we don’t backpack

I came across this post on 50 ways to save money, cut back in every day life and save $1000 a year. $1000 isn’t much and sometimes the trade-offs aren’t worth it (make my own laundry detergent? no thanks) but it’s good to keep in mind some “basic” ways we ratchet up our spending without even noticing.

a few months ago, ryan and i decided to live on my income and use his income for mortgage debt pay-down, savings, and investments like current and future real estate properties, our start-up companies, and a few other things. since then, we’ve been looking for ways to reasonably cut back. i say “reasonably” because sure, i could make my own detergent, wash clothes by hand, grow my own vegetables, and cook everyday but we also want to strike a balance between cutting back, enjoying life, and making the most of our time. for example, if ryan or i could charge X for an hour of client work and it takes us an hour to cook dinner and we only save $5 in the process, technically we’ve actually lost money. obviously, this is somewhat of a fallacy, since we won’t be working 24/7 (although it feels like that sometimes …) but the principle stands, and this is often our deciding factor between what money-saving practices are worth it (using the landromat instead of the fluff and fold - a decision that did NOT make me happy!) and which ones are not (clipping coupons - gag).

so back to the list. many of the items on the list we’re already doing - which is good, but i’ll admit i was hoping for a few genius tips i hadn’t thought of. we way cut back on takeout and “going out.” we don’t have a car. we live in a small apartment. we don’t have much - if any - credit card debt b/c we never use the thing (i’ve never even HAD a personal credit card). we eat very little meat. we don’t have a TV or any game consoles and therefore no cable and no temptation to buy games or DVDs.

there are a few things on the list that, of course, i just won’t do to save a buck. i won’t give up my gym membership - i can’t get the same benefits from just going for a walk or a jog a few times a week. plus our membership is like $15/month. obviously we have puppies which are a big drain, but having pet health insurance has helped a GREAT deal. i won’t turn down a night out with friends - but i can only order one drink, or just get by with a salad to save a few bucks.

and here’s a big one: i won’t move. in terms of where we are and what we get, our apartment is a relatively “good deal” though still obscenely expensive compared to middle america, or even somewhere else in california. but i just won’t give up city life - nor do i ever plan it. at some point i’d love to live in new york and/or hong kong but those are also some of the world’s most expensive cities and so we’ve made our decision as to where and why we’re spending the most money.

so out of the list of 50 there weren’t really that many new tips i could implement. are we already maxed out on our “reasonable” cut-backs? is it possible to be “maxed-out” in this area? is saving that extra $1000/year really worth it when looking at the sacrifices you may have to make to get there? i guess these are questions everyone has to answer for themselves - and be happy with the outcome no matter what it might be!

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