Frugaling

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Picture All Your Worldly Possessions

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All of Gandhi's worldly possessions

I saw this picture for the first time the other day. It shocked me. These were all the possessions that this man had. Rather than feeling demoralized, he was calm and honorable in his actions. The items before you represented everything important to him: sandals to walk around, a watch to tell time, a foundational text for focus and intellect, and glasses for the simple necessity of sight. Stripped of everything extraneous, this man could be freed to become one of the greatest heros of all time. Before I talk about the owner of these possessions, let’s talk about our possessions.

What does your picture look like?

I don’t know whether to be saddened, inspired, apathetic, neutral, and/or happy, but I can now fit everything I own into a single room. Walking through my apartment, I almost expect to see a tumbleweed race across the linoleum floor. It’s barren. I don’t necessarily feel exceptionally positive, as there’s a societal expectation for stuff that I cling to.

Magazines like Dwell and websites such as Apartment Therapy emphasize how home designs affect emotionality. The model home is well-kempt, orderly, and colorful — energizing its inhabitants and providing a sense of calm. But despite these stereotypes and assumptions about design, by paring down my accoutrements, I feel calmer. With the extraneous emptied, I can focus and save for what’s important.

Even though I can fit everything into a room, it’s far greater than the preceding picture. Could I reduce my possessions even further? Perhaps.

What if your house flooded tomorrow?

This past weekend I traveled with a friend to Minnesota. It was my first time in the Twin Cities. I loved every minute. Before I left, I packed and scanned over my apartment.

Every time I travel, I look over the bag and apartment for missing items. I ask, “What am I forgetting?” Only one thing came to mind: I heard that my area of town may be flooded when I return. I moved two cheap electronics above the floor and left.

Leaving rapidly and with such efficiency made me think:

  1. That was faster than ever
  2. I feel really free
  3. I want to do that again and again and again

In the past, I worried about the condition of my possessions. Would they be safe? How long could I be away from home? This time, I didn’t hesitate — these things wouldn’t hold me back from hopping in my friend’s car and celebrating the holiday. If my house flooded — thankfully, it didn’t — I would’ve probably suffered some losses. But in the end I would be okay.

How do you make your picture look like that?

Many people own TVs, cars, and houses. The picture frame doesn’t seem to fit our countless commodities and material goods. We’ve amassed stuff to fill our homes and heads. We can’t even collect and commingle it all for a friendly picture. This leaves us open to feeling loss and ache.

The photo above is a collection of all Gandhi’s worldly possessions. Gandhi fueled a movement for Indian independence from British rule. His message was of peaceful civil disobedience. Today, he’s an inspiration for civil movements around the world. He only had about 14 or 15 items.

How many things do you need to live the life you want? How many products do you need to be happy and live with purpose? Oftentimes, buying more products limits our ability to live meaningfully.

When we crave for more than the picture frame can hold, money must be made. Suddenly, we are working harder, longer hours to consume more. It can come at the cost of our free time and life we want to lead.

4 Ways Coupons Manipulate Spending Habits — Watch Out!

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Every Wednesday and Sunday — if you subscribe to a paper — you generally receive a healthy dose of coupons. Everything from soups to toilet paper to deli meats are frequently included in the pile. With open arms, many clippers sift through the mass to find a couple deals.

Some people collect them, place them in binders, and combine coupons with store deals. Websites and shows like The Krazy Coupon Lady and TLC’s Extreme Couponing examine, research, and find incredible coupon-based deals. Everyone seems to love coupons!

You should be concerned.

Coupons are developed by vast marketing and advertising teams for corporations. The advertising industry as a whole is estimated to be in the hundreds of billions, and a significant portion is outlined for couponing. But subtly, clipping those weekly coupons affects the psychological decision making in the supermarket. Here are 4 ways that coupons manipulate your spending habits.

Watch Out! Coupons Manipulate Spending Money Cash1. Clip, cause cognitive dissonance

Every time you clip a coupon, your mind buys a product. Even though you haven’t gone out and purchased the item, to clip a coupon, it’s a commitment of time and action. This has a direct effect on your wallet.

A powerful psychological effect that can occur when you clip a coupon: cognitive dissonance. If, for instance, you decide to clip a coupon and then later question whether you really need the product, this may lead to dissonance. Essentially, this is a distress associated with spending the effort to clip a coupon that you now might not use. For many people, they’ll use a coupon just because they clipped it — regardless if it’s the cheapest option once they get to the store.

2. Exposure predicts spending

Exposure is the key to purchasing a product. What a simple conclusion, right? Well, stores know that the more face time you have with a product, the more likely you are to buy it. If the exposure begins prior to entering the store, you’re effectively being primed for the future purchase.

With coupons, your eyeball sees the product at home. If you clip it out, you are further intensifying the duration of the exposure. More time in front of you equals more money for the grocer and advertiser. How easy!

3. Is that really any cheaper?

One of the most important reasons that people clip coupons is to save money. Ironically, this may not actually lower your shopping bill. Coupons are not usually offered for generic, store-brand merchandise or fresh produce. Instead, they’re frequently marketing name brand items that already have a built-in premium. This added cost often voids any discount associated with using a coupon.

It’s very important to pay careful attention to the coupon you’ve clipped out. At a store, you need to look for generic items, and then compare them to the name brand item for the coupon. All of this takes a level of vigilance and time that many don’t have or care to have at the grocery store. For both time and money, just buying generic items is normally the best bet.

4. Coupons are getting smarter

Smartphones, apps, and online coupon sites are increasingly digging into your spending habits. Your rewards credit card, frequent shopper card, and web browsing history may be leeching your data to third-party companies. These organizations then will compile and predict what you want. They’re so accurate that Target can tell when you’re pregnant, about to have a child, and/or the ages of your children (read Brandwashed for more on this tactic).

By using these predictive tactics, companies can practically read your mind. If they know all your purchases and habits, coupons can be created that make you look at new, similar products. These choices may cost more over time, but offer a great deal at first. If you like the newer product more, the system has worked and you’re hooked. Now, the money is theirs to reap.

It’s not that coupons are always bad or more expensive than generic brands, but they can sometimes change your spending habits for the worse. Moreover, think about all the time that’s necessary to clip those coupons and find the special savings — this adds up. If you spend your time making more money and buying generic, this could actually be smarter in the long run!

How Much Can You Make From Class Action Lawsuits?

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Are you familiar with class action rebates? They can be pretty straightforward and an often forgotten way to get some extra cash. A couple weeks ago I received an email from Amazon.com saying that I had received money from a settlement. The lawsuit involved eBooks and something about unfair pricing tactics that impacted the ultimate cost to consumers. I’m surprised it didn’t get caught in my spam blocker, as the email seemed to be  a poor phishing attempt for my details.

To my surprise, it was real. If you purchased an eBook during the dates involved in the settlement, you should’ve received some amount of credit to your account. I saw people tweeting that they received anywhere from $1 to $60.

Amazon Class Action Lawsuit SettlementWhat caught me off guard was that I had no idea about the lawsuit — or the settlement. Honestly, I still don’t know much about the lawsuit’s fineprint or why my account was credited for eBook purchases. Regardless, I received a little infusion of $6.82. I’ll take it!

Class action lawsuits are sometimes frivolous and hurt productivity at top companies. But frequently they protect consumers, and correct wrongs. There’s an entire world of class action lawsuits that gets distributed to shareholders, car owners, household products; really, anything under the sun. You’ve probably received a letter from a law firm explaining that they were given your information and are now filing a class-action lawsuit. Most of the time, if a settlement is reached, you get a couple dollars.

But sometimes you don’t hear about them. For instance, if you go to your grocery store and buy Neutrogena moisturizer, the manufacturer doesn’t know you — individually — made that purchase. The only way for you to receive compensation is to submit your claim. Few companies have an interest in letting you know that an offer has been made. It’s a lot more work for them, when they have to payout all these checks and fulfill the full settlement.

Class Action Lawsuit Rebates Screenshot

To be a critical and informed consumer, there are various sites that can help. Over the last few months I learned about one that specializes in collecting class-action lawsuits. My favorite is called Class Action Rebates, and it’s free! When you go to the website, it explains three key steps to received settlement claims.

First, find products you purchased. Most products don’t even need a receipt; albeit, falsifying product purchases is a fast way to land in jail. If you kept the old receipts and documentation, you can often receive more.

Second, fill out an online claim form. Class Action Rebates tells you how long a form should take to fill out. Got five minutes? I guarantee you can fill one rebate form.

Third, wait an obscenely long period of time for a check in the mail. Most take about 6-8 weeks, but I’ve had surprise checks hit my mailbox about 2-3 months after submitting a claim.

That’s it. Once you’ve completed those three steps, you’ll be on your way to making money off companies that wronged you! You can find anything car problems, vitamins, batteries, and more. Pretty much anything in supermarkets is fair game. Both as a way to save and make money, filing class action lawsuit claims are exceptionally important.

While I’m not suddenly a millionaire, the money earned from the settlements probably totals more than $100. As I work to pay off my student loans, every little bit counts. Find out more about how it works on Class Action Rebates’ website.

Minimalism: Nothing In My Pockets

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I quite fondly remember the days when I didn’t carry anything but a house key (on occasion). As a child, I didn’t have savings, cash to carry, pens, credit cards, IDs, etc. The world was no more dangerous than today, and my pockets were empty. I remember childhood adventures in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, finding trails and paths less wandered. Friends would tag along and we’d discover and explore, all without a single thing in our pockets. As I age, I can’t help but wonder why my pockets have grown heavier with stuff.

Nowadays, I feel like I’m unfurling and unloading a mass of “necessities.” My brain tells me that all of these things I carry will come in handy throughout the day. Like a good boy scout, always “be prepared.” I regularly carry headphones, a cell phone, multiple cards and ID’s, chapstick, keys, pens, and notes. My pockets are frequently burgeoning with stuff — strange shapes created.

I know I’m not the only one. My grandmother always said, “You should carry a little cash, just in case something happens.” Even in elementary school, she imparted this standard of living. She’d suggest, “What if you need a taxi because you got lost? Or, what if you needed food and hadn’t eaten?” Cash was an out — just in case an emergency occurred.

My professors will reach into their pockets to grab larger key chains, wallets, and cash sums. The jingle is louder and they seem to have amassed more. My peers carry their clutches, purses, wallets, and bags, too. Men and women of the working world carry their packs, bags, and briefcases for a long day’s work. I’m struck by how little we had to carry as children. We could instantly step out of the house; being “prepared” was a mental state, not physical.

Frequently, I fancy the minimalist life, and try to carry less, but I can’t help but notice a discrepancy. Here I am trying to become more frugal and minimalist, but I’m carrying more than ever before. Where does need become want? What do I really need with me every day? Should I follow my grandmother’s words and carry money everywhere I go, as if I’m waiting to be attacked?! Why could I get away with nothing more than a house key as a child?

It’s easy to justify the mass grab: I have more responsibilities as an adult. The decider and chief within me argues for the stuff. It says, “You’ll need your credit card in case you get hungry, need to pay for something randomly, or anything strange happens.” Even if I take the free bus into school, I’m invariably carrying my driver’s licence, school ID, and more. Will I need to hand over my ID? Probably not. What is it about becoming an adult that becomes the justification for my outsize growth in pocket dimensions?

There’s only one conclusion in my mind: We grasp for these crutches as adults, as the fear of death seems to grow. The world is no less safe, and yet I hold onto these safety measures (especially my phone). If I leave the house without this stuff, I feel more than naked — heck, I’d rather be naked!

But every now and then, there’s an intense pleasure, joy in leaving the house with nothing but a house key (sometimes without that, even). All the “adult” responsibilities that I carry seem to be left behind — just me and the world. It’s then that I realize how splendidly simple life can be, and that those childhood adventures are always waiting. After all, feeling prepared is an internal state, not a physical one.

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