365 Ways to Live Cheap (23 page)
281. E
NCOURAGE
Y
OUR
P
ARTNER
’S F
RUGALITY
Make a regular effort to encourage your partner to spend less money on frivolous things and make smarter buying decisions. If your partner made a tight grocery list, went to the store, and cut your usual grocery store bill in half, compliment him on the good move. If your partner is trying to choose between different items, encourage her to choose the less expensive one. If you’re evaluating a new appliance together, look for energy-efficient and reliable models on sale and point these things out to your partner. Suggest activities together that don’t require money and be optimistic and positive when your partner does the same. Rely on each other for living cheap and you’ll both do much better.
282. S
HOW
Y
OUR
L
OVE
F
REQUENTLY
I
NSTEAD OF
S
OMETHING
B
IG
O
NCE IN A
W
HILE
Culture has taught us that big gifts on certain occasions are the way to go, but those gifts are often put up on a pedestal, far out of proportion as a symbol of love. Instead of focusing on a diamond ring or an absurdly expensive set of golf clubs, once every few years, look for smaller things that you can do more often to show your partner that you care. Don’t worry about the expensive diamond necklace. Just put a note on her pillow every once in a while, give her a kiss and an “I love you” when you see her for the first time in the evening, or stick a bar of her favorite chocolate in her purse to surprise her sometimes. Don’t focus on the amazing new gadget. Instead, make him his favorite sandwich and bring it to him when he doesn’t expect it, encourage him to spend an afternoon just twiddling around by himself out in the garage when he’s feeling restless, or surprise him with your passion at an unexpected moment. Those little things don’t cost much at all, take the pressure away from an over-the-top “big” gift that could push some financial buttons, and helps keep your marriage alive and happy, all in one swoop.
283. M
AKE
S
URE
T
HAT
Y
OU
’R
E
B
OTH ON THE
S
AME
P
AGE
W
HEN
I
T
C
OMES TO
C
HILDREN
A final tip about relationships:
Address the question of whether to have children openly and deeply, and only commit to having children if you’re both ready and committed to it. Children can be incredibly expensive and also incredibly demanding of your time, but the emotional and personal rewards of parenthood are many. Even knowing this, it’s not a tradeoff that some people want to make, and others may hide their reluctance in an effort to please their spouse. A child born into a situation where both parents aren’t committed to the child can create an uncomfortable situation for everyone, one that might lead to separation and divorce. Not only would this be financially and emotionally devastating to you, but it’s also wholly unfair to the child, who wasn’t involved with the choice at all. Carefully consider the child question, be open about it, and listen to what your partner has to say. It’s perhaps the biggest decision you’ll have to make—only make the leap when you’re both on the same page.
C
HEAP
T
ACTIC
$
FOR
S
OCIALIZING
284 Join a Community Organization
285 Attend Community Events and Actively Participate
286 Get Involved in Youth Activities
287 Join a Volunteer Organization
292 Host a Sporting Event Party
294 Build Friendships with Parents of Your Children’s Friends
295 When Making a Major Purchase, Tap Your Social Network
296 Offer to Trade Skills with Your Friends
297 Organize “Work Parties” Where People Gather to Help with a Task
298 Share Purchases of Equipment with Neighbors and Friends
299 Share Money-Saving Tips with Your Friends
301 Host an All-Day “Cook Ahead” Party
284. J
OIN A
C
OMMUNITY
O
RGANIZATION
Your best opportunity to meet up with a group of people who share your common interests is to join a community organization, such as Toastmasters, the Lion’s Club, and so forth. Stop by city hall and ask if you can find a list of active organizations in your community and request contact information for those groups to find out more. Try visiting the websites and attending the meetings (if allowed) of a few groups to find out about them, then look into becoming involved with any organizations that do click with you. Most organizations provide a great positive way to get involved with your community, meet new and interesting people, improve yourself, and do it all for a very low cost.
285. A
TTEND
C
OMMUNITY
E
VENTS AND
A
CTIVELY
P
ARTICIPATE
There are also many events held in communities every week that are open to the public where you can not only get involved in what’s going on in your community, but you can also meet many people who are interested in the community as well. Check the community calendar and find out what sorts of community events are going on in your area this week, then dip your toes into any that might be of interest to you, from local politics (city council and school board) to cultural festivals. Introduce yourself to people and don’t be afraid to ask questions. If an event doesn’t “click” with you, try something else until you find a community event that does.
286. G
ET
I
NVOLVED IN
Y
OUTH
A
CTIVITIES
Another approach for meeting new people in your community, particularly if you’re a parent, is getting involved in the organization of youth activities. Volunteer to coach a youth sport. Participate in the P
TA
. Volunteer to help out with youth camps or to be a group leader in a youth organization. You’ll not only get the opportunity to be involved in a productive effort that helps out young people, but you’ll also get the social opportunity to get to know many parents whose children are involved in such activities. If you have children of your own, it can also provide an opportunity to get to know many of the parents of your child’s peers, people you will naturally have common interests with.
287. J
OIN A
V
OLUNTEER
O
RGANIZATION
Another angle to take on the whole socialization-through-involvement tactic is to join a volunteer organization that works in your community or in neighboring ones. Get involved with your local soup kitchen or food pantry. Volunteer to participate regularly in any Habitat for Humanity projects in your area. Volunteer your time at the local animal shelter. Get involved in efforts to maintain gardens in local parks. Get involved in encouraging people to vote, or join a political campaign as a volunteer. There are volunteer efforts for almost any interest you might have, and every volunteer effort is a collection of people passionate about the same thing, meaning you immediately have something in common. It’s a way to meet new people, spend some time doing something personally compelling, and best of all, it’s free.
288. J
OIN A
B
OOK
C
LUB
Enjoy reading, but also value interacting with other people? Look around for community book clubs and join one. Start your search at the library. Most libraries have at least one book club, and many have several book clubs spread out over many different areas of interest. Many library book clubs have enough books (through interlibrary loans and so on) so that all members can check out the books, so there’s usually no cost involved—plus you can meet interesting people who are genuinely enthusiastic about reading and sharing their thoughts on books. Book clubs are an incredible social opportunity for avid readers.
289. T
AKE
L
EADERSHIP
P
OSITIONS
If you find an organization that really clicks with you, volunteer within those groups to take on leadership positions. This opportunity will not only give you more activities to spend your time on, but it will also provide many opportunities for additional social interactions, give you an opportunity to build strong relationships with other people who care deeply about the organization or the cause, and possibly provide a résumé builder, all for free. If you’re involved, don’t hesitate to get on a committee, head up a task force, or run for an office within the group.
290. H
OST A
P
OTLUCK
D
INNER
Potluck dinners are a great way to get a group of friends together and enjoy a meal and a social evening with minimal cost for all involved. Just call up your friends, invite them over to dinner, and have them bring a side dish or some other element of the meal. Not only does this provide an inexpensive dinner for all involved, but it also sets the stage for a fun social evening. Better yet, get a regular potluck dinner going on a rotating basis among a group of friends.
291. H
OST A
G
AME
E
VENING
Don’t want to mess with a meal? Host an evening where people come over to your house to play cards or a well-known game, such as Pictionary. Ask people to bring beverages and you have an evening’s worth of fun with a group of friends for free. Keep the idea fresh by having different people host the event with different games, and make an effort to keep the games simple and open to everyone but still intriguing enough to reward repeat play. Some ideas and examples: trick-taking card games, Pictionary, and Monopoly.
292. H
OST A
S
PORTING
E
VENT
P
ARTY
Another great way to get a social crowd together without a great deal of expense is to host a sporting event party. Invite a long list of people to come and bring a beverage and/or a finger food and the expenses become minimal, plus the environment at such events is almost always upbeat, festive, and fun. Sure, you probably have some cleanup effort afterward, but if you host one party, you’ll likely be invited to many others, which gives you a long chain of inexpensive or free social events to enjoy.
293. H
OST A
B
LOCK
P
ARTY
One effective way to get to know your neighbors better is to host a block party, where you invite over all of the people who live near you. Usually, this can take the form of a potluck, where everyone who attends brings a side dish, while the host provides a central dish or beverages. While this can be a bit of an expense, it also provides a stellar opportunity to get to know the people who live around you and can also provide the initiative for a series of such parties. Hosting a block party can initiate friendships, plus encourage others to do the same, both of which open the door to many other social opportunities.
294. B
UILD
F
RIENDSHIPS WITH
P
ARENTS OF
Y
OUR
C
HILDREN
’S F
RIENDS
If you’re a parent, you’ll be interacting with your child’s friends and, inevitably, their parents. It’s a good idea to make a social effort to get to know the parents of your children’s friends. One way to do this is to simply invite their family over for dinner, which they can reciprocate later on. This allows the children to play together and the parents to get to know each other a bit. If a friendship takes hold, it can be a tremendously useful thing for both families, giving them each a known safe place for their children to go, plus a potential strong friendship. In the worst case, you find out more about your child’s friends with only the cost of a few home-cooked meals, but in the best case, you begin to build a lasting friendship. That’s an incredibly valuable investment.
295. W
HEN
M
AKING A
M
AJOR
P
URCHASE
, T
AP
Y
OUR
S
OCIAL
N
ETWORK
If you’ve put effort into hosting some social events, you’ll likely have built a social network without spending money like crazy. Once you have that social network, it can pay off time and time again. For example, if you’re about to make a major purchase, like a new appliance or a new automobile, call around and ask your friends for advice. What appliances work for them? Do they have any sellers that they recommend? Not only will you get honest and useful advice, you might also find that a friend of yours had a friend who can get you a great deal on what you’re looking for, saving you a ton of money. Even if that doesn’t happen, you’ll have built upon the trust of your friendship simply because you asked for their help, plus you’ll have some good advice to work with when moving forward with your big purchase.
296. O
FFER TO
T
RADE
S
KILLS WITH
Y
OUR
F
RIENDS
Another effective way to save money with your friends is to offer to trade skills with them. What skills do you have to offer? Perhaps you’re good with computers, while you have a friend who’s good at electrical wiring—you’re a systems support specialist and your friend is an electrician. Offer to tune up your friend’s computer in exchange for his assistance in installing a ceiling fan—both of you save money. Making this successful is easy: Know what your friends do professionally and what their primary hobbies are, and let them know that you’re willing to help them out by providing whatever skills you have. The likelihood is that over the long run you’ll both save money by sharing your skills.
