Love this idea! I use it when decluttering. It's not useful for things that can't be replaced (i.e. photos), but it works for most household items. Just reframing the question from "should I get rid of it?" to "would I replace it if it were lost/destroyed/stolen?" helps me let go of stuff.
I always love your articles, Philip. A variation of this exercise is something I always keep in mind when trying to declutter anything...closets, art supplies, etc, etc. Thanks for the reminder to keep preparing for the life I want. :)
I think the strongest outcome of the exercise is identifying what stuff you don't need, which the author doesn't emphasize enough. Often there is much unneeded and unwanted stuff in a home that can be sold without directly replacing it. In this case the money can be used more flexibly or used to replace one of those items you need but want a better version.
I've been selling about half of our books so that we can make room and afford baby stuff. Major life changes are a great kick in the pants toward clearing away stuff and starting over.
This happened to my husband a few years ago (and he doesn't even have a smart phone). I called Verizon, who stopped the billing and reversed the charges (after I called three times!).
Most of this is due to third-party billing through the cell phones companies. I find it RIDICULOUS and am pretty sure the cell companies only allow it because they must be getting something in return. Why in the world would I want to get charges on my cell phone bill from someone *not* my cell phone company? (I've been told that donating money is a good reason, but good grief, I'll find another way!) I asked them to turn that feature off, and haven't had a problem since.
Yes, this recently happened to me too with AT&T. I have text messaging blocked on my service, but I saw it on my bill. They were able to refund it and blocked all future charges.
This seems wide open to abuse. I would think the wireless carriers would find it in their best interest to make it more difficult for this to happen. Thanks for bringing it up.
Hi, I'm from England. Totally agree with your article. As well as doing everthing you say I also believe in never borrowing money (apart from a mortgage for a necessary home). Save up for anything you need. I have always saved at least 10% of my income, which means that if I NEED to buy something the money's there. When people tell me they HAVE to spend their total income and couldn't possibly save anything I tell them that everybody is inclined to spend what they have earned. BUT, you soon get used to your income being 90% of what it actually is and spend that. Set up a Standing Order (don't know what you call it in the USA) for your savings and you don't even miss the money! Before you know it you have a nice little nest egg, because somebody is actually paying YOU interest on your money! Kind regards from Carroll
I low balled the price of a home by $40K -- and got it at a steal for $265K. I mistakenly put $100K down thinking it would make the home never worth less that what is left owing on it. HA!!! That was in 2006. Today, the home is valued at $150K, the real market value is $120K and I still owe $158K. Now the county tax assessor has devalued it even further! Property taxes will be going down -- a small consolation anyway. I had to leave the area for work. We rent the home out for a $300 loss each month than our fixed-rate mortgage. What's the logical and sensible thing to do? Our realtor is trying to short sale it for $120K. It's worth less than 45% of it's original price -- even though it would cost more than $120K for the land and materials to rebuild it.
We also received an unsolicited netspend card. When we called in to ask about it, the representative told us we had been referred by a friend. We asked who the friend was and he wouldn't tell us, claiming they are required to keep their customers' information confidential. Of course, we didn't activate the card!
I am in the process of planning a 6-month sabbatical from work and am about 4 months out and found this article very useful along with its comments. I am hoping to get started on some of this purging pretty much starting this weekend so as to make a clean break and its great to see everyone here sharing their experiences.
I agree with all your points especially the one about honesty in spending. Lying or hiding purchases will lead to a broken trust which can break up the relationship even faster than money problems can.
I completely agree with the additions that you made! I use an AMEX rewards card and get back about $1000/year from it in cash rewards. I am however disciplined enough to pay off the balance at the end of the month so as to not accrue any interest charge as that would defeat the entire purpose of using it :)
Great article! This will good things to think about for someone on a tight budget like myself. Did you learn these tips from personal experience or more common knowledge? I think the most important one is to not shop while hungry, I know I've spent way more than I was planning on while doing that. Thanks for the tips.
I move the emails I want to save into folders I have created in my Outlook; such as Humor, Holidays, A Waiting Arrival (for things I have purchased via the web), Recipes, etc, etc. By naming each folder and moving my emails to them, I can look up things quickly.
And, bottle caps of all kinds can be cleaned and used in the same way as flash cards. Write numbers or letters on them to use as game tokens, putting in order, etc.
Jam jars can be cleaned and use as drinking glasses - perfect for kids! Plastic grocery store bags can be used for wrapping up dirty diapers, or messy kitchen spills you don't want to put in your disposal.
Love this idea! I use it when decluttering. It's not useful for things that can't be replaced (i.e. photos), but it works for most household items. Just reframing the question from "should I get rid of it?" to "would I replace it if it were lost/destroyed/stolen?" helps me let go of stuff.
I always love your articles, Philip. A variation of this exercise is something I always keep in mind when trying to declutter anything...closets, art supplies, etc, etc. Thanks for the reminder to keep preparing for the life I want. :)
I think the strongest outcome of the exercise is identifying what stuff you don't need, which the author doesn't emphasize enough. Often there is much unneeded and unwanted stuff in a home that can be sold without directly replacing it. In this case the money can be used more flexibly or used to replace one of those items you need but want a better version.
I've been selling about half of our books so that we can make room and afford baby stuff. Major life changes are a great kick in the pants toward clearing away stuff and starting over.
This happened to my husband a few years ago (and he doesn't even have a smart phone). I called Verizon, who stopped the billing and reversed the charges (after I called three times!).
Most of this is due to third-party billing through the cell phones companies. I find it RIDICULOUS and am pretty sure the cell companies only allow it because they must be getting something in return. Why in the world would I want to get charges on my cell phone bill from someone *not* my cell phone company? (I've been told that donating money is a good reason, but good grief, I'll find another way!) I asked them to turn that feature off, and haven't had a problem since.
Yes, this recently happened to me too with AT&T. I have text messaging blocked on my service, but I saw it on my bill. They were able to refund it and blocked all future charges.
This seems wide open to abuse. I would think the wireless carriers would find it in their best interest to make it more difficult for this to happen. Thanks for bringing it up.
Hi, I'm from England. Totally agree with your article. As well as doing everthing you say I also believe in never borrowing money (apart from a mortgage for a necessary home). Save up for anything you need. I have always saved at least 10% of my income, which means that if I NEED to buy something the money's there. When people tell me they HAVE to spend their total income and couldn't possibly save anything I tell them that everybody is inclined to spend what they have earned. BUT, you soon get used to your income being 90% of what it actually is and spend that. Set up a Standing Order (don't know what you call it in the USA) for your savings and you don't even miss the money! Before you know it you have a nice little nest egg, because somebody is actually paying YOU interest on your money! Kind regards from Carroll
I save all pertinent messages in a number of folders. IE: education, business, family and jokes. Some messages have been saved for 5 or more years.
I low balled the price of a home by $40K -- and got it at a steal for $265K. I mistakenly put $100K down thinking it would make the home never worth less that what is left owing on it. HA!!! That was in 2006. Today, the home is valued at $150K, the real market value is $120K and I still owe $158K. Now the county tax assessor has devalued it even further! Property taxes will be going down -- a small consolation anyway. I had to leave the area for work. We rent the home out for a $300 loss each month than our fixed-rate mortgage. What's the logical and sensible thing to do? Our realtor is trying to short sale it for $120K. It's worth less than 45% of it's original price -- even though it would cost more than $120K for the land and materials to rebuild it.
We also received an unsolicited netspend card. When we called in to ask about it, the representative told us we had been referred by a friend. We asked who the friend was and he wouldn't tell us, claiming they are required to keep their customers' information confidential. Of course, we didn't activate the card!
I am in the process of planning a 6-month sabbatical from work and am about 4 months out and found this article very useful along with its comments. I am hoping to get started on some of this purging pretty much starting this weekend so as to make a clean break and its great to see everyone here sharing their experiences.
SEAN H
Me Too!
The dryer sheet idea is great! I'm a soccer player and the dryer sheets have always helped keep my room from smelling too bad.
I agree with all your points especially the one about honesty in spending. Lying or hiding purchases will lead to a broken trust which can break up the relationship even faster than money problems can.
Using #5 is a great idea. If you need internet access at your house, you can hook up your smartphone to the computer and tether.
I completely agree with the additions that you made! I use an AMEX rewards card and get back about $1000/year from it in cash rewards. I am however disciplined enough to pay off the balance at the end of the month so as to not accrue any interest charge as that would defeat the entire purpose of using it :)
Great article! This will good things to think about for someone on a tight budget like myself. Did you learn these tips from personal experience or more common knowledge? I think the most important one is to not shop while hungry, I know I've spent way more than I was planning on while doing that. Thanks for the tips.
I delete emails all the time :-/ Yeah this article is so right I just need to do it. LOL.
I move the emails I want to save into folders I have created in my Outlook; such as Humor, Holidays, A Waiting Arrival (for things I have purchased via the web), Recipes, etc, etc. By naming each folder and moving my emails to them, I can look up things quickly.
Tweeted answer:
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No, not yet. Planning on doing them this weekend. I use TurboTax and usually have to pay in a little to the Feds and get a very small state refund.
And, bottle caps of all kinds can be cleaned and used in the same way as flash cards. Write numbers or letters on them to use as game tokens, putting in order, etc.
Jam jars can be cleaned and use as drinking glasses - perfect for kids! Plastic grocery store bags can be used for wrapping up dirty diapers, or messy kitchen spills you don't want to put in your disposal.
great post! thanks for the helpful advice, always a good reminder.