Have the gubmint cut 75%. It won’t happen but it should happen.
I recently won the biggest battle of my life. I thought I was bad with money, and I was, but I finally overcame it through necessity and the wisdom of age. But my wife is 10 times worse. Now finally after years of discussions, I will be the sole manager of our money starting November.
I will be the wallet. Nothing gets spent except through me. This is a good thing.
its Amazing how frugal One can become By Practicing old Fashioned Habits. Our household spends less than $50k a year, and Most People think We spend at least 5 Times As much.
My Brother and my Father are collectors of “stuff”.
Not valuable stuff, just stuff.
There comes a point in Life where you no longer control your stuff, your stuff controls you. Watching my Brother and my Father my entire Life, I understand completely.
“Golux you are so impeccably dressed!” I have zero interest in buying anything new - as if the quality I demand can even be found at the local mall. Nope - a wardrobe of Ralph Lauren, J. Press, Bass, Woolrich, Lacoste comes from the thrift store and always has. Snob? Maybe. Frugal? Naturally! Debt? Only the house. Credit score? The best.
I would have thought she would have gone on the shopping ban first so she could pay off the debt.
It was a lot easier for me to quit decades of heavy drinking than it is for me to quite buying stuff. Especially now that I am not spending so much on booze.
I have a box in the kitchen labeled, ‘Used twist-its, rubber bands and pieces of string too short to save’.
More for the ladies: if you need to do a serious declutter, Google the Kon Mari method. The girl herself sounds super silly but the basics of her idea are sound and they work. It feels great. Moving again helped motivate us to lose a ton of belongings, but keeping our clothing in her storage style has made my life better. I used cheap plastic bins (with the lids stored elsewhere) and the clothing all on open shelves (except what actually needs to be hung like dresses), folded and in the various sized bins (cheap at Big Lots). You can see everything and nothing is on top of anything. Great for kids’ stuff too. Ignore her PCD silliness. Her plan is good.
bump
“...food, experiences and personal items...”
That’s pretty much how we live, except for the occasional bottle of booze, my cigars, and a new game of Risk, although all those can be fit into her “experiences” category.
I made rules for my stuff:
1. Is it replaceable
2. Is it useful
3. Is it breakable/fragile
4. Is it demanding of special upkeep
5. Is it awkward, heavy
When we moved a lot I got to hating fragile and heavy items. I also mentally charge items “rent” for the space taken up because empty space is a real thing as well. I started a number of years ago giving away those precious “heirlooms” and I am glad I did that. Each well-placed item was a burden removed and I was able to share the story behind why it was meaningful.
Having lost my Dad in Dec. 2011, my cousin in Jan. 2012, my niece in May of 2014, my Mom in Dec. 2014 and my son last November, I have begun a process of leaving “breadcrumbs”... stories that my other sons don’t care about now, but one day I know they will find these stories of great value. When we lose people we tend to cling to objects connected to them. So many things need to go that feel wrong to get rid of. Instead of keeping so many things I am keeping a few and writing about them in a meaningful way, leaving breadcrumbs about what mattered and why.
Bump
In general, if you haven’t used it in the last year, it is just a waste and should be disposed of. This includes everything from food, clothing, toys, games, electronics, and brick-a-brack.
The exceptions are “personal treasures” or articles of sentimental value. Other exceptions include investments, or heirlooms.
It is fine to stockpile food, and necessities in the case of preparedness. As well as items which might eventually have worth or value.
Most people only need a mere handful of things. Cutting out the clutter in your life will greatly improve the quality of your life.
I too have been looking at downsizing, All the ‘stuff’ that we own is just not necessary. Too many clothes that we don’t wear. Too many things unused and collecting dust. We are looking to downsize and cut the spending as well. Son and family are living with us until they are on their feet. He just got a decent paying job and I expect they will be out by next year. All of us - as a family - have learned, by necessity, what is important and what is not. It’s been a good lesson for all. We’ve all become more frugal.
I’ll be reading the article. Thanks for posting,
A day or so after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Coast, my condo burned to the ground. I lost literally everything I owned. Months later, when the shock wore off, I had a sense of freedom I’d not known since childhood.
Alas, I’m back to the cluttered garage full of stuff.
If she lost 30 pounds, she needed new clothes. Oops, there went that shopping ban.
From the book of Ecclesiastes:
As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
except to feast their eyes on them?
bkmk
The proliferation of mini-storage units is an indictment of the US culture.
Yes, there is a need for people moving, temporary storage after a divorce, etc. But the whole thing is kinda crazy.
Imagine if today, every single storage unit became a garage sale. The economy would collapse.
One of my methods of decluttering is getting people (mostly family) to STOP giving us gifts..JUst pictures is ALL we want. And I am looking at giving more experiences as gifts...gift cards for a rock climb wall, etc.