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Take stock of your stuff during economic hard times
eBay and Craigslist have been on our uncluttered radars for quite some time, but during these tough economic times they have become important tools to make some extra cash. Weekend projects of cleaning out the attic, basement, or closets can help you find many items to sell or donate.
Donation is a great option these days, too. Charities are feeling the effects of a struggling economy, and the trimming down of your home’s inventory can help less fortunate folks.
The economic downturn has undoubtedly made all of us take notice of the way in which we live and spend money. It also may be a wake up call to live with much more thrift in mind when bringing items into one’s home.
In an article in the Examiner, author Risa Sanders highlights some things that may make this economic downturn a little more manageable. She highlights the positives of these times with some of the following items:
1. Drink less coffee. My old habits included at least one stop a day, sometimes two, for a latte, or a double cappuccino. In order to save money (see below) my caffeine consumption is way down, causing my psyche, and body, to say “thank you”.
2. Spend less money. At better than $3 apiece for a tall latte (plus, usually, a muffin for another $2), I’m saving over $50 a week just by not making coffee stops during the day. I pour what’s left from my morning coffeepot into the darling, glossy, polka dot thermos I just “had to have” but hadn’t used in the two years since I bought it, and I have fresh, warm, cheap coffee all day long.
7. Spend more quality time as a family. Volunteering together, playing board games,going for walks, sightseeing in the city, renting movies instead of running to the theatre, even hunting for great coupons and bargains together, can be fun. See my article on volunteering for more ideas, at http://www.examiner.com/x-1561-DC-Family-Examiner~y2008m12d18-More-great-things-to-do-with-teens
9. Get rid of clutter. I notice I’m doing a better job of sorting through papers and keeping clutter to a minimum now that I’m home more. I like the feeling of calm that comes from being able to see the wood of my desk, and actually being able to find (and remember to use) all those wonderful coupons that are flowing in these days.
Number nine is definitely right up our alley here at Unclutterer, but the whole list is worth a look.
17 comments posted
Posted by Khürt Williams - 12/23/2008
Giving up the ‘Big Bucks” coffee should be easy. It taste like crap. I’ve been buying locally roasted beans and brewing my own coffee ( French press style ) for years.
Posted by John at voyagers.typepad.com - 12/23/2008
Great list — and yes, I prefer (2) to (1) as well, Matt!
I often think that those of us interested in lifehacks put an odd emphasis on giving up the Bean of Joy. Sure, you don’t need Fourbucks coffee (here in the UK, a Bucketto or whatever the biggest size is goes for almost four pounds, which used to be eight bucks!), but a moderate intake of caffeine actually has health, motivation and mood benefits.
And, unsurprising for a travel blogger I just love experiencing coffee abroad — a hot, spiced, thick, strong cardomom blend in Jerusalem’s souk is one of my favorite Christmas memories. You can even get good coffee in the UK now, honest! (Dear America, turnabout is fair play: time for you to do actual proper tea.)
–John at http://voyagers.typepad.com
Posted by Eric - 12/23/2008
Learn to cook, no, really cook. Storage and preparation of whole foods is a great way to achieve #2 and #7.
Posted by Mer - 12/23/2008
I want to chime in on the coffee comments. I use a Senseo coffee maker because I only drink one cup of coffee a day (these days I’m alternating with tea). A package of 16 pods costs about the same as a grande, and even though I use two pods per serving, I like to think I’m getting 8 coffees for the price of one. Keeps me out of BigBucks, which keeps me away from the tempting pastries next to the register.
Posted by timgray - 12/23/2008
Yup drop the icky starbucks or other “premium” coffee. Its overpriced for over roasted junk. Go find a good roaster locally or online and get a couple a pounds kept sealed tight in a container. Grind and brew in the morning and you’ll have coffee that makes even the trendiest barista envious.
Also BAKE your own muffins, if you bake 2 dozen on sunday and store them right, you’ll have them through friday morning. Tons of money saved.
Finally a great way to spend less money. do NOT take any credit cards with you. lock them in your firesafe at home and refuse to have any of them on you. I go as far as not having my ATM card or checkbook. Cash only in my pocket. If I break down on the road, that’s what my road service from the insurance company is for. Outside of bills my wife and I have reduced the daily drain on the accounts to almost zero.
Simply stop the daily $5.00 to $10.00 here and there for lunch and breakfast adds up to over $100-$200 easily.
Posted by Eric - 12/23/2008
@timgray
I have gone the other direction. Frugal is already ingrained and using plastic makes it a lot easier to track my purchases to see where I’m cheating. We want to get our cash withdraws down to a minimum so that we can better budget the little things.
Posted by Molly - 12/23/2008
@Eric
I love your idea of cooking more as a resolution. I think I might have to give that a try!
Posted by Jesse - 12/23/2008
Great post -
I’ve been cutting down on card use as well, actually not using my one credit card at all and limiting the use of the debit as well.
I’ve also got several things up for grabs on Craigslist (including my TV!) so this post was well timed…
@john – I agree with your comment re coffee abroad, however I’m onboard with cutting it down or out when home. I’m down to one cup of decaf at work each morning, and other then that I get my caffeine from tea. Still get the benefit to my mood, etc…without the negative affects to the rest of my body. And I’m really noticing the difference!
@slowingdown (twitter id)
Posted by Annette - 12/23/2008
timgray, what is the correct way to store the muffins?
Posted by Eric - 12/23/2008
@Molly
Here is what I have done this week and my family loved it.
First Dinner: Roast chicken, home made gravy, mashed cauliflower, stuffing, salad.
Lunches: Hot chicken sandwiches, stuffing
Second Dinner: Boil down the carcass and make chicken soup. Basically add pastas, veggies, beans, and seasoning to taste and cook down a bit.
Third dinner: Take all the meaty bits and cut them up. Made buttered and seasoned chicken and rice.
3 dinners, 2 lunches, and a pile of leftovers. All in all it was around $20 worth of groceries and some leftovers for 5 full meals for the three of us. And of course, anything left over ( or left overs from the dishes above ) can be thrown into meatloaf.
I also pop my own popcorn in a thick pot on the stove. It’s a lot cheaper than the microwave stuff and you can coat it any way you like.
Frugal and yummy I say. Victory gardens can also be a good source of family time and food. Still need to get more into making my own breads.
Posted by Bill - 12/23/2008
Please purchase the photos you download. I can see the watermark, which tells me you got it from istockphoto.
Artist need their money too!
Posted by Erin Doland - 12/23/2008
@Bill — We purchased the photo from istockphoto. All one credit for it! … huh, I wonder what happened … will investigate …
Posted by Erin Doland - 12/23/2008
@Bill — We figured out the glitch. Thanks for the catch, it’s got the real image up there now!! We really don’t steal images, promise!!
Posted by Bill - 12/24/2008
thank you! I love really enjoy your website!
Posted by Rich - 12/24/2008
I also gave up coffee with a muffin every morning. It really does save a ton of money. Seeing an extra $50 in my account every week is a huge motivator!
Posted by Sue - 12/24/2008
My office has a coffee maker, a fridge and a microwave, so I save plenty by bringing in my lunches!
When gas prices went down, I calculated the difference between a full tank at the top price, and the same tank at the lower price. The difference gets transferred to my savings account with each fill-up.
Posted by Two Geeks and a Blog :: Geek News :: Quick Hits: Dec. 28 – Jan. 3 - 01/06/2009
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