If it’s Not One Thing… January 25, 2009

So, I found out today that I was cut out of the health insurance I was covered by on my ex’s insurance. Technically, we are still married, but I thought that we had made an agreement that I was going to be on the insurance until we got divorced. Didn’t happen…he cut me out in November to “free up some money” for them. And he claims that I was supposedly going to find something else, which is why he did that. And now, he can’t divert any extra money, because they have to save up for a vehicle. (So do I, by the way.) Wow. The greed of some people…

But I guess I can’t complain too much. Why? Because there are programs that I can join, or ways I can get what I need. It’s just the idea that he didn’t even tell me that I was cut, or that he didn’t renew the FSA card. I had to find out through trial and error, which I don’t want to go into now. The point is, he didn’t even have the decency to let me know!

Why is this on a blog about living without a salary? Because if you put too much faith and trust into something that you cannot control absolutely, then in the end, you will wind up with nothing. Eventually, you will be screwed by the ones in control of your financial future. That is one important topic of many in my book, “How to Budget Without a Salary“, in which I tell you that you need to put the money that you would normally pay on health insurance premiums into a savings account of some sort. (You can read more about that here.) Buying this low cost book will help contribute to helping me with my high cost prescription….

The moral of the story? Be sure that you have something lined up before you lose health insurance benefits! Also, be sure that you are in complete control of whatever you line up!

An Odd Way to Make Casual Income January 19, 2009

In this blog, we have talked about different ways to create a casual income for yourself and your family, but I heard about something yesterday that made me re-think, and re-evaluate what casual income is at its core level. You see, this way that I heard about is not only odd, but illegal in a few states. But not unethical…it’s only illegal because most people approach this method with a “get rich quick” attitude, and they fail miserably. This is why some states have outlawed this method.

I heard a story yesterday that this guy would go to a casino, play a few machines with just a few dollars, and win somewhere between $40 to $160 at one time. Not much, when one considers the cost of living today. However, bear with me, because I have more. Every time he needed to get some extra money to buy a part for his car, or buy wood for his wood burning stove, he would take a free bus up to the casino, play the machine on what they gave him on the bus, or even what he had in his wallet (a few dollars tops), and he would be able to get the money he needed to buy the car part, or the wood.

Now I can hear some of you saying, “Well that is not real work, and it’s based on luck, and not hard work.” But if you were really interested in working hard at a salaried job, would you be here at this blog reading my words on how to get along without a salary? Point made…let’s go on. Working hard is fine if you want to do that…however, working smart pays off, and sometimes, going to a casino would be working smart–if you do it right.

The first thing to remember is that you are working against the casino system–the system that says that they must make money off of you. That is the game they are playing…why must you play by their rules? Now, please don’t try to cheat them, because you will get in a lot of trouble. The rules I am speaking of are the rules that says you have to use up alot of money in their machines, or on the games, or whatever else is there, and that you cannot stop until your money is gone. (Well, that seems to be the unwritten rule that society has placed on casinos anyway.) This doesn’t have to be the case…here is how you do it:

If you have a dollar, which you will more than likely spend on something anyway, take it to a casino (assuming you are old enough to go) and play it in a slot machine. Chances are, you will walk away with nothing, and you are out your dollar. Oh well. Time to go home. However, there is also a chance you could win at least some money and walk away with enough to go out to eat, or even more. You don’t want to take a lot of money here, because the more you bring, the more you will be tempted to waste, and that is not a great idea. But if you risk just that one dollar, and you lose it, it’s not going to blow your budget or make you broke. Especially if that is not your only dollar. (But that’s another blog post.) Of course, you could go spend that dollar on something else…but that something else doesn’t really give you a chance to earn more money on it, does it?

The point here is…if you are going to go to a casino in the first place, make sure you play smart–not foolish like most people do. You don’t have to save up money to go to a casino if you play by your own rules. Take a few dollars to play the machines, and then go home. If you win $100, that is a great return. If you don’t, then at least you got to get out and enjoy life.

And this only works if you have some sort of self control. If you know you cannot control yourself when it comes to this sort of thing, then by all means, stay away!! Don’t spend more than you can afford….that is the philosophy on this blog.

You don’t have to go to the casino…you can create a casual income by doing other things that are more concrete and will give you “sure money”. But I wanted to share with you an odd way that some people create a casual income the gambling way. After all, isn’t that what people do on the stock market??

Living on a Tight Budget January 13, 2009

The news is littered lately with businesses cutting jobs or shutting down plants in various cities and towns across the United States. Of course, this is nothing new to see today because it has been happening for at least two years now, or more. Those affected by these decreasing jobs are finding it harder and harder to create a workable budget. They may find odd jobs, or another job that pay less than their previous jobs did, and it is making life extremely hard. And on it goes…the media loves to talk about how hard it is to make a decent living in today’s economy, and sensationalize how tough it is. While I have compassion for those who are suddenly left with little to no income coming in, I feel the media is blowing the situation way out of proportion. The reason? Because they don’t focus on the other side of the spectrum–creating your own job, or living on a casual income. They don’t focus on the hope there is…only the discouragement. Really, why do you think America is called “The Land of Opportunity”?

A tight budget is also the fallout of the recession we have right now. However, life doesn’t have to be depressing or fall short of the abundance of love and life. Living on any size budget doesn’t mean only the rich get to have fun…

While you may not be able to spend as much money, the best part of living on a tight budget is to find the adventure of searching for ways to conserve money, while having fun. What do I mean by that? Here is an example…say it is summer and you want something fun to do with your kids. Instead of sitting home, bemoaning the fact that you have no extra fun money to go to places that cost money, why not search for the free attractions in your town/city or surrounding areas? You will more than likely find that those things can be just as fun, or more so, than the activities that actually cost money.

And how do you even create a budget with a limited income? I wrote a book about that very topic. You can find it here.

It’s 2009–What are Your Goals? January 1, 2009

Around this time of the year, many people make resolutions to improve their lives, and others’ lives around them. And while it’s a lofty goal to resolve to be better, what is usually the outcome of these “New Year’s Resolutions”? You got it–most, if not all, fall by the wayside and people go back to doing what they have always done, and reaped the rewards they have always gotten. (Rewards, punishments, etc…whatever the consequences of your habits–it’s all the same thing.) Nothing new ever happens, because no one is doing nothing new, at least in the long term. For example, if your resolution this year is to lose weight and be more fit, what are your long term plans to acheive this? For most people, they would say, “Cut down on sweets, exercise more, and eat more healthy foods.” While this is all well and good, there is not a real plan in the former sentence. What happens when the first temptation comes along, and you give in to have more sweets than you plan on? Most people give up by this time, and abandon all their well-intended resolutions. Same thing for finances–wanting to save money, and spend less, is all well and good. But this too will fall away without a definite plan.

The point to all this is that resolutions are fine as a wish list, but they won’t work in the long term. The reason is that if you don’t have a plan to implement them, along with a contingency plan to use when you fail, then all you are doing is making a wish list. Sounds harsh? Wait–it gets better. (Or worse, depending how you see things…) Say you want to increase your savings this year, but you have a hard time with your spending habits. You can’t have both. Either you spend or you save…not a hard point to understand. Unfortunately, this is what people keep thinking, and what a certain credit card company wants you to believe with their card where they put in a certain amount of money every time you use their card to spend money. The problem with this is–how much interest are you paying to save that money? Stop spending and start saving. Besides, you should be paid interest to save money, not the other way around!

So before you can start saving, you must decrease your spending. (Like with weight loss–less calories in, plus more calories spent equals weight loss.) This can be acheived by cutting down on the little things you spend money on, such as buying coffee on your way to work and bringing your own in a travel mug. Doing this little habit change could save you at least $3-$4 per cup, or more! If you were buying coffee every work day for a year, think of how much money you were spending just on your coffee per year! Let’s see…$4 per cup X 5 days per week X 4 weeks a month X 12 months = $960 per year you could save just by not buying a cup of coffee every day and bringing your own in a travel mug. I am sure that you could do that every day, right? And the money you were spending, you could put into a savings account. If you were to tally up every convenience option that you spend money on, and come up with a less expensive plan, I bet you could save a few thousand dollars every year just with very simple habit changes.

Or, say you wanted to lose weight this year. How are you going to do that? Popular diets don’t work, as you may have seen over the past two decades. Well, actually nothing will work if you don’t make a conscious choice to make it work for you. Fact is, if you implement very simple changes here as well, you could lose weight almost as effortlessly as you can save money. Maybe not as fast as you would like, but it will happen. Simple lifestyle changes, such as putting a bit less food on your plate at meal times, work better in the long run than the diet fads will. The other reason that diets don’t work is because human beings do not like feeling deprived of anything. Why do you think that the more impoverished a person is, the more stuff they tend to collect in their homes? The more stuff they have, the less deprived they feel. Same with weight loss…if you feel deprived, you will crave more food to the point of overstuffing yourself each and every time you eat. That’s why you shouldn’t cut yourself off completely from sweets…eat what you like, only in moderation. Nor should you cut yourself off from fatty animal foods, or delicious potlucks. The less deprived you feel, the less food you will eat, and the more weight you will lose.

Everything I have written today is all about choices–you make choices every single moment of every single day. If the choice you make doesn’t fit with the goals you create, then make different choices. You haven’t failed just because you made a choice that isn’t congruent to your goals. You just made a different choice is all…choose differently next time.

New Year’s Resolutions are stupid…only because people don’t put the effort to make those resolutions into reality. Every day is a new day…every moment is a new moment. You don’t have to wait until New Year’s Day to choose to spend your life differently. Choose each moment that your life will be powerful, full and as wonderful as you want it to be!

Personal Credit Rating–Who Cares? December 22, 2008

So many people today are very concerned about a number–a number that will determine whether or not they can afford to go into debt. In fact, many businesses today profit from reporting on these numbers to consumers on a daily basis. This is the topic of many media sources, as well as forums and blogs all across the ‘net. And it has people worried and stressed when life and debts work to whittle away at this number. People are actually losing sleep over this number! Why?

For many generations before these modern times, people worked hard at creating shelter and food. Whether they had to use money, or they built it from scratch anywhere they could find to set up shelter. And no one really worried about whether they had good credit or not to be able to secure the most basic of necessities. They either afforded the best of the best, or they did without. It was never “Get it now, whether we can afford it or not, and then be in debt up to the eyeballs later” type of thing. It was more of, “Can we afford this? No? Then save until we can”….

Now, however, we have this instant gratification mentality where we see something we want, and have to have it right away. Credit card and loan companies are built upon this mentality. They say, “You can have that trip, or that new car right now. Why not? You deserve it!” What they don’t say in the ad is, “You also deserve the high debt you incur too…”

And in these difficult economical times, the people who incurred debt up to their eyeballs are not able to pay off their debts, which then in turn affects their credit rating. A rating that just basically tells future lenders that you messed up in the past, and then they judge your performance in the  future by the circumstances from your past. Regardless of whether or not you think this is fair, it is the game that they play. And by accepting loans, credit cards, etc, you are telling them that you are playing their game, and are going to play by their rules. 

When living the simple life–that of a conserver lifestyle–there is no need to worry about your personal credit score, because you won’t be incurring debt. If you cannot afford something, or find suitable substitutions, then you will do without. And your credit score has no bearing on your life. When I was a kid, I didn’t even know what credit scores were about. My parents were poor, and we lived in the country and rented from a very generous landlord. (Yes, they do exist!!) We got by sometimes on the generosity of the community, which is why I love small towns now, by the way. My parents were able to get their cars either by finding cheap used vehicles that were still in good working condition, or by people giving them vehicles. And we ate simply…nothing fancy for the every day living. For holidays, we were able to get a turkey and all the trimmings, which was a nice treat. But most of the time, we made do with little. So a credit score was an unfamiliar term in my world back then.

The first time I heard about a credit score was when my student loans came due, and we had no money to pay them. A not-so-friendly voice on the phone told me that if I don’t pay them back, that it would affect my credit rating negatively. I said, “So what?” That voice turned snooty and said, “Well it means that you won’t be able to get a loan for a house, or buy a new car.” Yeah whatever…later, I got caught up in the “credit score madness” with my ex-spouse. We weren’t able to qualify for loans to buy a house, but we still had shelter and transportation. But every time the bills weren’t being paid on time, he would say, “My credit is getting screwed.” And I was thinking, “So what?”

So what? Besides not being able to qualify for loans that you can’t afford, or being able to live in the more snooty area of town, what does a poor credit rating keep you from? It basically keeps you from being to have what you want–RIGHT NOW! So? Put away that “gotta have it now” mentality and think about things for a moment. If you save money for a decent used car, you will be able to get what you want eventually. As for housing, you can work around the poor credit rating. And with the real estate market the way it has been this year, it makes more sense to rent until it turns around anyway. Defenders of a “clean credit rating” would argue with me that one can’t get decent housing, even while renting, unless you have a great credit score. I would like them to come to my house for a moment. (Besides, what is defined as “decent” housing?) I was able to get into this nice 3 BR house on a few acres without an annoying credit check. And the landlord is as generous as the one who rented out the house I grew up in. 

A credit score is just a number. It means nothing but what people say it does. If you say it means nothing, and that you get around a credit score by finding alternate means of shelter, food, etc, without having to depend exclusivly on others, then you are further ahead in this economy than those who have spotless credit ratings, and are chained to their jobs. (Isn’t that a form of slavery?)

Either way…stop getting so caught up about your credit rating, and enjoy what you do have in this life.  Chances are, if you are reading this, you have access to a computer and internet connection. (Whether at home, on the job, or in the library…) Life isn’t so much about credit numbers as it is about family, love and freedom. Enjoy your holidays!

And What do You do for a Living? December 18, 2008

Oy…what kind of question is that? And how is one supposed to answer that so that they don’t sound like a bum or a mooch? It sounds just like the question adults ask kids, “And what do you want to be when you grow up?”  When people used to ask me that, I made up all kinds of BS just to get them off my back. Stuff like: “An adult.” Or…”I’m going to be a doctor…”, or “A cat.” I never really knew what I wanted to be…but see, that was the problem–I was trying to figure out what I wanted to be, when I should have created who I am “right now”. Meaning: when I wasn’t sure who I was, it was awfully difficult to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. What I wanted my life to BE about.

Now, with me doing various odd jobs, and rarely specializing in anything, I go back to childhood where I just make up any crap to satisfy the listener. Although, to make network connections, and to gain more clients, I guess it would be a great idea to tell the truth, and darn those consequences! Seriously though, I guess I could say, “I do odd jobs, and I write part time.” Wouldn’t that be the truth?

But now comes the other part of this: Isn’t it weird that most people define themselves by what they DO, rather than by who they are BEing? If you are being a jerk, but you have the most philanthropical job there is, who gives a damn what you do? You really won’t be liked anyway, so what’s with the job definition of who you are? Oh…it just occurred to me–people like money, and if you don’t have a lot coming in, they will judge you as being lazy and un-like-able. Oh…now I get it. People seem to be more concerned with money, than they are with who you are being.

Will someone please prove me wrong? (There’s a loaded question, isn’t it?) I mean, why else would people care to defind you by your job, rather than who you are? Unless that is what society has dictated we should do, and we are all in the trap. In which case, get out of the trap!

That is all for my rant today. Enjoy your day, and go BE who you truly are!

New Parents Just Don’t Get it! December 17, 2008

When a new baby comes into the world, it’s a blessed event. And a huge responsibility! But it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money up front to support this baby. All it needs is a warm and safe place to sleep, some type of nourishment, and lots of love and nurturing. Okay…if you want to get technical, it also needs clothing, especially in a colder climate. But it seems that many new parents here in the US spend thousands of dollars on crap for their baby that the baby doesn’t even really need! Why? It must be sleep deprivation, or something, because most of the items parents buy are pure crap! Oh, they say it is for “mental enrichment” or “to give their child the best advantage” in life. In my experience having had 3 babies, who are now 13, 10 and 6 and all in school, babies respond to love, affection, and care that comes from being an attentive parent.

I recently saw something I had to laugh at. There was a video series made for babies and toddlers that was supposed to be able to teach babies to read before the age of 1. Are you kidding me?  Some observations were made on twin girls who were 3 and half years old, who had been watching those videos since they were about 1 or so. They were shown the words from the video, and were asked to point out a certain word. Every single time, they got it wrong! Did it work? I think not! And how much money did the parents pay for this crap? I don’t know, but it seems to be a luxury item bought to do something that obviously didn’t work.

As an aside, I should mention that when my kids were babies, we weren’t able to buy the crap that most parents do today. We didn’t even read to them–much–and all three are now getting straight A’s and B’s in school. This is the public school system we’re talking about here. Nothing wrong with the public schools when parents get involved with their children’s learning.

You don’t have to spend extra money on things that frankly will not give your child any advantage in school. Especially for babies. Really–what do babies really do? Drool….eat…sleep…poop…and cry. Not really open at this point for extra learning, are they? Why not put that money in a college fund for when they are ready for more advantages, then to waste it on stuff that will not help them now? Believe me–you will not be doing them a disservice if you don’t get that for them at this point in their lives. It would be better for your baby to spend time with it, instead of plopping them in front of a stupid video that is, at the very most, entertaining. You will provide many more advantages for your baby if you give him or her the attention from you, rather than some cold video. And if you are trying to make do on only one salary right now, because of being on maternity leave, then you could stand to save the extra money–right??

Living on $10 a Week?? December 17, 2008

Are you effin’ kidding me? Maybe 100 years ago, this would work okay. But today? In this sh*&ty economy?

Okay, I digress. I have been slacking off a little from posting here, mainly because I have been researching other people’s ideas on how they are able to eat on $10 per week. And I have seen some hellish, and then…not so hellish ideas. Some people swear by ramen noodles and hot dogs, while others claim that couponing is the way to go. Hey, at least some food is better than none, right? That’s what the prevailing consensus is on many of these sites. Well, I guess if you want to pay exorbitant health care fees later on, then what the heck? Go for it!

Other people aren’t so keen on those ideas, and have proposed that feeding a family of 4 on $30 a week is much more doable. And the menus they have proposed seem a bit healthier than they did on the $10 a week plan. (Oh, by the way–I should mention that these people were using $10/week for TWO people, so it was more like $5 per week for one person.) At least the $30 per week plan had fruits and vegetables, along with some good protein and dairy. And I could actually get behind $30 per week for a family of four, than I could $10/week for 2. Although, that is a bit hard to do either way.

The major point that kept slapping me in the face about all of this, though, is that no one was even touching the idea that maybe, just maybe, all the food-like stuff they are including in the menus are bound to make one need heavy and intensive medical care later on.

I should take a moment to point out here and now that I don’t subscribe to the “conventional”  nutritional ideas stemming from the 1980’s and beyond. Internet research, personal experiments, and other factors have led me to believe that maybe our evolutionary (caveman days) and recent ancestors (from the early part of the 20th century) might have had the nutritional thing correct. That animal fat is not the enemy…that cholesterol is our friend…and that grains and starches are what led humans down the dreaded path of obesity. Radical ideas, I know, but it is what I believe.

Anyway…back to my point. What people aren’t realizing is that when they eat the grains, no matter whole grains or not, and the starches, they are overly stressing their bodies to the point of breakage. The kind of breakage that requires thousands of dollars in medical care and treatment. Which then causes the body to break down even further. Listen…I know what it is like to be strapped for cash, and not know what to feed my family in lieu of what I hold dear in nutrition. It can sometimes be a huge struggle. And many people will probably blast me for saying this, but it has to be said. Buying fruits, vegetables, and high quality proteins aren’t that much more expensive than dinner in a box, or rice and beans…or even ramen noodles. Well, maybe not ramen noodles, but you get the idea. If you carefully plan your meals, and plan that you will only buy the foods that are healthy, then you not only save money immediately, you also save money in the long run by staying healthy.

Now I am not saying you need to go out and buy the most expensive meats, or the most exotic fruits if they are not in your budget. Goodness no! But, you can plan to get some type of meat that would be inexpensive and healthy. For instance, Wal-Mart carries 1 pound rolls of ground beef (I like the fattiest kind they have) for $2.28 per roll. Granted, that may seem expensive at first. But, if you plan an entire meal around the meat with items you may have on hand, or even with other really inexpensive items, your meal for a family of four will total to about $3-4 for the entire meal. If you have frozen veggies on hand, and if you buy an inexpensive bag of potatoes that will last for more than one meal, you will have a healthy dinner for 4 people. An example of this would be our dinner tonight. I made a meatloaf with things I already had on hand, plus heated up a can of peas, and made mashed potatoes. The peas were given to me, and the potatoes I already had on hand. (Yes, a starch…sometimes I don’t follow my own advice…but hey, I am learning, right?) The entire meal cost about $3.00 for 4 people.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to cost a lot. But it does take some planning.

Oh…one more thing. If you are finding it hard to make ends meet financially, and cannot even afford to get decent proteins in your diet, let alone fruits and vegetables, you may want to see where you can cut other expenses to make up the difference. What good is a newspaper subscription, or a cable TV subscription when you are not able to eat healthily? Look at where you can skimp on some unimportant things, so you can put money into the more important items of life, such as your and your family’s health.

The Point of this Blog December 5, 2008

I haven’t updated this for a few days, as I have been busy actually living my theories. Meaning: I have been working at odd jobs, and getting a free table for my kitchen. Living without a salary does not mean you have to live without money. After all, we all have bills to pay and need food to eat. Living without a salary frees me up to make money by any means I want to, and how it resonates with me. I recently completed a job for someone where I ripped up the carpet and cleaned up the staples, etc. It took a few hours, and I got a good workout. Just because I don’t have one of those “jobs” where I have to slave away all the time, even when I am sick, doesn’t mean that I don’t work, or that I am lazy. All it means is that I am in control of MY life…no one else is.

The key to all of this is to begin assessing what it is in life that you love doing. Are you an artist? Then create, and then find venues where to sell your art. Do you love working with numbers? Great! Find a market where you can provide accounting or financial planning services. Personally, I enjoy doing odd jobs, such as general labor or mental work on the computer. This lets me meet new people and make friends. And I get a great workout without having to pay a gym for the privilege to exercise.

One more thing for now: someone pointed out that I had mentioned in a previous post that my ex-spouse is still supporting the kids and me. And that is why I can make these claims. However, I barely get enough to squeak by, which is why I set up this blog. I want it to show the process I am going through to reduce my expenses, while reducing my dependence on someone who I would rather not have to depend on. As time goes on, and I learn more about living without a salary, I will be posting it here so that you can see how the process can work for you as well.

But for now, I still need to depend on the money I do get from my ex so that I can transition to being independent and self-sufficient. And unfortunately, right now, the money hasn’t been deposited that I needed. So, yes–I am struggling just like everyone else. But to feel sorry for myself would be self-defeating, because what purpose would that solve? Sure I can get depressed or stressed out, but being positive is much more fun, and I can begin pulling positive events towards me that much quicker. (More on that in another post.) So, for all who are wondering, life doesn’t have to be depressing even in the face of not knowing when money will come in next if you keep a truly positive attitude. Until next time, keep positive!

The Top 10 Luxuries of Life–And They are Free! December 2, 2008

One of the things that people take for granted are the “little things” in life–the things that make life worth living. The things that people wish they could have the time for, yet not actually make time for. Instead, they get hung up on making money and making ends meet. They get stuck in the mindset of trying to make a living that they forget to LIVE. Today, why not take a break from all that stuff, and actually LIVE? I have compiled a list of my personal top ten little luxuries in life that make my life worth living. Compare my list to yours, and see how it stacks up. When you are complete, think about this question: What really is more important–money, or life?

Ready to go? Keep reading…

#10–Making s’mores over an open fire. Okay, this isn’t completely free as you have to buy the supplies to make them. However, it’s one of those low-cost activities that are irreplaceable with money.

#9–Curling up with a great book from the public library. Why bother buying a book you will more than likely read only once? Save the money, and borrow a book from the library. Membership is free…so are the books. Make it a spa-like experience and light candles with your favorite scents. Get in bed, wrap up in your favorite blanket, and enjoy your journey into your imagination.

#8–Clean, cold, crisp well water. Now I realize not everyone can experience this luxury, especially in the cities. I live on the edge of a small town, and am privileged enough to have well water come into my house. However, for a small price, you can have almost the same experience by getting a filter that you can screw onto your faucet, or a filtered pitcher that you can put water in and keep it in the fridge. Either way, clean water is one of those “little things” that we all take for granted in this country, and one that I consider a great luxury of life.

#7–A leisurely stroll in the woods. I love the outdoors, especially trees. I feel at home in the fresh air and woods…so walking in the woods calms me down, and takes away the stresses that the rest of life has handed me. A true luxury for me! Find your luxury outdoors–either in the city or the country.

#6–Uninterrupted sleep. Sleep is one those times that our bodies can repair itself more completely, and when sleep gets interrupted, then the repair processes do not work as effectively as they could. Which leaves you susceptible to illness and disease. Once I got away from a bad situation where my sleep got interrupted for stupid reasons, I have been able to sleep more soundly and more regeneratively than ever before. And a surprising thing happened–one of the hardest things for me was keeping my weight under control. I failed that for many years…now, with uninterrupted sleep every night, I am actually starting to lose weight! If your sleep is being constantly being interrupted, then your body and mind will eventually break down. So, uninterrupted sleep is one of life’s free luxuries.

#5–The love of a loyal pet. Many of you probably already know this, but when you have a pet and you can cuddle with your pet, a sense of calm and peace washes over you. At least, that is what happens with me and my cat. When I am holding her, and she settles down into my lap, there is nothing in the world that can upset me. It’s a little thing that makes all the difference for me.

#4–A stimulating and empowering conversation. If you have ever had one of these with someone you really get along with, then you understand what I am talking about. Even if you disagree with each other, but the conversation is done in a loving and empowering context, then it could be one of the best conversations you have ever had with anyone! I have these with my dad a lot, and after each time, I learn a little more about myself, as I am sure he does about himself.

#3–A natural and uplifting human connection. This is merely a polite way to bring up the romantic luxury of life, if you know what I mean. When you have a truly intimate and natural connection with someone, not even all the money in the world can make you feel this happy. ‘Nuff said.

#2–Allowing your passions to flourish and thrive. When you allow what you are passionate about to come out and thrive, it doesn’t matter how much or how little money you are making. Life should be about making your mark on the world with what you love doing–not by how much money you make.

And the NUMBER ONE luxury in life that doesn’t cost a cent…

#1–Being who you are called to be. For many years, I lived in a pretense about who I was. When I saw the truth about myself, and allowed myself to be who I am, much of my stress seemed to disappear. Everything else about who I am seems to keep falling into place naturally…and it is one of those little things that makes the biggest difference for my life. And money cannot buy this kind of happiness!

There you have it. My top ten list of life’s luxuries that do not cost a cent. (Aside from a couple of things…) When you get away from the consumerism mindset, you can start seeing the luxuries of life for yourself that doesn’t have to cost big bucks…now go back to worrying about money.

What are your low or no cost luxuries of life? Let me know, and it may end up in a future post, along with your name and website, if applicable.