Buying Jeans

Jeans are supposed to be cheap clothing.  Elvis never liked jeans because he considered them farmer attire.  It was too working class.  I was a kid when the whole label stuff started happening with clothes.  Gloria Vanderbilt and Vidal Sassoon started putting their names on the jeans they sold.  It was a fad and it seemed that every girl had to buy their jeans.  I was never fond of  fads or trends.  I thought it was extortion.  I didn't like doing free advertising.  It just wasn't for me.  But my real problem was that those jeans never fit my body type.  If they fit my butt they were way too big at the waist.  My first pair of designer jeans, I had to sew darts at the waist just to wear them.  I was not happy.  After that I started buying jeans only if they fit regardless of brand name.  Actually I would carefully cut off any labels on my jeans.  I also put a price on my jeans.  Since they were working class clothes, I never paid more than $20 a pair.  I use this price point to this day.  The best brand of jeans I ever found for my body type was Bill Blass.  His jeans always fit perfectly.  They were roomy in the behind and perfect at the waist.  I can still buy them second hand online.  My advice is to find the brand that fits your body best and then just stick to it.  Don't waste time and money chasing after the fad.  Find your jeans and stick with them. And put a ceiling on how much you are willing to pay.  Just because a pair of $200 jeans fit, doesn't mean you have to buy them.  Find something cheaper.  In my opinion when it come to jeans the whole status/high price thing is silly.

Get Rid of Services

When I first moved up to the Hudson Valley we only got internet access.  It's all we needed.  I bought a magic jack and got rid of Verizon.  It was one of the happiest days of my life.  Unless you have had the same phone line for twenty years, Verizon can be expensive.  And I could never understand their bills.  I always felt cheated.  I got a magic jack instead.  But I know some people just use their cell phone and lose the land line, which is what I plan to do when I get the Florida House.  I'll have to get an unlimited plan and a better phone.  Right now I have a cheap plan and an old flip phone, which is fine for my purposes.   An  old TV with a VCR is enough for movies from the library.  For TV shows I can use the laptop   Between Hulu and the feeds from most cable channels, I feel no need to get cable.  Better to invest in an Apple computer, which is less prone to viruses for visiting these sites.  When I move I will get an IPAD and use that for everything in order to keep the bills down.  Cable Services will soon be a thing of the past anyway which is fine by me.  The whole smartphone thing is going to change our lives in ways we can't even imagine right now.

Combine Trips

The price of gas these days is so high that it only makes sense to combine trips.  We have one trip for every Tuesday it seems.   At around noon we get in the car and go to a church Thrift Shop that is only open on Tuesdays and Saturdays.  We stop in look around and then drive a couple more miles to the discount movie theater where we see a movie for only two dollars on Tuesdays. After the movies we stop in at the big supermarket and shop quickly.  Tuesday is also the day they put out discount fruit, fish and meat.  We get home at around six pm for dinner.  We've had a great time and we're loaded with stuff to put away.  Tuesday is my favorite day of the week.  Another way we save on gas money is to shop in town on foot.  I made an effort to pick a town where I could get everything.  I have a supermarket, a drug store, a post office ( for the eBay business), a dry cleaners, a shoe repair shop and a wine store.  We used to go to a big box store to buy wine but we are thinking of saving the gas money and shopping local.  It might be a bit more expensive and have less variety but the wine shop is two blocks from the house and you can't  beat that for convenience. 
 As we search for a retirement place in Florida, I will insist on the same hometown convenience I have here.  I need to be able to take care of most things on foot.  My husband drives but I don't;  should something happen, I have to be able to take care of things on my own on foot.   If someone out there has a good suggestion of a walkable town, please let me know.  Thanks much.

Maintenance

It's all about maintenance.  If you want to keep yourself and your things running well do the routine maintenance.  Maintenance helps reduce wear and tear and brings new life to things.  When I was a kid, my parents bought me a cheap coat after about a year some part of it started to come apart.  I kept on wearing it until one day my mother saw the growing damage and told me to take it off.  She mended it and it lasted quite a while longer.  It was a life lesson to me.  Things can be  fixed!  Now every summer I have a huge pile of  mending for my free time.  I sit on the sofa in front of the TV and sew buttons and make minor repairs.  I'm no seamstress but there are things I can do.  In the meantime my husband is outside working on the car.  He checks the fluids and changes filters and washes and cleans the car inside and out.  He treats the leather to keep the interior in good shape. The car is older now but it still looks and runs great. 
The same is true of people.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  I found a good clinic two blocks from my house.  Since I have heart problems, it's important that I take care of any upper respiratory infections in a timely manner.   For a couple of bucks, I can get the antibiotics that get rid of a bad cough.  It's cheaper than landing in the hospital with pneumonia or something.  Little things handled in a timely manner can stay little.  Whereas if you let them go they can become big and expensive.  Keeping up on home repairs saves more expense later on. Changing the fluids on the car, keeps the engine from damage.  Keeping healthy and handling small problems quickly, keeps the wallet from getting damaged.

I'm Cheap and I'm Okay with it

My family hates when I tell them I'm cheap.  But then again I don't ask for anything.  It got me in a little trouble for my wedding.  I was older, over forty.  I did not want to make a big fuss about marrying someone I had been living with for years.  I invited four people.  My mother , his mother, his sister and my aunt.  His sister wasn't bringing her husband.  My aunt told me her husband was working and couldn't come which was fine with me because I didn't want him there anyway.  The minute I set the date though, he decided he wanted to come and my aunt was miffed that I didn't invite him too.  Too bad.  It's my wedding.  I get to do what I want.  People think they can bully you.  I was over forty, I didn't want a gift and I was paying.  My father was dead.  In the end my aunt uninvited herself and I invited a photographer friend in her place.  I got some great photos and had a nice wedding.  She really wasn't needed at the ceremony or celebration.  It's okay to be cheap.  Nobody has a right to tell you how to spend your money, or how to run your life.  I'm cheap and I'm okay with it.
On the other hand I tip well at restaurants.  I don't believe in cheating the wait staff.  The restaurant manager is doing that already.  I think people should be paid for their work.  I always get good service too.  I'm easy.  I am not a demanding customer.   I once sat at a table where the previous customer had given a lousy tip.  The server was upset.   We started talking and I had a great dinner.
Another place where my wallet opens is in church.  I like giving money to my church and I like giving to charities I am sure are doing the right thing.  My church does good work around the world and I am happy to give. I also give to people less fortunate than I am. "There but for the grace of God" and all that.  I have been very lucky all my life.  I made some wise decisions but I have also been lucky.  I chose to study hard  when I was young.  I chose to stay out of trouble.  But not everyone has had the same options available and I realize that.  So I give a little money, here and there.  I don't give to anyone I suspect of a substance abuse problem.  But there are people who have been disabled or who are now too old and just don't have enough.  Those people should get any little help I can give.

Housing and Retirement

Every now and then, I see an online article about retirees overseas.  They get a big bang for their buck and have a better retirement than they could afford here in the States.  I wonder about that.  I have lived abroad.  It's not for everybody.  I never realized how truly American I was until I spent time overseas.  I never lived in a country where I didn't know the language.  I'm pretty adventurous but I can't imagine being 60 or 70 years old and trying to learn French or Rumanian or something.  I speak Spanish fluently but I would never consider living in Costa Rica.  I know I would not adapt.  I'm too set in my ways.  I'm too American.  When it comes to living abroad, it's the small things that get in the way.  All the little cultural cues that people in another country understand immediately can be opaque to foreigners.  This is not for me.  I want to feel comfortable.  My husband wants a tropical paradise and even started talking to me about a Caribbean Island.  No, too expensive.  On an island we would be food poor.  Anything not found in abundance on the island would be prohibitively expensive. Milk costs ten dollars a gallon.   I'm cheap, that's not for me.  So I decided to think about Florida which has the same weather but is on the mainland and part of the USA.  You could live there just as cheaply as in some more exotic places, possibly even more cheaply and with the savings travel, if so inclined.  The biggest living expense is housing.  If you can keep housing costs to a minimum, then even a social security check will do.  Keep an eye on housing costs.  If you can find a cheap place to live, you'll find everything else is pretty cheap.  Low housing costs leave a lot of wiggle room for other expenses.  Always keep housing low.   Housing should never account for more than a third of total income.  My mother has made a small fortune this way.  She buys a house and when it goes up in price she sells it.  Then she takes the money and buys another house in a cheaper neighborhood.  When the price of that one goes up she sells and moves all over again.  She has been smart and lucky.  You can't get too attached to houses.  By keeping her housing expenses very low she has managed to live practically for free.  She bought a co-op in 1996 and when she sold it ten years later she made back all ten tears of  maintenance and the purchase price too.  She even made a tidy profit.  I did the same thing.  I like real estate as an investment.  Right now my house is paying me an income, even if I end up under water someday, it'll still be okay, because it's giving me money.  Now is a great time to buy a place for retirement.  At the end of this year we will be looking for a place to buy.  With any luck we can pay cash.  

Keep you 3D glasses and Make Your Own Trends

After seeing Avatar, I made the mistake of recycling my 3D glasses.  When I went to another 3D movie I had to buy them all over again.  Now I keep them and re-use for the next flick.  Of course I have to remember to bring them along, but so far it has worked out well.  I resent having to pay $3 for the junky glasses.  I don't even like 3D.  Most of the time the picture is just dark and harder to watch.  If the story isn't any good, the 3D doesn't make it any better. I have noticed that much of life is a passing fad.  You can't buy into all these things.  Who can afford all of it?  If my TV hadn't broken I would not have bought a flat screen.  My life would not have been any worse.  I see all the first run movies, so I don't have HBO.  I listen to TV more than I watch it.  I am usually doing something else and the TV serves as background noise.  I think that a lot of these trends are just nonsense.  For years the showiest car to buy was a Mercedes Benz, now it seems to be an Audi.  Who cares?   Shouldn't we be buying the best, safest, most fuel efficient car  we can buy.  I don't care what people think.  I don't care what marketers think I'm supposed to have.  I don't want a fountain pen, thank you very much.  The only time I  buy something like that is at a yard sale so I can re-sell  it on eBay.  I can't believe so many people are hypnotized by this nonsense.  Cheapness always protected me from this sort of thing and I'm happy it did.  I prefer to set my own trends and make my own fashion.  It feels more authentic to me.  Years ago I was buying rhinestone pins and wearing them.  People thought they were cool.  My only regret is that I didn't buy more of them.  I was paying less than10 bucks, now they go for a lot more and I can't afford them anymore because the trend has caught up to me.  Make yourown trend, let the market catch up to you, don't chase trends and chase the market.

Spend less than You Make and Be Rich

Spend less than you make and you'll always be rich.  This is true.  Unfortunately it's also true that expenses rise to income.  This because the "I deserve" factor kicks in.  Once there is more money around, there is a tendency to look at purchases and say, "I work hard, I deserve this."  I always made it a point to save any extra money I had lying around.  When I was teaching and making money, I routinely put 5K in my Roth IRA every year.  I lived off the rest but I made sure I saved as much as possible.  Someday I will have enough to really treat myself to something better than a designer handbag or lunch with the girls.  I'll buy myself another house.  I made sure I spent less than I made because I kept an eye on my biggest expense: housing.   Housing is the biggest expense in any budget.  Once that is taken care of, it's a lot easier to save money.  That's why I didn't want to buy a big expensive house.  I wanted to be sure I bought something I could afford.
Save your pay raises.  I had a target for yearly earnings.  Once I reached my targeted amount any overflow would go directly into savings.  I kept a special hard to access bank account exclusively for this purpose.  I didn't have it linked to an ATM or online banking, so I wouldn't be tempted to spend.  I did the same thing with my tax return money.  In fact this year we were able to to jump start our savings plan with our tax return.  All our outstanding bills were paid off so  we weren't using the tax return to catch up.  If you get a tax return always put it into savings, never use it for bill repayment if you could help it. Get into the habit of being debt free when tax time rolls around.

The Question of Values

When it comes to money, you have to ask yourself what do you value in life.  Stuff is way overrated. Also, the whole money saving thing may not work for a lot of people.  Some may look down on wearing second hand clothes.  I don't judge, but I do know that it works for me.  I would rather pay less than more.  Paying too much really bothers me.  I like to keep the money in my wallet.  I'd rather spend the money on peak experiences like travel or on buying durables, like a house.  Someone else might prefer to have what I have, but have to work really hard for it.  For a variety of reasons, I never wanted to work that hard.  I always had health issues and so my job was to figure out a way to live really well while spending and working less.  I needed to keep the stress down to a minimum because I have a bad ticker.  Some people love their jobs and like working hard.  I liked working too, but I hated my long commute.  So I figured out ways to work less, at least outside the home.  I did a lot of work inside my house.  I fixed things, sewed, cooked and made more with my value added work.   But I did it at home where I could pace myself and rest when I got tired.  I guess it's not for everyone.  But for those of you who make upwards to 100K or more and want to retire early, maybe some of the things in this blog can help you to see another way to live.

Make Your Own Snacks: Always Pack Food

I don't like Chex Mix, I make my own snacks.  I mixed up a can of snacks for the movies.  This weekend we went to Lancaster, PA and picked up some dried carrot and beet chips and some garlic bagel chips.  I just had to buy some shredded wheat and a box of cheese nips.  Added some peanuts, mixed it all up and I have a nice snack mix, that is not too salty. I have a large storage tin for this purpose.  But once I have the mix all made up, I transfer it into small bags.  I get a box of little zip lock bags at the dollar store,  Once the mix is in the bags all I have to do is grab a couple of bags on my way out the door and I have snacks for any little trip or errand run.   I find that bringing along food saves lots of money on the road.  I always pack snacks and drinks when we go out.  If I don't, it means a pit stop at Burger King or McDonald's.  Besides the added expense, I don't want my husband eating that kind of "food".  I want to keep him and myself healthy and young. I always bring along something to eat.  It gets me out of a jam and keeps us from making bad purchases in the store.  When it comes to grocery shopping, I like to go after eating.  I didn't think this worked at first but over the course of time I found that being full keeps impulse buying to a minimum.  Impulse buying is the worst thing for the budget because no matter how hard you try to be good, once the impulse hijacks your brain, it's impossible to resist.  Always be prepared by carrying snacks in your bag.

Buy Ingredients, Not meals

Swim the perimeter of the supermarket.  Try not to go down the aisles.  You pay dearly for the convenience of convenience foods.  Buy the ingredients for your meals.  Stay away from the expensive prepared stuff that is high in preservatives and low on nutrition.  If you want your meals prepared for you, go to a restaurant.  At least there you won't be fooled about over paying.  But for saving money there is nothing like making it yourself.  If you make your food from scratch, you know what's in it.  If you buy prepared food, you must read the labels diligently.  It's shocking the kind of crap that ends up in a jar or can.  Personally I prefer frozen veggies to canned.  I find them to be fresher and cleaner than canned or jarred stuff.  Don't go down the aisle except for cereal maybe.  Lately I have even been making my own cereal.  I find the store bought granola is too sweet for my taste so I stretch it with raw oatmeal and add extra nuts and seeds.  Less cost, Better nutrition and it keeps you full longer too.
On the other hand, it's better to pay for quality.  I have discovered Greek yogurt.  I buy a tub of the plain and sweeten it myself with preserves, pure vanilla or syrup.  It costs a little more but it's worth it, much  better quality.

September VOGUE

Every year I invest in a copy of the September Vogue.  It's my fashion Bible for the Fall.  I look through it and search out what's in style.  This year it seems that red is the hot, hot color, which is good.  I have plenty of red in my waredrobe already.  I just need to tweak a couple of things to look mod and up to date.  Although I prefer to be stylish rather than fashionable, I have no trouble picking up something that reflects the latest trends.  It adds a little something to the look.  More than anything I like stuff that is retro and just a little out there.  I don't really care if it's in, I'd rather be wearing something no one else has than something everyone has.  Retro makes that easy.  In addition when you see something older that still looks good, it says something about the intrinsic worth of the design.  I like to collect vintage designer scarves for this reason.  They may be old but they still manage to look fresh because they are like art work that never goes out of style.   The September Vogue is generally good for two years, but I treat myself to a copy every year.

Ask the Locals

I just got back from a mini vacation to Lancaster County, PA. My husband and I have been visiting the Amish since we first got together and were absolutely broke. On our first trip we stayed with a Mennonite family and paid a whopping $25 per night for a very nice clean room with a shared bath. We had a blast that first trip. We drove and drove exploring the area. I packed a lot of food but we also ate out. One thing we learned going to Lancaster was to ask the locals where to shop. We bought a lot at roadside stands but we also found Kaufmann's, a sort of supermarket that sells to the Amish. They sell in bulk and they are cheap. This trip I bought a big bag of brown rice for five dollars. I also got a big bag of oatmeal for three dollars. They have great stuff and although I typically spend $100 there, it's still a bargain. I can get by for months without buying staples. I've never found any place cheaper. We also got a big box of peaches for ten bucks.  There must be 25 pounds in that box. Everything is good in Lancaster County. I miss going there. I haven't been since I moved off Staten Island. The trip is a lot longer now and the price of gas makes a big difference but I still want to go once or twice a year.  We now stay at a Marriott that gives a nice free breakfast, but we still go to the Salvation Army and Goodwill Stores. It was raining on Saturday so there wasn't much tagging but by asking for the discount I found out that the Goodwill Store had a kind of overflow shop next door where prices were a lot lower. 85 cents for any piece of clothing in the bin. I picked up a beautiful navy blue cashmere sweater that smells like it just came from the dry cleaners. I'm happy. It was cheaper than any yard sale.

One last point about asking the locals.  When I moved up to the Hudson Valley and started meeting people, I would always ask where was the best place to shop. I got a lot of information that way. I discovered that a store that I perceived as too pricey, had some really great deals. They sold smoked salmon bits for a few dollars a pound so that I can make myself cream cheese sandwiches with salmon on the cheap. Always ask around.  I also found a new thrift shop I  like by just  asking.

Become Money Independant

Get solar panels and a hybrid car. I want to spend my golden years off the grid. As I get closer to retirement and those years when we'll be living off  Social Security, I think more and more about becoming money independant. I want to have no bills for heat or electric. I want to invest now in solar panels and reap the benefits when we retire. Once I buy the small place in Florida, I am going to plant fruit trees and start a rosemary hedge. With any luck I'll be able to cut my food bill in half during the growing season. I want to have everything set up for retirement so that all we have to do is get on a plane with a carry-on and be ready to start our new life.  Whether we buy a two family house and rent one side or have an extra room to rent out, I want to have a way of making a little money on the side when we retire. This should be everyone's goal. Why work making someone else money when you could enjoy your life. Half of the cure for working too much is to have money coming in ie. becoming money independant. The other half is to cut expenses without diminishing quality of life. I guess I want everything for nothing.  But I have had that before so I know it's possible.

Save on Consumables or Disposables

Consumables are anything you are likely to use up quickly. Don't buy toothpaste from China, but do use a coupon to get it for free at the drugstore. Disposables are things that won't last. Cut corners on stuff that will get discarded quickly like kids shoes which they grow out of overnight. Buy sneakers at discounters like Payless or Kmart. I also buy second hand and swap with friends. There is no point to buying high end Nikes for a child who will only get a couple of months out of the investment. Save that money for later when they are in high school and it really matters what they wear to school. A good sturdy bookbag is a better investment. But try to teach kids to make good decisions and make their own fashion before becoming a slave to the Mall. Fashion is disposable that's why it changes every year. Style lasts longer. I try to get costume jewelry as cheaply as possible and change it out regularly. I wear it for a bit and then I resell it. I usually don't make anything, but the price of wearing it dissappears. Scarves and gloves I usually get for one dollar. I consider them disposable because they are prone to loss.  A big ticket clothing purchase would be a coat which I'm sure to get on sale. I always make sure it's classic and goes with the five other things in my wardrobe. If I get home and  find something is not going to work for me, I always take it back for a full refund. Save reciepts and return items which you will not use.  I can't tell how many things I have purchased with the tags still on. Don't just sell it at a yard sale for less than you paid for it.  It's your money.  Get it back. Having said that I disapprove of people who abuse the system.  I worked in retail when I just got out of school.  Thank you Ronald Reagan and some of the things I saw were shocking.  People would return worn out shoes and get their money back.  

Splurge on Durables

Buy old well made furniture. Older stuff is strong. That's why you're likely to still see it around. I prefer stuff made before the 1960's. The old stuff was built to last. The drawer joints are dovetailed which means the drawer face won't come off in your hand one day, while the supporting legs run the height of the piece ennsuring durability. Most of the new stuff is held together with chewing gum and duct tape. Updating is easy. You can refinish and change drawer pulls. I found a very strong coffee table by the side of the road, which I sanded and refinished then I changed the drawer pulls for two dollars. Now I have a really nice coffee table that would have cost much more in the store and not been as well made. Also you can just paint an old piece for a modern look. Black always works well. I bought a couch for the first time this year. I splurged on leather with power reclining seats. I plan to keep it for the next ten years. I think it will cost me less than $100 a year and give me plenty of enjoyment. It really was about time I bought a new couch and we use it all the time. Get the best and what you want when it comes to durables that are going to be with you a long time. The most important durable to splurge on is the bed. The bed should be the best bed you can possibly afford and think of it as something you will amortize over the course of several years. Although the bed frame we bought we got off Craiglist but it is strong and sturdy and well worth what we paid for it. The mattress cost three times as much, but was worth it since it will last years.  For durables:  Buy the best, buy it once.  Buy a classic, take care of it.

Cheaper Beauty Products

I don't buy expensive moisterizers. I make my own. I can usually get a small bottle of a good base moisturizer at the dollar store. Last time I got Dermasil. I take some out to make room. I then add some sunscreen SPF 50, I also put in a little vitamin E. Go easy on the vitamin E, since it irritates some people's skin. Lately I have also taken to adding some vitamin A and D cream to the mix. This works well, but if you find the cream is a bit thick, loosen it up with some mineral oil. Mineral oil is the base for all skin lotions anyway. I drop in a ball bearing or glass bead for mixing. Shake it up and there you have it, inepensive but great morning moisturizer. I never liked spending money at the beauty counter. I always shop at the drug store which is cheaper and quite comparable. I never buy made in China for either my skin or my belly. I don't really trust the ingredients enough, but anything made in the USA or Canada is fine. Mostly I believe that it's better to put good food in your stomach than cream on your face. Milk of Magnesia is great for the skin.  Also many natural foods make good skin treatments, I like milk and honey washes and lemon as an astringent. The cheapest beauty secret is to eat a lot of fresh fruit and sleep well at night. Plan an eight or nine hour per night  minimum for best results. Take a refreshing cat nap daily.

MONEY IS POWER

Keep your money until your money can keep you. Struggle some now and later you will reap great rewards. As Dave Ramsey say's, "Live like no one else, so you can really live like no one else". The reason for being cheap is to build up enough of a reserve to take advantage of opportunities. Finding an undervalued area with great growth potential is the key. Right now there are people buying investment properties. I can't afford that. I'll be happy to get a bungalow in Florida for my golden years. But if I had more, I'd be buying houses too. The rental market is strong in my community. I could buy a house and have a renter pay it off. But I'm cheap and very risk averse. Although, Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You can not be afraid of risk. And yet I know I could make myself rich, if I took the plunge and bought another house to rent. Maybe I will do it to make money for the future. I can always buy something in Florida with the profits. But I admit I would be a lot more comfortable if my husband had a steady job to help out if we got into trouble. On the one hand, I'm afraid and on the other hand I believe in this town and am certain that this is a rare opportunity in the real estate market.

Tip Well for Real Service

I like having money but I also like to tip well. Tipping is paticularly important when someone performs a real service. My mother bought a foreclosed house last year that seemed to have gas hook ups in the basement. But when we called the service provider, they started giving us the run around. There was no gas. The house never had gas. It's going to cost you $5000. Luckily my husband is a real guy's guy and he saw someone from the gas company working at a house down the street. He talked to the guy and within a week, the gas company was knocking on our door to hook up the gas. I don't give bribes, but if someone does me a solid, I see no reason why I can't buy him lunch. That is the way things get done in this world. Money talks. I've been in the hospital and seen certain patients get exceptional care. The family is giving tips. I know this. There is no point in bemoaning reality. I just know that when the time comes I want to have the money to tip well. Tipping is becoming more and more necessary since employers don't pay a living wage. Ever wonder why getting service in a store is impossible. Employers are hiring less, much less. One person is doing the job of three. A kind word and a smile will go a long way to geting better service. My husband always gets great service. He reads the workers name plate and chats them up. Its takes so little. People just want to be appreciated. In return he gets all the best discounts when shpping.

The Law of Attraction and Stuff

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne was a great book for explaining to me why I have so much with so little. Although I never made a lot of money I still got everything I ever wanted. I would send out an order to the universe. I need sheets. As soon as I did that, every yard sale I went to had sheets for sale. I had more sheets than I could use in no time. I do the same thing with earrings, brooches and beads. Whenever I ask the universe for stuff, stuff magically appears in my life. People think I'm crazy until they ask me for something and I bring to them within a matter of days. My husband does this all the time with stuff for his mother. He tells her that he is the messenger of the universe. Whether she needs a toaster, a kettle or whatever, suddenly they start appearing everywhere. Although, you have to be generous and give away freely for more to come. With a clenched fist no money can flow in or out.
I practiced this once with cashmere sweaters, my favorite. I asked for them and they started to come. I find that once you have two of what you want more and more just seem to appear. It's like they all want to be together. The secret does work. I don't know how or why and I don't care.

Dress for Less

People don't want to believe I'm cheap. It bothers them when I say it. But I'm cheap and I'm okay with it. My best trick is the $10 outfit. Yes, I can dress for ten dollars. In the summer I like to wear dresses. The good thing about a dress is that once you put it on you're dressed. I scour yard sales and church sales for inexpensive dresses. I used to buy dresses in the mall stores. Whenever I bought there I was sure to have a strict $20 budget. I never paid more than that for a dress. Strange as it seems, if that's what you want to pay, that's what you'll find.
In the winter I wear slacks. I wear slacks with long johns underneath. I really wear a uniform. It's a lot like wearing a men's suit. I wear black slacks, a black top and the I add color with a sweater or a jacket or a scarf and jewelry. The basic outfit costs me pennies. I get sweaters and jackets cheaply also at tag sales. After all these years, I have a very deep waredrobe and really don't feel the need to buy much anymore. My shopping is restricted to the occasional really, really great thing. Be sure to pick a base color that suits your coloring. I never wear beige because it makes me look washed out. But for some people it works. The sheath as I like to call it is my uniform and takes a lot of the drama out of dressing. You always know what you're going to wear. It's just a matter of adding a little flair. I leave my pins on my jackets.

CHEAP DATES

Most towns sponsor free cultural events at libraries, public parks and other venues. You just have to find your local community outlet for free fun. When I first met my husband we didn't have much money, but we made it our business to find fun things to do together for free. We went to dozens of concerts and other performances and we also made our own fun by joining a choral society. We paid some money in dues, music and ticket sales. But for less than ten dollars a week we had an appointment with music, one evening a week. Then on one Sunday in the fall and the spring we gave a concert and got together for a party with fellow choristers. Singing in a good choral group is hard work but very rewarding with peak experiences that only a great masterpiece can give.
I search out peak experiences. Museums are very good for that too. Even though some places have steep admission prices, most if not all have half price and pay what you wish days. Even at full price these places are a deal because you can spend the whole day there, moving from painting to painting. Not everyone likes looking at art, but if you think about it from a long term view as a learning experience, it can pay big dividends over time. Let the museum train your eye. The more you look at great things, the easier it becomes to recognize great stuff in unexpected places, like thrift shops and yard sales. Become a member and in fewer than ten visits the membership pays for itself. After that it's free to get in. Make it a Christmas gift for yourself and your family. I also like going to historic houses and seeing how people lived and decorated. I often get great ideas on how to use space, particularly small spaces. I look at old houses, decorating magazines and those decorating shows on TV to make the best use of my spaces with color and furniture placement.
Once your space is beautiful and comfortable, USE IT. I get movies from the library and have a movie day. My husband and I lie around eating and watching movies. It can be very restful and reinvigorating.

Get a roommate

Thngs were always tough in my house when I was growing up. We always had someone living with us. That was just the way it was. We had three bedrooms and only needed two so the extra room was rented out to someone who worked all day. That person might come home at night, eat dinner and then go straight to bed. I hardly ever saw the person except on the weekends. The extra money helped pay the rent and everyone was happy. If I ever have the situation of an extra room and need some extra money. I won't hesitate to find myself a good roommate. I haven't needed to do this since I first got out of school. Back then I had an apartment with a secure door between living spaces. There were two back bedrooms which I rented out and I kept my space for me. The kitchen and the bathroom was in the middle and it worked out just fine. Most of the time everyone was out anyway. I kept the common areas clean but that was it. Lately I have tried to live in smaller spaces that I am sure I can afford. But if I ever need to live with someone, I know I can. There are a lot of hard working people out there that need a nice place to sleep. We would both benefit by curbing expenses.