17 August 2012

The Simple Life

Every few months or so, I have this bizarre internal freak out where I want to get rid of everything I own and start over.

I have whole list of things I want to do. Places I want to go. But none of it is possible with my current lifestyle. I feel like I'm tied down by "my stuff" which translates to bills, responsibilities, debt, etc.

Call it age. Call it wisdom or just plain exhaustion from trying to keep up with the Jones' (who are these people anyway and why do so many of us try to keep up with them--to be honest, I'm not even sure I like them), it's time to change.

Over the last few weeks, I've really paid attention to where my money goes and trying to figure out what changes (small changes) I can make in not only my spending habits, but also in just how I live my life. Because I don't do well when I go out and make BIG changes (they never stick), I've been trying to identify what little changes I can make to take me from where I am to where I want to be. Thankfully, there are a whole slew of things I can do that won't make me feel like I am giving up everything I love all at once.

Here are a few things I've come up with to simplify things a bit and to help beef up the pocketbook.

  • Moratorium on buying books: This is going to be the hardest thing for me to do. I LOVE books. L.O.V.E. them but I currently own more of them than I know what to do with--paperback, hardcover and ebooks. It's a little ridiculous. My Kindle makes is freakishly easy to buy a new title with just a few clicks of a button and wandering through my favorite book store is one of my favorite things to do. Unfortunately, it is killing my pocketbook, so since I have a plethora of books to read (in various formats) in theory, this should be easy to stick with.
  • DIY/Homemade Household and Beauty Products: The cost of household cleaning products is CRAZY, especially if you are like me and make sure to buy the biodegradable/all natural cleaners. And personal care products--are you kidding me?! My favorite products are between $8 and $12 a tube/bottle. That's just not sustainable. Thanks to Google, Pinterest and the DIY series Stephanie over at Bassabilty did this week, I've made a list of products I can make myself. Thankfully, I already have most of the ingredients I need in my kitchen and what I do need to pick up will cost less than a bottle of toilet bowl cleaner. 
  • Clean Eating: O.k. so I haven't totally figured out how this is going to "save" me money, but the trade off with be worth it. Have you noticed that when you eat crappy food, you feel crappy and end up craving more crappy food? When I eat cleaner, better food I just feel better--this is why I started eating a vegan diet. And even though it's too late in the season to start a garden, I'm already plotting how I can have one next summer. I'm also planning on starting a little herb garden this weekend that I can keep all year round.
  • Learn to Cook From Scratch: This would also be known as learn to make your own jam, bread, canned goods, etc. This could technically be included in the whole "clean eating" bit, but I feel like this is going to be enough of a challenge on its own that it need its own spot. 

What kind of things to do you to keep yourself on budget?

4 comments:

  1. Due to my illness, my budget has been busted for a long time. I'm constantly trying to get my head above water and I know will again at some point.

    I know the one thing I'm going to start trying to do is meal plan since it is very hard to cook for one person! :)

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    1. Cooking for on is the worst! I always end up making too much and have to eat the same thing for a week so food doesn't go bad.

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  2. Aww, I love the link love. I'm glad that you found some of the things I made useful! I have to live on a budget because I'm working contract to contract right now since I changed careers. It is better for my bank account, and my body!

    Stephanie
    www.bassability.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. I've already tried a couple of your DIY's great success! Thanks for posting them. :)

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Thanks for reading!

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