Our decision to do more with less was simple. We were going to give 10% of what we earned back. In our case we chose to give it to our church, but any "worthy cause" would work as well. Within eighteen month we managed to fulfill our goal of becoming debt free. It wasn't karma, it was attention. That commitment caused us to spend intentionally rather than frivolously and made less actually become more.
A few years ago my mother moved out of our childhood home, and she found a lot of toys of mine that she's saved. So this year, in addition to a few new toys, my oldest son is getting a lot of my old toys. Not only do we not need to spend as much on toys, but I get to relieve a lot of great childhood memories.
I do more with less in the kitchen. Once my husband and I got rid of a bunch of pots and pans we never use, appliances that just took up space, spices we needed for one recipe 5 years ago and expired food (!), we found that cooking was far more enjoyable and easy. Starting with a few basic skills anyone can pick up (how to scramble eggs or fry potatoes, for example), we have built some really tasty meals from very little.
I could look at the objects in my home to find new way to use them. I'm educating my children at home, so using my household items like wash clothes to teach practical skills and develop fine motor skills would be a good way to give multiple purposes to items instead of buying item solely as educational products.
We are doing more with less by focusing on family activities. It turns out that you can do a lot for little to no money with the right people. Also we are going through our "clutter" and getting rid of things that aren't used anymore giving us more space and freedom to play.
I do more with less by donating clothes that no longer fit, donating furniture that no longer is useful or just hides clutter, checking out books at the library instead of buying them, watching shows online instead of buying DVD's, saving documents as PDF's instead of printing and when my lease is up next year downsizing to a smaller apartment.
I think that adding color or bold to judiciously emphasize points also helps to break up the page. Even some of your paragraphs seemed to get a bit long and I may have chosen to bold or put in hot pink - "6 points" and "Dear Abby", or something.
What do you think of that tactic? Any advice one way or the other?
I do more with less visits to the middle aisles of the grocery store where the processes food is and with the strategic use of coupons to meet my needs, bravo executive function!
I just can't have money lying around: every dollar that's not in the bank is a dollar not working for me. As they say, lots of little savings add up to big savings.
What could work for me is a combination of tips 1 and 2, where every debit transaction rounds up to the nearest five dollars. Speaking of debit cards, I'm a big believer in not carrying small change/cash in this day and age since those small bills lead to small unnecessary purchases.
You know how it goes though, personal finance is personal and not all about numbers.
I really search around to get the best deal or coupon codes before buying anything online...price comparisons and coupons only take a few minutes and it is amazing the difference it can make.
I definitely employ #3 everyday. I have this giant 3 ft plastic Coke bottle that I received as a gift one Xmas. I'm from Canada, so I have the luxury of throwing in Loonies and Toonies which makes it add up much faster than just small change. It took me a few years to fill it up and when I moved across the country I decided to cash it in. Turned out there was about $800 worth of change in there (it was super heavy and took a while to count), which was put toward some of my moving expenses. Currently, it's almost up to the half way mark, so hopefully in a year or two, it will be full again to spend on something else. :)
I do more with less by recycling and rather than throwing things away, I try to find an alternate use for them. Also, I make sure to donate gently used items, especially outgrown clothes.
CouponFetch.com is also a great coupon site. They list coupons daily for thousands of stores, and even have a "future" tab where they list future coupon deals days, weeks, or even months ahead of time! Great for planning some holiday shopping! http://www.CouponFetch.com
I employ some of the same tips! I love 5 dollar bills. Especially if my teens needs some money and I want to use a 5 so I don't have to worry about 'forgotten change'. :)
I don't use my change at all. I don't have a place to put change in my purse, so it goes in my pocket and into my piggy bank at home. In December, I cash it all in at Coinstar and get an Amazon gift card. I then shop for out of town relatives using this money each year.
When it appeared that books were taking over my house, I re-discovered the public library. Now, I save by not ordering books and since I return my books no more stacks stashed everywhere. And, in the process, I found other great services my library offers - DVD rentals, magazines, etc.
More "simple" toys! Wii games are unbelievably expensive, but I can whip up a few make-believe outfits in no time out of old clothes. And guess which one they have more fun with?
Our decision to do more with less was simple. We were going to give 10% of what we earned back. In our case we chose to give it to our church, but any "worthy cause" would work as well. Within eighteen month we managed to fulfill our goal of becoming debt free. It wasn't karma, it was attention. That commitment caused us to spend intentionally rather than frivolously and made less actually become more.
A few years ago my mother moved out of our childhood home, and she found a lot of toys of mine that she's saved. So this year, in addition to a few new toys, my oldest son is getting a lot of my old toys. Not only do we not need to spend as much on toys, but I get to relieve a lot of great childhood memories.
Needmas, Holidown and Frugolidays are all great ones! Thanks for posting.
I do more with less in the kitchen. Once my husband and I got rid of a bunch of pots and pans we never use, appliances that just took up space, spices we needed for one recipe 5 years ago and expired food (!), we found that cooking was far more enjoyable and easy. Starting with a few basic skills anyone can pick up (how to scramble eggs or fry potatoes, for example), we have built some really tasty meals from very little.
I could look at the objects in my home to find new way to use them. I'm educating my children at home, so using my household items like wash clothes to teach practical skills and develop fine motor skills would be a good way to give multiple purposes to items instead of buying item solely as educational products.
We are doing more with less by focusing on family activities. It turns out that you can do a lot for little to no money with the right people. Also we are going through our "clutter" and getting rid of things that aren't used anymore giving us more space and freedom to play.
I do more with less by cooking/baking at home. It saves money and is healthier/tastier!
I do more with less by donating clothes that no longer fit, donating furniture that no longer is useful or just hides clutter, checking out books at the library instead of buying them, watching shows online instead of buying DVD's, saving documents as PDF's instead of printing and when my lease is up next year downsizing to a smaller apartment.
I think that adding color or bold to judiciously emphasize points also helps to break up the page. Even some of your paragraphs seemed to get a bit long and I may have chosen to bold or put in hot pink - "6 points" and "Dear Abby", or something.
What do you think of that tactic? Any advice one way or the other?
I do more with less visits to the middle aisles of the grocery store where the processes food is and with the strategic use of coupons to meet my needs, bravo executive function!
I would say useful tips and humor are the key elements of a great blog post, though nice design certainly helps too!
We don't buy new books, we utilize the library!
I just can't have money lying around: every dollar that's not in the bank is a dollar not working for me. As they say, lots of little savings add up to big savings.
What could work for me is a combination of tips 1 and 2, where every debit transaction rounds up to the nearest five dollars. Speaking of debit cards, I'm a big believer in not carrying small change/cash in this day and age since those small bills lead to small unnecessary purchases.
You know how it goes though, personal finance is personal and not all about numbers.
I really search around to get the best deal or coupon codes before buying anything online...price comparisons and coupons only take a few minutes and it is amazing the difference it can make.
Good post! For me, $500 coverage would not be near enough. I average a crown AND a root canal per year.
Doing more with less sometimes means working on the go. Which is where my laptop and a good smartphone comes in handy. Go windows phone
I definitely employ #3 everyday. I have this giant 3 ft plastic Coke bottle that I received as a gift one Xmas. I'm from Canada, so I have the luxury of throwing in Loonies and Toonies which makes it add up much faster than just small change. It took me a few years to fill it up and when I moved across the country I decided to cash it in. Turned out there was about $800 worth of change in there (it was super heavy and took a while to count), which was put toward some of my moving expenses. Currently, it's almost up to the half way mark, so hopefully in a year or two, it will be full again to spend on something else. :)
I do more with less by recycling and rather than throwing things away, I try to find an alternate use for them. Also, I make sure to donate gently used items, especially outgrown clothes.
CouponFetch.com is also a great coupon site. They list coupons daily for thousands of stores, and even have a "future" tab where they list future coupon deals days, weeks, or even months ahead of time! Great for planning some holiday shopping!
http://www.CouponFetch.com
Try putting blankets on all the windows. it keeps warm in the winter, and even keeps it cool when summer comes along.
I employ some of the same tips! I love 5 dollar bills. Especially if my teens needs some money and I want to use a 5 so I don't have to worry about 'forgotten change'. :)
I don't use my change at all. I don't have a place to put change in my purse, so it goes in my pocket and into my piggy bank at home. In December, I cash it all in at Coinstar and get an Amazon gift card. I then shop for out of town relatives using this money each year.
When it appeared that books were taking over my house, I re-discovered the public library. Now, I save by not ordering books and since I return my books no more stacks stashed everywhere. And, in the process, I found other great services my library offers - DVD rentals, magazines, etc.
More "simple" toys! Wii games are unbelievably expensive, but I can whip up a few make-believe outfits in no time out of old clothes. And guess which one they have more fun with?
Every day we all dump our change into a huge wine jug. Less weight in my purse, and you’d be surprised to see how fast it turns into more $$!
i use kaffir limes to clean the stove, deep clean my hair and make curries.