Fasting, and then Slowing

My friend Graham asked me if I had ever shopped at a thrift store. I responded: "Sure! I go to Loehmans." That made him laugh--evidently Loehmans is not a thrift store. Oh well. This was the first of many lessons in my adventure of learning to live on about 1/5 of what I had made the year before. A combination of divorce, economy and one of those mortgages you read about had created a perfect storm, of sorts, for me financially.


Now, without house, car, almost all of my furniture and art, and thankfully about 50 pounds lighter, my life has changed considerably, and for the better. I look at things differently. I am thankful more often. I now understand what people meant when they encouraged me to "look at life's little moments and beauties." Before, I had no idea what that meant--I was too absorbed in the next business deal and what that could buy for me. Now, I am living life more slowly, enjoying good conversations, a slow and delicious cup of tea, and books from the library.



People ask me how I survived all of this. I have to admit, I cried a lot. It wasn't about money though. It was about the loss of what I call my "before friends." Now, I define what friends are much more carefully.



When I wasn't crying, I was laughing. The conundrum of how to interview (yep, unemployed too!) when I have nothing that fits my new size and my new budget was stressful, yet hilarious all at the same time. We have laughed until we have cried at pot lucks and game nights here at home. My girlfriends and I shriek with laughter as we compare notes of real thrift store finds. It is all an adventure, and a welcome one.



Cath's top 5 tips for financial fasting and surviving on a dime:



1. Use cash. There's nothing like handing over one $20 bill after the next to convince you to stop doing that.

2. Go to the library. It is one of our most underutilized tax benefits.

3. Sell things on Craig's list. I survived for almost a year from what I made from selling my...stuff. It is just stuff! How much do you really need?

4. Avoid restaurants, even with your cash. Eating at home is often healthier and you can even lose weight! For me, after my mortgage, this was my number one expense.

5. Make a game out of paying off your debt. For me, the moment I changed my attitude about my debt is the moment it began reducing in size.


Thanks to Cath Shaw for this guest blog.