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Archive for the ‘The Art of...’ Category

   Today I’d like to talk about the art of living without. Some may think this is self denial, I disagree. Living without is simple taking a hard look at what you truly need and what is really just a want. Some wants are valid but can be postponed until a) you are sitting better financially or b) you have saved for it so you can pay with cash.

There are so many things that we have come to realize that we can live without. Here are a few example:

• We went three plus years with only one vehicle. This was not always easy or convenient but we made it work. Sometimes we had to make adjustments and couldn’t always do things when we wanted to but we both agreed it was worth it. It made us make wise choices about the errands we made which saved us money on gas, as well as saving us on car insurance.
• We do not have cable or satellite. We do not feel that we are missing that much. There is quite a bit to watch and the more channels there are the more time we are tempted to spend in front of the TV instead of being productive and having family time. Side note- PBS has tons of great stuff as well.
• We have chosen to stay at the lowest high speed internet package. Though sometimes this can be a little frustrating the extra $25 a month adds up quickly to the bottom line.
• We do not have a dishwasher. Let me tell you there are days that I seriously wish I had one. Especially in the summer time when it is so hot we don’t have central air conditioning.
• Central Air conditioning. Don’t get me wrong, we are not completely suffering. We have a room a/c in the living room, our bedroom and in the office where the servers are (to keep them cool). We keep the doors open upstairs to cool Kiddo’s room which works fine. Only cooling the rooms that are really need cooling is a big savings. However, as I said before it gets very hot in the kitchen.
• 5 years into our marriage and we haven’t purchased any new furniture. Everything was either inherited or given to us when we got married. Some day we will purchase new furniture when we can pay cash for it but for now, it may not match but nothing is broken.

   This is not to say that we are perfect in the art of living without or think we are so great. My goal is to help you think outside the box. Some of these things are short term and some have become a lifestyle. Each family is different and has different goals and needs. Just try cutting out one thing. Soon you will find it wasn’t as important as you once thought and the extra room in the budget is quite nice. After that you’ll be looking for other thing to cut out or do without for a while. The art of living without I believe is worth perfecting.