Jamiedodgers 4 month simple life challenge

JAMIEDODGER

hello all,

as mentioned on a previous thread, i went camping recently and while i was there it occurred to me that i really have too much stuff in my life. all i had with me was my bedding, cooking equipment, food, some library books, my ipod and portable dvd player. it occurred to me that if i borrowed all my books from the library( i read A LOT!), continued to rent my dvd's from lovefilm (which i already do, i watch a lot but dont watch tv at all) and downloaded my albums from itunes instead of buying them in a shop (which i sometimes do) then i would have a hell of a lot less clutter...

which also got me thinking to other areas of my life... i have a digital camera like a lot of people these days so i only really print out those photos i wish to scrapbook or display. i intend to reduce my clothing budget dramatically this year buy only buying essential items that will already go with other things i have (i have a bit of a capsule wardrobe obsession lol)

i just basically want to reduce the amount of crap i have and not buy anything else, obviously the benefits to this are more money for my savings account and less stuff to wade through.

i am aiming to do this up to end of the year for a start. and this will be my diary especially as i want to keep on track after becoming debt free. i have joined the spendingdiary.com site so i can keep track of every penny.

i will judge everything i buy with the thought that is it useful/essential, will it serve a dual purpose perhaps, does buying it enable me to save in another area etc to help me differenciate between what i want and what i need.

i am hoping that by the end of this i will have a lot less crap (ebay selling) and more money in the bank:D

wish me luck

lilmoi1985lm

good luck in this very inspirational x

MissKJ

Welcome Jamiedodger, and you make some very valid and excellent points about stuff. But have you thought, that if you buy your CD's from amazon or somewhere, down load them onto itunes account via PC, you could then sell back the CD at a later date. I have noticed that paying for downloads on itunes is just as expensive as buying the actual CD's, unless you know different?

Snaggles

Hiya Jamie!!

I love things to be clutter-free, I think it's better for your stress levels...lol!

I envy you with the capsule wardrobe, mine is a complete disaster, I can never find things that co-ordinate, although I did recently buy a pair of sparkly silver sandals that will 'go with EVERYTHING'....so that was moneysaving....no??

Good luck with your challenge, can't wait to see how you're getting on.

postingalwaysposting

MissKJ wrote: »

Welcome Jamiedodger, and you make some very valid and excellent points about stuff. But have you thought, that if you buy your CD's from amazon or somewhere, down load them onto itunes account via PC, you could then sell back the CD at a later date. I have noticed that paying for downloads on itunes is just as expensive as buying the actual CD's, unless you know different?

miss k i tend to disagree... unless you buy the cd, place it onto itunes/your ipod then resale the cd the same day you actually lose money. For example Kayne West's new ablum released 10/sep is £7.99 on itunes (pre order) through play.com its £8.95 (pre order)... ok its only 96p different however you havent got the waiting times, the fees involved if you ebay it and the clutter (which jamie is trying to decrease) which occurs before selling it. Also you can get quidco cash back of 8% on itunes whereas play (for example) is only 4%

good luck jamie ~ i shall be following with interest

JAMIEDODGER

MissKJ wrote: »

Welcome Jamiedodger, and you make some very valid and excellent points about stuff. But have you thought, that if you buy your CD's from amazon or somewhere, down load them onto itunes account via PC, you could then sell back the CD at a later date. I have noticed that paying for downloads on itunes is just as expensive as buying the actual CD's, unless you know different?

tbh its just as important to me to be clutter free as moneysaving. it took me two years to be debt free from joining this site so i am always looking for a deal and such and thats a really good idea! i just want to try not to bring as much stuff into the house.

JAMIEDODGER

Snaggles wrote: »

Hiya Jamie!!

I love things to be clutter-free, I think it's better for your stress levels...lol!

I envy you with the capsule wardrobe, mine is a complete disaster, I can never find things that co-ordinate, although I did recently buy a pair of sparkly silver sandals that will 'go with EVERYTHING'....so that was moneysaving....no??

Good luck with your challenge, can't wait to see how you're getting on.

i too have a pair of sparkly sandals which go with everything lol:D

JAMIEDODGER

postingalwaysposting wrote: »

miss k i tend to disagree... unless you buy the cd, place it onto itunes/your ipod then resale the cd the same day you actually lose money. For example Kayne West's new ablum released 10/sep is £7.99 on itunes (pre order) through play.com its £8.95 (pre order)... ok its only 96p different however you havent got the waiting times, the fees involved if you ebay it and the clutter (which jamie is trying to decrease) which occurs before selling it. Also you can get quidco cash back of 8% on itunes whereas play (for example) is only 4%

good luck jamie ~ i shall be following with interest

cheers pap.that was exactly my motivation behind downloading music instead of buying it less money, less clutter and quidco into the bargain

debtfreewannabee_3

good luck with your challenge and i hope you reach your targets !!

PasturesNew

I recently sold my house and gave everything I own away to charity (or it went down the tip).
I walked away with a small suitcase of clothes (2x jeans, 2x T shirts, 2 pairs of footwear, couple of other random things) and a laptop.
Apart from that I had just a full sized PC and 2 other boxes of things that I wrapped up and left at my parents' house. And I set off into the sunset to find a new life.... starting from scratch again. I didn't have anywhere to go to or even a job. I started by moving into a hotel, then found a houseshare.

I am now living the minimal life. I have a small car and my objective is: "At any time I must be able to move in ONE journey using only this tiny car".

I never had any CDs or DVDs. I don't buy/use them. I buy books rarely - at charity shops - then I give them back next time I am there.

I am now moving into a fully furnished bedsit and still plan to keep my life to a minimum.

Not buying things = not wasting money = not having to tidy/clean things.

I am now 2 months into my new life and all I have accumulated is a couple of storage boxes and one interview suit.

Easy life!

JAMIEDODGER

PasturesNew wrote: »

I recently sold my house and gave everything I own away to charity (or it went down the tip).
I walked away with a small suitcase of clothes (2x jeans, 2x T shirts, 2 pairs of footwear, couple of other random things) and a laptop.
Apart from that I had just a full sized PC and 2 other boxes of things that I wrapped up and left at my parents' house. And I set off into the sunset to find a new life.... starting from scratch again.

I am now living the minimal life. I have a small car and my objective is: "At any time I must be able to move in ONE journey using only this tiny car".

I never had any CDs or DVDs. I don't buy/use them. I buy books rarely - at charity shops - then I give them back next time I am there.

I am now moving into a fully furnished bedsit and still plan to keep my life to a minimum.

Not buying things = not wasting money = not having to tidy/clean things.

Easy life!

wow!:T

i wish i could do that, unfortunately with 4 kids, 4 cats, 2 chickens and a hamster in tow it would have to be one whopping great big car lol

however the plan is, when the kids all leave home i will be selling up so to speak (as i rent) and buying a static or mobile home, living in that 10 months of the year and travelling for the rest. which is another reason i should get into the habit now lol

i love my music and wouldnt be without a book to read but i want to do both without adding to what i already have.

great post btw!