Three little beings I definitely can't live without!

A friend of mine recently forwarded a blog post to me from a site called Inside Higher Ed. It’s a great post called  5 Things I No Longer Wish to Own. I love it that simplifying and paring down is a topic that seems to be on more and more peoples’ radars these days.

Blogger Joshua Kim says, Is this desire to shed ownership of things a life cycle story, a digital story, or something else? Do you share my desire for life as a service? Has owning stuff also lost its appeal to you? The five things he no longer wishes to own are: software, hardware, books, a car, and a house.

What about you? Has owning stuff lost its appeal to you? I know it has for me. What are some things you could live without? Below are some things I either have no desire to own or wish I could rent or share with others.

Land-line: I have no desire for a land line. I’ve been “cell phone only” for many years now and it’s been a great decision. It’s been one less gadget or service I have to upkeep. Occasionally someone says to me, “But what if an earthquake hits and all the cell towers go down? How would you call anyone?” Sorry to disappoint but I was in the “94 Northridge quake in California. The first thing to go was my land-line. I refuse to live my life in fear of what “might” happen. I’ll take my chances.

House: Even though house prices are going down I have very little desire to own. The idea that I can pick up at any time and move anywhere I want is very appealing to me. Another thought that occurs to me often is real estate appreciation might seriously slow down for quite some time. If I ever do buy it will be because I love the place and it’s affordable, not because I think I will one day get a great return on my investment.

Car: We are a one car household but I really long for the day when we have adequate public transportation and I don’t have to own anything with wheels. Well maybe a bicycle because I love to bike. For those times I would need a car, I would rather just rent and let maintenance and vehicle wear and tear be the car rental company’s headache.

Appliances like vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers, etc.. Wouldn’t it be cool to have a center in every community where you could borrow these items? Or maybe people could go in together on purchasing them for everyone to share. This way no one person would bear the financial and maintenance burden. The community would take care of everything together which would save money and precious living spaces in our homes.

Jewelry: I have a few nice pieces and quite frankly I have no desire for anymore. I’m a fairly small person and I look ridiculous with too much jewelry on. Most jewelry is incredibly over-priced in my opinion and I’d rather spend the money on experiences that I can treasure in my heart.

Cable TV, magazines and newspapers: I can get all of the shows, news, and articles I want on-line. Isn’t the internet great?

I’d like to take this topic of things I can do without one step further so below are some  non-material things that I can live without:

Debt:  Being debt free is true liberation. I’m not tied down to a job I don’t want to have nor do I wake up in the middle of the night worrying about who and what I owe. Letting go of the idea of having to own so much stuff makes it easier to be debt free and life is so much more enjoyable.

Cable News or any kind of mainstream news that goes for shock value: My mother thinks it odd my husband and I don’t have cable or watch local or cable news channels. But where do you get your news she asks me. Plenty of places and I think I’m probably more informed than the average American. Corporate owned news conglomerates are not the only game in town although they would want you to believe so.

People who suck the life force out of me. We all know those people who take, take, and take and then some. Fortunatley, I don’t have to many of these people in my life but when they do show up, I try to set up my boundaries with them as quick as possible.

Worry: There’s lots going on in the world today and change is on the horizon. What that change will be is still unknown. I’m done with worrying about money, retirement, and whether or not I will have enough money to pay next month’s rent. I still do worry from time to time but the less I do the easier life gets.

(If you’d like to read more about living simply and changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book which is available in paperback or Kindle: REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.

My parents' balcony in Birmingham Al. Finally some rain this Labor Day Weekend!

As we celebrate Labor Day in the United States this week, the concept of work is on my mind. Not the work we do at our paying jobs but the day to day work we do to keep our households running smoothly. You know all those tasks that take up precious time that we would rather be using for leisure activities or work we found more interesting.

I’ll be honest. I would love to have a cleaning person come to our home once or better yet twice a week. Hiring someone to wash the car, do the marketing, and wash and fold the laundry are also on my wish list.  The bottom line is I can’t justify spending the money. Plus, neither my husband nor I are willing to do what it would take to outsource these tasks.

Our current jobs provide enough for us to pay our bills and do some traveling here and there but not much more for extras like housekeepers and personal shoppers.  My husband is focused on creating a side business that will eventually allow him to quit his job. I am concentrating on my part time (which in reality is full time) job in animal welfare because it’s important to me that I be doing work that I feel is making a positive impact on the world.

It’s tempting to complain about having to mop the floors and clean the bathrooms and let me tell you I often indeed do! However, I am working hard to shift my mindset to one that’s more empowering and not one of dread.

Maybe just maybe this idea of being able to pay someone to do everything for us is not all it’s cracked up to be. Perhaps there’s much to be gained from performing what we view as tiresome mundane tasks. And of course if we are streamlining our material lives and keeping the clutter at bay, housework should be somewhat of a breeze.

Below are some of my ideas on how housework can enhance our lives and (gasp!) maybe even make us richer.

• Housework is good exercise. The human body was designed for constant activity and sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, scrubbing, and dusting force you to move your body in all different directions. You can work up a sweat cleaning your house. Exercise of any form is beneficial and healthy and cleaning our homes is no exception.
• Housework improves our mental health. There have been times when I’ve been down or frustrated and I’ve dived into housework.  It may not have solved all my problems but it certainly didn’t make me feel worse; if anything I felt better. I had a sense of accomplishment and an orderly clean home environment.
• Housework creates community in our households and no one gets stuck with doing everything. It teaches us we need to all pitch in. All of us are integral parts of making everything run smoothly and each person’s contribution is important.
• Housework saves us money. If someone wants to outsource their housework due to severe time or physical constraints and can afford it, I’m all for it. But for my family’s situation, we would quickly run a deficit each month if we paid someone to do what we are better off doing ourselves.
• Housework grounds us and connects us with our humanity. Too many of us are disconnected from what it means to do physical labor due to our sedentary lifestyles and technological advances that do much of our work for us. Hey, I’m all too happy I’m not drawing water from a well or scrubbing my clothes on a washboard but there is something to say however for work that makes us break a sweat now and then.  Why cheat ourselves of the human experience we were meant to have by never getting our hands dirty and acting like entitled little brats who should never have to lift a finger.
• Housework can be meditative. It teaches us to be present and connects us with reality. When you are doing chores you may not necessarily like, it’s the perfect opportunity to practice acceptance of your current situation. Acceptance of the fact that we have to do something we may not particularly want to be doing and acceptance that if we want it to get done, it’s up to us to do it.
• A clean well kept house creates a ripple effect in other areas of your life. Our personal lives benefit when we live in an environment that makes us feel peaceful and serene. We feel more balanced and have more stamina to focus on accomplishing those things we want to do.

(If you’d like to read more about living simply and changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book which is available in paperback or Kindle: REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.

Hanging out in Solvang CA with a Dutch Shoe

Summer’s here! This laid back season brings warmer weather, longer days, and of course vacations. I love to travel. Whether it’s a destination a few hours away from home or a locale on the other side of the globe, I love to get out and see the world.

Travel can be expensive if you’re not mindful of where your pennies are going. Many expenses such as transportation and lodging can’t be avoided. And of course we all have to eat and when in a new place, you of course want to sample the local cuisine. Checking out the local sights can also add up. What’s the point of traveling somewhere if you don’t pay to see what only that part of the world can offer?

Lots of good information can be found on the web about getting good deals on travel and how to see some really great places for as little money as possible. But what about souvenirs?

This is definitely one area that can either be completely avoided or where as little money as possible can be spent. Souvenirs are completely optional of course. No one is going to throw you out of the Louvre because you don’t buy anything from their souvenir shop.

Just to clarify, I don’t think of souvenirs as that gorgeous painting from a local artist that you decide to have shipped back home or the purchase of local wines, coffee, or chocolate. I don’t put those purchases in the same category as those useless little figurines, picture brochures, key chains, salt and pepper shakers, etc… we think we have to buy so we can remember our trip to Tokyo. These types of souvenirs add up and contribute to the clutter most of us constantly fight in our homes. We also have to lug souvenirs around in our luggage which can slow us down if you’re trying to travel light and free.

When I was in high school, I went to England shortly after Princess Diana got married. London was full of all things “Diana” and I did my part in contributing to the mania by buying Princess Diana picture books, dolls, plates and anything else I could get my hands on to commemorate my trip to London. Years later, I found all these items stored away in a chest. What was I thinking? I realized that any time I thought of my trip to England, I thought about the grandeur of Stonehenge, listening to the political debate in the Speaker’s Corner at Hyde Park, and touring Westminster Abbey. I thought of the picturesque little town of Bath, England and visiting the area of London where the Beatles once played. Never once did I reminisce about the Royal Wedding souvenirs I purchased with my hard earned babysitting money.

In my travels today, I no longer even waste my time going into those shops with all the little doo dads. No matter what part of the world you are visiting, most are made in China anyway. My digital camera creates my souvenirs. I take tons of pictures of places and things that I want to remember. The memories and experiences are more important to me and isn’t that why we travel in the first place? I know it’s why I love to travel.

As cold as it may seem, I very rarely shop for gifts for others when I visit a new place. I also don’t expect friends or family to bring me a souvenir spoon back from Bangkok or wherever it was they went. I would rather see pictures and hear about their trip because maybe one day I would like to visit there as well.

Of course, old habits do die hard for some people so if you are trying to get off the souvenir bandwagon, why not start slowly and collect matchbooks from the places you visit? If you go to a foreign country, why not bring back some postage stamps or save a few pieces of the local currency or coins? If you are used to collecting something from each trip at first it may seem strange to not come back with a bagful of useless novelties. I guarantee however that you’ll have a wonderful trip anyway. Your memories will be just as vivid without all the useless trinkets. You may even find that you have an even richer experience because you ‘re out there taking in more of your surroundings and not wasting precious time in the souvenir shop.

(If you’d like to read more about changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.)

spring flowers

The Roman poet Phaedrus said Things are not always as they seem, the first appearance deceives many.” I was recently reminded of this when I was browsing through realtor.com looking at real estate prices in my area. My husband and I aren’t even in the market to buy but for some reason a few Sundays ago I found myself searching for real estate that would fit into our humble budget.

I found out that for a small down payment, we could buy a condo and the mortgage would be comparable to what we are paying in rent. Note: most condos in my area that are in our price range are really just renovated apartments so we’re not talking about anything real fancy. But still, what a deal, huh? And in Southern California no less! I was beginning to get all excited until I stood back and let my saner self take over. Yes, the rent and mortgage may have run neck to neck but what about all the other expenses?

So I started to break it down. Financing a new home requires that you pay property taxes, insurance, and interest on loans. Add closing costs into the mix and condo or home owner association fees in some cases. Home inspectors, appraisers, the cost of moving – the list goes on and on….Then there are appliances that you usually need to invest in such as a washer and dryer and refrigerator if you don’t already own them. Costs for leaking roofs and overflowing toilets are suddenly your problem. No more calling your landlord and letting them foot the bill. Year to year maintenance must be done to keep things working efficiently and smoothly.

Other costs are time. Time that you will need to put into the care and maintenance of your home. Then there’s the cost of not being as mobile as one may like. If we ever wanted to up and move, it wouldn’t be so simple anymore. Then there’s the risk of uncertainly. California has low property taxes but I fall into the camp that thinks that party might come to an end soon. Any purchase carries risk and it’s important to know what those risks might be so you can make your decision armed with as much information as possible.

Jobs are another area that can cost us more than we originally thought. I recently took a job which I love at a small non-profit. I had the opportunity for other positions that would have paid more but much of that extra income would have been eaten up in other expenses. More importantly, I would not have been working for a cause I have great passion for. Since I work at home I don’t have a commute. This saves money and time. I can still take my husband to work and pick him up (he works only a few miles away) and we still don’t have to invest in a second car. I’m not tempted to go out and buy food or coffee because I have everything I need in my kitchen. There’s no need to invest in special clothes that fit a particular work culture.

Cars have lots of hidden costs. I don’t think I even need to go into much detail because I’m sure most people understand perfectly. Tax, registration, insurance, maintenance, and gasoline are not included in that sticker price. So the next time you go to buy a car, know that the price is not representative of what it will be when it’s all said and done.

With a few exceptions, I rarely buy any clothes that need to be dry cleaned or ironed. The money and time involved are not worth it to me. When we travel and buy airline tickets, I now know better than to think the cost is my purchase price. There’s transportation to the airport, food to buy when it’s a long flight and it’s not feasible to take your own, and baggage fees. I very rarely check my bags but you never know when they will tell you that you have to do so.

Pets have hidden costs. I should know! Those cute little fuzzy four-legged creatures have to eat, need veterinary care, and they take lots of time. Children have costs as well. I can’t tell you how many times I heard new parents say they had no idea how much children could cost. As my grandmother used to say “from the womb to the tomb”. For the record,  I think sharing our lives with children or pets or both is worth every cent. Just know that there will be some costs involved even though in most cases it seems like there was no initial expense!

I do not write about any of the above subjects to say that we should never consider any of these purchases or lifestyle changes. I write about this to get us thinking about the extra costs and whether or not they are worth the investment for our unique situations. In some cases they will be and in some cases not. Take my situation for example. For the time being home ownership is still not the right choice for me but that could change in the future and there will be no surprises when I sign on the dotted line.

We live in a culture that encourages impulse decisions. Very rarely are we taught to analyze much of anything. Going in lockstep with the sheeple may sometimes seem like the easiest thing to do but boy do we pay for it in the long run. Wrong decisions rob us of more than just our monetary wealth. Always ask, what will be the cost in terms of money, time, creativity and energy? Asking these questions can save us from making choices that leave us frustrated and disappointed.

(If you’d like to read more about changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.)

There is much about our financial system that is way too complicated for me. I’ve put a lot of effort into making my life simple and peaceful so the last thing I want to do is spend my precious free time trying to maneuver my way though mountains of banking statements, stock reports, credit card bills, and insurance papers. No thank-you! Life is complicated enough. I don’t need any further aggravations competing for my attention.

I watched a friend go through the process of buying a house several years ago and to be quite honest the whole ordeal made me nauseous. I remember thinking there has got to be a better way to make this kind of transaction that doesn’t require the talents of a three ring circus. In 2003, I bought a car. You have never seen such a fiasco with negotiating the price not to mention the stack of papers that were put in front of me. To this day I’m still not completely sure what I signed. I hope no one ever comes forward to claim my first born child because I have no one to offer!

Our monetary system and financial markets really get off on making things complicated. Derivatives anyone? But could it also be that humans have a tendency to make things difficult when they don’t have to be that way? We may complain about the complexities of our finances but for the most part we go right along with all the insanity and rarely demand for anything to change. Maybe our financial lives mirror our personal lives. We are so used to clutter and difficulties that we accept the ridiculousness of our personal finances without question. Something to think about, huh?

We may not be able to 100% completely get away from all the complexities of modern finances but we can take some steps to make our own finances as simple as possible.

I’m a big fan of automatic payments. Just make sure you have the money in your account when the bill comes due or your life will be anything but simple. It takes a little time in the beginning to set up but once it’s in place, you no longer have to remember to write out the check, buy stamps, go to the post office, and all the other hassles that come with paying bills.

Simplify any other bill paying that you can’t automatically deduct from your checking account. Depending on your needs, set aside one day each month or each week to take care of any other bills that need to be paid. Set up a folder with your bills and any other materials you need such as stamps, checkbook, envelopes, calculator, pen, etc.. This way everything is in one place and you don’t waste time looking for your checkbook or trying to find a stamp.

Get out of debt. I can’t tell you how liberating it feels to be out of consumer debt. If spending is a problem for you, focus on how great you will feel when you no longer owe anyone any money. Think how wonderful it will feel when you are not wasting energy trying to figure out how you will pay your debts. Don’t be afraid to get the support of a counselor or group. There are others who struggle with overspending so why not take advantage of the resources that are out there to help you achieve financial freedom.

Downsize to one or two credit cards. Why anyone needs multiple credit cards is beyond me. I’m sure there is the rare individual who needs 13 cards but most of us can get by with just one or two. One credit card statement and one bill to pay each month are so much easier. You have to keep a really close eye on the credit card companies to make sure your statements are accurate and you haven’t been overcharged. It’s easier to do this with one or two instead of having to police multiple statements each month.

Start working on your taxes in January. Don’t wait until the night before you visit your accountant on April 13 to start getting your receipts and payroll statements together. Start early. You will feel so much better and you won’t feel rushed.

Put your tax receipts in a special place each month. I’m currently a 1099 employee so I have to keep up with a lot of receipts and mileage. I have a special notebook set up with pockets for each month. At the end of each day, if I have a receipt I file it away in the notebook. If I’ve done any work related driving, I immediately log it onto my spread sheet. It becomes part of my daily routine and I’m not  panicking when I do my taxes the following year because I can’t remember how much I drove or where I put a certain receipt.

Consolidate as many of your accounts as possible. I’m a big fan of credit unions as most of them are more personable and less bureaucratic than the big banks. I have my checking, savings, and money market at the same credit union. There’s one statement (I get it via email) and I can easily transfer money from account to account on-line if I ever need to do so. I also have consolidated my investment accounts with the same company. Again, this makes it easier to monitor and know what I have.

Eliminate paper clutter by getting as many of your statements and bills as possible via email. I don’t like having a bunch of paper cluttering up my file drawers so I save my electronic statements to my computer. Make sure you organize them by month and year for easy finding if you ever need to look something up.

Rethink your need for certain kinds of insurance or any other protections that promise security but actually end up complicating your life. There are a lot of companies out there that will sell you insurance for just about anything. I’m not going to tell you what insurance you need and what you don’t need because that is up to you. I can however say that we don’t need to insure every single thing in our lives.

Purge whatever financial statements you can. Unless I will ever need it for tax purposes, I don’t save every financial statement that I’ve ever received. Every year, I go through any loose papers I have and throw them away. Check with your accountant about what you need to save and what you can throw away.

Have as few financial obligations as possible. I have reduced my need for multiple goods and services over the years. One of the many positive things about this is I have one less bill to pay for each good or service I choose to eliminate. No bills for magazines or the newspaper. I don’t have to write out a check to the maid or the gardener. There’s no cable company to pay and no water delivery service either. I don’t have to budget money for pedicures, manicures, or someone to wash my car because I do it all myself.

Ask yourself is it going to simplify or complicate your life? Ask this question before committing to any purchase, major or small. Will you have to insure it? Will you have to go in debt for it and if so for how long? How much will it cost to maintain it? Do you have to pay taxes on it each year? Do you have room for it? Know what you are getting into with each and every purchase you make. This way there are no surprises and you can choose if it’s worth the investment of your time and money.

(If you’d like to read more about changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.)

Those of us in countries with more developed economies (the U.S. in particular) have just about “consumed” ourselves silly! Our homes are overflowing with junk we don’t need and many people are up to their eyeballs in debt. We’re craving simpler lives but sometimes the mere prospect of changing our lives in even the smallest ways seems like a huge overwhelming project.

After all most of us are busy trying to make a living and at the same time carve out time for our family and friends. Many people don’t have the capacity for a major de-cluttering project. Finding time to sit down and reflect on ways we can simplify or save money is challenging enough because our days our scheduled to the hilt.

Everyone has to start somewhere and I can assure you that no one turns their life around in one weekend. It’s all a process and an experiment of hit and miss. Cheer up though! There are some simple things you can do right away that can make you feel empowered and give you a sense of accomplishment. Then you can build on these accomplishments and before you know it your life is less complicated, you are saving money, and you’ve streamlined your possessions.

Let’s re-cap what simple living, minimalism, and frugality mean and discuss some quick ways we can put these practices into place today.

The simple living movement (when I say movement, it’s a philosophical movement not an organized movement) has its roots in frugality, environmentalism, social justice, and spirituality. Simple living is a lifestyle choice that allows a richer inner life through a simpler outer life. Like wealth, simple living can have many definitions as well. There are no rules when it comes to living simply. One person’s idea of simple living might be to pare down to as few possessions as possible while another person’s definition might be selling one of their three homes.
Five things you can do right now to live more simply:

• Ask yourself what is most important to you in this life? What do you value and what is your passion? Cut out anything in your life that you can and start focusing more on what you value. Maybe you enjoy painting but don’t have time to pursue this interest because you are a member of too many committees and too many volunteer groups. Decide what you need to give up so you can give more of your time to what’s important to you.

• Mind your own business. People love to gossip not only about the people they know but the people they don’t know! You have enough to take care of for yourself without barging into someone else’s affairs. Author Katie Byron says it well: “I can find three kinds of business in the universe: yours, Gods, and mine. When I think, I want you to get a job, I want you to be happy, you should be on time, you need to take better care of yourself, I am in your business. When I am worried about earthquakes, floods, war, or when I will die, I am in God’s business. If I am mentally in your business or God’s business, the effect is separation.”

• Be yourself. Trying to be something that we are not is exhausting and doesn’t feel right. Don’t try to pretend with others that you are something you are not. Be proud of who you are and celebrate your own uniqueness. Trying to be something other than who we are so we can fit in disturbs our peace of mind and there’s nothing simple about that!

• •As soon as you get the mail, immediately discard all junk mail into the recycling bin. You’re not going to need whatever it is they are advertising and getting rid of this type of mail is one less thing you have to waste valuable time going over. You also lessen the clutter in your house. Go a step further and Google “getting off junk mail lists” and make a plan to end junk mail once and for all.

• Spend some time in nature each day. Nature connects us back with the divine and calms us down. What could be more simple and joyful? You don’t have to live in the mountains or on the beach to enjoy nature. A simple walk around your neighborhood can provide fresh air and a chance to take in the sky and the sun and all the plants around you.

Frugality is not just about spending as little money as possible or being cheap. Frugality is about being as resourceful and creative as possible with our money and what we already own. Frugality is not about stiffing the waiter, or trying to rip someone off so you get a better price.
Five things you can do right now to live more frugally:

• Cancel any services you aren’t using or that don’t enhance your life. Either eliminate them or shop around for better deals. Some examples are cable tv, magazine and newspaper subscriptions, portions of your car insurance that may not be necessary especially if your car is older, and checking accounts that charge too high a fee.

• If you eat out a lot, cut back one day a week and prepare your food at home. Not only will you save money but you will eat more healthfully .You don’t have to be a gourmet cook. Baked potatoes, simple salads, and quesadillas are some of the simple things you can make at home.

• Be mindful of the food you already have in the house. Use it up and don’t let any of it go to waste. It’s amazing how much food Americans waste. Each time we throw out something we didn’t get around to using before its expiration date or something we let ruin, it’s tantamount to throwing money down the drain.

• Pay your bills on time. Late fees to the credit card company, power company, etc. can easily be avoided with a little planning. Make sure you pay these bills on time or try to negotiate an alternative payment due date if need be but put an end to those late fees. You work hard for your money and should be able to keep as much of it as possible.

• Quit using shopping as a way to entertain yourself. If going to the mall is your idea of entertainment but you want to cut back on what you spend then by all means find something else to do and quick. Go to the library or check around to see who’s offering a free concert or lecture. Go do some volunteer work for those less fortunate. Take a hike or go to the museum on their free day.

Minimalism is about scaling down your possessions to only those items that give you pleasure and enhance your life. It’s about getting rid of the excess and making room for a life of what you enjoy and love. The whole idea is not to have a whole lot of “stuff” weighing you down.
Five things you can do right now to live more minimally:

• If you have too much stuff in your house and need to downsize but don’t have time right now consider putting a moratorium on buying anything at all unless it’s a consumable. At least you won’t be bringing in anything new and adding to your already existing problem. When you do schedule time for throwing out what you no longer need you can take comfort in the fact that you don’t have a bunch of new stuff to go through as well.

• Practice living without it: If you can’t bear to throw things away right now, fill a shopping bag with things you aren’t using and in a few months, open it back up and re-evaluate your need for what’s in the bag. Better yet, be brave and throw it out if you can’t remember what’s in the bag or you haven’t missed anything.

• Keep your surfaces as clear as possible. Do you really need multiple knickknacks on the tables and counters around you? Do you need magazines and paper work cluttering up your living room? Even if you can’t part with it right now, hide it out of sight and notice how much more serene your living environment becomes.

• Expired food, pharmaceuticals, household and beauty products are no brainers. You certainly don’t need to be keeping any of this stuff around. Get a trash bag and go through your home and throw all this stuff away. There’s nothing to think about since it’s old and expired, so just toss into your bag and dispose of properly. You’ll see a big difference in how much clutter you got rid of without any of the emotional issues that come with throwing sentimental items out.

• We all have books on our bookshelves that we will never read again or don’t even want anymore. They just sit there because bookshelves are such convenient places to store them and we forget about them. Go through your books and find the ones you can either pass along to a friend or donate to the library. You might even make a little extra money by selling them online.

(If you’d like to read more about changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.)

Japanese Dining Area

I had the good fortune to visit Japan this past fall. Not only are the Japanese a gracious and modest people but these admirable qualities are evident in their décor a well. Especially impressive is the functionality of their architecture and furnishings. Everything serves a purpose while at the same time being pleasing to the eye.

The wide open spaces and natural light streaming in through the windows creates a light and airy feeling that immediately makes you feel peaceful and serene. Whether I was visiting hotels, restaurants, Buddhist temples or retail stores, a feeling of calmness was always present because nothing was too ostentatious or overwhelming.

Creating a simple yet elegant home can be achieved by all of us no matter what our financial situations. Less is definitely more and Japanese décor is proof that we don’t have to overdraw our checking accounts to have a beautiful living environment.  No matter what our decorating styles, there is much that can be learned from the Japanese so that our homes are as lovely and functional as possible.

Wide open empty spaces are beautiful. There’s no reason to fill every square foot of space with furniture or other decorative items. Think of empty space as part of your décor – it’s calming and soothing to have room to move around in physically and mentally. Ever since I have started looking at empty space in the same way as I would a beautiful piece of furniture or painting, I feel less cramped and I enjoy the lovely things I already own even more.

Let the sun shine in. Open up those curtains and let in the natural light. Natural light lifts our mood and contributes to a positive environment. Sitting around in dim rooms with artificial lighting can make us depressed and even stifle our creativity. The first thing I do every morning is open up those blinds and welcome the daylight into my home. Even if it’s raining or the sun is nowhere to be found, it still beats feeling like I live in a cave.

Keep your surfaces as clear as possible. Keeping our counters, tables, and dressers as clear as possible cuts down on clutter and our favorite decorative pieces stand out even more.  It’s easier to showcase a nice vase or other art object when there’s less to compete with.  Several years ago I drastically downsized the items I displayed throughout my home. Not only does it make cleaning easier but I’m more organized and I rarely lose items like my keys or important papers.

How much furniture do we really need? Advertising has led us to believe we need all kinds of furniture such as end tables, night stands, display racks, and various chairs and stools. Although each of our needs is different and there are no steadfast rules as to what we should and should not have, it’s probably safe to say most of us have furniture we don’t use. In many cases we don’t even like what we have or know why we purchased it in the first place. Five years ago my husband and I purchased end tables to go on each side of our couch. I had a feeling we would never use these and now we are finally planning to get rid of them as they are taking up extra space not to mention how tired we are of dusting them.

Lack of creativity not lack of space is often the problem. I often hear people complain that they don’t have enough room and that they need more space. The sad truth is that when most of us do acquire more space we just fill it up with more stuff and the vicious cycle continues. One of the things I love about traditional Japanese bedrooms is that their beds (called futons) are stored in closets during the day so that the room is available for other activities during the day hours. Folding up our beds may not be a possibility for most of us but we can adapt this concept to fit our own particular needs. My place is fairly small and I would love my very own yoga room. Instead of moving to a larger space, I have rid our living room of as many unnecessary items as possible and there’s now plenty of room for me to lay out my yoga mat and do the “down dog”.  Rooms like furniture can have multi-functional purposes as well.

Keep it simple yet elegant. Japanese décor is beautiful while at the same time modest and unpretentious.  Resist the need to show off or buy something because you’ve been conditioned to think your home should look a certain way. It’s one thing if you wholeheartedly love something but much of what we buy and display in our homes is because we want to appear successful to friends and family. Simple and modest décor keeps us out of debt and we have money for other interests and experiences. We also don’t have to spend our precious time cleaning or paying someone else to clean for us. A simple environment is satisfying to our souls because it teaches us the concept of enough and we don’t waste precious energy by constantly yearning for more.

Flowers from a Mississippi Garden

Frugal is finally in vogue! It wasn’t very long ago that many people didn’t even have the word in their vocabulary let alone were they practicing it. Even mainstream publications and news shows are offering tips on how to be frugal. Driving up to the UCLA campus the other day I saw a Best Buy billboard advertising electric bicycles that said “Major in Frugality”. Everyone is getting on the frugal bandwagon. Some because they are forced to and some because the spending party of the last few decades is over and they want to keep more of what they earn.

I started reading about frugality in the late 90s and was shocked at how careless I had been with handling my money. All the “necessities” that I thought I had to have like cable television and weekly manicures quickly made their way out of my life. I didn’t even miss them! Frugality became a creative exercise for me. I quit buying into the mentality that I needed all that was being advertised to me. I began to question all that society told me I must have and found out I needed very little after all. Frugality became fun for me and it still is to this day!

It’s fun to figure out how I can get the best price for something or better yet do without! There are still areas in my life that I struggle with (the latest being tech gadgets) but I have the frugal skills now to start reining  my desires in when I begin to get out of control. More importantly, I have awareness which is the most valuable asset of all when it comes to being frugal.

Many people think frugality is a fad and people will go back to their spendthrift ways once the economy improves. I have two things to say about this. First I don’t think the economy is going to improve and go back to how it was before. The so-called prosperous years were not what they seemed. Most of the wealth was abstract and not real. We’re moving into unchartered territory and we have no idea what economies are going to look like in the future. Too many people are tapped out and having a hard enough time just covering the basics. We may have to learn to live with a lot less which may not be such a bad thing.  More importantly, we will all have to begin to share with each other. We will have simpler lives but lives with more meaning and quality.

Second, once you start practicing frugality, it becomes part of your lifestyle. You wouldn’t dare pay for something without questioning it first. Did you get the best deal? Do you really need it? You begin to realize that frugality is not about being cheap. It’s about conserving our money and resources and not being wasteful. Frugality allows us to take control of our lives and get out of the debt cycle. Only time will tell, but I think frugality is here to stay.

Big Bear, CA

Several weeks ago U.S. News and World Report featured an article titled “15 Things You Shouldn’t be Paying For”. I highly recommend it. Free computer software, drinking tap water, fee-free checking accounts, adopting animals from a shelter instead of buying from a breeder, obtaining books from the local library, and lots of other great ideas are discussed. Check out the article and see if any of the ideas resonate with you. 

Too often we blame high costs as the reason we are broke or can’t afford something. But if we are willing to shift some habits and in some cases trade our time for money, we can keep more of our hard earned cash. Somewhere along the way we have all been brainwashed into thinking expensive goods and services have more value than something that costs very little or better yet is free. Even though many expenses are beyond our control like healthcare (please don’t get me started!) there are still many things we can get for free or for very little money. I share some of my own ideas below:

• Why spend money on cable? Stream your favorite programs from the web.    Check out Hulu (great for TV shows)  or Crackle ( great for movies)

• Wash your own car instead of paying someone to do it. The summer months are a great time to play in the water and get a little sun. Washing your car is also good exercise.

• Read your favorite magazines and newspapers on line and cancel your subscriptions. This option also cuts down on clutter.

• Craving new clothes? Shop in your closet. I guarantee you’ll find at least one treasure you forgot you had.

• Entertain at home. Next time you get the urge to get together with friends and go out to eat, why not invite them to your home? Sure eating out is about the food but it’s also about the company. You can just as easily socialize with friends at home as you can at the latest trendy restaurant.

• Never pay for a credit report. Check out the Federal Trade Commission’s website for more info: http://www.ftc.gov/freereports

• Have you been thinking about buying an e-book reader but you’re not sure you want to delve out the money just yet? Amazon has a free kindle you can download to your computer. It’s a great way to check out this fun new technology before you take the plunge and buy one separately. Who knows, you may even find out that you enjoy reading books on your desktop or laptop. Many e-books are cheaper than regular books and Amazon also has free books you can download.

• Trade pet sitting services with a friend. Our pets are like family and we want them to have the best care possible when we are away from home. Team up with a friend or a good neighbor and help each other out when pet care is needed. The pets will come to know these sitters as family and won’t be so freaked out when their people are away.

• Vacation at home. Stay at home and be lazy. Better yet, be a tourist in your own town. Nobody loves traveling more than me but sometimes it’s nice to vacation at home especially if funds are tight.

• Send e-cards for special occasions. Many sites offer them for free and they are a great way to cut down on environmental waste as well.

• Don’t buy water at the airport. We all know that we can’t take liquids through airport security anymore but that doesn’t mean you have to pay for bottled water once inside the terminal. On a recent flight, I gulped down my last drop of water as I reached Security and the TSA guy encouraged me to save my bottle and fill it up once I passed the security checkpoint. What a brilliant idea, I told him. In the future, I plan on taking an empty water bottle and filling it up at one of the filtered water fountains that all airport terminals provide.

• Bring your own food to the airport. With the exception of some fruits and vegetables, most food is allowed through security checkpoints. Of course it may not be practical to pack a gourmet meal but snacks brought from home are much cheaper than buying them from the high priced eateries at the airport. I like to pack trail mix, dried fruit, blue corn tortilla chips, and dark chocolate.

• Can you borrow it? If you only need an item temporarily, why not borrow from a friend or relative? Offer to return the favor in the future with anything they might need as well. Appliances, tools, clothes, suitcases, serving trays and dishes are great examples of items we can borrow from each other.

• There is never any need to buy gift wrapping. Use an old brown grocery bag and decorate with markers, stickers, and ribbons you have laying around. Reuse gift bags. Just remember to remove any gift tags and make a new one. If you absolutely must buy gift wrapping, tissue paper is the cheapest.

• Entertain yourself for free. The web offers hours of free entertainment. U-Tube alone can keep one engaged for hours with music, crazy pet videos, and special interest stories. Check out your library or community centers for free lectures and concerts. Don’t forget enjoying nature. It’s truly the best show in town. Quit using the excuse that you don’t have money for entertainment. There’s plenty out there if you just look for it.

For me saving money is about freedom and taking control of my life. It’s not about being cheap or trying to get something for nothing. Saving more gives me the freedom to possibly work less, have an emergency fund (which gives me peace of mind) or spend my money on a really cool item or experience such as traveling. What about you? Why do you like to save money and do you have any ideas to add to the list above?

David on the hiking trail in Topanga Canyon

“For you wake one day, look around and say, somebody wonderful married me”.

~ Fred Ebb

David and I celebrated our wedding anniversary this past weekend. I am lucky enough to be married to one of the world’s best guys and each year with him just gets better and better. So when David asked me what I wanted to do for this year’s anniversary, he willingly agreed to my vision of celebrating our special day without breaking the bank. Finding creative ways to live a rich life without spending tons of money has become a sort of game for me. I don’t agree that money buys happiness and I’m always looking for ways to enjoy life that don’t depend on my financial situation.

Associating frugal with a wedding anniversary may sound sacrilege to some. After all we have been conditioned by the media to believe that such landmark occasions must include money and lots of it. Dictionary.com defines frugal: as economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful. As I work to become less wasteful in all areas of my life, the wedding anniversary celebration is no exception.

Last year we were in Costa Rica on our anniversary and celebrated at an amazing restaurant. (The Chilean Sea Bass was to die for and I still salivate when I think about it.) Fast forward to this year. I’m still unemployed so we decided it best to forfeit our previously hoped for trip abroad this summer. Instead I started to look into all the great things our local area has to offer. After all, we do live in a vacation destination and too often we take the sights around us for granted.

So what did we end up doing you might ask? We spent a day hiking in Topanga Canyon, CA. For those unfamiliar with Topanga Canyon, it is a mountain community in Western Los Angeles known for its bohemian culture. It’s the perfect place for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. It’s one of our favorite places. If it wasn’t for the long drive down the canyon to get to work we would love to live up there. Oh well! Maybe one day!

The drive up the canyon to Topanga State Park was beautiful. We could have parked on the back streets and walked to the trails but David insisted we pay the $10 parking fee because he wanted to support the parks. I agree it’s important to give back to our parks so I agree the $10 was well spent. We hiked down the Santa Ynez Trail which was supposed to take us to a waterfall. Going down was very pleasant and beautiful. Of course the waterfall was dry but the last time I hiked this trail it was dry as well. We got a good laugh out of that. Going back up was not so pleasant because you guessed it – it was all uphill! Even though we were hot and out of breath we had lots of laughs and David jokingly warned me I had better not pass out because he would not be carrying me back up the trail.

We finally collapsed in the car and turned the air conditioner on full blast. We had tentatively planned to eat at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Topanga, but we were a hot and sweaty mess. Topanga is one of the world’s most tolerant places but I didn’t want to push the envelope by patronizing a restaurant drenched in sweat. We went home instead and did something we rarely ever do. We had pizza delivered! The rest of the evening we viewed free shows from Hulu.com.

Earlier in the week David asked me what I wanted for a gift. I told him I wanted a jewelry box. He immediately said we would go out and shop for one. No, no, no I said! Not being much of a jewelry girl, I don’t have that much jewelry anyway. All I wanted was some kind of box to organize what I did have because I was tired of it all being a loose mess in my bathroom drawer. I told him there was no need to go out and spend money when I was sure he had some sort of box he wasn’t using that would be perfect for organizing my jewelry. He ended up finding a gray looking cash box that he once used to store his check receipts. Since he no longer needed it, he offered it to me.

Now I know most women might find this kind of gift downright insulting but it was perfect for me. First of all, he honored my request. Second, he “shopped” in his own home and found something perfectly good that was no longer getting any use. Third, we spent no unnecessary money, and fourth and most important, it was environmentally friendly. We didn’t contribute to more demand in the world for useless objects that use up the world’s precious resources. Most of us have so much junk anyway and if we get creative there’s often no need to always be buying something new.

I doubt any of the mainstream women’s magazines would glamorize our anniversary celebration but for me it was just perfect! We spent time with each other and laughed and played. After all, it’s all about the experience and enjoying each other. You don’t need money to enjoy each other’s company. You either do or you don’t. Thinking that spending money is the only way celebrate special occasions is the ultimate in status quo thinking. David and I have never been very status-quo so why should any of our celebrations be so?