Minding My Pennies In Retirement

 

With rising costs it seems to me that the pennies matter more now than ever.  Because of this I find myself spending less and less and doing without more and more.  One might think this a bad thing, but truthfully I am discovering I really don’t need very much to live a simple and content life.

 

Before I purchase anything I search my home first to see if I already have what I need or if I can find something else that will work just as well.  If I still feel the need to buy something I will wait for at least 24 hours to make sure it is something I truly want and want to spend my money on.  If I decide to go ahead with that purchase I will then search for the best quality at the lowest price available.  I will often purchase products from stores where I can use a gift card to shave more off of the price whenever possible as long their quality and pricing is in line with being a good value.

 

Going without items isn’t the worst thing in the world, especially at this stage of my life as I’m trying to move things out of my home rather than bring things into it.  Instead of acquiring more things I find myself in more of a use and replace mode.  I’m using up what I already have on hand and then deciding if it is even something I need to replace.  Quite often I’m finding that I’d rather not purchase a replacement of most of the things I’ve used.

 

Last year I purged clothing on two separate occasions to make my wardrobe much more practical and manageable.  Several months ago I had three pair of socks that were worn thin so I purchased three pair to replace them.  I could’ve purchased more socks than that, but I just didn’t need any more at that particular time.  Right now I’m trying to maintain my current wardrobe inventory without expanding it.  When I do buy clothing items I only purchase items on sale or on clearance.  I will even ask for something as a gift for my birthday or a holiday if that is appropriate.

 

To extend the life of my clothes I hang dry a lot of my stuff on laundry day.  I am also really good about mending holes or worn spots right way as well as replacing buttons or snaps before they get to the point of no return.  I can repair snags and runs in knitted items too.  I’ve done mending or hemming for several of my friends in exchange for a lunch out or a favor in return although I’m always quite happy to mend items with no expectation of anything owed.

 

Simplifying my meals and meal plans has helped me to save a ton of money so far this year.  I’m also focusing on using items I already have on hand before I purchase any new items, which has helped me to keep my food waste at pretty much nil.  The upside has been that I’ve become much more creative and resourceful when it comes to my meal planning which has been a lot of fun.  I also find I’m cooking less often, have less work and clean up to do and I am saving a lot of time and energy.  Win-Win-Win!

 

As I’ve shared previously I’m riding the city bus more and more, even to run errands and do my grocery shopping.  It has been very nice not to feel the effects of the rising gas prices at the pumps lately.  In the process I’ve been getting much more exercise on a daily basis.  I’m sleeping better, gaining some lost strength and endurance back and meeting some wonderful people along the way.  I’ve even inspired some of my co-workers get on board and ride the bus or use their bicycles.  Additionally, I had signed up with Share The Ride Idaho and recently I signed up for a couple of challenges to complete in the month of May.  They are giving away gift cards upon completion.  Yay!

 

To “earn” extra money for the things I purchase I will download digital coupon offers from the stores I patronize.  I pay for pretty much all of my purchases throughout the month with my credit card and then pay it off in full before I accrue any interest.  I earn rewards points on that card that I can redeem for gift cards to stores and restaurants.  I’ve done surveys for gift cards and I participate in Fetch rewards which gives you points each time I upload one of my receipts.  It will take me a while to earn enough reward points to redeem for a gift card because I don’t shop very much these days, but every little bit helps.

 

At the time of each purchase it may or may not seem like I’m saving all that much, however over time it really does add up to quite a bit.  Is my quality of life compromised?  Not at all!  If anything I feel like my quality of life has dramatically improved this year.  I feel supercharged and exceedingly happy pretty much all of the time.  Kind of funny, huh?