I hate my job. When I am thinking about buying something I will consider how many grueling minutes I would have had to have worked in order to afford this "thing." (sorry, horrible grammar there) That white chocolate mocha costs 1/3 an hour of my paycheck? No thank you.
I usually feel pretty guilty when I buy something for myself. I start thinking such things as, "but I could buy a 15lb bag of cat food instead."
I canceled my Netflix subscription, saving ~$9 a month. That's $108 a year. I'd rather put that into savings and use the library.
One of the most liberating experiences in my business life came when I realised that I was not the best in the world at my job. That may seem like a strange comment to make, but how many people do you know who still say “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself”? Last time I checked, I wasn’t cutting my own chest open and performing open heart surgery on myself, nor was I investing two years and $10,000 in web design school so I could build my own website. It’s much easier to have someone else to do almost 99% of the things that I could do myself.
Tip
The art of delegating is about immediately letting go of and delegating low-level-tasks,
training and delegating mid-level tasks, and filling your day with only high-level tasks.
My biggest green habits are: eating a vegan diet, using reusable bags at the grocery store (even for my produce and my bulk food buys), and using a menstrual cup. I know the last one is a bit personal but if you think about all the waste disposable menstrual products create, a menstrual cup is a great way to cut down on that waste. Plus it helps save money, which isn't that the point of this blog? I spent $36 on my menstrual cup (I purchased a Lunette) and it's supposed to last AT LEAST 5-7 years. Considering one can spend around $48+ over a year buying disposable products, I definitely think I'm coming out ahead.
These are nice tips and recommendations! I’ll try to work-trade/volunteer on my next travel which is scheduled on September. Working for the sake of free accommodation would be a good idea to save. Availing of free flights might be impossible; however, there are low-cost flights that you can avail at least 3 months before travelling.
Thank you for this article--it provided a helpful perspective on value & made me think of the lessons in that classic, "Your Money or Your Life." Plus, you talked me out of buying a $73 Horny Toad dress that would probably net $1--if that--should I ever try to do a clothing exchange.
Bingo - extended warranties, all of them for any product, are a complete waste of money. So the author got swindled on the increase in the deal for the car, and then got swindled again by paying $1500 for a warranty that isn't worth $30, much less $3000. Sucker.
When I shop I use my own reusable bags.
I walk or bike to and from work everyday no matter the weather.
I curbside recycle.
I compost.
I use all fluorescent bulbs.
For lunch I use all reusable containers.
I keep my furnace set below 65 in winter.
I use my own water bottle.
And so much more...
Good for you! Using time spent working as the gauge of what is affordable not only saves money, it also saves TIME. I know so many people who work a lot harder than I do so they can afford to buy more expensive "convenience goods" to help them "save time". It's a vicious cycle.
I always bring a mason jar (my water bottle) full of water everywhere I go so I don't suddenly find myself thirsty and having to purchase a plastic bottled beverage, among other things.
I think it's a great idea to encourage consumers to consider the cost of items in terms of items they use, value and enjoy. Opportunity cost is an eye opener for a lot of people!
Didn't really teach me anything I didn't know. I've had coldsores since I was a kid as well. Any thoughts on the Coconut thing?
Abreva used to work for me, but I find its ability to stop a coldsore in its tracks has gone down hill since I first started using it.
I have found that Cold Sore FX works amazingly ( $25 a tube in canada) I put it on before I go to bed on most nights, and it drastically reduces the occurrences of the outbreaks ( I find that my warning tingle usually happens when I'm sleeping, so I don't have a chance to stop it otherwise). It also can be used at first tingling or throughout, unlike abreva.
Polysporin has healing patches now, that I use, though they don't stick very well to the lips, they do prevent a scab from forming, so it doesn't look as bad, and usually goes away.
Thank you for the advice Carla. Our mortgage just got bought out by Chase last month and I just saw that we still have 3 years on the current 5-1 ARM at 3.5%. I may hold off on switching for a bit now that I see we have more time than I originally thought. I do not see rates really jumping up any time soon but you never know. Hopefully it will work out.
Instead of paying for recycling, I found an educational craft center nearby that accepts donations for crafts like paper towel rolls, milk jugs, yogurt cups and magazines. Not only am I recycling, but I'm also saving money.
In addition, I clean everything with vinegar including putting it into a downy ball as fabric softener. We use cloth diapers when convenient, limit water use, buy local meat and produce when available. (Obviously bananas are not grown local to us) and do not use chemicals on our lawn. We also purchased a push lawn mower to cut down on gas for mowing. Talk about neighbors looking at you funny. We get some finger pointing when people drive by.
This is a really good suggestion to keep you in focus when spending. When I used to have to go to the laundromat, I thought of things in terms of laundry. My sister would laugh at me: "So what if you found a dollar bill on the ground?" I'd say, "But it's a load of laundry!" More recently, I got a Nielsen packet for reporting my TV watching (ironic, as I do not have TV). I started to throw it away, then opened it out of curiosity, and it had $2 in it! Again my sister laughed at me, and I again I pointed out, "Whatever, that's an hour of parking downtown."
Thinking in these terms is a great way to keep your perspective, and it helps when you consider buying a larger purchase. "Sure, I love that artwork...but it costs a month's worth of gas!" Really helps keep your spending on track.
I love to recycle. I use the backs of all my papers, return my pop cans for the deposit, and save all the cardboard and tin to bring to our local recycling center.
It's important to me that I leave this Earth beautiful for my children.
I bring a reusable steel water bottle to work that I refill at home. We use cloth napkins and bring our own bags for any shopping trip. We reuse before recycling. We eat red meat rarely and drive as little as possible. Since we live near the beach, we are hyper-aware of all the plastic that ends up in the ocean so we really try to minimize our one-use plastic purchases. It's very challenging to live without plastic but I try to reuse glass and plastic containers a few times before tossing into the land and water.
I agree. And if employment listings in my area are any indication of trends, then you'll be competing against many non-degreed folks for those $10-15/hour jobs. I think it's an insult to folks who have put so much into their education and then are "rewarded" with a job that doesn't even allow them to live in their own apartment, much less pay back those loans.
I value everything in minutes/hours of work done to purchase it. If it is worth an hour or two of my life, then I'll buy it. If it seems like an unfair trade-off, I'll pass.
I drink out of a reusable water bottle and recycle everything. Recycling doesn't save me money, and in fact ends up costing me because I have to drive to the recycling center, but I guess reusing a water bottle saves a bit since I'm not buying new bottles all the time.
Hi Guest!
I desperately want to see this $73 Horny Toad dress. Is it made out of actual Horny Toads?
I hate my job. When I am thinking about buying something I will consider how many grueling minutes I would have had to have worked in order to afford this "thing." (sorry, horrible grammar there) That white chocolate mocha costs 1/3 an hour of my paycheck? No thank you.
I usually feel pretty guilty when I buy something for myself. I start thinking such things as, "but I could buy a 15lb bag of cat food instead."
I canceled my Netflix subscription, saving ~$9 a month. That's $108 a year. I'd rather put that into savings and use the library.
One of the most liberating experiences in my business life came when I realised that I was not the best in the world at my job. That may seem like a strange comment to make, but how many people do you know who still say “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself”? Last time I checked, I wasn’t cutting my own chest open and performing open heart surgery on myself, nor was I investing two years and $10,000 in web design school so I could build my own website. It’s much easier to have someone else to do almost 99% of the things that I could do myself.
Tip
The art of delegating is about immediately letting go of and delegating low-level-tasks,
training and delegating mid-level tasks, and filling your day with only high-level tasks.
My biggest green habits are: eating a vegan diet, using reusable bags at the grocery store (even for my produce and my bulk food buys), and using a menstrual cup. I know the last one is a bit personal but if you think about all the waste disposable menstrual products create, a menstrual cup is a great way to cut down on that waste. Plus it helps save money, which isn't that the point of this blog? I spent $36 on my menstrual cup (I purchased a Lunette) and it's supposed to last AT LEAST 5-7 years. Considering one can spend around $48+ over a year buying disposable products, I definitely think I'm coming out ahead.
We recycle, bring our own bags to the grocery store and use public transportation.
Compost, recycle, use cloth bags, LED bulbs, plant a garden, combine trips, take a thermos to work, pack reusable containers for lunch
These are nice tips and recommendations! I’ll try to work-trade/volunteer on my next travel which is scheduled on September. Working for the sake of free accommodation would be a good idea to save. Availing of free flights might be impossible; however, there are low-cost flights that you can avail at least 3 months before travelling.
Thank you for this article--it provided a helpful perspective on value & made me think of the lessons in that classic, "Your Money or Your Life." Plus, you talked me out of buying a $73 Horny Toad dress that would probably net $1--if that--should I ever try to do a clothing exchange.
Bingo - extended warranties, all of them for any product, are a complete waste of money. So the author got swindled on the increase in the deal for the car, and then got swindled again by paying $1500 for a warranty that isn't worth $30, much less $3000. Sucker.
When I shop I use my own reusable bags.
I walk or bike to and from work everyday no matter the weather.
I curbside recycle.
I compost.
I use all fluorescent bulbs.
For lunch I use all reusable containers.
I keep my furnace set below 65 in winter.
I use my own water bottle.
And so much more...
Although I've had my own washer for over a decade now, and I still think of quarters as Laundry Tokens!
Hi Ian!
Good for you! Using time spent working as the gauge of what is affordable not only saves money, it also saves TIME. I know so many people who work a lot harder than I do so they can afford to buy more expensive "convenience goods" to help them "save time". It's a vicious cycle.
I always bring a mason jar (my water bottle) full of water everywhere I go so I don't suddenly find myself thirsty and having to purchase a plastic bottled beverage, among other things.
I think it's a great idea to encourage consumers to consider the cost of items in terms of items they use, value and enjoy. Opportunity cost is an eye opener for a lot of people!
Didn't really teach me anything I didn't know. I've had coldsores since I was a kid as well. Any thoughts on the Coconut thing?
Abreva used to work for me, but I find its ability to stop a coldsore in its tracks has gone down hill since I first started using it.
I have found that Cold Sore FX works amazingly ( $25 a tube in canada) I put it on before I go to bed on most nights, and it drastically reduces the occurrences of the outbreaks ( I find that my warning tingle usually happens when I'm sleeping, so I don't have a chance to stop it otherwise). It also can be used at first tingling or throughout, unlike abreva.
Polysporin has healing patches now, that I use, though they don't stick very well to the lips, they do prevent a scab from forming, so it doesn't look as bad, and usually goes away.
Thank you for the advice Carla. Our mortgage just got bought out by Chase last month and I just saw that we still have 3 years on the current 5-1 ARM at 3.5%. I may hold off on switching for a bit now that I see we have more time than I originally thought. I do not see rates really jumping up any time soon but you never know. Hopefully it will work out.
Instead of paying for recycling, I found an educational craft center nearby that accepts donations for crafts like paper towel rolls, milk jugs, yogurt cups and magazines. Not only am I recycling, but I'm also saving money.
In addition, I clean everything with vinegar including putting it into a downy ball as fabric softener. We use cloth diapers when convenient, limit water use, buy local meat and produce when available. (Obviously bananas are not grown local to us) and do not use chemicals on our lawn. We also purchased a push lawn mower to cut down on gas for mowing. Talk about neighbors looking at you funny. We get some finger pointing when people drive by.
Sorry, I meant the KRUPS you mentioned.
The Kitchen Aid coffee grinder BCG111ERO is a much better grinder than the Braun as I have had both .
This is a really good suggestion to keep you in focus when spending. When I used to have to go to the laundromat, I thought of things in terms of laundry. My sister would laugh at me: "So what if you found a dollar bill on the ground?" I'd say, "But it's a load of laundry!" More recently, I got a Nielsen packet for reporting my TV watching (ironic, as I do not have TV). I started to throw it away, then opened it out of curiosity, and it had $2 in it! Again my sister laughed at me, and I again I pointed out, "Whatever, that's an hour of parking downtown."
Thinking in these terms is a great way to keep your perspective, and it helps when you consider buying a larger purchase. "Sure, I love that artwork...but it costs a month's worth of gas!" Really helps keep your spending on track.
I love to recycle. I use the backs of all my papers, return my pop cans for the deposit, and save all the cardboard and tin to bring to our local recycling center.
It's important to me that I leave this Earth beautiful for my children.
I bring a reusable steel water bottle to work that I refill at home. We use cloth napkins and bring our own bags for any shopping trip. We reuse before recycling. We eat red meat rarely and drive as little as possible. Since we live near the beach, we are hyper-aware of all the plastic that ends up in the ocean so we really try to minimize our one-use plastic purchases. It's very challenging to live without plastic but I try to reuse glass and plastic containers a few times before tossing into the land and water.
I agree. And if employment listings in my area are any indication of trends, then you'll be competing against many non-degreed folks for those $10-15/hour jobs. I think it's an insult to folks who have put so much into their education and then are "rewarded" with a job that doesn't even allow them to live in their own apartment, much less pay back those loans.
I value everything in minutes/hours of work done to purchase it. If it is worth an hour or two of my life, then I'll buy it. If it seems like an unfair trade-off, I'll pass.
I drink out of a reusable water bottle and recycle everything. Recycling doesn't save me money, and in fact ends up costing me because I have to drive to the recycling center, but I guess reusing a water bottle saves a bit since I'm not buying new bottles all the time.