Sometimes You Have to Spend Money

I spent today like I actually have money. They were smart/necessary decisions, but it is still weird to spend money.

I bought a Sony Bloggie on craigslist. The Bloggie is an HD video camera/digital camera. It will allow me to 1) actually show my face on my blog, and 2) send a video message to the two family events I really want to be at, but can't because they are too far away. The $50 steal I got on the Bloggie is a quarter of the gas, food, and living expense I would have for one of the trips. I'd rather be there and give my mom and dad a hug, but at least I can let them know how much I love them.

We also bought a mattress. Our apartment had come with a murphy bed that had a brand new mattress, so we took advantage of what was here. The springs started to really become, um, apparent, when we sat on the bed, so we decided it was time to get a new bed. Then time dragged on, we ended up on an air mattress and it was REALLY time to get a new bed.

I purchased a platform bed frame on craigslist for $75, delivered. Today we went to Ikea and bought a queen-sized memory foam mattress for $229. It is possible that we could have gotten a slightly better deal elsewhere, but we had a couple specific needs that were easily met with these two purchases.

Luckily, these purchases will very quickly make up their value in improved sleep, and family connection.

Since embracing frugality I don't like to spend money, but sometimes, you just have to.

Successful Bartering

Today I have been downloading "apps" I think my husband would like for his new ipod touch. I should say it's "new to him." I've very much wanted to do something like this for a while, but there was no way we could afford an ipod anything while we're trying to pay down debt.

What we did have were two older Sidekick Slides sitting in a drawer. I was scanning the barter ads on craigslist and found a request for a Sidekick, willing to trade an ipod touch 8gb. We traded both our Sidekicks for the ipod.

It would be easy to argue that we didn't make a dollar for dollar trade, so it wasn't wise, but I completely disagree. We had two items of zero value to us, that we could trade for an item of value, and vice-versa.

Successful bartering is about exchanging something you have for something you want/need. One of the most well-known stories was last month's article about the young man who bartered a cell phone into an eventual Porsche. I don't think I'm quite that industrious, but I do search the local Craigslist for suitable bartering options, both for personal items and business services.

Rule #1: I don't barter something I don't really want to give away. If the thought of selling, bartering, or giving away an item makes me feel hesitant or sad, I won't barter it. It's not worth the "oops" feelings.

Rule #2: I don't barter for anything I don't really want. I think it's great that the kid bartered his way to the Porsche that he wanted, but what if he was stuck along the way with the classic Bronco or the MacBook Pro? I don't think he would've been heartbroken.

Rule #3: Always ask. I saw a bartering ad where a man was offering roof repair/replacement labor in trade for massage therapy services. Don't ever think that something is too big or too small to barter for; you'll miss out on some great surprises.

"Do Not Go Gently"

Things have been very stressful in the tightwad house. Between health, my folks foreclosure/bankruptcy and work, all I wanted to do was shove my head under the blankets. That's exactly what I did.

The universe is not an easy place, but sometimes I think it's harder because I'm always fighting windmills. My refusal to go "gently into the night" can play greater havoc on myself than anything the world can throw at me. However, I'm starting to find moments of joy in the chaos, starting to see the reason I keep pushing against the odds.

When I realized that despite the stress we've been under, our food costs did not go up, and our savings did, I was pretty ecstatic. Previously, when we ran out of time or energy, the first thing we ran to was our local fast food joint. I recognized this was happening, and made a special trip to the grocery store to get convenience foods. (I've found in the long run it is far cheaper to stock up on sale price convenience foods for the inevitable, than to end up at fast food restaurants.)

All that I've observed tells me that the stress around me isn't changing me, and I just may be emerging a better person for it all.

A better person in a far messier house than I would like. I guess it's back into the breach!