Making things is almost always less expensive.
- Make breakfast
- Make your own coffee or tea
- Make lunch
- Make dinner
- Make a card for a friend
- Make a salad to bring to a pot luck
- Make your own clothes
- Mend your own clothes
- Make your own toys
- Make your own beer
- Make your own fun!
It can be hard to break the spending cycle so I suggest that you quit cold turkey. Just stop spending on stuff.
This month only buy food - and I mean ingredients, not meals out. Just try.
Okay, I get it - it's hard. You think you need to buy stuff - to be happy, to show your friends that you like them, for a whole munch if reasons.
Here is my thinking.
We live in San Francisco. Everyone has a small place to live and no one wants more stuff cluttering up their life. We can bring something we made - because there are cultural norms for bringing stuff to parties and to people houses. Going to a party, bring a piece of art, a poem, a salad.
Feeling blue? Normally buy things to feel better? Don't. Don't even window shop.
- Go for a walk.
- Call a friend.
- Make tea an take it to the local park - sit and watch the trees.
- Say hi to a neighbor. Offer to help them with something.
- Go to the beach.
- Pick up trash in your neighborhood.
- Go to the library and check out a book, or a movie, or a dvd.
- Make dinner at home and take it to the park/beach.
Try it - buy nothing but food for one month. See how great it feels and how fat your wallet feels!
