It seems like there has been a lot of disaster and destruction in the news lately. Earthquakes, wildfires, flooding, tornadoes, and smaller scale events like the fire in Mapgirl's neighborhood earlier this week.
Before I even begin talking about the subject, I want to reiterate Mapgirl's statement that you need to make sure you are insured and that your insurance policy is up to date. Yes, that means you too, renters. I don't care if you don't think you own anything of value. If your building burns down or even if something less tragic happens, like a pipe bursts and destroys everything in your apartment, you're going to want to be able to replace some of it. Your IKEA bed may not seem all that valuable to you now, but it's better than sleeping on the floor.
I continually remind myself that stuff is just stuff. Yes, it may have sentimental value, but at the end of the day, it's just things. That said, having watched coverage of the flooding in the midwest, I can't even imagine having to rush through my home, pick out the few things that I can fit into my car, and just leaving the rest to be damaged or destroyed by the flood waters.
I spent a bit of time thinking about what I would want to rescue from my home, and it really forced me to think about what sort of value I place on items - and thus, where I should and shouldn't be spending my money. (It also made me think about the fact that I have too much stuff.) What would I put into my car if I had to evacuate?
Of course, the first thing I would grab would be my cats. I don't count them as stuff. Yes, they're pets, and some would consider them possessions, but I think any pet owner would say that a pet is more than just something you own. (I would also take some clothes and any prescriptions that I might be on, supplies for the cats depending on where we're going, and snacks and water, but that would be more for convenience and safety than to prevent things from getting destroyed. Phone/wallet/purse also falls into this category.)
I would take my laptop and my external hard drive. But because I use Carbonite (if you want to sign up, leave your e-mail for a referral link - you get an extra month free and I get 3 extra months), everything on my laptop is backed up and can be restored. Additionally, I keep a backup of all my photos, documents, and music on discs that I keep in my desk at work. This is one huge advantage to the digital age. A friend is currently working on scanning all of her old photos, and I think that is a project I might try to take on as well. But for now, I would grab my photo albums and the few framed photos I have around the house.
I keep a fire box with important paperwork like my birth certificate and passport and copies of my cats' immunizations (I'm not sure those need to be in there, but then I know where they are). So I'd grab that, along with my filebox containing tax returns, school transcripts, banking info, etc. Of course, if I ever do anything about creating a digital filing system, that filebox would also not need to be rescued from impending disaster.
Other than that, I'm not entirely sure what I would grab. I have a box of "stuff" that I have saved - anything from awards to sweet notes from friends and family to old journals. It might make the cut, though I can't say I know what's all in that box at the moment (yet another thing to add to the to do list). There are also a few small items kept in a glass hutch that have a lot of meaning to me that I would take if there was time.
Yes, I have a lot of things that have a lot of sentimental value that, if there was time, I would try to save. Things that I can't imagine ever voluntarily getting rid of. But at the end of the day, I don't even have that many of those, and I wouldn't be devastated by their loss. Most of those are tied to memories, and I would still have the memories.
So when I think about it, I don't really have much in my home that I can't bear to get rid of. Of course, that doesn't mean that I plan to reduce my worldly possessions to what will fit in my car. While I don't need the framed art on my wall or the collection of books on my shelf, I certainly enjoy them and have no plans to get rid of them anytime soon. And I would find it tough to know that all of that had been destroyed.
What does this mean in terms of personal finance? Well, as I said, it means that I should check my insurance, just to be sure. But I think it also means that I should continue to think about what I do and don't need in my life and maybe where I can cut back to save money. And that I should be thankful that I haven't had to worry about all my possessions being destroyed.
What would you put in your car if you had to evacuate?
Showing posts with label frugality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frugality. Show all posts
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
How frugal is too frugal?
Everyone has their limits of how far they will go in terms of frugality. Sometimes it's just because we refuse to do something, sometimes it's because we just don't want to do something.
For example, we all hear about how much money we could all save if we bring our lunch every day. But if you've been exploring the world of personal finance bloggers, you already know that there are a few bloggers who refuse to take that step. To them, it's worth tightening other budget areas in order to go out with friends or coworkers every day for lunch and get that break.
While I'm a lunch bringer (more for health reasons than money), the other day, I was wondering what my frugal limits were. Some of them are obvious. I don't want to give up my cable or my DVR. I don't want to give up my home phone (though that's because I was just tired of burning through cell minutes after I moved away from my family). I won't buy cheap pet food (though I don't feel like that's a choice - that's a responsibility I have to my pets).
I've been reading a lot about the Freegan movement on the blogosphere in the past few weeks. For those of you not in the know, Freegans do their best to not participate in the economy. They try to get everything without paying for it. The main highlight of this is dumpster diving for food. This just isn't a step I can bring myself to take. I know that frequently, this food is in almost perfect condition, like day-old bread, or slightly bruised apples, and is completely safe to eat. But I still can't do it. I'll buy day-old bread at the bakery for a discount, but I won't pull that same bag of bread from the trash.
Would I salvage items out of the trash? Maybe, if I stumbled across something. In college, it wasn't unusual to see furniture and other items in trash piles at the end of the year, thanks to students who just didn't want to move it home. (Of course, at our university, the St. Vincent de Paul society would come and pick up these items, so taking any of them felt like stealing from those less fortunate.)
There are probably other things I won't do or won't give up in order to save money (provided that I'm continuing to stay out of debt, of course). What won't you do in order to save money?
For example, we all hear about how much money we could all save if we bring our lunch every day. But if you've been exploring the world of personal finance bloggers, you already know that there are a few bloggers who refuse to take that step. To them, it's worth tightening other budget areas in order to go out with friends or coworkers every day for lunch and get that break.
While I'm a lunch bringer (more for health reasons than money), the other day, I was wondering what my frugal limits were. Some of them are obvious. I don't want to give up my cable or my DVR. I don't want to give up my home phone (though that's because I was just tired of burning through cell minutes after I moved away from my family). I won't buy cheap pet food (though I don't feel like that's a choice - that's a responsibility I have to my pets).
I've been reading a lot about the Freegan movement on the blogosphere in the past few weeks. For those of you not in the know, Freegans do their best to not participate in the economy. They try to get everything without paying for it. The main highlight of this is dumpster diving for food. This just isn't a step I can bring myself to take. I know that frequently, this food is in almost perfect condition, like day-old bread, or slightly bruised apples, and is completely safe to eat. But I still can't do it. I'll buy day-old bread at the bakery for a discount, but I won't pull that same bag of bread from the trash.
Would I salvage items out of the trash? Maybe, if I stumbled across something. In college, it wasn't unusual to see furniture and other items in trash piles at the end of the year, thanks to students who just didn't want to move it home. (Of course, at our university, the St. Vincent de Paul society would come and pick up these items, so taking any of them felt like stealing from those less fortunate.)
There are probably other things I won't do or won't give up in order to save money (provided that I'm continuing to stay out of debt, of course). What won't you do in order to save money?
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Can you spend irresponsibly if you're rich?
I have a friend who occasionally comments about how things are expensive and how she is working to pay off her credit cards. This friend also has a tendency to drop $20 on "whatever" around five days a week. In my opinion (and the opinion of some of our other friends), this is a stupid and irresponsible practice. If she would limit her "whatever spending" to once a week (or less!) she could save a significant amount of money. I don't think she even realizes how much she's spending, because it's "only $20."
This got me to thinking. Blowing through money when you're in debt and don't have much savings is clearly irresponsible. But what if my friend were doing quite well for herself? Let's say she's planning properly for retirement, owns her house and her car, has an emergency fund, and has a solid amount of savings. Now what about her tendency to drop at least $100 a week on things like books and knick knacks and coffee and other such things? Is it still irresponsible?
I go back and forth on this, primarily because of how I was raised. I have always believed that no matter whether you have the money or not, you should think about your purchase before you make it. Sure, you can afford those five books at the bookstore. But do you really need them? Do you need them all right now? Can you wait, or buy them online later for less money? Would you be just as happy with two books? If you decide yes, that you want all five right now, fine. But at least you thought about it.
Half of the time I see my grandfather, he's wearing clothes he's had for years, like a shirt from the tee ball team I played on almost 20 years ago or a pair of socks that originally belonged to my other grandfather, who passed away over 23 years ago. Admittedly, the t-shirts have seen better days, but if he's just out doing yard work, who cares what he's wearing, right? He could absolutely afford to buy new shirts and socks. He could buy a truckload of new clothes. But it's not something he needs. I wouldn't say he's excessively frugal - he just thinks about how he spends his money before he does it. He and my grandmother still go on fancy vacations and eat at nice restaurants and go out for ice cream.
I wonder if that's why I think that even if my friend were wealthy, her frivolous spending would still be fairly irresponsible. I tend to feel like her purchases are often wasteful, and I think of all the other things she could do with that money. Even if you're financially well off, even if $100 is just a drop in the bucket, I still think that money shouldn't just be frittered away. It could be saved for larger purchases or gifted to family or donated to charity or randomly handed out to panhandlers on the street.
Of course, I'm not in a position to tell my friend what she should do with her money, and given her spending, I don't think she'll ever get herself to a point where she will actually have an extra $100 to throw around. But it's something to think about.
This got me to thinking. Blowing through money when you're in debt and don't have much savings is clearly irresponsible. But what if my friend were doing quite well for herself? Let's say she's planning properly for retirement, owns her house and her car, has an emergency fund, and has a solid amount of savings. Now what about her tendency to drop at least $100 a week on things like books and knick knacks and coffee and other such things? Is it still irresponsible?
I go back and forth on this, primarily because of how I was raised. I have always believed that no matter whether you have the money or not, you should think about your purchase before you make it. Sure, you can afford those five books at the bookstore. But do you really need them? Do you need them all right now? Can you wait, or buy them online later for less money? Would you be just as happy with two books? If you decide yes, that you want all five right now, fine. But at least you thought about it.
Half of the time I see my grandfather, he's wearing clothes he's had for years, like a shirt from the tee ball team I played on almost 20 years ago or a pair of socks that originally belonged to my other grandfather, who passed away over 23 years ago. Admittedly, the t-shirts have seen better days, but if he's just out doing yard work, who cares what he's wearing, right? He could absolutely afford to buy new shirts and socks. He could buy a truckload of new clothes. But it's not something he needs. I wouldn't say he's excessively frugal - he just thinks about how he spends his money before he does it. He and my grandmother still go on fancy vacations and eat at nice restaurants and go out for ice cream.
I wonder if that's why I think that even if my friend were wealthy, her frivolous spending would still be fairly irresponsible. I tend to feel like her purchases are often wasteful, and I think of all the other things she could do with that money. Even if you're financially well off, even if $100 is just a drop in the bucket, I still think that money shouldn't just be frittered away. It could be saved for larger purchases or gifted to family or donated to charity or randomly handed out to panhandlers on the street.
Of course, I'm not in a position to tell my friend what she should do with her money, and given her spending, I don't think she'll ever get herself to a point where she will actually have an extra $100 to throw around. But it's something to think about.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Earth Day Every Day
I don't think you could go anywhere this week without being confronted by information about Earth Week and doing something good for the environment. There were signs, commercials, stories, festivals, and more. I have to admit, I do wonder if the people who are so all about Mother Earth during this time of year feel the same way the rest of the year.
Sometimes, doing good for the Earth goes along with being frugal. Drinking filtered tap water rather than bottled water saves money and reduces waste, for example. But sometimes you do have to spend a bit more to do something good for the Earth. It might mean buying organically grown food or more efficient light bulbs (though those will ultimately save you money).
I admit, I also spend money where I don't necessarily have to. One thing that I did to reduce my waste is buy a few reusable grocery bags. Some are the cheap bags purchased at the store for 99 cents, one is a very nice canvas bag from Trader Joe's, and I also bought a big tote from L.L. Bean to make it easier to lug groceries back from the store. I still found myself coming home with plastic bags after making a quick stop at the store on my way home from work, so this week, I picked up a ChicoBag that I keep attached to my keys - this way I'm never without a reusable bag. Could I have saved money and bought cheaper bags? Sure. But these bags make me happy, and I like carrying them, so I'm more likely to use them.
Like a lot of people, I also had a pretty sizable collection of water bottles containing BPA - some Nalgene bottles, some bottles given out for free by various companies, etc. With all the news lately about a possible link between the use of this plastic and the possible leaching of endocrine disruptors into the liquids stored inside, I decided it was in my best interest to get a few new bottles. I picked up a BPA-free bottle by Nalgene, as well as a really pretty Sigg bottle. The Nalgene bottle was relatively inexpensive - under $10, so did I really need to spend almost twice that on a second bottle? No. But I like the bottle, and it makes me happy to see it sitting on my desk.
(For those of you looking to get rid of your polycarbonate bottles, don't forget about all the non-food uses for these types of bottles. You could use it to store your change. Or pencils. Or art supplies. Or you could use it to make a travel first aid kit - yes, one of the benefits of using a bottle to make this kit is that it can be used for water if necessary, but in my opinion, if you're in a situation where you need to empty your first aid kit to have something to drink water out of, potential chemical leaching is probably the least of your worries, and besides, it's still crush proof.)
Have any of you picked up any new, earth-friendly habits that you're hoping to keep up with, even after Earth Week is over?
Sometimes, doing good for the Earth goes along with being frugal. Drinking filtered tap water rather than bottled water saves money and reduces waste, for example. But sometimes you do have to spend a bit more to do something good for the Earth. It might mean buying organically grown food or more efficient light bulbs (though those will ultimately save you money).
I admit, I also spend money where I don't necessarily have to. One thing that I did to reduce my waste is buy a few reusable grocery bags. Some are the cheap bags purchased at the store for 99 cents, one is a very nice canvas bag from Trader Joe's, and I also bought a big tote from L.L. Bean to make it easier to lug groceries back from the store. I still found myself coming home with plastic bags after making a quick stop at the store on my way home from work, so this week, I picked up a ChicoBag that I keep attached to my keys - this way I'm never without a reusable bag. Could I have saved money and bought cheaper bags? Sure. But these bags make me happy, and I like carrying them, so I'm more likely to use them.
Like a lot of people, I also had a pretty sizable collection of water bottles containing BPA - some Nalgene bottles, some bottles given out for free by various companies, etc. With all the news lately about a possible link between the use of this plastic and the possible leaching of endocrine disruptors into the liquids stored inside, I decided it was in my best interest to get a few new bottles. I picked up a BPA-free bottle by Nalgene, as well as a really pretty Sigg bottle. The Nalgene bottle was relatively inexpensive - under $10, so did I really need to spend almost twice that on a second bottle? No. But I like the bottle, and it makes me happy to see it sitting on my desk.
(For those of you looking to get rid of your polycarbonate bottles, don't forget about all the non-food uses for these types of bottles. You could use it to store your change. Or pencils. Or art supplies. Or you could use it to make a travel first aid kit - yes, one of the benefits of using a bottle to make this kit is that it can be used for water if necessary, but in my opinion, if you're in a situation where you need to empty your first aid kit to have something to drink water out of, potential chemical leaching is probably the least of your worries, and besides, it's still crush proof.)
Have any of you picked up any new, earth-friendly habits that you're hoping to keep up with, even after Earth Week is over?
Friday, March 21, 2008
More festival links
It's been such a crazy week that I have yet to post about this week's Festival of Frugality! I'm still surfing through all the links, but the below are just some of my favorites.
- Recession Proofing Your Diet - These are some great ideas for saving money while grocery shopping
- Thoughts on Clutter: How to Get Rid and Move On - Great ideas for decluttering. I need to do more of this.
- Why We Are Committed to Living Debt Free - I hope to live debt free (except for mortgage debt) the rest of my life as well.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Living a simpler life
I still find myself thinking about Frugal For Life's entry on Tiny Rooms, Tiny Homes. I've been doing a number of google searches for pictures and stories from people living in houses made by Tumbleweed Homes (I'm not coming up with much).
I'm not sure why the idea of living in a tiny home fascinates me so much. Part of it, I'm sure, is my love for boxes and containers and the idea of everything having its own little place. I think the other part is that I'm always fascinated by the idea of simplifying my life.
I am very much aware that I have packrat tendencies. Not to any extreme, but I have trouble getting rid of things. "I might need that later!" For example, I'm working on weeding out my closet. I tried the "backwards hangar" trick, where you put all the hangers on the rod backwards, and then when you wear something, you put it back with the hanger on the other way. I have maybe worn 25% of what's in my closet. Of course, I started this last fall, and a number of the things still unworn are summer clothes, but I think it's time to weed out the winter clothes at the very least. I came across one shirt the other day that I've struggled to get rid of. It's gorgeous, but not so much gorgeous on me. Clearly, I would benefit from donating this. And yet I hang on to it.
Another example: I buy McCann's Irish Oatmeal. It comes in beautiful cans. I buy the cans in lots, so I get a pretty decent discount. In my cabinet, I currently have four empty cans stacked up because I can't get rid of them. They're so neat looking! They would look great with plants in them! The odds of me ever doing this? Slim to none. While I won't ever be able to bring myself to recycle them, I can probably find some crafty person who would happily take them off my hands.
I think that part of my weekend plans will be to try to weed out some of my possessions. I know I have a few things that are definitely eBay worthy, and other things that will do quite well as donations to Goodwill. While I don't think I will ever be able to get my possessions down to what will fit in a 100 square foot home, a little bit of simplification never hurts.
Last, but not least, as you may have noticed, I've joined the BlogHer Ad network. I don't know about you, but I've been pleased with the ads that have been presented, and I love the links to other blog entries that change every day. BlogHer is currently doing their annual survey, and if you have the time, please check it out and give your opinions!
I'm not sure why the idea of living in a tiny home fascinates me so much. Part of it, I'm sure, is my love for boxes and containers and the idea of everything having its own little place. I think the other part is that I'm always fascinated by the idea of simplifying my life.
I am very much aware that I have packrat tendencies. Not to any extreme, but I have trouble getting rid of things. "I might need that later!" For example, I'm working on weeding out my closet. I tried the "backwards hangar" trick, where you put all the hangers on the rod backwards, and then when you wear something, you put it back with the hanger on the other way. I have maybe worn 25% of what's in my closet. Of course, I started this last fall, and a number of the things still unworn are summer clothes, but I think it's time to weed out the winter clothes at the very least. I came across one shirt the other day that I've struggled to get rid of. It's gorgeous, but not so much gorgeous on me. Clearly, I would benefit from donating this. And yet I hang on to it.
Another example: I buy McCann's Irish Oatmeal. It comes in beautiful cans. I buy the cans in lots, so I get a pretty decent discount. In my cabinet, I currently have four empty cans stacked up because I can't get rid of them. They're so neat looking! They would look great with plants in them! The odds of me ever doing this? Slim to none. While I won't ever be able to bring myself to recycle them, I can probably find some crafty person who would happily take them off my hands.
I think that part of my weekend plans will be to try to weed out some of my possessions. I know I have a few things that are definitely eBay worthy, and other things that will do quite well as donations to Goodwill. While I don't think I will ever be able to get my possessions down to what will fit in a 100 square foot home, a little bit of simplification never hurts.
Last, but not least, as you may have noticed, I've joined the BlogHer Ad network. I don't know about you, but I've been pleased with the ads that have been presented, and I love the links to other blog entries that change every day. BlogHer is currently doing their annual survey, and if you have the time, please check it out and give your opinions!
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