Live below your means financially but live above your means with free joy.  Rather than going to the movies, take a Picnic in the park, bike ride, playing a board game or doing puzzle, or sitting in front of bonfire.  Stop trying to buy happiness in new clothing, shoes or other possessions.  Happiness in an inside job.

Change your housing situation by taking it from liability to an asset.  If you own your own home, start renting out your spare bedroom, garage or basement. on your area, you can get $500 a month for a bedroom. Take that money and through it directly at debt, never co-mingle the money with your regular household things.

Rent your garage for $100 a month to a friend who is storing a boat or camper at a public storage place or let a friend rent your basement to set up a gym or for storage.

If you rent, move into a larger space with other people, especially if you are a struggling single parent.  How great would it be have another set hands to help with cooking, childcare and carpooling?

Learn to barter-Get What You Want for Free:  Offer to detail the car of your hairdresser or offer to clean or babysit in exchange for dentistry.   You will be amazed what happens when you ask.

Figure out how to get things you want for free or second hand. I love Craigslist and ebay for this kind of thing.  Go to the library to read a magazine rather buying it.

 And a fourth little quick one, sell your gold jewelry you longer love or want.  Gold and silver is at an all time high right now. I got shocked when I got $800 for a little baggies of jewelry I didn’t want anymore.

Why does debt weigh us down so much and how does it happen?

Because we enjoyed the pleasure before had the money.  The pleasure is long gone or as in a movie, clothing or vacation, but we still owe for it.  It happens because we are living above our means.  Either our financial situation changed and we didn’t adjust our spending or we are getting temporary happiness in stuff rather than finding JOY in “free entertainment, learning, helping others or our relationships.  Happiness is not found in  a new pair of shoes.

And lets not forget how powerful American Marketing can be and how much self discipline it takes to decide for yourself what you NEED and what is an EXTRA.

So I sold my car, rented my house and liquidated most possessions and hit the road.

Yes I was a little extreme but actually went from spending about $6000 a months on total bills- mortgages, property tax, homeowners, car , memberships, lawn guy, cleaning lady, cable, electric, gas, all the insurances, etc. to $1000. We don’t realize how much it costs us to maintain a home.  It is only an asset if you make money on it when you sell, but in today’s world, it is a liability.  Yes, you must live somewhere, but why not in someone else’s home or where you really want to be and with flexibility to move when you choose?

It is cheaper for me to travel full time than to live in my house and manage my stuff. I’m not staying in hotels or moving everyday.  By not maintaining a tradition home, I live on far less money.

AND, too much stuff weighs us down.  Think of a computer scanning files looking for a specific document.  That’s what your brain has too when it looks at all your things.  Physical Clutter creates Mental Clutter.  Thing Zen- lean and clean: no piles!

So here are tips

1. Use up everything you have on hand- pantry, freezer, bathroom, garage, attic, basement and bar.  Buy nothing but perishables for a few months.  Things expire, so check the dates.

2. Go through you home and act as though you are moving.  Sell or donate anything you wouldn’t pay to move.  Don’t wait to long or no one will want outdated things.  Turn stuff into cash.  Don’t save things for other people, they have there own clutter and style.  If you are caretaker of “family heirlooms, take pictures of it and send out an email telling everyone to come get or don’t be a “Johnny come to Late.”

3. Closet- A. go in right now and pull out 20 things you can donate or sell. B. turn all the hangers backward on the rack and when you wear something, place the hanger back normally.In a month or so, you can easily see what you don’t wear.  C. take your top 10 “go-to shoes “ and put them in another closet and for 1 month, wear other shoes you have but don’t normally wear.  If you don’t love them, donate them.

Because it brings such incredible freedom.  It wasn’t until I removed myself from the craziness of chasing money and stuff, that I saw how truly different life could be. Busyness is a trick of the ego to make you feel important and active when in fact it keeps you running in a circle rather than moving forward and  spending time doing what you really love.

When you are active, you are busy checking things off the to-do, but you are not really productive in moving forward with life’s major goals or purpose.  When we are soooo busy completing tasks, the day goes by and Where is the JOY ?  When you fall into bed at night, you may have gotten lots of thing done but was it fun?

Try scheduling JOY time into your day and /or downtime.  For 1 hour I am going to sit and read and savor a cup of coffee or at night, rather than watch TV, I am going to take a bubble bath complete with candles and music I love.