Normally, I love playing the "living frugal" game. I love the challenge of re purposing things I have, of growing a good portion of my own veggies, of finding great deals through Craigslist and thrift stores. Normally I love to go grocery shopping with a fist full of coupons and watch the total go down.... down... down when I check out. I am never ashamed that most of our clothing is from thrift stores, or that I have never owned a "new" car. I don't mind doing things myself or doing without all together.
I have never wanted to be a "consumer". I don't like the idea of going through life like a brainless Pac-Man, munching up all the goodies that came across my path. I always figured that having a rather low wage was a way of making sure that I didn't fall into the trend of mindless spending. Besides, the jobs I really LIKE don't pay very well. It worked out all the way around.
Lately, though, it just seems like a lot of effort. Mr. Barefoot had his hours cut at work (the economy strikes again!), so his cash flow is less than normal. My job continues to cut benefits and freeze wage increases, all the while telling us we should be glad we have a job.
Hmph.
I know that in a couple days or weeks, I will look back at this post and think that my hormones got the better of me or something. I know that, given time, I will find the game of frugal living fun again. I will walk out of the grocery store with a big grin because I won the game once again (or at least beat my high score). I will find some amazing deal that perfectly fits our life and dreams. I will sit up all night figuring out how to get the most bang for my buck, and giggle with glee when I figure out how little I can get by on.
But today it's just a lot of hassle.
And that's all I have to say about that....
Welcome to my garden. Come in, take off your shoes, and let me offer you a seat in the shade, a cool drink, and friendly conversation while we enjoy the beauty of the day...
And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~ Kahlil Gibran
Showing posts with label $$$ Thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label $$$ Thoughts. Show all posts
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Friday, June 12, 2009
Change is in the Air
They came together, the garage sale signs and the moving trucks. This weekend has already been full of both in my little town. For Sale signs are springing up, sometimes 4-5 to a block. Folks are opening their doors and saying "make an offer, everything has got to go".
It is unsettling, really.
I usually do a lot of shopping at thrift stores or garage sales...it just seems to make sense that if you can get something 'pre-owned' for so much cheaper than paying retail that you would. I guess I just don't have a lot of pride that way. I was so happy when I started seeing so many garage sales, with so much great stuff. Folks are selling really nice furniture, toys, books and movies....at first it seemed like an amazing stroke of luck. I was carefull, since the economy has affected us here at the Barefoot Manor right along with everyone else. I had in my head certain things I was looking for, sizes for the Sprout's clothes, prices I was willing to pay for certain things.
And then I started noticing that a lot of the houses with garage sale signs also had 'house for sale' signs. I started hearing mothers talking to their husbands about how it was sad to see Grandma's hutch go, but where would they put it when they moved? I started seeing that a lot of the things that were on sale were things that had been in use by these particular families not so very long ago.
Suddenly, it wasn't such a bonanza after all.
Our neighbors, who have only lived in their house for 2 weeks longer than our own residence at Barefoot Manor of 10 months, are having a huge garage sale. Both the Mom and Dad are out of work, and they are selling everything not nailed down. Noone has said as much, but the feeling I get is that they are trying to get enough money together to keep them going until one of them can find work. Every day I see the Wife out, clucking her tongue at a garden that is not doing well. She comes over and looks at my bed of onions doing so well and mentions that she will have to try my raised bed system next season. Unspoken is the thought 'if we're here next season'.
Down the street is a family that has had a garage sale every weekend for the last month. Every weekend there is new stuff out in the yard to replace the items already sold. There is a little girl still playing with her toys that are spread on blankets with little round price tags on them. The mother sits in her lawn chair in the shade by the house every day, all weekend long. Only when a car stops does she get up from her perch in hopes of making a sale.
I almost feel guilty that we are doing so well. Mr. Barefoot and I are both still working, with no rumors of either of us losing our jobs. We are still being carefull, making sure to fill the garden to capacity and working on food stores. We are still making sure to focus on getting our debt paid off and making sure that there will be heat for the family this winter. But we are doing well. When I go to these garage sales and hear the families talk of not knowing where they will end up, or see that they are selling beloved items that they would rather keep, it breaks my heart. A part of me feels it's wrong to even think about buying the items that they love, and a part of me wants to buy something - anything - in an effort to help them out, if only in a small way.
Change is in the air, for sure. I think some good will come from it all - eventually. Folks will start to value the little things again. Family will regain it's importance in our society. Folks will learn that we can survive, and even be happy, with so much less than what we think.
But getting there is going to be a strange road....
It is unsettling, really.
I usually do a lot of shopping at thrift stores or garage sales...it just seems to make sense that if you can get something 'pre-owned' for so much cheaper than paying retail that you would. I guess I just don't have a lot of pride that way. I was so happy when I started seeing so many garage sales, with so much great stuff. Folks are selling really nice furniture, toys, books and movies....at first it seemed like an amazing stroke of luck. I was carefull, since the economy has affected us here at the Barefoot Manor right along with everyone else. I had in my head certain things I was looking for, sizes for the Sprout's clothes, prices I was willing to pay for certain things.
And then I started noticing that a lot of the houses with garage sale signs also had 'house for sale' signs. I started hearing mothers talking to their husbands about how it was sad to see Grandma's hutch go, but where would they put it when they moved? I started seeing that a lot of the things that were on sale were things that had been in use by these particular families not so very long ago.
Suddenly, it wasn't such a bonanza after all.
Our neighbors, who have only lived in their house for 2 weeks longer than our own residence at Barefoot Manor of 10 months, are having a huge garage sale. Both the Mom and Dad are out of work, and they are selling everything not nailed down. Noone has said as much, but the feeling I get is that they are trying to get enough money together to keep them going until one of them can find work. Every day I see the Wife out, clucking her tongue at a garden that is not doing well. She comes over and looks at my bed of onions doing so well and mentions that she will have to try my raised bed system next season. Unspoken is the thought 'if we're here next season'.
Down the street is a family that has had a garage sale every weekend for the last month. Every weekend there is new stuff out in the yard to replace the items already sold. There is a little girl still playing with her toys that are spread on blankets with little round price tags on them. The mother sits in her lawn chair in the shade by the house every day, all weekend long. Only when a car stops does she get up from her perch in hopes of making a sale.
I almost feel guilty that we are doing so well. Mr. Barefoot and I are both still working, with no rumors of either of us losing our jobs. We are still being carefull, making sure to fill the garden to capacity and working on food stores. We are still making sure to focus on getting our debt paid off and making sure that there will be heat for the family this winter. But we are doing well. When I go to these garage sales and hear the families talk of not knowing where they will end up, or see that they are selling beloved items that they would rather keep, it breaks my heart. A part of me feels it's wrong to even think about buying the items that they love, and a part of me wants to buy something - anything - in an effort to help them out, if only in a small way.
Change is in the air, for sure. I think some good will come from it all - eventually. Folks will start to value the little things again. Family will regain it's importance in our society. Folks will learn that we can survive, and even be happy, with so much less than what we think.
But getting there is going to be a strange road....
Thursday, March 05, 2009
The Adventure Begins
Mr. Barefoot and I received notice last night that the time has come for us to really trim the fat from our budget. Nothing horrible or unexpected happened, so don't worry about us like that. It's just that some things have come to a head that really need dealing with financially, and it is going to require some serious effort on our part to get everything straightened out.
I am choosing to look at it as an adventure; a game to find out exactly how cheaply we can live.
I think it will be fun to see how far I can stretch a dollar. I am excited to get creative about ways to make what we already have work in as many ways as possible. We are on a quest, and the goal is freedom from debt and wage slavery.
It is good.
I am choosing to look at it as an adventure; a game to find out exactly how cheaply we can live.
I think it will be fun to see how far I can stretch a dollar. I am excited to get creative about ways to make what we already have work in as many ways as possible. We are on a quest, and the goal is freedom from debt and wage slavery.
It is good.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Living With Financial Intention
I have been reviewing the budget here at Barefoot Manor just lately, and it never fails to astonish me how much money we bring in compared to our perception of how much money we have.
I think that is a pretty common problem.
I read somewhere (forgot where) that humans are hardwired to judge their success by comparing themselves to the others around them. If you aren't doing "better" than those around you, you aren't doing well at all.
Seems silly when you think about it.
It seems that it would be much more logical and healthy to judge our success by our ability to meet our needs and live a fulfilling life, doesn't it?
Back to the budget thing.... When I look at our finances, I realise that we have enough money to pay our bills and have a few luxuries on top of that. Of course, my idea of luxury includes Cable TV, so my idea of luxury might not be the same as others', but still. You get the idea. We even have the money to pay down our debt in a reasonable amount of time.
It makes me wonder where all our cash-ola goes. I always feel like we are struggling to just get by, but when I look at the numbers that is just not true.
The answer is really, really simple. We haven't been thinking lately.
That is the trick of this whole Voluntary Simplicity thing. You have to think about what you are doing. It is so easy to just go with the flow, turn you brain off, and fill your shopping basket with stuff that you don't really need. It is so easy to run through the drive-thru or pick up frozen pizzas or (heaven forbid) order out rather than go home and cook something real.
The thing is, though, that you never really get satisfaction living this way.
Once you start trying to buy happiness and fulfillment, things get out of control really quickly. I read somewhere else (again, I have no idea where) that the human mind is hardwired to constantly want MORE. Once you feed a desire, another desire rises to take it's place.
I totally agree with that concept, from personal experience.
To make the whole situation a little more complicated, most folks cannot separate the idea of not having things by choice from not being able to have things. They figure that if you choose not to purchase a shiny new ditsel-blat that you can't afford it.
I even see folks do this to themselves. They have money in the bank (or in their pocket), and they start looking for something to spend it on. It doesn't matter that they have met all their true needs and the most fulfilling of their wants. They have money, so they need to have something to show for it. Whether that manifests itself in a car or a shiny gold pen doesn't really matter. The spending is what matters.
Now, it would be wonderful if we could all go find mountain tops to sit on and contemplate The Meaning of Life and divorce ourselves from this basic human drive of desiring. I think we would probably run out of mountain tops pretty quickly, though.
I don't even think that wanting things is necessarily a bad thing. It is the motivation for us all to improve our lives. The trick is to learn to want things that are going to actually feed our souls and be satisfying in a lasting manner.
Anyway, that is what I have been thinking about lately. I have been wondering exactly how much of my time and $$ I have been wasting on mindlessness, and I am very afraid that the answer is horrible.
Still, it is never too late to change.
I think that is a pretty common problem.
I read somewhere (forgot where) that humans are hardwired to judge their success by comparing themselves to the others around them. If you aren't doing "better" than those around you, you aren't doing well at all.
Seems silly when you think about it.
It seems that it would be much more logical and healthy to judge our success by our ability to meet our needs and live a fulfilling life, doesn't it?
Back to the budget thing.... When I look at our finances, I realise that we have enough money to pay our bills and have a few luxuries on top of that. Of course, my idea of luxury includes Cable TV, so my idea of luxury might not be the same as others', but still. You get the idea. We even have the money to pay down our debt in a reasonable amount of time.
It makes me wonder where all our cash-ola goes. I always feel like we are struggling to just get by, but when I look at the numbers that is just not true.
The answer is really, really simple. We haven't been thinking lately.
That is the trick of this whole Voluntary Simplicity thing. You have to think about what you are doing. It is so easy to just go with the flow, turn you brain off, and fill your shopping basket with stuff that you don't really need. It is so easy to run through the drive-thru or pick up frozen pizzas or (heaven forbid) order out rather than go home and cook something real.
The thing is, though, that you never really get satisfaction living this way.
Once you start trying to buy happiness and fulfillment, things get out of control really quickly. I read somewhere else (again, I have no idea where) that the human mind is hardwired to constantly want MORE. Once you feed a desire, another desire rises to take it's place.
I totally agree with that concept, from personal experience.
To make the whole situation a little more complicated, most folks cannot separate the idea of not having things by choice from not being able to have things. They figure that if you choose not to purchase a shiny new ditsel-blat that you can't afford it.
I even see folks do this to themselves. They have money in the bank (or in their pocket), and they start looking for something to spend it on. It doesn't matter that they have met all their true needs and the most fulfilling of their wants. They have money, so they need to have something to show for it. Whether that manifests itself in a car or a shiny gold pen doesn't really matter. The spending is what matters.
Now, it would be wonderful if we could all go find mountain tops to sit on and contemplate The Meaning of Life and divorce ourselves from this basic human drive of desiring. I think we would probably run out of mountain tops pretty quickly, though.
I don't even think that wanting things is necessarily a bad thing. It is the motivation for us all to improve our lives. The trick is to learn to want things that are going to actually feed our souls and be satisfying in a lasting manner.
Anyway, that is what I have been thinking about lately. I have been wondering exactly how much of my time and $$ I have been wasting on mindlessness, and I am very afraid that the answer is horrible.
Still, it is never too late to change.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sorry About That...
Thanks, Lisa, for reminding me that I haven't posted for a few days!
I am alive, and have been checking in with you all. I even wrote several posts, but none of them seemed to come out right. I have been very distracted with The Great House Hunt and other things that have just been happening in my life.
It was my Grandmother's AND my oldest step-teen's birthday this past weekend, so that required some celebrations.
Both Sprouts have been demanding more attention than usual, most likely due to Cabin Fever.
But mostly I have been distracted by the house thing....
See, we think we may have found the one we want. It needs some work (almost all cosmetic stuff), has a nice sized yard (.3 acre), is in the school district and less than a mile from my folks' place. It is also near the river, parks, and the school.
It is not perfect, and neither is the timing. Our lease isn't up at this apt until June or July (I forget which), and if we move out and the apt doesn't rent right away we will still be responsible to pay rent until the lease is up.
We just weren't expecting to find a house that met all our requirements AND felt right so quickly.
I am excited and terrified all at once. This is a big thing, as I have never owned a home before. I have dreamed about it since I was little, but have never taken the leap. There is so much to think about!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In other news, I have been applying the steps and theories found in the book "Your Money or Your Life", and I am seeing lots of changes in my finances.
I had always thought of myself as frugal. I thought I knew how to stretch a dollar like a pro.
I guess I was wrong. In the past 10 days of applying the principles explained in the book, I have lived on about 50% of what I did the pay period before that. I keep expecting to find that there is something I have forgotten to pay, but I think it just may be all the little things I would pick up because they were cheap and available that I really didn't need. I keep looking for the catch...has Mr. Barefoot been giving me more $$ for bills? have I forgotten to pay a bill? did my paycheck grow when I wasn't looking? Yet everything seems normal. The numbers don't lie, and I can't even figure out what I had been spending my $$ on before. I don't feel deprived of things at all, and can't think of anything I have wanted to get that I have talked myself out of.
Is it possible that $$, left to it's own devices, can multiply like rabbits do?
I am alive, and have been checking in with you all. I even wrote several posts, but none of them seemed to come out right. I have been very distracted with The Great House Hunt and other things that have just been happening in my life.
It was my Grandmother's AND my oldest step-teen's birthday this past weekend, so that required some celebrations.
Both Sprouts have been demanding more attention than usual, most likely due to Cabin Fever.
But mostly I have been distracted by the house thing....
See, we think we may have found the one we want. It needs some work (almost all cosmetic stuff), has a nice sized yard (.3 acre), is in the school district and less than a mile from my folks' place. It is also near the river, parks, and the school.
It is not perfect, and neither is the timing. Our lease isn't up at this apt until June or July (I forget which), and if we move out and the apt doesn't rent right away we will still be responsible to pay rent until the lease is up.
We just weren't expecting to find a house that met all our requirements AND felt right so quickly.
I am excited and terrified all at once. This is a big thing, as I have never owned a home before. I have dreamed about it since I was little, but have never taken the leap. There is so much to think about!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In other news, I have been applying the steps and theories found in the book "Your Money or Your Life", and I am seeing lots of changes in my finances.
I had always thought of myself as frugal. I thought I knew how to stretch a dollar like a pro.
I guess I was wrong. In the past 10 days of applying the principles explained in the book, I have lived on about 50% of what I did the pay period before that. I keep expecting to find that there is something I have forgotten to pay, but I think it just may be all the little things I would pick up because they were cheap and available that I really didn't need. I keep looking for the catch...has Mr. Barefoot been giving me more $$ for bills? have I forgotten to pay a bill? did my paycheck grow when I wasn't looking? Yet everything seems normal. The numbers don't lie, and I can't even figure out what I had been spending my $$ on before. I don't feel deprived of things at all, and can't think of anything I have wanted to get that I have talked myself out of.
Is it possible that $$, left to it's own devices, can multiply like rabbits do?
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Great Debate
As I have previously mentioned, I am jumping on the "Your Money or Your Life" bandwagon and starting to follow Joe and Vicki's 9 step plan to financial independence.
I have decided that it would be much more effective if Mr. Barefoot were to join me in this new endeavor, but getting him on board is a little problematic. He is perfectly willing (or so he says) to follow the program with me, but he hates to read. I think it would be so much better if he were to read the book so that he could understand the principals behind the steps, rather than just do it because I say so.
Anyway...I have thought about reading it to him, or at least the highlights. I just don't think that would be so wonderful. We have so little time together, and I am not a teacher by calling. It is difficult for me to express myself that way.
There is a CD and workbook package available, and I could get it through Amazon for around $25. The debate comes in with me trying to figure out if it is worth me spending the $$ to get it.
Hmmmm....
I have decided that it would be much more effective if Mr. Barefoot were to join me in this new endeavor, but getting him on board is a little problematic. He is perfectly willing (or so he says) to follow the program with me, but he hates to read. I think it would be so much better if he were to read the book so that he could understand the principals behind the steps, rather than just do it because I say so.
Anyway...I have thought about reading it to him, or at least the highlights. I just don't think that would be so wonderful. We have so little time together, and I am not a teacher by calling. It is difficult for me to express myself that way.
There is a CD and workbook package available, and I could get it through Amazon for around $25. The debate comes in with me trying to figure out if it is worth me spending the $$ to get it.
Hmmmm....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)