Nice Catch

Today's blog comes from a friend who attended my August class. On a recent trip to the grocery store Erika had a chance to put some of the Living Large with Less principles into action. "I spent just over $100 on the overall shopping trip, (and) I did save $92 so I felt good about that. I'm finally tracking my spending and planning a week of meals." YAY Erika!

"My biggest savings though was separate from the coupons and specials. I was watching the screen with the prices, trying to guess how much I was buying, when I noticed that my single pomegranate was $23.88. Not the $1.99 that I had already deemed reasonable (since it is the one exotic fruit my kids will actually eat). It turns out, the checker had charged me for 12 pomegranates! I wonder how often people overpay just for errors?"

This is where I say, "Nice catch!" Had Erika not been paying attention she might never have noticed this error or noticed it at home and not had a chance to immediately correct the problem. She saved herself the hassle of coming back later or simply losing that money on 11 invisible pomegranates. It pays to pay attention. In addition to paying attention while I am checking out, I am also vigilant about both my credit card and bank statements. Both are notorious for hidden charges, new fees or simply human errors in entering amounts. Sometimes I tire of the need to review financial documents or receipts but it helps me know exactly what I am paying for, even if errors are not found. So be sure to celebrate your next "catch" and consider it money saved.

99 cent Repair

We live in a disposable society where it is far easier to throw out an old item and replace it with the latest and greatest, than to fix the old or to simply keep using the old for fear of being out of vogue. The new item may be "improved" in speed, color, performance, size, or taste. However, many times there is nothing wrong with the existing/old item in the first place. It is simply the job of the marketers out there to have us buy the new and improved product. Consider this as you shop!

I want to give a plug for part of my Living Large with Less motto, which is simply this: buy less. This could mean saying no to the improved versions of products we want even though we have one that works already (iPod anyone?). Or maybe the older item just needs a little TLC in order to be operational again. This is where my story comes in, the story of my hand mixer that came into the marriage via Brett. This little mixer is a workhorse and I have never found the need for a large Kitchenaid standing mixer. Recently one of the beaters on my 12 year old mixer broke leaving me with just one functional beater. I think it would be safe to say I could easily throw this old mixer away and not feel too bad as it had a useful life. However, I was challenged to see if I could extend its life by another year or so. During a recent trip to Goodwill I found a single beater for 99 cents. I bought it in the hopes that it would fit my mixer, and what do you know? It DID! I was ecstatic and now have my mixer back in business.

Is there some household item you could hang onto for a while longer before replacing it? Or could you revitalize something that needs some fixing instead of simply throwing it away? Consider the savings to both your wallet and the planet of buying less and with greater intention.

Time for More Creativity

This is the first photo I have of me with my now infamous cast, or 'summer bummer' as someone called it. This summer has been full of lessons for me as I was forced to slow down. Since I could not drive it forced me to be resourceful and creative in how I would get from place to place. I have learned to scooter at a fast pace chasing behind Lukas on his bike or at a quick pace alongside of my jogging friend. I also learned to enjoy the Metro bus service recently, a very nice lift slides out of the bus to get me aboard. And most importantly I have been carpooling with all of my gracious friends, who have delivered both me and Lukas to our destinations.

You may be wondering how this ties in with my teachings of Living Large with Less and once again, I see some parallels. Working with limitations (financial or otherwise) can force you to seek solutions you might not have considered. The side benefit of my creative transportation methods include: getting to know my co-workers better during our carpool commutes, spending less money on gas, being able to get out of the house to exercise with my scooter, and some fun memories to boot. I would not have discovered any of these blessings without being forced into my non-driving state. The same can happen with finances, desperate times can force change. But why wait for desperate times, put on your creative thinking cap and consider ways to save money for your household in just one budget category or consider a new purpose for something you considered old, as the previous post describes. Creativity is a wonderful asset whether your cup is half full or half empty. I'd love to hear your stories on how a less than ideal situation resulted in a creative solution.

Something Old, Something New

Today's blog is brought to you by a dear friend who attended my class in June. She has definitely understood the spirit of Living Large with Less. Here is her story: In the spirit of getting ready for fall, making a few dollars, and my belief that “less is more”, we decided to have a garage sale today. We spent Saturday evening sorting through the attic (things we’d put up there when we moved in five years ago), the “organizational” boxes in the basement (blue tubs full of things we had mostly not seen in five years), and the living room buffet (full of pretty things, many of which we never use). We sold today from 9-3, met some nice people, bonded with our neighbors, and made $100, which will go toward new eyeglasses for Marty. $100 having fun and ridding ourselves of things we never use! The rest we threw in the back of the truck and delivered to Goodwill. We feel lighter. Mission accomplished.

In addition, we discovered things in the attic that WE can use. What a concept! We had come close on Friday night to buying some new bedding at Fred Meyer…we’ve been wanting “spare” bedding to take with us to our timeshare at Mt. Baker and here it was on sale. We looked at flannel sheets, down comforters, etc. Fortunately, we held off. When we went through the attic on Saturday, we discovered all kinds of great bedding that we’ve had over the years. We had a CHOICE about which we would use for the timeshare! So I washed up some flannel sheets, a duvet, and a duvet cover, and we are set! We easily saved ourselves $100 there…yay!

Lastly, this is all relatively new to me…the garage sale, the using what we already have instead of buying new, the being excited about saving money. Though this last year has been financially tough on us, one of the gifts of this time has been that I have become much thriftier, wiser about spending/buying/wasting, and I am much more likely to recycle goods as a way of life. Another “yay!”

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.