Since we had the fire, I've had to buy some things...new underwear and socks, a new washer and drier, etc. Still, I haven't bought a lot. We were lucky enough to have enough kitchen supplies and furniture donated or loaned to us that we haven't needed to buy much for the rental. Other than the new underwear and socks the night of the fire, I also haven't bought the girls any clothes or shoes related to the fire (that doesn't count the new riding boots I got the little girl...that was not because her old ones were fire damaged. They were just too small.) I have bought myself a few new clothing items but not many.
Anyway, since I started contributing to the retirement plan at work and funding a separate Roth, saving extra money has been hard with all the other necesities of daily life.
My motivation for not shopping now is that I really want to get by with the bare necessities until we move back home. I want the girls to learn how to live with less stuff. I want to have less stuff to clean and organize. Plus, we don't have storage pieces of furniture...at least not much...nothing like we were used to having.
The amount of time spent cleaning and organizing while still having a neat house is tremendously decreased from our prefire life. There are some things laying around because we don't have book shelves to put them on but our house doesn't look like a tornado hit.
Another benefit of not buying...extra money. I get paid every two weeks. Two weeks ago, I had $400 left over from my previous paycheck. Yesterday was payday again and I had $300 left over. That was after some extra eating out, a trip to the Ethiopian restaurant an hour and a half away, and buying myself a new fitbit for $140. Had I been better about the food, I would have had lots more left over.
There are a lot of easier ways to achieve a more minimalist lifestyle. However, since this one has been forced upon us, I'm going to enjoy the side benefits.
Anyway, since I started contributing to the retirement plan at work and funding a separate Roth, saving extra money has been hard with all the other necesities of daily life.
My motivation for not shopping now is that I really want to get by with the bare necessities until we move back home. I want the girls to learn how to live with less stuff. I want to have less stuff to clean and organize. Plus, we don't have storage pieces of furniture...at least not much...nothing like we were used to having.
The amount of time spent cleaning and organizing while still having a neat house is tremendously decreased from our prefire life. There are some things laying around because we don't have book shelves to put them on but our house doesn't look like a tornado hit.
Another benefit of not buying...extra money. I get paid every two weeks. Two weeks ago, I had $400 left over from my previous paycheck. Yesterday was payday again and I had $300 left over. That was after some extra eating out, a trip to the Ethiopian restaurant an hour and a half away, and buying myself a new fitbit for $140. Had I been better about the food, I would have had lots more left over.
There are a lot of easier ways to achieve a more minimalist lifestyle. However, since this one has been forced upon us, I'm going to enjoy the side benefits.
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