Posted: May 18th, 2007, 1:40 am
Gas prices don't affect me much -- I haven't owned a car for more than 10 years. I walk to the grocery store, I take the bus to work, I do a lot of shopping on eBay (you'd be surprised at what bargains you can find here if you look and shop carefully). Whenever I need to, I group my errands and rent a car for the weekend to get everything done. Usually that includes a selling trip to Half Price Books or the local used music/movies store, which pays for most, if not all, of the rental.
I find that since I can't jump in the car and buy many things on impulse, I have to think things through: Do I really need this? Do I have to go there? That alone saves a lot of time and money! I couldn't believe how much more disposable income I had after I let the junk man haul my last used car away for $100, and it wasn't just the extra C-note.
I think not watching a lot of TV also helps. Practically all I watch is TCM, and occasionally Classic Arts Showcase on the community channel (usually while I'm waiting to watch a movie on TCM). So, for the most part, I'm not driven by advertising to go out and get a lot of stuff, either.
On the whole, it's amazing how little you actually need when you start thinking things through . . .
I find that since I can't jump in the car and buy many things on impulse, I have to think things through: Do I really need this? Do I have to go there? That alone saves a lot of time and money! I couldn't believe how much more disposable income I had after I let the junk man haul my last used car away for $100, and it wasn't just the extra C-note.
I think not watching a lot of TV also helps. Practically all I watch is TCM, and occasionally Classic Arts Showcase on the community channel (usually while I'm waiting to watch a movie on TCM). So, for the most part, I'm not driven by advertising to go out and get a lot of stuff, either.
On the whole, it's amazing how little you actually need when you start thinking things through . . .