by CHansen

The “butterfly effect” is the idea that a small and seemingly insignificant event can trigger something on a much larger scale than what originally took place. It’s the theory that a butterfly can flap its wings, eventually causing a tornado to occur a thousand miles away. Remember how Homer Simpson went back in time, squashed a prehistoric bug, and returned to a drastically altered universe, where donuts fell from the sky? I find that much easier to understand than fractals or chaos theory.

Anyways, let’s try to enumerate the long term effects of making a seemingly insignificant decision to wear flip flops instead of shoes and socks. It is an exaggerated and contrived example, but serves to illustrate the “butterfly effect” in terms of saving money and saving the planet. (I think it feels like compound interest on steroids…)

1. You drive less: Since you need fewer socks over the course of your lifetime, this means that you won’t have to drive to the store as often to buy new socks. Any time that you drive a little bit less, you use less gasoline. See #3 for the effects of conserving gasoline.
2. You save more money: This means that your saved dollars earn more interest, and in the long run, you can afford to work a tiny bit less. See #5 for the effects of working a tiny bit less.
3. You conserve energy/resources: Anytime you conserve a natural resource, you prevent it from becoming more scarce. The tiny effect of this is that rather than going up, the price of the resource stays the same because you haven’t decreased the overall supply. The next time you have to buy the resource, it’s slightly cheaper than it otherwise would have been. This means that you’ll save more money. See #2 for the effects of saving more money.
4. Less wear and tear on your car: This leads to fewer car maintenance costs. In addition, your car lasts longer, and so you can postpone buying a new car. Fewer parts will stop working and end up in landfills, and you save more money. See #2 for the effects of saving more money.
5. You can afford to work a tiny bit less: Since you can afford to work a tiny bit less, you’ll drive to work a tiny bit less. See #1,4 for the effects of driving less.
6. You can postpone buying socks: You spend less money to buy new socks, which means that you save more money. See #2 for the effects of saving more money.
7. Slightly fewer socks are manufactured due to a small decrease in demand: Less plastic packaging material is manufactured to put the new socks in. Less energy is consumed to recycle the plastic packaging. Less cotton is grown. Less energy is consumed to grow and harvest the cotton. Less energy is consumed to make socks. Fewer waste byproducts are released into the environment. See #3 for the effects of conserving energy and resources.
8. You do fewer loads of laundry: This means that you use less water. See #3 for the effects of conserving water. Less energy is consumed to clean, transport, and store the water. Fewer waste byproducts are released into the environment. You spend less money on water. See #2 for the effects of saving more money.
9. You use less electricity: Less coal or oil is burned to generate the electricity. See #3 for the effects of conserving resources. Fewer waste byproducts are released into the environment. You spend less money on your electric bill. See #2 for the effects of saving more money.
10. You use less detergent: You drive to the store fewer times to buy detergent. See #1,4 for the effects of driving less. Less detergent gets into the environment, and you spend less money on detergent. See #2 for the effects of saving more money.
11. Less wear and tear on your washing machine: This means that you can slightly postpone your purchase of a new washing machine at some point, and fewer parts will stop working and end up in the environment. You’ll take fewer trips to buy new parts. See #1,4 for the effects of driving less. In addition, you’ll save more money. See #2 for the effects of saving more money.
12. You don’t buy shoes as often: Less wear and tear on your shoes means that your shoes last longer. You buy fewer shoes. See #2 for the effects of saving more money. Fewer shoes end up in the environment. You drive to the shoe store fewer times. See #1,4 for the effects of driving less.
13. Ad Infinitum …

by hitkaiser

I didn’t have a regular job until I graduated from college. In order to get by, I did a variety of interesting jobs so that I wouldn’t be completely broke. Without a regular income, I became quite good at getting by with what I did earn, and by the time that I had a full time job, I was so used to passing on certain luxuries and saving my paycheck, that my financial situation and preparation for retirement had developed into something to be proud of.

Here are some of the more interesting things that I have been paid to do:

Weigh semi trucks
Play in the backup orchestra for a pop singer
Pick strawberries
Juggle assorted fruits and vegetables
Write computer software
Illustrate real estate blueprints
Work undercover doing market research
Teach music lessons
Describe and display various items as an auctioneer’s assistant
Wash dishes - (not all that interesting, more …meditative)
Sell fruit smoothies
Work as a courier

I have found the experiences of doing odd jobs to be very beneficial. Not only does it provide you with some extra cash in your pocket, it gives you with the opportunity to practice little used skills and can help you to become a more well rounded person.

And you’ll make Robert Heinlein very proud. (He’s the science fiction writer who said that “specialization is for insects”)

In my younger, wilder days, I remember on more than one occasion running around at night and getting a surprise clothesline to the neck. It may have been well deserved, as one might wonder why I was running through the neighbors’ backyards at such an hour?

Anyways, putting your clothes out to dry not only saves money and conserves energy, but it just might keep those pesky teenagers off your lawn as well. Check out Project Laundry List for some advocacy information.

(I was reminded of this all too common teenage experience while perusing Seacoast NRG, a site dealing with local issues (yet in a global context) about the New Hampshire-Maine Seacoast region. I don’t currently live in the area, but I have fond memories of growing up in New England, and as my wife and I are looking to relocate, Portland (ME) continues to be on the list of places we have been considering.)

Do you know how to make a pizza? Lets look at the different ways you could do it:

If you’re feeling lazy or short on time: Take the frozen pizza out of the box, and put it into the oven.

If you want something a little more original: Go to the grocery store. Buy a crust, a can of tomato sauce, some cheese, and a few toppings. Put everything on the crust, and stick it into the oven.

If you want to make something from scratch and impress your friends: Go to the grocery store. Get some flour, olive oil, yeast, salt, honey, cornmeal, tomatoes, garlic, vegetables, cheese, toppings. Put the honey in a bowl with some warm water and yeast. Add the oil, salt, and flour until it forms a dough. Knead the dough for a bit, and set it in a warm place to rise. Mash up the tomatoes, and shred the cheese. Put everything on the crust, cover a baking stone with cornmeal, and put it into the oven.

If you REALLY want to make something from scratch: Grow some wheat, grind it in a mill, pick some olives, mash them up until the oil separates. Cultivate some wild yeasts, collect some sea water and evaporate it. Find a beehive and collect the honey. Grow some tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and vegetables. Find a cow, and milk it. Pasteurize the milk by slowly heating. Grow a lemon, juice it, and add to the milk in order to acidify it. Add some rennet and wait until the curds separate from the whey. Squeeze out all the water, and form the cheese into a ball. Put the honey in a bowl with some warm water and yeast. Add the oil, salt, and flour until it forms a dough. Knead the dough for a bit, and set it in a warm place to rise. Mash up the tomatoes, and shred the cheese. Put everything on the crust, grow some corn, dry it out, and grind it up, cover a baking stone with the cornmeal, and put it into the oven.

“Ok enough already, what’s your point?”

My point is not to suggest that we should all turn our backs on the modern world, and live off the land, shunning anything that we didn’t grow or make ourselves. (But, if that’s your cup of tea, then by all means, go for it.) What I do think is important, however, is for us to become more resourceful, more self-reliant, as well as improve our understanding of the history behind everyday conveniences.

When you discover where certain things truly come from, you’ll see the interconnected relationship that we have with the environment, and why we should all have the desire to conserve our planet’s resources, and learn to use only what we need to live our lives.

Whenever we attempt to figure out how to make something that we could just as easily pick up at the store, we give ourselves the opportunity to learn the science, and more importantly, appreciate the art that has been left out of the goods made by our ultra-efficient consumer economy. Technology isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is most certainly a crutch that many of us don’t realize that we are standing on. By examining something as simple as the making of a pizza, we can increase our level of awareness in this regard.

“But time is money! This isn’t practical or worth my time and effort!”

Sure, instead of delving into lost arts, you could use your specialized skills to earn extra money by working longer at your job, and in turn buy more than enough pizza. That’s definitely the most efficient solution, but not one that broadens your perspective or enhances your independence.

We are all consumers to some extent, but if that is the only thing that you know how to be, then you will have limited your autonomy in such a way that makes it very difficult to find personal and financial freedom. If you need proof of the dangers, just look at how many people have become slaves to their debts.

You just might find that the extra time you devote to these sorts of activities is truly meaningful, and time well spent.

Check out the Festival Of Frugality: Save All Week Long Edition happening over at The Digerati Life, as my article about making your shower more efficient is featured over there. Poke around a little bit, and you might find some interesting ways to streamline your life!

I found the Frugal Zeitgeist’s rant about having a low crap threshold to be extremely relevant to me right now as I am currently attempting to get rid of some stuff that I forgot I had. Thank goodness for Craigslist, Freecycle, and Ebay!

Where is the very best parking space in the whole lot? It’s simply the absolute first spot that you encounter upon entering the parking lot, and it’s not just for Ferrari and Porche owners.

Here are the many reasons to park right away:

You use less gasoline. When you use less gas, you are conserving a precious resource. Conserving in small ways is the simplest first step that we can all take in order to reduce our carbon footprint. The small things really add up! Who would have thought that the savings from taking more right hand turns would be significant enough to institute as a company policy for UPS? For more conservation ideas, check out 10 No Cost Ways To Reduce Energy Use In Your Home.

You’ll save money. Using less gas means that you’ll save money. I did a calculation based on parking spot choices over the course of 40 years, and the amount of money to be saved is significant, especially considering how small of a change it is, with so many good benefits.

For example: Say you cut down your parking lot driving by 1/4 mile every day at work. (Check out Gmap pedometers and put it in hybrid mode if you want to tailor this to your situation) That would mean a savings of 1/4 mile / 20 mpg x $2.50/gallon of gas x (40 years x 50 weeks x 5 days/week x 2/day) = $625. And that’s just driving to work, in today’s dollars, with today’s price of gasoline, without investing the saved money. What about all the other places you drive?

You get a little more exercise. Exercise is more beneficial when it is continuous, but it is always good to fit bits and pieces of it into your day.

Your car is probably safer from getting hit. Why do you think the fanciest cars are always parked so far away from everybody else?

Better for your car. You’ll spend less time idling, as well as using your car in a stop-and-go manner.

It’s easier to find your car on the way out. Once you get in the habit of parking far away, you’ll always know right where to find it.

You aren’t constrained to being a driver. As a driver, you must obey particular laid out rules for drivers, such as which direction you are allowed to drive, and the fact that you must stay within the lanes. As a pedestrian, you generally have more freedom to walk where ever you want to.

Possibly less stressful. Driving doesn’t stress me out because I don’t do it a whole lot. But for those that can’t stand the way other people drive, it seems like less time spent behind the wheel might result in less stress.

It’s so much easier. Here’s the best reason of all: It’s so simple. There’s no dealing with waiting for somebody to pull out, getting your spot stolen by another driver, or waiting for people to get out of the way (nobody usually walks around where I park). You simply find the first spot that you see, and take it.

I’m not sure what would happen if EVERYBODY started doing this. I think we’re a long way off from that … its still better to just ride your bike anyways…

It’s getting close to the deadline now for taxes this year, and I’ve been hearing the usual talk among coworkers about how much they’re getting back in their tax refunds.

I hear things like “I love getting a big refund”, or “Getting back more is better because it helps me save”, or even “Woo-hoo! Free money!”.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Not another article about how getting a big tax refund is bad because you’re making an interest free loan to the government”. (If you haven’t thought of it this way before, lets review: When you get a refund, it means that you’ve payed more than you owe, and that the government has been borrowing your money the entire time for free. Taxes are a necessary part of living in our society, but nobody wants to pay more than they have to. The sooner you get your money, the sooner you can start earning a return on it. This means that (on paper) the most cost effective solution is to figure out the absolute minimum that needs to be withheld from your paycheck without incurring a penalty.)

Personally, I’d much rather get it sooner than later.

However, if you are going to spend the money anyways, getting a tax refund can be a wise decision, since it forces you to save. Some folks love getting a lump sum, while others argue for finding a balance.

The most important thing to consider next is what you decide to do with the refund when you finally get it. And here’s where the danger comes: Most people end up treating their refund as “found money” and something to get excited about. The truth is that the money is yours, and already long overdue.

“But it forces me to save, which I otherwise would not have been able to do!”

The problem with using this argument is that it is the financial equivalent of going on a crash diet. Sure, you can stop eating junk food for a few months, but as soon as the diet is over, you’ll go right back to eating junk food. A better solution would be to make a lifelong decision to exercise and eat healthier foods, and your weight will take care of itself.

In financial terms, this means that you have to make lasting changes to the way that you manage your money. It’s not a quick fix, it’s not easy, and at times you will be tempted to fall back on old habits, but if you make an ongoing effort to live below your means, saving money will happen automatically. This is one of the simplest ways to start improving your financial health over the long run.

Now I’m not advocating that you go through arduous, painstaking hours examining alternative scenarios, and figuring out how to save pennies on your taxes. Rather, the goal is to adjust your mindset and examine your habits in order to gain a better understanding of how to manage your money more effectively.

I never go to the barber anymore. Actually, let me rephrase that. I never go to a professionally trained barber anymore. It’s just not worth the cost, and definitely not as entertaining as getting a haircut from a friend or a loved one, or even doing it yourself. I went to the barber regularly as a child, and at first found it difficult to get out of the habit. However, cutting your own hair will save you quite a bit of money in the long run, and you will most likely have fun doing it. In addition, you will probably be protecting the environment in a roundabout way, that is, unless you have a habit of walking and riding your bike everywhere.

If you have never had a homemade haircut, keep the following in mind to ensure the best results:

1. First realize that it’s only hair, and it will grow back soon enough.
2. Tell yourself that “you can always buzz it if it turns out really bad”. I’ve never actually gotten to this point.
3. Take it slow. It’s always better to take off too little than too much.
4. In case your new barber has a lapse in concentration, and takes a big chunk of hair out, find a magic marker that is somewhat close to your hair color, and fill in the gap. I’ve only had to resort to this once or twice, but it works wonderfully! (You’ll breathe a big sigh of relief)
5. If it looks “choppy” or messy, then that’s great news, you’re in style now!
6. Remember that it takes some practice, and your haircuts will gradually improve over time.

Or you can just postpone your haircut (I usually go for more than a few months), as suggested by A Frugal Guy, in some commentary about wise procrastination.

If you’ve never grown your own tomatoes, now is the time to start. They taste so much better than any tomato you can buy at the grocery store, and you’ll gain a tremendous amount of satisfaction from your efforts. They’re very easy to take care of, so it’s hard to make an excuse not to give it a try: All you need is a pot, some soil, and some sun, preferably from a southward direction. Even when I lived in an apartment with no south facing windows, I’d climb up on the roof (for better sun), and tie my precious tomato plants to a cinder block so that they wouldn’t blow away. That’s just how good they are.

I’ve had this tomato plant since last spring. Apparently, if you live in an area with cold winters, all you have to do is take your tomato plant indoors before the first frost, stick it in a south facing window, and you’ll have fresh tomatoes into the depths of winter. This plant’s productivity fell dramatically due to the short days, but now that the daylight hours are in the upswing, it’s really starting to produce. I counted 17 cherry tomatoes yesterday, and its only April 1st!

In order for this to work, you’ll have to use an indeterminate variety of tomato, since a determinate variety will produce fruit only once, stop growing, and then die.

Photo by Daniel Iggers

Have you checked your showerhead to see how efficient it is? What’s its GPM/LPM rating? Does it have infused oxygen, or a patented vacuum chamber? Does it keep the PSI constant?

Confused?

How about this idea? Start by taking a shorter shower! Every minute that you spend in the shower, you’re using precious gallons of H20.

I’ve outlined some of the benefits of reducing your shower routine below:

Conservation: If you were to reduce the length of your daily shower by just one minute, you’d save about 70,000 gallons (265,000 Liters) of water over your lifetime (assuming 2.5 GPM (9.5LPM) x 1 Minute reduction x 365 days/year * 75 years).

Saves Money: Water isn’t as “free” as you might think, and every drop that you use costs money. In your monthly utility bill, all the costs of storage, treatment, delivery, and heating are passed directly to you, the consumer. If you actually took the time to run all the numbers, I’m sure that the savings would be worth your time. (Oh wait, we’re talking about taking less time!)

Health Concerns: Chlorine and other chemicals present in tap water might be good for keeping out the microorganisms, but I’d rather not absorb large quantities of those chemicals through my skin.

It can be fun: When I was a little kid, I had a habit of taking my showers during tv commercial breaks. I find a short shower to be naturally invigorating. And I challenge you to beat my record time of 59 seconds. (This includes washing behind your ears). The clock starts when you turn the water on, and stops when you turn it off. I really don’t think its possible to get clean in a shorter amount of time.

I recommend that you start by getting an idea of how long you spend in the shower, so that you can take steps to reduce your impact on the planet, and save yourself some money. (You should also replace your showerhead with a more efficient one if you haven’t done so already. It’ll pay for itself in no time.)

Check out Clever Dude’s 5 QUICK Ways to Save Money IN the Bathroom, and Green Your Shower for more simple saving ideas.