The Good, the Bad, and the Thrifty
November is almost halfway over ... that's hard to swallow. Partly because it's seventy degrees outside (Yes, I know I should be depressed about this. But it's so lovely!), and partly because I thought I'd have more accomplished by now.
I'm realizing that, when January comes and the Cheap Women contest is over, I may or may not be eating Ramen Noodles (check out The Contract, located under WTF, if you don't know what I'm talking about), but I will certainly still have financial problems. I think some part of me thought I could figure out this financial thing in four months.
I was wrong about that. But I've still made some major positive changes. Such as:
Selling Cozies -- I've only sold two cozies (pictured ... aren't they cute!) so far. But Lucy's Coffee and Tea is now carrying them all the time (Stop by! Buy some coffee and a cozy!), and I also have them for sale at www.scarytrolldragon.etsy.com as of yesterday. If I can even sell a few every month, it'll be a nice source of extra income from something I enjoy doing.
Paying off Visa -- American Express is still looming like a three-headed dragon, but it's progress.
Throwing a Garage Sale/ Editing My Stuff -- The sale brought in some needed cash. Even better, my apartment feels more like home and less like the sorting room at Goodwill. So I can hang out here and read a book instead of heading to the Purple Onion ... or Starbucks ... or wherever ... to escape the clutter.
Saying "no" ... or at Least Not Saying "yes" -- It's still difficult for me to turn down dinner with friends or to resist buying a gift to cheer someone up. And when I do say "no," I sometimes do it imperfectly. But I'm learning.
I still have plenty of work for the next month and a half, like refinancing my American Express, selling stuff I didn't sell in the garage sale (i.e. my Smurf glasses, some records, my Sidekick and some vintage clothes), exploring more ways to make money (like stuffing envelopes), and budgeting for my post-Cheap Women life.
But I've cleared out a lot of junk, dealt with bad habits and faced the truth of how much I owe and how little I can afford. So, even if today were December 31, and even if had I spent more money than Elisa and I lost the contest, it's been worth it. Even if I have to eat Ramen for a week.
5 Comments:
so i don't really know if shipping them would be worth it because of the breakage risk, but we (sort of) collect those old smurf-esque glasses. we've got some muppets and snoopy ones and we LOVE them. so i call dibs on the smurf glasses...unless someone else comes along, of course. and i really want a cozy, maybe two!!
i have a bunch of smurf glasses, some carebears, the chipmunks, a couple peanuts and one muppet. (you know, my parents just moved, so i "rescued" all of them from the clutches of my mother, who has always hated them.) let me know which ones you're interested in. also let me know what cozy colors you like.
Hi -- I have this idea for a fun event on "Buy Nothing Day" (day after Thanksgiving). It's called "Spree-Cycle", and it's an item exchange, but includes the fun of 2 gameshows (1="pricers" competing to see who can assign the most reasonable value/price to each item, while the donator argues how much its worth. 2=people racing to get the item they want). I've got all the details worked out!!! There could be a tip jar where happy exchangers give you/us money for making it all possible and fun. Lets do it in a park on Southside. Call me at 478-8064 or studentLisa@hotmail.com if interested...and please be interested, cause I think it would be FUN to do, but I need people who are "connected" to all the right people like you seem to be to get the word out.
Hi -- I have this idea for a fun event on "Buy Nothing Day" (day after Thanksgiving). It's called "Spree-Cycle", and it's an item exchange, but includes the fun of 2 gameshows (1="pricers" competing to see who can assign the most reasonable value/price to each item, while the donator argues how much its worth. 2=people racing to get the item they want). I've got all the details worked out!!! There could be a tip jar where happy exchangers give you us money for making it all possible and fun. Lets do it in a park on Southside. Call me at 478-8064 or studentLisa@hotmail.com if interested...and please be interested, cause I think it would be FUN to do, but I need people who are "connected" like you seem to be to get the word out.
lisa -- i tried to email you, but the address failed. i think your idea sounds awesome (and very in keeping with the Cheap Women idea), but unfortunately we'll both be out of town for most of the holiday week. (i'm coming back around thanksgiving, but i have to work every day when i get back.) sorry we can't help more. but, if you're interested in possibly writing a guest blog, email me at cheapwomencarrie@gmail.com. thanks!
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