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Archives for August 2015

I Hate Being A Walking Advertisement

By Frugaling 35 Comments

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Beats Headphones On-Ear Red

Recently, my laptop pooped out. The four-and-a-half-year-old computer had been through thick and thin. I had traveled the country with it, and even dropped a glass of soy milk into the keyboard. It helped me create graphics, write graduate papers, and start Frugaling.org. The device was essential for my new book, too.

Not having a computer sent me in a tizzy. I needed one for nearly everything I do from work to play to school. My book wasn’t finished either, and I needed a dedicated computer for proofreading and formatting. Immediately, I investigated my options and surprisingly sold my old, broken one for a tidy sum.

My previous computer was an Apple. The laptop was reliable considering what I threw at it. In an effort to be frugal, I looked at Google Chromebooks. Unfortunately, certain academic and work responsibilities would necessitate a real computer – whether Mac or Windows.

Considering resale values, reliability, build quality, and my own knowledge base, I decided to get another Apple. Because it was “Back to School” season, the company had a special sale. Buy a computer, get an education discount, and receive a free pair of Beats headphones.

Regularly $200, the headphones would be shipped with the purchase. When I agreed to the payment options and clicked order, I planned to sell the headphones. They would ultimately lower the real purchase price of the computer.

I ravenously opened the boxes. Despite everything I preach about immaterialism and anti-consumption, my computer was a necessity. There wasn’t another way for me to write, publish, comment, and work on Frugaling. And I was lusting over the product.

Then, in another box, were the Beats headphones. I left the box sealed – brand new and ready for auction on eBay or sale on Craigslist. As the days ticked by, that unopened box stuck out like a sore thumb. It begged to be open.

So, I did.

As I ripped the shrink wrap and took the shiny headphones out, I felt this guilt. If I’m supposed to be frugal, am I allowed to own Beats headphones? Furthermore, can I truly afford them if my budgets are still so tight? The frugal friend on my shoulder said, “you can’t afford this.” The baller on a budget said, “maybe you can.”

When I put the headphones on my head, I looked in the mirror and saw Lebron James suiting up for his next basketball game. I was a walking, listening ad for Beats.

With their iconic lowercase “b” logo on either ear and a red cord dangling down, I was embarrassed. The look, fit, finish, and advertisement-like design bothered me. I felt like a hypocrite. How could I spout frugally inspired words and wear these?

The next day I took the headphones to school. Everywhere I went, people asked about them. In fact, someone in the Iowa City community who struggles with homelessness that I’ve interacted with regularly approached me.

He grabbed ahold and said, “Wow, nice headphones!”

When I heard that, I felt shame. How can I walk around with these bulky Beats that flash status in the face of those with less? How can I reconcile the decision to keep/accept flaunting $200 sitting on my head, while he struggles to find shelter?

In these moments, I think many people ignore this dissonance. They rationalize their ownership by stating that those with less get what they deserve. This is our capitalistic society working as it should.

For me, I balk at symbols of excessive wealth. These are unnecessary reminders of classism that pin rich against poor – privileged against disenfranchised. I don’t need to look like Lebron James walking to game time. Likewise, I don’t need to look like I’m better than anyone else – because I’m not.

But is there ever room for something like this in a frugal lifestyle?

What would you do? Would you keep the brand-assailing Beats headphones or sell them off?

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: Apple, Beats, Class, classism, Computer, Headphones, homeless, Homelessness, Income, Materialism, money, Privilege, Technology

“Frugaling: Save More, Live Well, Give Generously” Is Now Available!

By Frugaling 8 Comments

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Frugaling Book Cover

After weeks of final edits, a big cover art change, and rounds of feedback from friends and family, I’m excited to announce that Frugaling: Save more, live well, give generously is now available on Amazon.com!

The book is over two years in the making. At the beginning of my frugal journey, I had five figures of debt. Now, I have assets and capital. I no longer worry about what I’ll owe the bank. My potential and future are invested in me. I wrote Frugaling so that others could find financial freedom and empowerment.

But today, rather than focus on why I decided to write this book, I figured I’d acknowledge some of the people that helped make it happen. The people I want to mention have been interested from day one. They have supported, encouraged, and promoted my work better than I could ever do. And for that, I’m eternally grateful.

  • To Mom and Dad, you shared the site and book with friends and family, provided commentary along the way, and built a home where reading and writing were vital skills. And Mom, a special thank you for reading and editing the early drafts.
  • To Noah, thank you for providing some last minute changes to the book. I would’ve looked like a fool without your help! Good luck on your first day of school.
  • To Joshua, your words spawned the last 6 months of work to write and compile this book. I cannot thank you enough for your support and help.
  • To Danny, Eric, and Kate, I couldn’t have asked for three bigger fans. You signed up for the email digests, marketed my book, and offered inspiration for countless articles over the years.
  • To Jeff, thanks for keeping in touch all these years. Our shared experiences with debt helped light a fire for Frugaling!
  • To Chase, Christian, Danika, Devan, Kevin, Laura, Linda, Morgan, Nika, Paul, Susan, Yun, and the many more I probably need to mention, thanks for checking in about the book, commenting on the site, and sending interesting articles my way. You’ve been an incredible network for support and ideas.
  • To those who email, tweet, text, and/or randomly message me, your words mean so much. I’m always blown away when someone says an article made them feel better and/or connected. I’ll do my best to keep it up.

Gratitude comes easy after writing this book. I couldn’t have done it without you all. I hope you’ll support me by buying the book today! And I’d love it if you shared the book on Twitter and Facebook to help spread the word.

Thanks for being a frugal friend,

Sam

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: book, Friends, Frugal, frugaling, frugality, gratitude, Save more

Always Start With Frugality

By Frugaling 6 Comments

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Photograph 022 by Katie Purnell

Recovering from financial calamity is fraught with con men, pyramid schemes, get-rich-quick guides, and work-from-home advice. Each of these examples provides a “solution” to debt. With their help, they suggest you can recover and live a better future.

When I was in debt, I wanted a quick fix. Unlike consumption, where it was effortless to swipe a credit card, recovering from debt meant putting the breaks on everything. All the momentum – from advertisements to cultural upbringing to environmental expectations to relationships – was moving me in one direction. I needed to stop, and didn’t know how or who to turn to.

Unfortunately, many of these methods fail to help people in need. They miss the mark, take advantage of those with less, and tend to only work for a small portion of the population.

A couple years ago, I remember wading through my Gmail spam folder, wishing that loan payment and relief emails were true. They marketed special exemptions and “secret” deals to wipe the slate. These clear scams seemed like magical oases of monetary support. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could click three times and my debt would wash away?

The reality is we share two equations for our financial lives:

Income – Expenses = Net Income/Loss

Free Time – Work = Net Free Time

We all know it, but how we approach these solutions varies greatly. We can add to our income through wealth, jobs, or advocating for pay raises. Similarly, we can reduce our expenses by cutting cell phone bills, reducing energy expenditures, or selling a car. What remains is our net (total) positive or negative number. If we are all constrained by these equations, creativity must occur on both ends – with income and expenses.

Today, I advocate for people to reduce expenditures before adding on more income opportunities. Frugality helps people minimize spending and prevent spending – thus heightening net income. By removing expenses, we tend to simplify our lives and work less. Hence, those who pursue frugality first are able to free up time.

While I realize the necessity of work, we live in an overworked and underpaid society. If we can manage to spend less, our lives can be fuller – across economic strata. Free time is a dying quotient across age groups. Even children have less time for recess! Fun, free play is at the heart of creative discovery. When we’re overworked, stress levels spike and life becomes a dull day of shower, eat, wash, repeat.

Before pursuing scams and “special offers” that tack on more qualifiers and hoops, consider reducing your workload by removing anything extraneous. Subtraction is easier and safer than working longer hours, picking up a second job, or working on side jobs. Likewise, it helps you stay psychologically and medically well – not overworked and near the brink.

Start with frugality. Remove all the superfluous from your budgets and lifestyle. Likely, there’s room for less.

If that’s not enough, then start hustling.

Filed Under: Save Money Tagged With: Budget, expenditures, free time, Frugal, frugality, Income, spending, time, Wealth

Should You Share Your Income And Worth?

By Frugaling 13 Comments

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City Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Imagine walking down a busy street. You see people you’ve never met hustle to and fro. They’re going to work, school, and social gatherings. Some faces are smiling; others, not so much. You don’t know them and they don’t know you.

Now, imagine seeing digits carefully placed above their heads. When you look at these digits you judge someone beyond their race, ethnicity, age, gender, potential sexual identification. These numbers allow you to see someone’s annual income, and even their net worth. Suddenly, that man with ripped jeans looks a lot more impressive with a staggering 7 digits above his head, doesn’t he? Or, how about the mother with two kids followed along by a 4-digit number?

Would you worry more? Would you care more? How would you evaluate disparities?

Traditionally, annual incomes are closely guarded secrets. Nobody knows what their neighbors make most of the time. Unless you work for a public, governmental organization that requires public disclosures, annual income is between you and your employer.

Even more difficult to ascertain is net worth. As a total of all assets — liquid and non-liquid — it can be challenging to calculate. Net worth represents a total wealth after taxes that’s yours to keep and grow and spend as you see fit.

Aside from the aforementioned exception for public employees, income and net worth tend to stay private. Broaching the subject in certain company can seem gruff, rude, or downright hostile. To talk about these numbers is to admit something… personal.

It’s as if net worth represents our worth.

If you were to ask your neighbors what their incomes and net worth was, how might they react? How about your friends? How about your acquaintances? And perhaps most tellingly, how would your parents react?

Likely, there would be some awkward reactions, defensiveness, shame, and dread about talking in depth about digits. Those in poverty might exhibit the same emotions as those who are wealthy. Talking about money management and worth are inexplicably tied to self-worth and self-identity.

The consequences of this hush-hush mentality have been grave. To publicly acknowledge may seem novel, but silence harbors injustices and prejudices. And that’s why we must throw open the door to personal vaults and share.

Take the gender gap injustice: women make 77 cents for every $1 men make. There’s nothing fair about it. If we treated, understood, and respected women as equals, this pay gap wouldn’t exist. Women also deserve paid maternity leave, child care assistance, and flexible health insurance options should they be single parents. Each of these failures in assistance perpetuate gender inequities.

Another population that suffers greatly for economic privacy are African Americans. In 2011, black workers made an average (median) household income of $39,760. Whites took home a staggering $67,175 in comparison. Racial inequality has been around for hundreds of years, but that doesn’t mean we should accept this status quo. Again, various factors hold African Americans back: high policing in black neighborhoods, judicial policies that prejudicially penalize non-violent drug offenders, and poorer educational opportunities in predominantly minority communities.

Between communities, tremendous per capita incomes exist. You can be born and stay in poverty — all as a consequence of your birthplace. In Washington, D.C., the average per capita income is $45,290. But in poverty stricken post-boom-and-bust Gary, Indiana, each resident makes an average $15,764. While these average incomes help show broader income inequality, they’re depersonalized. You can’t see the individual and how that one person must live.

Annual income and net worth become two of the best measurements for the consequences of these hurtful, unequal policies. By failing to openly discuss these issues, we fail every disadvantaged group.

By opening up our wallets for analysis, we may squirm and squeal. It’s uncomfortable to admit our total salary and savings because we think it says something about who we are; frankly, it does. But there’s a chance that if we admit our incomes and net worth, we’re providing those looking for equality an opportunity to stake their claim.

Oh, lest some commenter call me a hypocrite, I make about $20,000 per year.

Filed Under: Social Justice Tagged With: Annual, gender gap, Income, Income Inequality, net worth, Pay, paycheck, racial gap, Salary, unequal

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