Okay, I admit it. I stink at being frugal. Now, granted, I’ve done a lot of minimizing in the last year or so, so I’m not totally inexperienced at it. The sad truth remains, however: I stink at it. Why? Because I like stuff.
“Hi, my name is Jeff, and I’m a stuff-aholic.”
I’d like to blame my upbringing, but the truth is it’s my own fault. I just like stuff! This will probably be my downfall in the grand scheme of things, but I’m still stuck with the problem of “How do I live frugally if I like stuff?”
I don’t have all the answers, obviously, but I’m willing to work through it. Bear with me, it will be a bumpy ride.
So, today’s One-A-Day simplifying project was redo my entertainment center (this alone is enough to send frugal people packing!) I had it thrown together with all kinda of wires, remotes, stuff that was disconnected, and so forth. It needed to be organized.
I ended up removing the computer I had attached to it (we use the Wii to watch Netflix shows now, that’s eliminating something!) and removed the cables for it. I added wheels and cooling fans to the cabinet (for easy cleaning and keeping the devices cool). I painted the bare wood spots, redid all the wiring with zip-ties, and mounted all the boxes (power bricks, network hub, etc.) so nothing has to be moved. You unplug a couple of wires, and the entire center rolls away for cleaning, temporary rearranging, etc. This project took me a few hours, but I think it will help keep things more orderly. As far as simplifying, well… heh. I’m working on it.
