Queen of KAOS

Cut It Out
and Save Your Cash

You'd be surprised at what you can cut out of your lifestyle to save huge wads of cash.

All it takes are a few small changes in thinking and habits.
 


The first thing we must do is consider this question before making any further purchases or payments.
 
What can you cut out of your budget? Completely.

Do you have any monthly subscriptions or memberships that you don't really use anymore? 
 
These can be major financial drains, and often of the most useless kind if you are not using them :0)
 
How do we get caught up in the never ending payment cycle?
 
Personally, I have put off canceling subscriptions because of the long phone wait and knowing that I will be put on hold over and over, who has that time to waste?
 
Well, think of it as making a few hundred dollars for sitting on the phone doing nothing for 1/2 hour, that's what it adds up to many times if you factor in the life of the subscription. Don't even think about this one.
 
If you've got any outstanding subscriptions that are draining your bank account, get up and get on the phone this minute!  Right now. Really :0)

Do you really need those expensive brands?  Do you really need any brands at all?
 
What can you make yourself. My guess is that there are a lot of things. As a society we are conditioned these days to think that handmade needs to be an heirloom masterpiece, come from a kit or nothing at all.
 
Take a stab at it, does it really need to look like a prefab factory piece to look good or to be functional?  When my son was a baby, I used to enjoy making clothes for him from his dad's extra shirts and larger clothes. The items of clothes had an almost piece meal look as they each where made from at least 2 complimentary items of material.
 
I also made shorts etc for my nephews and nieces.  They where very nice and guess what, had I thought to add a zipper that would add bottoms to the shorts, I would have made a ton of money, as that is exactly the style that came out a few years later. Darn.
 
I've also made my own headboard complete with 4 posters and a mosquitoe net - from 2x4's with hand-me-down sheer curtains and a quilted mattress pad for the headboard cover. It was actually quite nice and cost me about $20. And it allowed me to sleep all night during mosquito season. And I felt like Cleopatra when I was sleeping in it :0)
 
Don't be afraid to be yourself, or Cleopatra. Do something funky. Radical. Different. Cheap.

And don't bother trying to keep up with the Jones's.  Buying things just to look good, or because someone else has them is not only bad for your budget, it will not buy you happiness either.
 
All you will end up with is a moment of feel good and then it will sit in the junk heap cluttering up your house or yard. 
 
Also resist the urge to buy because you like what someone else has. Don't make a snap decision, sit on it for a little while to be sure that you really want it. It is easy to get caught up in the next best thing that your friend has, but these purchases are often a result of herd mentality and spur of the moment thinking. Bottom line, if you can't pay for it with cash (that is not already allotted to go somewhere else) and you don't REALLY want it, don't buy it.

Want to save big? Make major lifestyle changes? Both in the way you are spending, and in how much disposable income you have? And how much stress you are living with?
 
Look at your current big ticket items. Do you really need them or can you get by without them. Can your family function on one car, supplementing travel by bus, carpooling, subway or walking?  Do you have too many cell phones or TV's in the house?
 
Is there anything that is adding up to a lot of payments that you could do without with a lifestyle change. What are you making complicated that could be simple?

Can you do some major shopping buying used? Can you redo it yourself or get it repaired instead of buy new?  Try freecycle, it is an online swap site with local checkpoints all over North America. 
 
I find fix'er uppers to be great fun and they give me a much larger sense of accomplishment than anything I could buy new.

Use your imagination and creativity.
 
Society today has become plastic and cardboard. For all the money wasted and spent for betterment, it's also quite boring.
 
Cut it out, cut out the extra spending and save your money. And get off the cookie cutter mentality, think for yourself and do it for yourself.
 
It is a lot more fun, rewarding and relaxing.
 
Instead of buying more stuff you don't need or want, you will be buying peace of mind and a sense of satisfaction.  That's stuff that money can't buy. 
 
And you will save you money too, your new problem could be wondering what to do with it!


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