Best Quote Yet

On Thursday I hosted my third intro session to Living Large with Less. Once again I was amazed at the quality of the conversations and the sharing that happened throughout the class. I am thinking that perhaps, we should meet more regularly like a book club might. Stay tuned as this idea evolves.

The best quote from a class member came at the end of Thursday's session. When asked for a tip to share with others my sister said, "Don't do anything (when Living Large with Less) that makes you feel cheap, embarassed, or otherwise awful." I think this is an important piece of information to remember as everyone is in a different place financially and our goals are all different too. If we focus less on being miserly, and more on why we want to live with less (i.e. travel more, save more, free up time etc.) then it will be easier to make the harder choices. However, hard choices such as NOT buying an item or choosing a generic brand, should not leave us constantly feeling horrible. We all have CHOICE. Choose what is important and be intentional in your plans. So please feel free to enjoy your quality cup of coffee or haircut, if those are places you do not want to skimp. And conversely, where you are willing to sacrifice be sure to remember the long term goals.

Instant Savings

Instant Savings? How is that possible without clipping coupons or waiting for the infamous one-day sale? This is a short and sweet plan and one where you can rack up savings without lifting a finger-literally. Here is the secret: Never under estimate the power of not spending. Now take a moment to ponder that statement.

The next time you are at the store (or on-line) with your eyes on the latest garment, tech gadget, kid's item, or whatever floats your boat, take a moment to consider how much you could save by not buying the item. Sure it may be nice to bring the coveted item home but how much longer would the satisfaction of not having spent the money last? I venture to guess that the financial savings would outweigh the buzz a new purchase might give you, if you really stop to think about it. Not purchasing the item might do the following: keep you from the guilt of buyer's remorse, allow you to set that money aside for a major purchase at a later date (aka delayed gratification), give you the strength to say 'no' again in the future, and thus show self control. And finally, think about the money you don't need to earn, which is time saved. If you successfully walk away from a potential purchase and are still dreaming about it days later, perhaps it is worth a return visit and/or a closer look at the budget to see if this purchase can and should happen. However, most of the time we have simply saved ourselved some cash. Instant Savings.

$22.34 Bathroom Make-Over

Don't you love those home makeover shows? As an architect I truly enjoy seeing the finished product and I especially enjoy those shows with budgetary constraints. Who has an unlimited budget these days? My victory this weekend was giving my not so large bathroom a makeover, for a whopping $22.34. How was this accomplished? Well, since the space is limited the shower curtain is a major player, we decided that our 8 year old IKEA curtain had done us proud but it was time for a change. At Bed, Bath and Beyond we found a festive shower curtain that was discontinued, making it $15. Then we added some new curtain rings and a new shower caddy to round out our purchases. When it came time to check out we used our $10-off coupon too, hence the $22.34.

Our bathroom doesn't look vastly different as the paint color is the same as is the rug, but we hope to change that in time. For now we smile when we walk by the bathroom, the fresh colors in the shower curtain have already made a difference between us simply liking a space and loving it. Have you been thinking about making some changes inside your home? If so, think about small changes that might have a big impact. Perhaps a fresh coat of paint in a new color, new throw pillows, or even a new piece of art or even a plant. Something small and affordable is often all you need to freshen up a space, not necessarily the extreme home makeover you fantasize about.

Finally, Some Good News

I have nearly stopped listening to the news, it is so depressing these days with regard to the economy. And it seems that the economic turn-around is further out with every new forecast. However, in my mailbox the other day came one small bit of good news, and I do mean small. The interest rate on one of our student loans has been lowered for the coming year resulting in a $17/month savings. Now I know this may not sound like the time to rejoice but it is. I could gloss over this small victory or be excited about that money back in my pocket, $194/annually. However, I've decided that we do not need the $17/month. In addition to paying the revised monthly student loan amount I will ADD an automatic payment of $25/month. This will be comprised of the $17/mo I was already paying plus an additional $8/mo that I am throwing in to round up the amount. At the end of the year I will have paid $300 more for that loan than the company requires, speeding up my repayment. Now that is something to get excited about for an $8/month effort on our part!

Is there any small bit of good news in your life that you can turn into even better news? Perhaps there is some "found" money that can pay off a debt faster, as we chose or perhaps put it into savings for a future unforeseen expense (i.e. auto or home repair) giving you peace of mind, or perhaps it is the seed money for something fun like a vacation fund that you had always hoped to have. I can't wait to hear!

At the Car Wash

Yes, you can start singing..."at the car wash.." (by Rose Royce for those interested). I was singing this tune to myself on Sunday when we washed both of our cars as our afternoon entertainment. Lukas and Brett with the hose and sponges and me on the interior detailing and vacuuming. We had a great time talking and working side by side and best of all, as Lukas noted, "Our cars look brand new!"

If we had paid someone else to wash the cars we would have had to drive somewhere, costing gas and time as well as the money, to pay for the washing. I also know for a fact the cars would not have looked nearly as good on the interior. But for me the money saved was actually secondary to the time we enjoyed as a family. We shared some fun conversation and we also had built in teaching moments for Lukas as he improved his car washing technique. In this case our family activity cost nothing and saved us both car wash money as well as additional money that we might have spent on something else, ie attending a movie or going out for ice cream. I hope you might think of some creative activities for you and your family that build community and save money. I'd love to hear your ideas!

Free Shorts

A few days ago my neighbor, who I do not know super well, yells across the fence to me, "Anneke, what size shorts do you wear?" Now this is information that I am not likely to share with anyone, much less yelling it across property lines. However, the neighbor comes over and proceeds to tell me that she has some shorts that don't fit and asks if I would be interested. I hesitate and then proceed to tell her my pant size. The following day she brings 4 pairs of shorts to me. At first glance I figure that I will simply pass them along to Value Village, but later that day I actually try them on and low and behold, 3 out of the 4 pair look great on me. Free shorts.

Since beginning to live large with less, my husband and I joke that, "yes, there is such a thing as a free lunch." The only caveat is that you must keep your eyes and ears open to see these gifts. God has surprised us in our journey with more than one free meal, free entertainment, and sometimes free samples of new products and most recently, free shorts. My charge is that you keep an open mind and see what might be out there for you, and more often than not it will be at just the right time. God knew I had exactly one pair of shorts that fit properly.

OUCH!

"Ouch" wasn't the only thing I shouted 3.5 weeks ago when I missed a stair and fell with my entire body weight onto the side of my foot. I navigated my home stairs several times a day and yet this time it resulted in a major injury, my broken foot. The pain was excruciating and entirely unexpected.

Today I opened the mailbox to find a bill from the fine folks who deliver heating oil to the tank that sits below my driveway. They come approximately every 8-9 months to fill 'er up. Our home heating system is powered by oil and today when I opened the bill I again said a loud, "OUCH!" One might argue that it should not have been unexpected given the rise in gasoline prices, but it was still a massive shock to the system. Imagine if you had to buy 220 gallons at $4.75/gallon! This was almost twice what I paid the last time the tank was filled.

I have zero control over the price of gas or oil but I certainly have some control over how much I can and will use. Brett and I have already started talking about strategies for this fall and winter. So far we have brainstormed not turning on the heat in the morning, dropping the temp a degree or two when it is on, and of course as my mother used to tell me, "wear a sweater".

There will be many more "ouch" moments this year as long as prices keep rising and sticker shock occurs. I plan to use this time to control what I can in the midst of the many things I cannot. Just as my broken foot has yielded some creative solutions for manuevering around(I can hop like no one's business), creativity will go a long way to empower you and your finances within this economy. Time to put on your thinking cap!