reasons to do this... (as I have to keep reminding myself)
- cheaper rent
- all those windows are wasted space
- This booth will look much better
- change creates positive energy
- cheaper rent
- I need to downsize
- I need to send a bunch of carp to goodwill
- cheaper rent
Notice that I keep going on and on about cheaper rent... I'm sorry, but in this economy, that's a major motivator.
Now, my real job, being a courier driver, is also starting to cost too much... Have you seen the price of gas out there? Yikes! But, since I took this week off to move the booth... (I'm an independant contractor, so I can take off any time I want.... despite silly dispatcher attempts to say otherwise...) I also went ahead and dropped 400 dollars on a new AC system. That's right, a rebuilt compressor, a dryer, freon and compressor oil, all for 425. That's a deal, as all the other mechanics I talked to estimated over 1000 and then gave me a list of a hundred other things that needed done. Now, my AC went out in the middle of a highway in Ft Worth TX last August, when I'd barely had this job for a month and there's no way in hell I could afford to get anything fixed. Then, whenever I saved enough money to consider it, I had to get tires, or I had to get a new clutch, or whatever... But now I found a good, honest mechanic who works at a very reasonable rate... (I had him do some other stuff first, so I know he's good... )
Anyway, I go back tomorrow, and I finish the booth move, come hell or high water.
Other attempts to save money:
- I take my lunch to work... Fast food is too expensive and it's bad for me.
- I have started hanging my washed clothes on the line outside. During the summer months in Texas, they actually dry quicker out there than in the dryer!
- I don't buy bottled water. Water is free from the tap, and all those blasted plastic bottles are filling the land-fill... I take water to work by refilling plastic bottles I already have.
- I don't buy coffee every morning. I now make coffee at home and take it with me.
- I buy the jeans for work at goodwill. Or I used to... Goodwill is getting a little pricey. Sometime a pair of jeans will be 9 or 10 bucks. Now, one of the other chain charity shops has opened an outlet... Any clothing items that are in their stores for over 6 weeks are sent to this place and sold on Wendesday for 1.75 a piece, then thursday for 1.50, then on Friday for 1.25, Saturday 1.00, Sunday .75 and Monday .50 After that, it gets shipped off somewhere, and Tuesday, they are closed to restock. For jeans that are going to get ruined in every factory and warehouse in DFW, it works just fine.
- I shop at the asian stores... The ones local aren't pretty, and there's some strange stuff in the deli, but the veggies are about half price. Some of my friends get snippy that they aren't clean... but you know what? I'm going to wash it before I eat it anyway...
- I don't run a dishwasher that isn't full.
- I don't buy silly products to clean with. Yes, they're convienent. Yes, they kill all the evil germs that are lurking to attack us... but so does Comet that I can get at the dollar store, 2 cans for a buck. Off brand bleach works just as good as the expensive stuff too...
- I have condensed my storage space from two store rooms to one, and I also put moms stuff in my store room. Since I haven't used any of that stuff for years, I'll be selling it at the flea market, as soon as I can get it in there...
That's just a few of my petty economies...
I am sure that I could make a list of more. But I won't bother you...
Purpose of this post... to clear my head. I just needed to vent a little. Thanks for listening... I don't know why you'd bother though...
