to invest the money into the business that my husband has already spent four months building.
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