Modern Gal reader Noodles pointed out to me earlier today this column from the Post about learning to buy less.
The writer offers seven tips from Jeff Yeager, author of “The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches,” on how to buy less and spend less money. Among the more interesting ones are to go a week without spending a cent; buy only in-season healthy food and use your stuff until it quite literally falls apart.
Noodles herself went on a weeklong spending fast and it was interesting, to say the least. Let’s just say by about Wednesday of that week she was digging in her sofa cushions to find spare change, rationalizing that it wouldn’t count if she spent money that she didn’t know she had.
What do you think about this guy’s tips?
(Cheers to Noodles)
His tips smell of the voluntary simplicity movement that started in the 80’s but has gained some speed since the beginning of the 21st century. It is an interesting concept which builds on the premise of being happy and satisfied with what you have.
OMG, I totally forgot about the spending fast I involuntarily did. I think it has something to do with repressing bad memories….
I do however remember rationalizing that a $3, 32-oz beer was PRACTICALLY free, and therefore totally didn’t count against my plan.
🙂
I’m with Noodles on spending what you didn’t know you had haha!
I do really need to limit my spending though. I’ll have to check out this article.
One of my spending less tips is to just suck it up and use coupons. I lose CVS for all the free stuff I can get. I definitely spend less on all of the cosmetic and hygiene stuff than I used to.
I once sat at a table with him at a bookseller’s convention, so it’s hard for me to take his advice, because he was really annoying. All the other authors that were there would have pleasant conversations with us, and he just kept trying to sell his book.
I tend to buy stuff in spurts, then go a long time without buying anything. This has its benefits and downfalls. Right now I’m in a spendy phase, which is bad because I have no money.
He has some good ideas and I think I could practice them, but not in the extreme. Often if there is something I want, I “visit” it several times before making the purchase. I think the idea of living in your starter house forever is great if you live in the same city. Sometimes that just doesn’t work out, like for a job transfer, taking care of sick family member or the crime stats for the area change. I think we could all live on less, but the true happiness is enjoying what you have.
“The pleasure we gain from enjoying what we have is lost by constantly longing for more” Ernest Holmes
I hate spending money on anything I don’t put in my stomach.
I do the same thing Courtney does — I totally spend money in cycles. I’m really good about not spending for a long time, but then I think all the stuff I kind of actually needed but ignored bubbles to the surface.