Simple finances

To survive in today's society we need to be able to utilize our money. Now although it seems like there is never enough, there are ways to make the whole song and dance much easier and still FREE!  (Because I'm minimal AND cheap!)

When I was young everything revolved around the bank. This magical place of business that acts like a giant piggy bank. It didn't make much sense to me back then to give them my money when I could just hide it in my room. It was simple. It was easy. 

Now-a-days we all have debit cards, credit cards, lines of credit, TFSAs, RRSPs, and more. Each of these is an institution with different online passwords and logins, statements and due dates. There is quite a bit to keep track of and many times it becomes overwhelming... But I think I have developed a system to help this. 

1) get a "Mint" account and put the app on your phone. This app ties all of your accounts into a one-stop-shop for simple viewing, budgeting, and spending overview. LIFESAVER!

2) Sign up with a bank you trust with a fee structure you are comfortable with. I use ING since they are always free, give me more than 4 accounts and are completely online (this means great Internet and phone service).  Many people are scared to go to an online bank, but I do all my banking from home anyway!! And they do have a number of ATM's all over the city. 

3) Auto transfer everything!!  When I get paid, my rent, vehicle funds, savings, debt, etc all get auto transferred out of my chequing account and into my various other accounts. They act as "folders where I stash my funds based on what want (vehicle, rainy day, TFSA, house, etc). If it is automatic, there is no effort required. 

4) stop using your debit and credit card and switch to CASH!  At the start of the month I go to an ATM and pull out my monthly budget for groceries and entertainment and put them into two separate envelopes. This does two things:

- helps you stick to our budget. Once the money is gone, it's gone!

- makes you plan. If I don't have my grocery money envelope with me, I don't shop. (This also ensures I come with a list!)  if your friends want you to go out AGAIN for dinner and drinks, you can easily say you have no money and they should let you know ahead of time. Keeps those spontaneous money wounds to a minimum. 

5) pay your bills online. We all have big purchases, utilities and taxes. All of which can be paid with the click of a mouse. With password programs like "lastpass" you don't even have to remember your login information. 

This is a simple automatic system. Once you write down your budget, collect your accounts within your programs, and setup your auto transfers based on your cash flow needs, you just drop into a cash machine once a month and pull out the same amount. Simple, mindless, and minimal. All accessible on your phone. Just my style :). 

How do you simplify your financial life?

New resources

I have found an amazing site about a couple guys and their minimalist journey (URL below). 
I can't stop reading their 21 day journey and transformation and feel motivated and empowered. Check them out. They take things a little further than I am comfortable with right now, but it just goes to show you that minimalism is different for everyone. They did say "don't start a minimalist blog" ... Uh oh!! Guess I will have to ignore that part.

Where do you look for minimalism resources or motivation to change?

http://www.theminimalists.com/ 

Bumps along the way

Last weekend I moved, and at first I thought it was going to be the jumping off point I really needed to keep moving forward with my minimalism. Dreams of success, and images of me transforming into a minimalist filled my head and I thought I was going to be an overnight phenomenon. Boy was I wrong!

Everything started off great. I was sorting through things weeks in advance,throwing stuff away, giving others things to friends and family and donating others. It was a serious load off my chest. So far so good. But as the moving date approached, I was getting more and more stressed. Not only did I have to go through everything and see what would fit into my minimalist life, but I then had to pack and store it. Before I knew it I had a mountain of boxes and no room left to sort!! The clutter was like a 50 lb weight on my chest and I couldn't breathe. But I couldn't purge because I had no room to sort!! I felt helpless.

So what did I do? I decided to just move it all (we had plenty of room in the trailer and the house) and then I would sort it before I put it away. This had been working good so far. I have given my room mate things I don't need, thrown lots out, and given more away. I have made a huge pile of things that must be reviewed before I can get rid of the clutter, and if I don't go through it soon I will just throw it out.

Minimalism isn't a goal or a task we can check off a list. It is rather a paradigm shift we employ so we can focus on what makes us happy, and eliminate the emotional clutter, physical distractions, and just general waste in out lives. Like any other process there will be set backs and failures. When these occur, we must refocus and remember why we are on this journey, look at the progress so far, and celebrate our wins today to motivate ourselves going forward.

This move may have shown me some of my setbacks within my journey so far, but if I can stay on track, I won't have much to move next time. :)

What do you guys do to make your sorting/purging a breeze?

The War on Clothes: Part 1 - Sock Bankruptcy

Socks... We all wear them. Each and every week we must wash, pair and replace these simple piece of clothing within our closets. Throughout the years I have accumulated different brands different cuts and different colours. All are used for different events and are kept for different reasons. Different, different, different. I am tired of trying to match and pair all of these socks, let alone choose which ones to wear in the morning.

The solution is quite simple; declare sock bankruptcy! I have decided to throw out all of my socks and start over. But I think you have to restructure the system or else it is just a matter of time before you are bankrupt again... Maybe even from having to throw away and buy new socks too often.

I can solve everything with two types: black tube socks and white ankle socks. Black tube socks for work, the office, social events and pretty much everything you might wear pants too. White ankle socks for anything athletic or wearing shorts. It's simple! You pair white with white, black with black, and the choice of which to wear is made for you. The next trick is to go out and buy a style and brand that does not change very often and will not be going anywhere anytime soon. Of course you also need enough to get you to your next laundry day, but some extra for those lazy weeks. Don't forget that one or two special dress pair to go with my suits.

One less decision everyday, sock shopping is just simply replacing worn stock, and laundry is almost on autopilot. Life just got a little more simple. Sock bankruptcy could be your next waypoint on your map to minimalism. How do you currently deal with your sock accounts?

The Rat Race: Stacking the Odds in Your Favour

We live in a consumerist environment. From a young age we are blasted with advertisements to buy more toys, drink the latest soda, and watch the most popular figure on TV. As we get older, this advertising doesn't go away, but rather it changes into new cars, new home renovations, and new vacations. Sure enough, time after time, we convince ourselves that this next purchase is going to be the one that make us happy and turns everything around. Before we know it, that new thing pops up, and we need it.

But what causes this circle? This perpetual buy and earn, buy and earn? Could it be the need to fit in with our friends? Not get left behind from our coworkers or neighbours? Or just to have that white picket life we were led to believe we will have when we grow up?

Imagine this cycle if all of a sudden we stopped consuming all the goods that aren't necessary. We would have more money to do the things we like. This means we would have to work less, meaning more time to do the things we like. By buying less, we already have the time and money to do what we want. Now what if we take this one step further. With less things, we could live in a smaller apartment and save even more. One day we can even downsize to one, or even no vehicle. Imagine what your cost of living would be in that scenario!

Now I'm not saying that selling your car and everything you own is going to make your life feel complete overnight, or get rid of that need to go buy something when that emptiness or anxiousness sets in. But maybe just moving in this direction one step at a time will make you a little happier one step at a time. And face it, if it doesn't, it will only help you save for that retirement so you can live the retired life a little bit sooner. So give it a go. See if you can cut down on those unnecessary purchases and keep more cash in your pocket. Let me know about your successes and attempts. Maybe there are areas I can save and simplify that I have overlooked.

It's Not Personal

I am having a wonderful morning.  The sun is shining, the weather is mild, I am driving to work and my favourite song comes on the radio.  Everything is going right when all of a sudden another motorist cuts me off, forgets to signal, or I hit heavy traffic.  I get upset, and all the good is overshadowed by the last event as if it is a personal attack at me. At me! Of all people...ME!

Today, we continually post on social media about ourselves, go on adventures just so we can boast about it at work, and try to "one up" our neighbours. We are continually thinking about ourselves and how everything around us either benefits us or detracts from our day.

But to simplify our lives, we must also simplify our thoughts.  What if we viewed that heavy traffic or inconsiderate motorists as just an event and not a personal attack? Like a leaf falling from the tree, or the clouds blowing through the sky.  All of these events, just like a large line at the grocery store, have nothing to do with us.  They just are. The sooner we realize this, the sooner we can let these emotions go, conserve the energy from getting upset and use it to enjoy the things we like, make important decisions, and pay attention to the ones we love.  So just remember, it's not personal...

Point of Origin

My first post in a blog about minimalism, amongst thousands of other minimalism blog claiming to change your life.  But how is minimalism going to change my life? How would it change yours? Why should I even consider buying into a lifestyle associated with monks, hippies and hipsters?

To see if minimalism will even make an impact, I must first define it.  When I first heard this buzzword, I thought the definition meant I should give away all my possessions and all of a sudden all of my problems would radically go away.  This is ridiculous, and I thought "How could any one benefit from this?".  So my definition began to change.  I started researching what minimalism meant to others and the lifestyles they live when I had my epiphany; maybe minimalism is just a fancy word for simplifying your life?

I have a schedule that never seems to have enough time to do the thinks I LIKE, see the people I LOVE, or live the life I WANT because I am weighed down by obligations that are unimportant.  I am crowded by possessions that drain me of time, energy, and my hard earned income.  I am bombarded by social media and information from people that are interested in no one but themselves.  I am unhappy and afraid.  Unhappy with the lifestyle I am living, and afraid that one day I will realize I was too busy living a lifestyle that is not my own, but rather a lifestyle that is what society suggests I should live.  "Buy this stuff", "Go do these things" and then "post about those things on Facebook".

My journey to minimalism, to a simple life starts here. Where it will take me? who knows.  Will I ever make it to my destination? time will tell. But I do know, I feel a weight lifted off my chest already.  Maybe this ever evolving map will help you too.