Comments on: The Real Cost of Financial Clutter on the Road to a Remarkable Life

By: horoskop

horoskop — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:20:59 +0000

Great article!.I am try going to follow this starting today.

By: Josh

Josh — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:57:06 +0000

Dont forget that when you purchase that Wii, that XBox, PS3 or even PC game, these not only cost on the front-end, but they are time (and therefore money) sinkholes.

How many hours of WOW do you have to play to get the dishes cleaned, the house organized, or your Chase card paid off?

Thanks for this article. Well done.

By: Bob Denny

Bob Denny — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:49:33 +0000

One thing to think about: What DROVE you to collect all that “stuff”? You thought you needed it at the time. Why?

Consider advertising to be a form of (very sophisticated) brain-washing. It works. Are you immune? I’m not. I just try to limit my exposure to it. You should at least limit the exposure of your child if not yourself.

By: Meg

Meg — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:56:35 +0000

Mary- I love ‘The Wealthy Barber’!
The quote from my book is ” A dollar saved is two dollars earned.” He explains how with deductions, taxes etc. that a two dollar raise really only equates to a little over a dollar in take home raise. Better to save a dollar instead and make it work for you!

If there are any Canadians out there, I really recommend David Chilton’s “Wealthy Barber” book. It’s a great help when getting your financial house in order.

By: Shalom

Shalom — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:39:46 +0000

My husband and I started this process several years ago out of a sense of emergency because I had just lost my job. It was probably one of the best things that could have ever happened to us, financially. We were forced to cut nearly every “extra” expense out of our lives for about 2 years, until we started getting back on our feet again. But now, as things progressively get better, we are still being careful with our money and putting it towards savings and paying off debts because we don’t want to ever be in the same position again, and also because our life goals have broadened and the idea of accumulating “stuff” just isn’t as appealing anymore.

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:13:00 +0000

Good thoughts, great site! My comment is “all things in moderation”. This blog shows two extreme positions. Happiness is somewhere in the middle. I have a “good” job and enjoy it. I buy stuff because I think that it will enhance my life. I am at a point in my life where I can objectively evaluate the value of each position and I do splurge because I enjoy some stuff now and then. Don’t become so focused and austere to the point of minimalism. We live in fantastic exciting times; enjoy them…moderately!

By: Internet Business Blogger

Internet Business Blogger — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:45:43 +0000

The idea behind this is truly important. I go shopping for groceries every Saturday morning and on the way I get gas. This means that in just over an hour I can spend $200 that can be cut down by organizing so that I am driving less as well as being more aware of the food that I need ro do not need.

I do the groceries in a rush without much thought but it is really costing me a lot in the end.

Thanks for the great ideas of uncluttering your living area as well as the bill info.

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:44:48 +0000

With many thanks to The Simple Dollar and Get Rich Slowly, I have paid off all but one credit card and I have a lot less than $17,000 in credit card debt. I’m happily using the Snowflake Method.

By: Graham

Graham — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:36:26 +0000

Yes you may have overspend on STUFF, but you did your job for the good of the country. After the 9/11 attacks in New York and D.C. President George said that you should “spend”. So what if that meant sacrificing your child’s future? So what if that meant you would be able to retire the day you breathe your last breath? You did what needed to be done. Dubya should give you a congressional medal of honor for your sacrifices for the country.

By: business

business — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:02:53 +0000

I can totally relate. Instead of spending on unnecessary things, I invest, start new businesses - let my money make money.

By: Seth

Seth — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:28:14 +0000

Wow, I totally did you “breaking down the hourly rate for everything work related” when I quit a higher paying (or so I thought) job for a lower paying, working from home job. When I figured in the commuting time and afternoon coffee purchases, I’m actually coming out ahead!

By: Daniel

Daniel — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:46:17 +0000

Every time I do this exercise of evaluating my true needs and passions versus what I’m actually doing, I have the opposite reaction.
I save way too much money, give too much to charity, and spend too little on status goods. If I really listen to my inner voice, I should go ahead and buy that luxury car. lol

By: Belém

Belém — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:18:22 +0000

Great article. I have been concerned about the way I live my life and about subjects like frugality, possessions, decluttering, balance etc. Your words are wise and agree with almost everything because sometimes, when I spent some euros, they are a good investment on my future.

By: Ellie

Ellie — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:33:21 +0000

Great article! I’ve used my net hourly rate to calculate the cost of purchases before but I’ve never thought to calculate it like you do. Very interesting.

By: rudy

rudy — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:55:04 +0000

Thanks for the excellent article, Erin. We downsized a couple of years ago when I left a career of 19 years and started The Simplify Company. We moved into a smaller place and found ourselves with a carport full of stuff we couldn’t physically fit in the new place! It was liberating to get rid of it.

Your words are motivational and I’m encouraged by them. Thanks again!

By: mmr

mmr — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 04:10:52 +0000

Very good article. I have to say one additional thing which is along the lines of cutting off things you don’t need like the gym, etc.

I’m a young guy so I don’t have to many monthly fees to worry about, but I do have an electric bill which is directly related to the amount of energy I used. I currently have three computers, all of which were on all the time. By reworking how I used each computer (along with a few other saving tips like changing the bulbs I have to the energy efficient kind) I was able to lower my monthly bill from 100 to 80 dollars a month, thats a 20% savings!

There are now hard drives being made which are more energy efficient as well and I am going to switch over to those as well (when I need them). This way even though some things need to be on, at least they are using less energy.

By: Paco Hernandez

Paco Hernandez — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 02:24:37 +0000

“Every time you spend a dollar, you sacrifice a bit of your future.”

Audacious, yet spot on - the way every great piece of advice should go down. It challenges you to think about things a little bit differently and opens your eyes.

Great piece!

By: lexie

lexie — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:59:44 +0000

This article was a shot in the arm for me! You really don’t think about every dollar you spend as taking away from your future, but when I look at my bank statement I see at least one hundred dollars of useless stuff every week. Just think if I invested that instead

By: Rickious

Rickious — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:32:09 +0000

Great article, man.

I am totally going to follow this starting today.

You woke me up. I do not have children yet, but your advice will definitely help in giving them a better future.

Thanks.

By: Jeff Bellamy

Jeff Bellamy — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 00:21:32 +0000

Speaking of your TV look at this post about the $128,000 Plasma
http://123moneybasics.com/word.....r-savings/
I’m glad to see people who start to see that it’s not all about stuff.

jeff bellamy