Dancing My Way Free

Seeing as this is my tenth post, I thought it might be helpful to quickly review the nine core, actionable takeaways discussed thus far.

1. Change your default setting from “spend” to “not spend.” Shelling out your hard-earned dough becomes the exception as opposed to the rule.

2. Implement a three-day spending freeze to “clear your system.”

3. Determine what’s enough for you. Have you already crossed the I-have-enough-stuff threshold?

4. Remember that no one actually cares about what car you drive or the size of your house.

5. Talk with others about your saving “wins” and let your frugal flag fly.

6. Freeze your standard of living.

7. Identify your values and what is truly important to you in this world. Odds are it’s not owning a Land Rover.

8. Review an entire year’s worth of bank statements and look for ways to slash spending.

9. Realize that spending less can improve your health, help the environment, and untether you a bit from the system.

Drum roll, please, for number 10:

Get a little pissy.

I’m not talking Brit pissy (i.e., drunk). I’m talking good-old-fashioned American pissy, the type defined by righteous anger and throwing-shit-into-Boston-Harbor defiance.

Inflation-adjusted wages have been essentially stagnant since the seventies, even though worker productivity has soared. Americans work longer hours and take less vacation time than the citizens of other affluent countries. Pensions have all but disappeared, and 401K matches are going by the wayside. Companies are scaling back every conceivable employee benefit as CEO pay balloons. We’ve been hammered by automation, globalization, and technology (the Internet has completely blurred the line between work and personal time). The cost of living has soared: housing, education, childcare, healthcare. You name it, it’s up.

These are the facts on the ground. Doesn’t that piss you off? It pisses me off! We should probably all be outside with pitchforks.

In lieu of that, I simply refuse to spend a penny more than I have to. I refuse to line a broken system’s pockets. REFUSE!

I’ll keep what’s mine, thank you very much. Keep what’s mine to become less beholden to the machine. To dance my way free, one step at a time.

What say you?

#FrugalTip: Fans are your best friend. Lean on them heavily and ditch the AC. Just watch your electricity bill plummet.