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Well it was my goal to do some writing today, but I didn't really expect to be writing here. I was instead planning to focus on OnThePharm. Ah well, I will still probably write an entry over there, but I wanted to share a link that I enjoyed, and talk about some of the parallels that I have found, and the greater enrichment I have found from making these similar changes.

Simpler is better

I discovered this link in my RSS reader today. I think it might have been from del.icio.us/popular, I can't remember. It's about hardcore frugal living, and the freedom it gives one. As I've said before, when it comes to business, less is more, and simpler is better. This is true for one's personal life as well.

Many of the things in the article I have done already.

As I worked through the process of making each room or space as functional and comfortable as possible for the least amount of expended money, I found I still had too many possessions. (A smaller home means fewer possessions, which means less to clean and take care of! I established the rule that I had to be able to see all three walls of any cupboard or closet to avoid clutter or unnecessary stuff.)

I find this to be very true. Less stuff = less mental overhead. It's similar to the principle that "Cleaning 20% of one's house brings 80% of the satisfaction found therein" — a truism if there ever was one.

Simultaneously, I began to tackle the financial problems of not having a significant savings program, but having an ample amount of credit card debt. This portion of downsizing our lives required constant attention, but I discovered some wonderful surprises that seemed so obvious in hindsight.

For example, the more time I spent in the kitchen making our meals without the aid of convenience foods, the more we skipped eating out and the less I was spending on groceries. The more time I spent in formulating grocery lists according to what was on sale, and establishing and then using a price book, the more funds were available out of the grocery budget for using on eliminating credit card debt.

I discovered this several years ago, when I was spending ~$5 each day that I went to work — when I really couldn't afford to. I started bringing my own food and water to work, and I was surprised how much easier it was to make my car payment at the beginning of the next month.

The biggest and most important life lesson I learned was that I could waste our resources by not being careful how I used them. I found that if I minded the pennies, the dollars would take care of themselves. I cut out all the extraneous spending I could because I wanted to make sure I didn't have to re-enter the job market again.

I've always thought that it was funny that taking care of the small things in life just sort of naturally led to taking care of the bigger things. One somehow breeds the other, but the real change is the overall mindset that comes with minding the pennies — and that is what facilitates the actual change in habits.

I realized I didn't need magazine subscriptions or daily newspapers because with the internet and a television, I could meet my needs without unnecessary costs. (You will love how little you then have to recycle, too!)

I agree with this in principle, and I'll probably never subscribe to a print publication that I have to pay for again. RSS has made creating specific news channels much easier than sifting through a paper publication. That said, I still print my news and then recycle it later. In keeping with the voice of the article though, fewer magazines and newspapers makes for less clutter. It's easier to organize a stack of 8.5 x 11 pieces of copy paper than it is to keep 4 magazines and 5 days worth of daily newspapers from filling up your livingroom.

I realized that I didn't need to buy coffee or soda when I was out shopping but could reward myself quite nicely with a cup of coffee at home once I was done.

It amazes me how many people, especially young people, buy coffee from Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts every day. These are the same people who complain about not having enough money for car insurance, car payments, cell phone bills, etc. They often eat lunch out every day as well. When I was in that situation, I quickly figured out how to save myself hundreds of dollars a month by not living such an expensive lifestyle.

I realized that we were more than content to provide our own entertainment at a much less expensive cost if we availed ourselves of what was offered at a much reduced rate or even free within our own community. (The symphony orchestra didn't fold because we were no longer dues-paying members!)

I agree, and I spend $15 a month for Netflix, which is how I prevent myself from going to the movies once or twice a week, which is something I used to do. I also spend a lot more time creating content than I do consuming it. I'd rather write something than watch a movie most of the time. Writing isn't really working, for me.

The article also talks about eliminating postage and whatnot. Being a relatively young person, I do most everything on the Internet anyway — my banking, bill paying, movie rentals, etc. I have a book of checks that has lasted me two years. I write one check a month to my mom for rent. That's it.

I realized that paying cash for everyday expenses such as gasoline are way more frugal and cost effective than having to write out checks, expend postage, etc., to get a credit card bill paid.

I did this for a while, but I switched back to the credit card thing. Now that I've got most of my impulsive habits under control, I have the willpower to use my credit card for everything, and pay it all off at the end of the month. This gives me a nice cash bonus about once a year that I deposit into my savings account that I would be forgoing if I used my debit card for everything. This is particularly true when I pay tuition. Dropping several thousand on the card and immediately paying it off certainly helps the rewards pile up. This will especially be true now that I've decided to pay for everything out-of-pocket from now on when it comes to school.

Through downsizing our lifestyle, we were also able for the first time to meet and then exceed the ten percent tithe. And by reading and researching ways to get the credit card debt under control, we have finally realized that dream.

I save 20% of every paycheck, no matter how large or small. This will allow me to more easily pay for my tuition twice a year when the time comes — or unexpected car repairs, like last week — without going into debt to do it.

(You will be amazed at the wealth of information to be found on the internet, and how much you can learn to make a simpler, more frugal lifestyle a reality for your family. I am not talking about an austere lifestyle - just one that is more satisfying, more fulfilling, and not necessarily based on how much money you can spend to achieve your goals.)

My friends are always astonished when I do things, because I do them seemingly out of the blue, and given my situation in life, these things seem out-of-place. Going to Europe by myself for a week and a half while in college on my own dime, for instance; buying toys I want; doing whatever it is that strikes my fancy. It's because I learned how to make a mental list of what I really want, and if it stays on there for 3 months, I buy it. I don't go to bars, I don't buy things on impulse, and the rare times that I do, I can pay it off immediately without worry.

That's freedom. That's one big step of many when it comes to creating a streamlined, relatively stress-free life.

We are now devoid of undue stress and compromises in our life, and we are happier than we have ever been.

Indeed. Anyone can do it. They just need to take the steps that are necessary to get there. Steps that might be scary at first.

Living frugally does not mean living an austere, boring existence.

Lifehacks, time management, money management, stress, financial planning, saving, money

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