I fell for the clickbait today…
The article’s title had something to do with easy ways to cut costs without it affecting your quality of life, or something along those lines.
And, the options listed would be easy ways to cut costs… if you only care about the cost and not the value…
Unfortunately, too many people fall for “cheap” when they would actually end up ahead by looking at “quality”.
After all, what good is buying something at a “great price” if you end up having to replace it, when you could have just purchased a slightly better quality item and have it last longer.
This is one of the problems of our current society. We tend to replace instead of repair. Things are disposable. We even replace while things are in good working order because we want the new model.
There are billions of tons of garbage piled up as a result. And a lot of it is toxic garbage that will poison the planet- and the people who live nearby- while it slowly breaks down.
There are poor people around the globe who pick through this toxic waste in order to harvest the little parts that can be resold to recyclers who sell it to manufacturers to make more stuff. Many of these people have serious health issues.
Now, maybe I am old fashioned…
Maybe I spent too much time with my grandparents… or reading Little House on the Prairie…
Maybe it is because I grew up on a farm, and still live on a farm, although I am by no means a farmer (that is some serious hard work!!!)…
But I like to buy good quality items and use them until they are beyond repair.
I seriously held on to a truck until it was so far gone it literally split in two on the person I gave it to.
I am still using a refurbished iphone 6, even though upgrading would allow me to get on clubhouse and have some other cool features.
I have had the same washer and dryer for over 15 years- and they were at least 10 years old when I inherited them.
I did buy a brand new car in January, but it was because I expected my old car to die soon and I wanted to take advantage of the year-end deals and 0% APR. The new car is still sitting in the barn and I am still driving the old car (although I have made a mental bargain with myself to put the old car on the market when it hits 175K miles). I am glad I purchased the new car because it is worth more now than when I bought it, but I am in no hurry to start driving it.
But, I do splurge on travel, food, and self care.
Those are my priorities.
And my budget reflects that.
I find it difficult not to go over budget on gas, groceries, and travel.
Which is why I am so glad I carve out those amounts from every dollar that enters my checking account.
10% to savings
10% to investing (for “future me”)
10% to education (which includes student loans)
10% to play (travel, self care, eating out, splurges)
5% to giving (because I also volunteer and do things outside of this amount)
It is easy for me to know exactly how much I have available.
They say “if you want to see your priorities, look at your spending patterns”. This is very true.
Write down your top three goals.
Now write down the three categories you spend the most money on.
Do they match up?
If you say you want to be financially free, but you are not saving, investing, or learning about money, your values are not lining up. You are saying one thing, but your actions are saying something else.
The good news is that you can change your spending habits. If you need help, please let me know. I am hear for you.
What are your top 3 goals and top 3 spending categories? Please share below! 🙂