Remember the black-and-white daily budget table that’s been on my site since it launched?  Never Ask Again: Where Does All the Money Go?, the post where it first appeared, continues to be my most-visited page, and the chart is still one of the most well-loved tools in our household.

However after doing several money makeovers for TLC and Buttoned Up, I realized that it could be improved.  If you love the old one better, it will always be available to you on my Printables page, but here is why I changed it.

New Space — at the Top — for Savings

Perhaps the most glaring omission in the old form was a place to record savings.

The adage “pay yourself first” means put money towards your big goals, then make everything else fit around it. It’s so easy to live paycheck to paycheck and feel like nothing ever changes. That’s why I put “savings” in the number one position.

To help cheer you on in saving for hopes and dreams, I’ll be rolling out some new charts that you can color in as you save money towards your goal. (If you haven’t already, make sure you subscribe for free by e-mail so you don’t miss a thing!)

Clearly, a New Look

Isn’t the new form pretty? I worked with friend and graphic designer Vickie of Vickie Spindler Design to improve the look.  I’m so happy she was able to transform my Soviet-era chart into something that someone would actually want to look at.

Little Summary Table

I asked Vickie to add a little table on the right so that we can figure out where we stand each month:  what’s coming in – what’s going out = what’s left. I also added a line for carrying over last month’s balance, as well as a way to record where earnings are coming from.

Other changes?

No More “Health/Beauty” and a Category for Interest Charges

The trick with budgeting sheets is to provide enough categories to make it useful, yet not so many to make it overwhelming. I hope I’ve struck the right balance.

Utilities like gas, water, electricity are now lumped into one category. (You can, and we do, scribble in explanations under numbers.)

Health and Beauty — now Medical and Personal Care — are separate. Even though they both have to do with our bodies, some expenses — like hair and nails — are clearly not as essential as doctor’s visits.

After doing a bunch of research to make sure I wasn’t leaving anything out, I added a few other important categories, including:

Insurance: since I think life and long-term disability insurance are a must-have. (We still categorize car insurance under auto, health insurance under medical, and home and renter’s insurance under mortgage/rent, but you can do it however you want.)

Bank Fees: Even though our family has managed to stay out of credit-card debt and we use a fee-free online bank, interest charges and checking account fees are common.

For more information on all the categories, and how you can use them, see this explanation.

This is Not a Budgeting Worksheet

Budgeting is not for everyone, but I think tracking spending is. Enrico and I don’t “budget” in the sense that we designate a certain amount of money per category and try to stay within those boundaries. But we do religiously record all the money that goes in and out, and that helps keep us on track.

For example, if I keep writing big figures under groceries, then it makes me stop and think why. Are we entertaining more? (A good thing.) Are we buying more household and toiletries at the grocery store? (A time-saver, but not necessarily cost-effective.) Are we buying more expensive, gourmet foods? (Good or bad thing?)

So, tracking spending keeps us on our toes, always thinking, always aware, always mindful. Not to say that we don’t splurge sometimes (on vacations, shoes, theater tickets for the whole family, a candlelit dinner).

To me, being frugal is not about deprivation. It means being very careful about where our pennies go. It’s finding ways to cut spending, while trying to stay faithful to our values and enjoy life in the process. We save so that, when the need arises, we’ll have the funds to pay for what’s important.

Why Paper?

You can buy software or subscribe to online budgeting programs, but here is why the pencil-and-paper method is good:

• Get started immediately, without having to wade through and learn new software
• No procrastinating — all you have to do is jot down a number or two
• Reduce clutter, since you don’t have to go through receipts or get distracted by windows popping up on your computer
• Remember to do it, because your chart is posted in a prominent place
• See the whole month at a glance without scrolling through confusing screens of spreadsheets

What about those programs where your credit card charges are automatically categorized for you? Why wouldn’t I use that and save even more time? Even personal finance experts, like Judy Lawrence of The Budget Kit, think that the manual approach is part of the learning experience:

“As you physically write down the numbers and visually note them and the surrounding information, there is a special sensory awareness and understanding that occurs.”

I totally agree. Since Enrico and I use credit cards to buy almost everything (because we earn airline miles, and because well, it’s cleaner and easier), taking a second to physically write down what we spend when we get home is like bringing back a bit of the tactile awareness that comes with cash. Sometimes automating can lull us into thinking everything is fine. Taking this extra, yet simple, step helps Enrico and me keep our spending under control and in the light of day.

New Form, New Venture

The impetus behind all this is the upcoming Frugal Mama Makeover series, sponsored by Bank of America, and very soon to appear on TLC.com. I’m excited for you to see the short videos and hear what you think.

It’s been a fun challenge, and I have to admit, so great to work with people face-to-face. I love writing, but I also love being with people. Working with the participants in this series — hearing their issues, helping them come up with solutions, and feeling like I was making a difference — has been really satisfying. I hope that I can continue to work with people in this way, whether it’s on camera or not, and that I can always be more present and helpful to my readers.

So what are you waiting for?

Download the new daily spending form and try it out!

This is a guest post from Lynn Carden, my mom!

She’s not an interior designer, but every time we move, she comes to help us transform the chaos into a functional, attractive home.  And each time we’ve reused nearly everything and spent nearly nothing.

As an artist, she was trained to organize a visual space — a canvas. In real life, she has used that training to wrestle the challenge of remodeling and redecorating.

From a third floor garret where a church pew served for seating, to a sprawling modern condo, to her current rambling 1850s farmhouse, she has tackled it all.

When we moved into our last house, there she was again — coaching and showing me that, actually those shimmery silk curtains are not the best choice for a living room with cordoroy couches from IKEA, silver picture frames, and ornate Chinese red chests.

She offered to distill her wisdom into design principles for my blog, I said, yes, please! I am still learning from these mantras, and I hope they are helpful to you too.

1. Edit out

When dissatisfied with a room, most of us think of adding a new element to it. But instead, try taking a cold hard look at the space. You might discover a lot of extraneous clutter.

Try eliminating anything that is tired, doesn’t quite fit, or is not serving a function. Let a few things shine and the space will breathe again.

Editing out may not be all your space needs, but it should be the first order of business.

2. Mix it up

If everything in a space is contemporary, it feels chilly. If the decor is filled with vintage pieces, it may look like a museum. At least a few items from another era will give your home a sense of history and make it feel as though someone actually lives there. So mix it up a bit.

The same goes for line and pattern. A fancy Victorian fainting couch amid a room of minimalist furniture could be dynamite. A glass and steel coffee table placed on a threadbare Oriental rug could be stunning.

3. Think function first

This goes for placement of furniture as well as selection. When moving into a new house or apartment, if you think only of function, you will at least get up and running in a hurry. How does the traffic flow, where will you need a reading lamp, where can you place the TV or computer so it will not reflect glare? These are things to consider as you place the sofa, the bed.

So what if you have little or no money to spend on furnishings? A perfectly inviting space can be created from an eclectic mix of hand-me-downs, Ikea, and garage sale specials. But only if you concentrate on comfort and function. A room which tells you immediately that your needs will be met is one that satisfies.

Imagine a cottage dominated by a comfy Ikea sofa. On either side are mismatched garage sale end tables, one holding an ample reading lamp. A sisal rug defines the area. Perhaps there is a beat-up coffee table for your papers or your feet.

Nothing is costly, nothing matches; but you know you can sink into the couch, set your glass on a table and open your book. It is where you want to be. It spells relaxation.

4. Separate purposes

Warning: too many functions intermingled in one space can feel confusing or exhausting. If you have children, it is tempting to spread their toys all over the house.

I should add that it’s nearly impossible to keep toys corralled into one room. If you work at home, perhaps the same is true for your papers and other work paraphernalia.

But you will get more mileage out of the rooms of your home if you keep their functions and identities separate. When you pass from one to the next, there will be an unconscious sense of relief and change, rather than monotony and clutter.

5. Make floors matter

This from an architect: of all the surfaces in a room, the floor is the most important. If it is a good natural surface, everything else tends to look fine. Vice versa. I’m sorry to convey this truism, because most of us live with laminates, vinyl or wall-to-wall carpeting; but if you have a choice, go for the real stuff.

6. Police the clutter

“Living is messy,” my mother-in-law used to say. Yes, we all create clutter and even need it to carry out our various activities. But the enemy of a restful and welcoming space is just that. Clutter. So if you can get a handle on it you might find that you and you family are happier with your home. It never looks better than when all the stray dishes are put in the sink or dishwasher, the toys picked up and the bed made. And that doesn’t cost a cent.

What a welcoming sight your home is when you return from a trip to find it clean and in order.

7.  Limit the competition

In Art History 101, we learned to look for the focus of a painting. As applied to interior design, our mind’s eye looks for a focus when entering a new space. If there is nothing interesting for the eye to linger on, we feel visually disappointed. But this is not usually the case. More often, it’s the opposite. Today the tendency is to over-decorate.

Perhaps there’s a sofa loaded with designer throw cushions, the windows are draped with swag curtains and embellished with fancy hardware. On the walls are hung paintings lighted by lamps with beaded shades. A collection of knick-knacks is displayed on the shelves along with family photos. And there are just too many pieces of furniture in the room. It’s all too much.

This is not just a matter of taste, it’s a problem of not knowing what to focus on. Each element is fighting for attention and the eye doesn’t know where to settle. The size of your space will dictate how many stars can exist without overkill. But remember this: perhaps only one or two things can be prima donnas; let the others be in the chorus.

8. Check for scale

This is a tough one. Because a decade or two ago, someone injected all the furniture with steroids. Home accessories too. And the designers and manufacturers are not going to dial back either, because we Americans have gotten bigger. So if you try to mix furniture from different eras, you could be in trouble.

Comfortable as they are, when you get one of those new arm chairs home from the show room it will make the davenport from grandmother’s house look like it is for the children. Part of the problem is that the new one looked quite normal amongst the other giants in that cavernous show room.

All I can say is, beware; and before you leave home, take measurements.

9. Avoid eye candy

This is a biggie. It happens to the best of us. Unless we have a great deal of self-disciple when we shop, we end up going for the prettiest — not the right — thing. We need a coffee table; we know about what size and height we want but are open to style. We take our husband on the shopping trip. It’s a date night!

We go first to a place that has antiques and vintage things. Maybe we can find one with character. We wander around amidst 15 or 20 possibilities and pretty soon we’re confused. So naturally, we go for the most handsome one — the one with the really neat distressed finish or the one with the sexy legs. Or the delicate red lacquered one with Chinese dragons. How cool! We get all excited and take it home.

Surprise! What were we thinking? There are toddlers in the house! (This actually happened, but I won’t mention names.) Hence, I advise you to brace yourself with measurements and resistance when you go shopping. If you have art on the walls, chances are you don’t need furniture that mimics art.

My daughter — yes, but this was before she became Frugal Mama —  ended up purchasing a black leather bench which still serves the family as a game surface, a balance bar, a place for adults to prop their feet, and a coffee table. [Note from Amy: It’s true — my mom has talked me down from many a bad decorating ledge. But I got the (fake) leather bench for a great price at World Market.]

 

10. Don’t forget lighting

The minute the sun sets, the most important element in every room is its light source. Will it be overhead or eye level? Indirect or spotlight? Should it be task lighting or mood setting? Do you want cool or warm light? Uplight or downlight? Today the possibilities are limitless but it is one of the hardest things to get right. Even something as subtle as the lining of a lampshade will make a difference.

So after you get your space organized, or the house ready for guests, to get the most from your efforts, spend some time lighting it.

11. Repeat that again

Sometimes repetition is good, not boring. As in the case of metals, mixing them can look chaotic. It unifies a space to use all the same type or finish. Shiny brass used to reign in America’s living rooms, polished chrome in our kitchens. In fact, we had almost no other choices.

Today there is a cornucopia of metal finishes to choose from, everything from brushed nickel to oil-rubbed bronze. And each manufacturer has his own version of the finish. But if you want your place to look pulled together, try to keep the metals similar.

The same advice goes for wood and woodwork. And when it comes to fabric or color, while it’s good to have variety, a common underlying thread is very useful. So remember; it’s not monotony, it’s good design.

Lynn Carden is a working artist who is represented by B. Deemer Gallery in Louisville, Kentucky and Parkview Gallery in Chillicothe, Ohio. You can see her work on the B. Deemer Gallery website: http://www.bdeemer.com/.

She was awesome, wasn’t she? I feel so lucky to have an in-house decorator. Good design and a cozy home are important to me, but I just don’t have the knack. I hope these free tips inspire you!

When we spoke about why planning your grocery trips will save you money, I promised to tell you how I plan my trips.

Before I explain how I plan my trips, I must confess: I spend the least of all when I send my husband with a list.

Lists are powerful.

“If you ever walk into a store without a plan,” writes Trent Hamm of The Simple Dollar, “it’s highly likely you’re going to walk out the door with something you didn’t intend to buy.”

Do you think it’s any accident that grocery stores place the bakery section — with its pink-frosted doughnuts and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies in see-through containers — at the entrance to the store?

Strategic placement could also be why staples like milk, bread, and eggs are at the far end, according to Technorati’s 5 Ways Grocery Stores Get You to Spend More Money.

Here are the ways I plan my trips to help keep things simple and organized, save time and stress, and spend less.

1.  Keep a running grocery list in the kitchen

As you run out of things — or if your kids happen to say, “Mom, when are you going to buy some more kale?” — jot them down immediately.

2. Lock in a grocery trip on the same day every week

We set ourselves up for cook-at-home failure if we don’t have enough food in the house. Grocery shopping, like exercising, is not my favorite thing. But if it must happen every week on a set day, I am much less likely to wriggle out of it.

I actually order my groceries online every weekend. Ask me about online grocery shopping — I love it!

3.  Bulk up the list with weekly sales

It’s just too hard to pick up the sales flyer as you’re entering the store and expect to take advantage of even a tenth of the deals.

Review at home your favorite store’s sales flyer — online or via the circular that comes in the mail or with the paper. Write down foods at a good price that your family likes or you would like to try. This is a great way to vary your diet and try new things.

Keep in mind that some foods always costs less and are unlikely to ever be on sale, such as cabbage, rice, bananas, beans, and eggs. Of the meats, pork, chicken, and ground beef usually cost the least.

4.  Check your pantry and fridge to fill in any gaps

Here is where you want to think about not overbuying fruits and vegetables that can go bad, while making sure you have enough food for snacks, breakfasts, and packed dinners or lunches, as well as any events where you are required to bring food. All this is so you won’t be tempted to buy prepared stuff — the silent budget-buster.

If you’ll need other ingredients to complete recipes, make sure you write those down too.

And that’s really it! Some people use coupons and meal planning, and we can talk about those too. But grocery planning is a super simple routine that can do wonders for cutting our food bills and keeping life organized.

What about you? Do you plan your trips? What makes you call the Pizza Guy?

Photo by Thomas Le on Unsplash, oranges.

As I work with participants in the Frugal Mama video series challenge for TLC.com, I realize how easy it is to wing it with groceries, and how difficult it can be to resist the ‘come hither’ of take-out.

There are now five times as many fast food joints as grocery stores in America, according to this New York Times essay by Mark Bittman, Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?

One way of helping ourselves to save money by eating at home is to plan ahead to eat well. Making grocery shopping into an organized outing can seem daunting, but is actually a big relief. The satisfactions are huge for our tummies, our wallets, and our relaxed time together as a family.

So here are my top reasons on why having a game plan is a good idea.

1.  Use What You Have

By checking your pantry and fridge before making a trip to the store, you won’t end up with too little salad and too many canned bottles of vinegar. (A good excuse for ordering Chinese.)

2. Strategize with Sales

When you check out the sales ahead of time (via circular or online) and structure your list around items that cost less, you’ll see huge savings in your bill. I consistently save 30 to 40% just by spending an extra 15 minutes on the sales flyer.

3.  Eliminate “Quick” Trips to the Store

If you like to plan out your meals for the week, you can make sure you buy all the ingredients you’ll need instead of wasting time, energy, and gas in last-minute trips.

4.  Love-Hate Doughnuts

When you have a plan, you won’t be (as) tempted during drive-bys of seasonally appropriate cupcakes.

5.  Avoid Supermarket Meltdowns

Shopping with young children can feel like a triathlon. If you know exactly what you want and need, you can get in and out much more quickly. Making shopping more pleasing, makes the whole cooking thing more pleasing, which means you’ll do it more.

6.  No Empty Cupboards

If you have everything that you need to make meals all week, you can’t use the bare fridge excuse for calling the Pizza Guy.

7.  Simplify Decision-Making

If you’ve planned out every meal ahead of time (there are plenty of online services that can help you do this), you are much more likely to stay on track and not go out when you feel tired.

8.  Efficiency Fuels Frugality

If you know what you want, you’ll have more focus in the store, and you can spend more time comparing unit prices (to really get the best deal).

9.  No Spoiled Stuff in the Trash

Americans waste about 30% of the food we buy. If you plan your grocery trip based on what you already have and can reasonably eat in one week, you’ll be much less likely to throw anything out.

10. Prep Ahead

With all the ingredients in hand, you can prep some items on the weekend (chop onions, make rice) and freeze them for busy weeknights. Or make huge batches of soups and casseroles and freeze them in dinner-size portions.

11. Don’t Be Caught Unawares

A planned grocery trip can accommodate food needs for special events like school parties or potlucks so you won’t be tempted to just pick up a box of fried chicken or a an appetizer plate.

13. Make Grocery Shopping Non-Negotiable

If you build a grocery trip into your routine (every Saturday morning, for example), it will become less of a chore to be weasled out of and more of an automatic action.

14. Find the Fun in Simple Things

Planning a grocery trip online using the store’s weekly specials is actually quite relaxing. Instead of watching a show, do your shopping in your pajamas. And then reward yourself with something even more relaxing.

15.  Coupons Require Planning

If you use coupons (I usually don’t), you can write down items you have coupons for in the order you would find them in the store, and even try to match them with sales.

15. Commit to Quality of Life

Running out at the last minute to grab the ingredients you need to make dinner waste precious family time and makes life even more hectic.

16. Quick Takes its Toll

Fast-food is addictive. The more we cook at home and adjust our bodies to simple tastes, the more we appreciate the goodness of whole foods eaten together as a family.

17.  Trickle-Down Effect

Being organized and knowing we have everything we need is a big stress-reducer. If we are more relaxed and feel more in control of our lives, we are happier and less likely to spend impulsively or to throw money at foods that seem like they will make our life easier.

 

So there you have it. I know I touched on some themes more than once, but it can help to hear something said in different ways.

I am the first  to say that grocery shopping is not my favorite thing. But I find ways to enjoy it, or at least make sure I do it regularly, because I do like cooking and I know that eating at home saves us big time (and makes us feel better inside).

I am having a lot of fun working with real people with real problems in the Frugal Mama Makeover series, and I feel privileged to have been invited in to help. If you live in the Maryland, Virginia, or D.C. area, consider sending in your story for this continuing series. The first video will air on November 4 on TLC.com — I’ll let you know when it’s up!

Next time, I’ll talk about how I plan my grocery trips.  What about you? How do you help yourself get the shopping and cooking done?

Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash

I love this tip sent in by reader Karen. We’re so used to the idea of baby gear being temporary, that the tale of this re-purposed diaper bag is so refreshing.

Here is her story:

“When my daughter, Paige, was born eight years ago, she was our third child so I knew I was going to need more help from my husband, Tom, lugging baby equipment and necessities while on-the-go. I took that into consideration when buying the diaper bag for our baby girl.

Even though Tom is in touch with his feminine side and pretty open-minded, out went the cute, feminine colors, patterns and styles for our third and final diaper bag. I bought black. Yep, the adorable blue-eyed, rosebud-lipped baby girl got a plain black diaper bag. Although the original purpose in choosing black was so that my husband wouldn’t hesitate throwing it on his shoulder in public, I never realized the longevity and multiple purposes this bag would bring.

Once we emerged from the diaper-bag stage of life, this black bag became our “travel bag.” We took it to restaurants with coloring books and activities to keep the kids occupied. It came in the car on vacations to hold magazines and books for my husband and me. The bag traveled on family day outings holding snacks, water, zoo brochures, amusement park maps, and forest preserve trail guides.

Little did I know that this little black bag would become the go-to airline carry-on to hold our family’s airline tickets, boarding passes, and passports. It then carried yoga clothes, tennis shoes, and light jackets. And, finally, it is now serving as my briefcase — yes, my briefcase.

As an attorney I tend to carry around paper — lots of paper, files, and more paper. I would never have predicted how useful the original bottle pocket would become to holding my smartphone. I call it the Blackberry pocket now. The inner diaper-pad pocket now holds my most sensitive and confidential paperwork — all zipped up and protected from view. The mesh insert, which originally held diapers, now serves as a writing utensil holder that keeps my pens from bouncing around on the bottom. And the middle divider, which separated the wipes and diapers from the toys, now keeps files separate and organized.

So eight years later, I still tote around the black diaper bag on a daily basis. But for a much different purpose.  If you asked me back then how long I expected to haul around the diaper bag, I would have thought it would be lost by now. But then again, I thought I would have lost my baby weight by now too.”

— Karen (Cincinnati, Ohio)

I have to admit, I have a black diaper bag like Karen’s. The one in the picture was used to haul folders, make-up, notebooks, and a curling iron to a Frugal Mama Makeover shoot last weekend. Isn’t life funny? A few years back, we would have been talking about the versatility of little black dresses.

Have you re-purposed or re-used something? We’d love to hear your story too! Please share it in the comments or send it to me at tips@frugal-mama.com.

Samantha Sand wrote in a while back to tell me about National Costume Swap Day.

At Samantha’s blog Digital Zen, where she tests and recommends digital tools that save time and money, she highlights a great statistic:

According to the group Green Halloween, if half the kids in the U.S. swapped costumes rather than buying new ones, our annual landfill waste would be reduced by 6,250 tons – about the weight of 2,500 mid-size cars.

The official day was this Saturday, but it’s not too late to organize an informal exchange with your friends or co-workers. I imagine just inviting some families over for cider and popcorn, and asking everyone to bring costumes to share. If kids don’t feel comfortable giving away their get-ups, it could be set up as a temporary exchange.

Are you making your costume this year? I feel bad about this, but a few years ago we bought costumes for my daughters (a banana and a hamburger) from Pottery Barn Kids. I love the spirit of hand-made costumes, but I feel a little less guilty about the money we spent knowing that they’re going to wear them for the third time this year. And because they’re unisex, they can be passed down to their little brothers.

Luke, our naughty one-year-old, is going to wear a hand-me-down elephant costume (if we can keep it on him). I found the easiest costume in the world to make for our three-year-old, Mark: a zoo keeper. All you need are khaki pants and a white shirt. Drape or pin stuffed animals to his shirt, and glue the words “ZOO” to a baseball hat. You can see the instructions in this round-up I wrote:

10 Low-Cost, No-Sew Halloween Costumes that Stand Out from the Crowd

Most of the costumes I found for the article can be made in one afternoon. (The “galaxy” costume is even easier than the zoo keeper!)

What are your kids going to be this year? Any tips on making costumes simple and inexpensive?

This morning bright and early I’m off to film the first webisode for TLC.com’s upcoming series, Frugal Mama Makeover. Thanks for all your encouragement, and for your comments and emails about the daily deals issue. I love to hear where you are coming from!

In case you didn’t catch them yet at Parentables, I wanted to share with you a few round-ups I’ve been working on recently. Here’s one:

10 Fun Family Board Games You Didn’t Play as a Kid

We all know Monopoly and Sorry, but I dug up a bunch of fun next-generation games. Have you tried any of them?

Photo credit

Traveling with kids. It can be hellish — and hilarious.

I know how it feels, so I rounded up as many games as I could — from paper dolls to pinwheels, mazes to maps. You can see them all at Parentables:

36 Fun, Free Printable Travel Games to Entertain the Kids on Your Next Trip

Hope you get some good ideas!

News about how the deal-of-the-day coupon movement is losing steam made me think about why I was never on the train.

I’m sure people who know I write about saving money are probably asking, “Why wouldn’t you be all over coupons by e-mail?” So here’s the deal.

A few weeks ago a friend of mine suggested I get the Whole Foods coupon on LivingSocial. It was $10 off $20 of groceries. We have a “Whole Paycheck” within walking distance and, while I try to avoid it, sometimes I need to get some European bread for hubby, or fruit that doesn’t taste like soap.

So I decided for the first time to register at one of these daily deals sites and pay for the coupon. I thought I would get the coupon instantly, but I had to wait a day for it to arrive. I figured out how to print and fold it, and then I was worried I’d forget to use it, so I went as soon as possible to Whole Foods.

I bought a few more things than I planned because I had to buy over $20 in order to get the discount. There was a little bit of trouble at the register, but in the end, I got my $10 off.

I saved 50% at a high-end grocery store for food that my family and I enjoyed.  Still I’m going to unsubscribe, and this is why.

1.  Deals are Mental Clutter

Yes, I like to live a frugally, but I also like to live simply. I love to find the good things in life that are free, to figure out how to save money without pulling out my wallet, to turn off the noise of marketing and listen to my inner needs.

Because I purchased one deal, I am now receiving deals all the time. Every day I am tempted by the thrill of a bargain and a new purchase or experience. When the e-mail arrives, I have to stop what I’m doing and think about whether I want that deal or not. If so, I might have to coordinate with my husband, find a sitter, or do some research to figure out if it’s the right place and a good price.

Life is very hard to keep simple. I see that more and more as I become a working mom and a homeowner. To me, $10 or $20 is not worth the cost in inner peace.

One thing I can do to simplify is to silence advertising. When I need something, I’ll look for a good deal. But even if I can’t find one, I know that I will have saved more money in the end by buying less.

2.  I Don’t Need More Stuff

Keeping our house uncluttered is a constant battle. Even though we have seriously purged our things many times over the past ten years (and especially with each move), I still feel like we have too much Stuff.

I wish I were more minimalist, like Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, who thinks very, very hard before bringing anything into his house.  Because each new thing requires finding somewhere to put it, taking care of it, cleaning it, organizing it. And when you don’t want it anymore, there is finding it a new home (giving it away, selling it, disposing of it in the right way).

Each object costs me a bit of time and simplicity.

3.  A Deal Isn’t a Deal If It Invites Me to Spend Money

Most groupons don’t have to do with stuff.  They are deals for health club memberships, spa packages, hotel stays, yoga classes. But they usually cost a lot more money, and to me, they are luxuries.

Because a Groupon is worth more money than a grocery coupon, it becomes something valuable that has to be cared for. I have to make sure I use it in a certain amount of time. I have to deal with the guilt if it wasn’t the service I expected (but I am locked into), or worse, if I forget to use it before it expires.

My friend Paola still laughs about how she bought a daily deal for an ice cream shop near her, and she kept forgetting to use it.  On the expiration date, her kids were happily involved in another activity, but she grabbed them and shoved them into the car, yelling, “We have to go get ice cream right now!

I can totally see myself in that scenario, so call me cuckoo, but I’m going to continue to duck the radar. As long as I can, I’m not going to get a smartphone. I’m not going to sign up for cable. I’m not going to get my daily deals by e-mail.

These are some ways that I keep my inner life quiet. Because believe me, my outer life is anything but!