Cheap and Easy Living: Living Life Large on Low to No Budget (Laid Off Camp Notes)

If you were able to make it to Laid Off Camp, you would know how awesome it was!  As promised, here are my notes from the Extreme Budgeting session where I co-presented with Timothy Yee of Cathedral Financial Group.  Unfortunately, we weren’t able to give the entire presentation as we had hoped and many of the topics I wished to cover were missed… so, if there are any questions, please feel free to leave comments and I will respond.

And now…

Cheap and Easy Living:   Living Life Large on Low to No Budget.

• You can live an exciting and fulfilling life with little spending!
• San Francisco is the #2 least affordable place to live in the United States, but there are ample opportunities to do things cheaply (which apply to all of you who live in more affordable locations as well… lucky you!)

1. Get a hold of what you are spending money on!
   • just being aware of where your money is going can help you determine where you should focus your spending habits.
   • Mint.com is awesome for tracking spending
   • ynab.com (You Need A Budget) is a budgeting website that is supposed to be very easy and helpful.  I haven’t tried it, but I plan to.
2. Prioritize your life!
   • needs vs. wants
   • what matters most to you (i.e. family, friends, financial freedom)
   • don’t deny your wants… look for alternatives
3. Organize your crap
   • Knowing where things are will save you time and effort
   • Save money on the cost of replacing or repairing items
   • Clearing out the clutter will give you peace of mind and help you feel more positive about your living environment
4. Learn to Love Cooking
   • It can be a learned enjoyment.  Start slow and build on your cooking successes.
   • Don’t get hung up on “technique” and “presentation.”  Your focus is relaxation and experimentation.
   • Read my post “How to Enjoy Cooking“
   • “Craigslist Cooking Class”
     • Post in the activities and food forums that you would like to cook X type of food or dish, that you will provide the ingredients if someone will provide the instruction.  Great way to meet people and learn a new skill!
   • Make a list of favorite dishes and look up the recipes.
   • Resources
     • mygrocerydeals.com: website that compares grocery store sales for many grocery stores.
     • coupons.com: easy to use coupon website (i’ve found others to be very congested and confusing).
     • Penzeys Spices (bulk and inexpensive spices)
       http://www.penzeys.com
       771 Santa Cruz Ave, Menlo Park, CA
       (650) 853-1785
     • San Francisco Herb Company (mail order spices or shop during store hours in SF)
       http://sfherb.com
       250 14th Street, San Francisco, CA
       (800) 227-4530
5. Fashion: You don’t have to dress like a pauper if you are smart.
   • Thrift Stores are no secret, the secret is what thrift stores to go to.
     • More affluent area thrift stores will have more designer brand clothing
     • College areas and “hip” areas like San Francisco and Berkeley tend to get picked over quite a bit
     • I’ve had huge success in more rural areas
   • Garage Sales = pennies on the dollar.
     • clothes typically go from .25 to $1.50 (sometime more for things like Leather Jackets, but still cheaper than thrift store)
     • Pros:  Super cheap and typically not a lot of buying competition.
     • Cons: Having to drive around, Hit or Miss and shopping goes from 9 am to about 1 pm.
   • Throw a “Trading Party”
     • Swap clothes with friends
     • Donate rest to charity
6. Entertainment:  You don’t need to live a boring life!
   • Library is your key to FREEdom!  Books (of course), Movies and Music all for free!
     • wowbrary.com will notify you when your library has new items come in so you can be the first to check it out!
   • Get by with a little help from your friends!
     • lendaround.com helps find out what movies your friends have and tracks the lending process!
   • Community Events!  Get out and get to know people
     • upcoming.yahoo.com
     • meetup.com
     • going.com
     • facebook.com
     • twitter.com
   • Museums!  Most museums (and zoos) offer a free day once a month.  Check out your local museum website for days that are free to the public.
     • Memberships are great if you plan on going several times during the year (and want to avoid crowds that occur on free days).  Most memberships tend to include groups of museums and provide other benefits as well.
7. Dating! (Also includes “hanging out”)
   • Think of what you are really trying to accomplish, i.e. spending time with someone you care about or getting to know a new acquaintance.
   • Get creative
     • Board game in the park
     • Walking tours of town or neighborhood
     • Scavenger hunt or search for a specific item such as a rare book (you don’t have to purchase it, the goal is just to find it)
     • Potluck party (can even work if there are just 2 of you)
     • Cook something together
     • Go to a cheap dive bar or even better, set up a BYODrink party where everyone brings ingredients for specified mixed drinks
     • Exotic Soda Tasting, Everyone brings a couple bottles of exotic soda
8. Traveling cheap: much easier for single people and couples
   • Modern day hitchhiking, craigslist rideshare postings
   • Airhitch.org
   • Couch Surfing with couchsurfing.com
9. Connecting with people is one of the cheapest and most fulfilling ways to use your time.
   • Enjoy the human experience
   • Volunteer
   • Reach out to people online
   • Step out of your comfort zone and meet people when you are out
   • Take time to reconnect to friends and family
   • Express gratitude to those around you

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