Magazines that are mailed to your home are a
subscription expense (and a landfill filler, if
they can't be recycled where you are). Also,
online subscriptions of various types - even if
the subscription itself isn't paid for - often lead
to expenditures you wouldn't otherwise have
made (or known about). You might evaluate all the
email lists you're on and consider unsubscribing
from those that end up asking you to buy, donate,
or subscribe further... so you won't be tempted
to.
Many a recreation cost can be positively offset
by your local library. A lot of people have let
lending libraries fade out of their lives. In
most,
you can borrow books, ebooks, films, audiotapes,
and sometimes even music CDs. Of
course, this is only to a certain degree, i.e.,
not necessarily precise titles
on your wish list – though books, at any rate, are
usually available on
interlibrary loan, and some library consortia also
trade audiovisual materials
amongst themselves. And why not organize a lending
club amongst your
friends/family/co-workers? If you’ve been spending
a lot of money on these
items, it could save you a bundle. (And if you've
been watching flicks just to
"get your money's-worth" out of your Netflix
subscription, it could
save you a lot of time, too!)
Some people go to seminar after seminar, seeking
any number of things along
the self or financial improvement lines, usually).
Expensive, often. Might it at
this time be wiser to focus on downsizing and
simplification? – a question to
ask yourself, at any rate (and maybe a pursuit
that holds some of the answers
you’ve been looking for?). Also, there are lots of
good seminars available on
tape, possibly at your local library, or via
podcasts online.
Then there are the more energetic costly
recreations...
Camping and sports equipment options: rent,
borrow, co-own; don’t insist on
upgrading all the time, as some do (unless there’s
a good reason for that, of
course).
Country clubs, yacht clubs, and other social
establishments are pricey, as
you probably know. Perhaps you’re interested in
downsizing in other ways so
that you can comfortably afford such a
milieu! – and that’s cool.
Otherwise, if the club fees you’re used to
shelling out are getting in your
way of enjoying life, maybe it’s time to
disassociate from the organization
and enjoy the activity in another fashion?
Athletic clubs can be very useful for getting you
in shape while providing
socialization opportunities (which tend to provide
incentives for getting in
shape). Far be it from me to preach against
participating in such a gym, or
using a personal trainer, if it’s the only way to
motivate yourself to change
for the good. …But periodic reassessments are
always useful. (Maybe you’ve
changed enough to warrant doing more on
your own? – allowing you to
save those ongoing expenses.) Hmm, try a
short-term martial arts class as a
change of pace?
Fancy vacations might be fun… but you can have
plenty of fun enjoying the
luxury of time off in other ways – if you
so choose. Timeshares may sound
like a good deal, but they're one of the most
expensive of recreation options
(i.e., they might be a deal if you're used
to lavishing a whole lot of
cash on resort stays). If you’re a
timeshare owner (or have thought of becoming one),
have you really looked at the
cost of owning a short-term stay in a suite vs.
simply renting one wherever you
want to go?… and maybe not going anywhere
resort-y some years? Maybe
you’ve enjoyed the "fancies" enough for awhile and
would like to
downsize to a close-to-home vacation, visit to
family, or whatever, instead. (Or
trade homes with a friend for awhile, if getting
away is what it’s really all
about!)
All those lottery tickets add up (you do
acknowledge it as gambling, don’t
you?); and the odds are bad. Judicious
downsizing will probably bring you
a far bigger payoff than any casino gaming you
might do!
