Trash cans
There's a great NY Times piece lamenting the complexity of consumer life in America and giving a few tips on wringing some dollars out of our various financial and consumer arrangements:
Take a Few Hours Each Year and Unlock Some Cash
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/your-money/25INTRO.html
And I have to say, one of my greatest stress sources these past few weeks has been the sheer amount of inane consumer busywork consuming my life.
Here's what I want to do:
Here's what I *feel* I've been up to:
Read email / respond to too few of them
Balance checkbooks
Pay bills
Find out where my rail/transit $$$ went (didn't show up in my payment card account)
Fix overdraft fees after wrong account debited (my fault; solving should have been easier)
Hound Discover Card to post a rebate they promised (waiting since December!)
Call the Green Waste company to empty and remove our yard cart. This week it was only to remove it, since we have two but only need one. Now have called at least three times
Pay off student loan to end automatic debit so I can close that checking account
Contact the Flexible Spending Account Administrator to fix their accounting error
Reconcile overpayment for two weeks of February not covered by company with no payment for last week 8 workdays of March
Return yard tool we didn't actually need
Buy gas
Finish stripping sealer off the bathroom floor and refinish
Census paperwork (Every 10 years but still a nit!)
Gather tax papers, receipts, etc. and take to accountant
These are just trifles when you consider that my wife's aunt just passed away last Thursday, unexpectedly, at age 43. That changes things in a huge way.
So there's a lot to grouse about in our household, but nothing that is unmanageable. Death, I know firsthand, is another beast altogether.
I am thankful for our blessings and working to simplify and enjoy the simpler things. We are cutting back on gimmicks, cutting back on spending, and trying to squirrel away what we need simply while putting other things on autopilot.
Less is more.
Take a Few Hours Each Year and Unlock Some Cash
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/your-money/25INTRO.html
And I have to say, one of my greatest stress sources these past few weeks has been the sheer amount of inane consumer busywork consuming my life.
Here's what I want to do:
- Eat good food
- Get enough rest
- Spend time with Mrs and Baby
- Make a meaningful contribution at work
Here's what I *feel* I've been up to:
These are just trifles when you consider that my wife's aunt just passed away last Thursday, unexpectedly, at age 43. That changes things in a huge way.
So there's a lot to grouse about in our household, but nothing that is unmanageable. Death, I know firsthand, is another beast altogether.
I am thankful for our blessings and working to simplify and enjoy the simpler things. We are cutting back on gimmicks, cutting back on spending, and trying to squirrel away what we need simply while putting other things on autopilot.
Less is more.