Image by NyOkieSue via FlickrWith this economy, everywhere I look I see money saving articles. I save even more money by not buying these things to begin with. I wonder how many other people actually eliminate these cost completely as well. It would seem not too many since you see these advice articles as often as we do. I've been living green for years, sometimes with no other choice lol. In today's world you need money for a lot of things. We are spoiled. So It's housing, utilities and transportation.
Where I live there are no sidewalks nor safe areas to walk. Walking seems to be frowned upon. I had to walk home from work one morning when my car was down. It was only a 2.5 mile journey. I think I ended up hugging a pole on a huge embankment because of cars insisting on driving in the lane I needed. Plenty of room, but it was far more fun trying to make me fall under their cars. After all, if they had hit me, why I was walking to begin with would be questioned. 40ph=75mph to most drivers around here.
Do I save money? When I have it to save yes. I save 25 % of all income. I usually end up living off it. Do I cut costs? I usually don't have them in order to save. I do have internet connection, which is the first thing I whack when I need money. Rent and electric are priority. Next is water but you can find water if needed. Same with natural gas. You can get the job done with electric or BBQ if needed. You're in trouble without electric. Life is too hard without it, not to mention unsafe. I don't want to save money on rent due to a house fire caused by a candle.
Cable just seems silly to me. There are a lot of expenses I don't have that I don't think I would get with 5 times the income--perhaps 10 times the income I might.
The car thing? I pay for cheap insurance, tags and renewal. After that, I walk if it's close. I get to my destination and park--walking to what is close by. If it's not on my way, I don't go. No special trips. Work is a hard one because it burns up a lot of gas unless you can carpool (which usually makes you late for work and too much of that leads to another cost eliminated lol). I make the "loop" when shopping and running errands. My car usually stays parked.
I've been faced with the question of lowering costs verses making more money. The ideal thing would be both. Most people spend more the more they make. They then gripe about the costs. I usually can't afford don't have money to even go look at the costs lol
It's hard to even live modestly anymore. It should be that if you don't make a lot of money then you just simply live modestly, but now, it is expensive to even live in a dump. You can have no cable, no phone, (no internet-god forbid) no car, no movie night or other costly recreation, no hobbies and still not be able to pay rent, water and electric. That is not to mention, clothes, toiletries, school costs (even public school requires some money for the kiddos) and food.
To me, if you can't have fun at home, then you need to change your home (or the people in it). My shack is my castle for I am the queen. If you have the time to get bored then go make your yard pretty. Or invest in a hammock in the shade. Gas for the mower? Use a push mower ( I had one my Dad gave me but I lost it in the divorce--I'm bitter) or get rid of the lawn. The lady across the street has a beautiful plush green lawn. No weeds (which some like the wild strawberries and clover are actually pretty) just grass. I have never seen her out there. Not in 7 years. Maybe she admires it from some little window out back, who knows? She could just paint some cement green for that lol or get the fake stuff.
I look around all I see is waste. Massive amounts of waste and greed. Greed to get more stuff to waste. I waste to I suppose, I could get rid of my lawn too, but I love my Snapper. I love the day I bought it and crammed it in my friends tiny car and brought it home. Good horsepower and no bells and whistles. You can run over junk and throw it down and hill and it still holds up. I've had fancier ones that only lasted a year.
So maybe we need more "How not to spend money" articles. Even the make it yourself articles talk about buying stuff. I say figure out if you need or want it that bad, then make the whole thing. And if it takes too much time--time that you can be making money--then just buy it (or not) and be done with it.
What I was always amazed by is my co workers drinking spending habits. They all must have sponsors because I know what most of them make. I always think, I'm glad I don't have to support you. My GOD. I totally need a sponsor, that is all there is to it :-)
Life is good, it's just so expensive ;-)
