An exercise in frugality (part one)

I have decided to write a three-part series on how to help yourself during a tough frugal period.  When you make the decision to get out of debt or encounter a life change that shrinks your income, a change of lifestyle is order - but it isn’t easy.  You may need to trim back because you decide to start a new job, have a baby, get a divorce, find yourself with ill health or a disability, become unemployed, or like all of us, see the cost of living rise and the value of our savings deplete.

I’ll be writing this three-part series to help any of you who really need to cut back and are finding the transition tough.  It consists of three “exercises” - things you can do that will help keep you inspired and fulfilled.

Exercise One: Getting Organized

Step ONE: Go through your entire home and sort out what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of - do this in your basement, bathroom, kitchen, livingroom and bedroom.  Whenever I decide I need to trim down and decrease my spending, I find that going through my wardrobe, closets or storage and pantry is a big help.  It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it!  Here’s why:

1. By going through everything you own, you realize just how blessed you are.   When I was living on less than $18,000/yr in one of the most expensive cities in Canada and three-quarters of my income went to rent, I used this exercise and never felt poor.  Instead, I looked around and saw just how well I was doing. Pantry and fridge full of food.  Clothes in the closet. Apartment pleasant, cozy and clean. 

2. You will find things you forgot you had.  You will discover clothes that have fallen to the back of the closet.  The back of the pantry or freezer may yield goods you forgot about - like lentils, rice, beans or baking supplies that you can now use up.  Your bathroom probably has supplies you forgot about too, including things to treat yourself with (lotion or bubble bath you forgot about) or even unopened goodies that you can include in gifts for others. In your basement you may find stuff that you forgot about that can now become useful.  You may even find great items that have never been used and, if you do not need them, they can be re-gifted.  Going through your living room, you may find board games, video games, cds, books, movies, and other “stuff” that you have not used in ages!  It will all feel like new again.

3. You will realize how fruitless it is to shop.  You are likely to find all kinds of stuff that, at the time, seemed important  to buy, and now is now just collecting space.  It makes you realize that shopping just clutters up your home - it doesn’t truly contribute to your life.

Step TWO: When you go through your home, be creative and re-purpose stuff once deemed useless.  If the t-shirt no longer fits, you can cut it up and use it for rags. Or better yet, sew it into a cloth bag.  Use denim to create cute envelope holders, purses, or other crafts.  If you don’t wear the jewelry any more, you can use the beads for a child’s craft project, or make a new piece of jewelry out of it. Can that container be used to hold homemade cleaning supplies, snacks, or be used as a gift basket?  Lots of items can be used in gift wrapping, crafts for kids - really the opportunities are endless. Google the name of the item (eg. “denim”) with the word “crafts” and see what you come up with!

Step THREE: Before giving away what you do not use, ask friends to do a “swap” rummage sale.  You can each have a look at what you’re prepared to get rid of, and then do a trade.  Or, put the extra stuff on e-bay, craigslist, or go to frugalshopper.ca and swap with someone from the online community.

Let me know if you use this exercise, and please share your thoughts.  Did you have any realizations?  Or did you find clothes, games, or food that you forgot all about - or have re-purposed?