I Deserve It

We have become an "I deserve it" generation. Whether we know it or not, in the last 70 years we have lost the concept of living within our means and instead have become slaves of debt. The norm for my generation includes a mortgage, student loans, car payment and a minimum of one or two credit cards. Buying something when you have the money for it is a thing of the past. The average household owes well over $15k and that doesn't include home mortgages. Before there were loans and credit cards people actually saved up for their homes, bought their cars with cash and didn't have EVERYTHING they wanted (new iPhone, latest Nike's etc.), but they still survived.  Ask yourself this; is it that the cost of everything is so high that we need a loan to afford the things that we need/want or is it that we feel that we are entitled to have the things we can't afford? 

Debt has become a norm in America, ask the US government.  It is a very hard culture to crack and I only see it getting worse unless everyone starts taking personal responsibility and living out of the norm.  I passed a billboard the other day that said "Get Engaged...for only $129 a month".  Really? It was an advertisement for engagement rings.  What a way to start a marriage.  The "I deserve it" equals "over-extended", its no wonder that America has such high cases of anxiety, depression, divorce etc, etc.  Stop and think about it, where would you be if you never took out a loan (yes a mortgage, car and student loans count) or never signed up for a credit card.  What wouldn't you have and would you be able to survive? For most of us that is a hard question because we can't remember back that far. Try this one, how much money have you paid in interest on these loans in the past five years and what better things could you have done with that money? 

Dave Ramsey of Financial Peace has some great advise on how to obtain a debt free lifestyle. As Craig Groeschel from LifeChurch puts it "say no for a little, so you can say yes forever".  It is truly a freeing experience when you are not a "slave to the lender".   

Scrappin' for Cash

Not only have I found ways to SAVE money by challenging the norm, I also (with the help of my husband) found ways to MAKE money. By recycling old appliances and scrap metal you can get paid. Yet another win-win.

For past few years we have been salvaging any aluminum, nickel, copper and brass that would have typically ended up in the trash and instead turned it into cash. We collect the metals and drop them off at the scrap yard.  By taking these metals to the scrap yard we are recycling and making money. Anyone can do it and it is an easy process. We have never left the yard with less than $300. Just look up your local metal scrap yard for details. It does help to pre-sort the metals to get the best value. For more information visit the site Scrap Metal Junkie .

Recently, we also learned that you can make money off of recycling old refrigerators and air conditioning units too! Every electric company has their own rules, but ours allows us to turn in two refrigerators and two air conditioning units units per year. They even send someone to pick them up for you free of charge. All that you have to do is schedule a pick up on their website. Six weeks after they pick up your appliances a check arrives in the mail. We were able to get $75 for each fridge and $25 for each a.c. unit. Easy money! It is exciting too, where else can you drop off a boat load of trash and leave with a wad of cash?

No Cable, No Problem

After saving money by switching to cloth diapers and canceling my trash service, I started to think of how else one can save money by questioning the American norm. Many things came to mind, but for starters I thought I would share something my husband and I changed not long before I started this challenge. The norm for us was cable tv.

We spent $80 a month on cable tv. We typically watched the news and a few shows. We also had +Netflix for an additional $7.99 a month. As much as I would like to get rid of our TV all together, my husband and I agreed to just get rid of our cable to keep the peace in the house.

We canceled cable, kept +Netflix and added +Hulu Plus for another $7.99 a month. At the time I was just out to save money, but it turned out to be a smarter decision. We will save over $800 a year, plus have access to more shows on our own time. The shows on +Hulu Plus are endless and updated daily. We also purchased an +Apple TV to make life easier. With the +Apple TV the movies available on +Netflix  are always updated. We both added an app to our phones to stay up to date with the news, but I believe you can also access news and sports on the +Apple TV as well.

Many Americans struggle to make ends meet, but cable still seems to be a staple. Consider changing your norm, there is a less expensive way that will give you the same if not more options. We did it and my family of four couldn't be happier. There is even a large variety of educational baby shows for Luna and many shows for my teenage step-daughter, Summer.

Go Green, Save Green

What is the point of trash pick up service if you don't have any trash? I pay $26 a month for a trash truck to take my waste out of site out of mind so I can maintain a clear conscience. After the past few weeks of learning to reduce waste by recycling and composting, I found that there really isn't anything left to throw away. So again, not only am I reducing my ecological footprint, but I'm going to save $312 a year in trash pick up by canceling my service (not to mention the cost saved in purchasing trash bags). Try it, you will be surprised.