#if he has a luxury brand item he thrifted it and he makes sure everyone knows it's thrifted and he would never put money in their hands | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

amiharana · 1 year

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what do u think modern revalink would wear!! me personally I think link is either plain tshirt + cargo shorts every day of the week or crop tops and backless shirts and layers of jewelry, no in between 💀 and revali definitely thrifts bc he thinks it makes him look cool, he probably has 100 pinterest boards of outfits he wants to try, honestly if he wasn't so interested in pursuing flight school he might go into fashion 😭 OH he definitely owns a pair of aviator sunglasses, also I just get fur coat vibes from him

CARGO SHORTS HAHAHHA THAT'S VERY LINK VIBES FOR SURE!!!! like link either dresses like a dad or he's showing so much skin pastors everywhere are sweating. casually, link wears the most random graphic tee + sweatpants or old PE shorts from high school LMFAOKJDHFJKD and also flip flops. if he's feeling a little fancy he has the most beat-up pair of white airforce 1s. i lowkey think he has a pair of black af1s that he keeps in mint condition and wears on ~special occasions~ but i Love love LOVE the idea of link wearing crop tops, backless shirts, and jewelry omg 😭🤍 he only wears stuff like that also for special occasions like the usual job interview or date night with revali <3 u know that meme that's like. Steal the Look! $2,450 and it will be like Shirt -$30, Pants - $45, Shoes - $80, Lingerie Set - $2,325 because that's totally link. tell me he's not wearing the sexiest lingerie under his date night outfit like COME ON NOW! but i also believe in link wearing a lot of oversized hoodies, big shirts, and baggy jeans etc he's very stylish and in with the trends

I AGREE WITH REVALI THRIFTING he believes in sustainable clothing and Only wears clothes he's thrifted or are from sustainable and environmentally friendly companies. he actively despises those tiktok girlies who thrift and resell on fucking depop for like 100x the price like he calls them out and roasts them in an 45 min long youtube video 😭 it's so humiliating for them that some of the tiktok girlies be deleting their accounts...... i love the pinterest board stuff too, i have one of just clothes and outfits i think are neat and want, but revali has like 20 different boards for outfit ideas based on 20 different and specific vibes. revali believes in always looking his best before he leaves the house and regularly dresses like wisdom kaye or, i specifically thought of these concept photos of taehyung from proof since you mentioned fur coat? revali makes link match with him for a date night so link ends up wearing jungkook's outfit from the same concept photos. god these men r fine asf WHEWWW! revali is just as broke as the rest of us but he LOOKS rich with the way he pairs clothing together

yes to revali's aviator glasses but link makes fun of him for wearing them inside and revali's is like IT'S FOR THE AESTHETIC!!!!!!!! link wears bucket hats because i said so. idc argue with the wall for this one he would look so cute in a bucket hat and revali thinks so too. he has so many pictures of link in a bucket hat on his phone. they both have platform doc martens, link has the boots and revali also has boots but also the oxfords.

revali has a bomber jacket from his grandfather who was a pilot. link likes to steal it sometimes because it's oversized and smells like revali <3

link learned how to crochet for funsies and made revali a bright blue scarf as a gift, and revali was so touched he centered every single outfit he wore for the next two weeks around the scarf (dw he washed it, he's a clean freak). like revali cherishes it so much he has it displayed in their house 😭

last one for now and i'm gonna project even more onto link, but he luvs jewelry. he looks especially good in gold, but he rocks any piece he wears. he has so much jewelry, revali built him a whole vanity with multiple drawers and storage space for all of the jewelry. revali randomly gets him jewelry as gifts every now and then, and he always gets it custom-crafted by a jeweler who's a friend of urbosa. link almost always wears the first necklace that revali ever gifted him for his birthday and it's beautiful sapphire wrapped in gold. also link wears a body chain under his crop tops sometimes and revali is obsessed with it he cannot keep his hands off of link's waist or his eyes away from the way the chain glints against link's tummy :)

#revalink #loz #botw #loz botw #legend of zelda #amihan's revalinkverse #amihan's headcanons #ask #cryiling #i'm obsessed with this ask this is so fun #revali lost his fucking mind when he saw link wearing a body chain for the first time #link and revali have matching bracelets with each other's initials on it #revali likes to do outfits where they're coordinated to each other #like still exemplifying their own styles but related to each other's outfits and colors and stuff ykwim?#revali keeps up with the fashion world for sure #you would think he owns mostly luxury or designer brands but he actually hates name brands and capitalism #if he has a luxury brand item he thrifted it and he makes sure everyone knows it's thrifted and he would never put money in their hands #revali wants to create a luxury brain that's sustainable and environmentally friendly one day #link likes to come with revali on his thrift runs :)#link is like revali's personal mannequin #since link doesn't care That much about looking good all the time #(because he's already effortlessly beautiful according to revali)#he lets revali style him if revali insists and he enjoys it a lot bc it makes revali happy :>

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honeyandmagic · 3 years

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An Over Indulgent Fashion Analysis/Head Cannon for Harry Potter Characters

Part 1/?

Harry Potter, my sweet little angry boy (the boy who lived, the boy who could not die, the boy with no choice, the boy who greeted death like an old friend and then proceeded to conquer him with a sigh, the boy without friends, without family, who finally got them in the end), would have no personal fashion preferences until after the war.

Sensitive to fabrics, fit, and cuts

Not because of the style or anything

But a lot of abuse victims develop sensory issues

Would explore all kinds of styles

From exuberant to minimalist

Would try luxury brands, underground brands, basics, and thrifting

Would finally settle on a mixture of grunge, something comfortable yet intimidating, with luxurious items because he deserves something nice

It’s strange, but he’s strange

(Not that he’s aware of it though)

After the war people start to dress like him

Just like Jackie-O

It takes him a while to notice this

But when he does he makes it a point to wear local designers, up and coming designers, unknown designers

He uses his fame for good (most of the time, but sometimes he just wants to have a butterbeer in peace dammit)

He did develop a strange obsession with jewelry though

Bill Weasley bought him his first pair of earrings

His fashion is eclectic, equally thought out/planned and random

He wears what he likes and it’s his first step into actually doing something for himself rather than everyone else

(He has a rather fond hat that Luna made him a few months out of the war, one that he wears nearly everyday--it’s become something of a comfort item for him, not that he’s aware of it, of course)

I see a lot of beautiful and gorgeous fanart of Harry after the war in very well, thought out, and put together outfits. BUT our boy is a chaotic, borderline feral, and honest-to-god rebelliously independent and fairly sure of who he is. So no. As an expert in fashion, I think my analysis is the best. Fuck JKR.

DISCLAIMER: I AM DEEPLY IN LOVE WITH WELL DRESSED HARRY JAMES POTTER FANART BUT IT’S JUST A FANTASY VERSION OF HIM LMAO.

#harry potter #hp #harry james potter #character analysis #meta #hp meta #fashion analysis #wizarding world #wizard fashion #wixen #the boy who lived #my bibi #hp text post #textpost #I'm always right #so fight me #q #queue

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fmdduri · 3 years

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a headcanon about duri & fashion.

word count: 1,223. about: duri’s experience with fashion, essentially, and how he’s gotten better. this mentions @yenafmd and @taejinfmd because they’ve been apart of the journey. notes: tbh i saw demi and maria doing this so i decided to plagiarize the idea just without the aesthetic. 2013 duri was also a projection.

fashion wasn’t something that duri had fully paid attention to when he was younger. simply put, duri was paying more attention to music and his music classes to really focus on anything that was fashion related. he didn’t look at any current trends and just wore whatever was comfortable. he can’t say he ever had much of an interest in fashion during his younger years, unfortunately.

as he grew older, this sentiment seemingly carried over a bit. he didn’t go online to check out the latest fashion trends or really pay attention to much of anything that had to do with fashion. if he saw someone wearing something he liked, he’d adapt the look to himself, and that was really it. nevertheless, he didn’t really use the internet all that much anyways, as he never really found much time to.

as he entered middle school and his teen years, he wasn’t really any better with the whole fashion game. at this point in time, duri had been really into vintage sweaters, as well as styling vintage sweaters. his whole closet had been full of these vintage sweaters that he found at thrift stores and generally, they were everything you could really imagine. due to being oversized, duri still owns all the sweaters because he didn’t want to part with them - but, he’s better about not strictly just wearing those. though, he does very much want to wear that during the autumn and winter months, but that’s seemingly more acceptable than what he was doing during those years.

this is something that came to change at some point when duri was in his trainee years. this was where he meant taejin, who ended up being in titan with him later on. taejin had started to take duri out and purchase him different items of clothing, all being designer - rather than those vintage sweaters that he would wear (truthfully, it didn’t matter that there were designer vintage sweaters from the thrift store, since they technically weren’t in season.) but, this had become his first major exposure to brands and the fashion world.

taejin had been the person to really help him to learn how to style designer pieces and how to make sure something look good on you. if it weren’t for taejin, he would feel a bit lost on what to actually do with designer clothing, especially in the future. he’s a bit lucky to have such a good friend who had done something like this for duri. even if duri was a bit embarrassed to be getting gifts - but, that was just very much duri and still is very much duri to get flustered by such things. (truth be told, this also probably helped him a lot with the pasha de cartier brand ambassadorship and having him be comfortable in that space.)

by debut, duri had gotten a bit better with fashion. however, due to it literally be 2011 and him still being a teenager at the time, his fashion outside of titan was still a bit embarrassing. but, that was inevitable. (let’s be real, earlier styling as well was probably a bit embarrassing, but again, it was 2011, so what can you do, right?” however, it could be a lot worst than it was, especially since he still had a lot of designer pieces that he knew how to style, thanks to what taejin was giving to him and telling him.

2012 was when duri had gotten a bit more excited about fashion. this was due to the fact that his first solo venture came in the form of beanpole. this was where he really learned more about styling, especially outside of luxury fashion brands. however, it was probably still a bit funny, considering it was very much more so outdoorsy-esque looks. so, when duri took on that style thanks to beanpole, it probably was a bit painful to see. give or take a few outfits, most people probably wished that it didn’t happen.

when the beanpole ambassadorship had ended at the end of 2012, duri had fallen back into what was comfortable and what he knew. he had given up that painfully weird outdoorsy-esque looks that were a bit in. however, 2013 seemed to be the year he discovered leather jackets and wore that trend to death.

2013 was also the year of looking preppy and wearing stripes, so adding onto wearing the leather jackets to death - this was probably a slight fashion nightmare in one way or another. but, he followed a trend that was given to him and he really ran with that. it was really just the trend of the year, so while it wasn’t bad than, it seems like a nightmare now.

the years went on and duri definitely got better, turning away from those odd and awkward trends - which was really just better for everyone that was involved.

at some point, duri meets yena and becomes friends with her, which was really nice. they’re very opposite, but they found the things that they like to do together. one of these things ended up being shopping and duri would always call upon yena when he needed to update his wardrobe.

yena is probably the person that had really made duri confident and comfortable with fashion, the person who really taught him how to be better at fashion. from the advice of making sure you can style a piece three different times, to making sure he had essentials, she had really opened up his eyes in that sense. duri’s really thankful for this because she really jump started the fashion love even more and what had helped him. generally, duri will always call upon yena when he needs to update his wardrobe.

his cousin graduating with a degree in fashion and becoming a fashion merchandiser had seemingly helped duri a lot too - making sure that he’s actually dressing well.

whenever he has questions about fashion, he’s either going to his cousin, yena, or taejin because he trusts their opinions.

duri has become a lot better with his own sense of fashion, where he’s taking things and really just making things his own. he’ll tend to follow trends, but a lot of the time, he’ll just start his own trends and make them his own. he wears a lot of tight clothing, besides for sweaters (turtlenecks are left out of this because he loves a good tight turtleneck), because it’s the most comfortable for him. however, in the summer, he has learned that he enjoys the look of outfits that are bit more flowy because they keep you cooler when walking around the city.

duri is no longer a walking, fashion nightmare. he’s very comfortable with fashion and styling himself. generally, he might even be able to take his own style and design clothing - even if he might not having anything special when it comes to his fashion, he still looks really good, and he’s considered to be very fashionable - however, that’s mainly because of the influences of his cousin, yena, and taejin. but, no one can see that he isn’t fashionable, because he clearly is now. even his active wear outfits have been considered to be fashionable in one way or another.

all in all, call him a fashionista now!

#☆ ⠀ ── headcanon ⠀ !

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ohsoethical · 7 years

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The Shy Activist- Beware of the Plastics

The world is in love with plastics for many reasons. Not the Mean Girls plastics, everyone hates them.

But the water bottles, shavers, cutlery, toothbrushes etc. It’s lightweight, flexible, durable and versatile. It’s advanced medicine, transport, electronics – and food packaging. It’s great right!

But did you know that the demand for these disposable items mean that plastic is produced at 350m tonnes per years and it’s continuously increasing.

The trouble with this is that plastic never breaks down and every piece of plastic ever made is still living somewhere on our planet. Some of these plastics can be recycled and continue living on earth as a new product. Margarine and ice cream tubs, yogurt pots, fruit punnets and ready meal trays, drink, shampoo and detergent bottles could be reincarnated if you like.

However, there are many different types of plastic and the sorting process is very labor intensive.

“Only 14 per cent of plastic packaging is recycled, with the remainder, worth £60-90 billion worldwide lost as waste.”

There are plastics that can’t be recycled including plastic wrap, cling film, bubble wrap (I know it hurts, I'm sorry), plastic bags, crisp packets, sweet wrappers, polystyrene, soft plastic/metallic packaging, plastic bottle caps TO NAME BUT A FEW.

Simon Ellin the Chief of the Recycling Association singled out Pringles, Lucozade, supermarket black plastic meat trays and cleaning spray bottles to be themes difficult/impossible to recycle.

So one major problem is that we keep producing tonnes and tonnes and tonnes of plastic and were just leaving it around the world. But there are other negative impacts.

Look at this little guy. He shouldn’t be eating plastic. He should be eating plants and insects! But the poor thing and 100,000 other marine creatures like him are eating plastic and 10% of marine life have died from being entangled in plastic bags that we are manufacturing and not taking responsibility for. It’s said that by 2050 there could be more plastic in the sea that fish!

It also pollutes the air, land and water as well as exposing worker to toxic chemicals when it’s being manufactured and incinerated. “Serious accidents have included explosions, chemical fires, chemical spills, and clouds of toxic vapor. These kinds of occurrences have caused deaths, injuries, evacuations and major property damage.”

Plastics used in cooking and food storage is also affecting our health. Chemicals that are typically hormone-mimicking and endocrine disrupters are evidenced to be coming from plastics.

There is a link between these chemicals and health problems “chromosomal and reproductive system abnormalities, impaired brain and neurological functions, cancer, cardiovascular system damage, adult-onset diabetes, early puberty, obesity and resistance to chemotherapy. Exposure to BPA at a young age can cause genetic damage, and BPA has been linked to recurrent miscarriage in women. The health risks of plastic are significantly amplified in children, whose immune and organ systems are developing and are more vulnerable. The evidence of health risks from certain plastics is increasingly appearing in established, peer-reviewed scientific journals.”

We can tackle plastic pollution and we should as soon as possible. In fact there is a prize of £1.5million prize for environmentally friendly packaging design, backed by the conservation charity the Ellen MacArthur Foundation - New Plastics Economy Innovation Prize.

Chris Grantham from the London branch of the global design consultancy Ideo said, designers would need to produce items that could be used again and again as pressure on materials increases from a growing population. Mr Grantham’s ideas about how to tackle the issue include; if products are bought online products do not need branding and complex designs; supermarkets can fit a mini projector to project branding onto blank containers.

Here’s a short list of ways to reduce plastic pollution with your own bare hands from the Natural Resources Defences Council:

1. Wean yourself off disposable plastics. Ninety percent of the plastic items in our daily lives are used once and then chucked: grocery bags, plastic wrap, disposable cutlery, straws, coffee-cup lids. Take note of how often you rely on these products and replace them with reusable versions. It only takes a few times of bringing your own bags to the store, silverware to the office, or travel mug to Starbucks before it becomes habit.

2. Stop buying water. Each year, close to 20 billion plastic bottles are tossed in the trash. Carry a reusable bottle in your bag, and you’ll never be caught having to resort to a Poland Spring or Evian again. If you’re nervous about the quality of your local tap water, look for a model with a built-in filter.

3. Boycott microbeads. Those little plastic scrubbers found in so many beauty products—facial scrubs, toothpaste, body washes—might look harmless, but their tiny size allows them to slip through water-treatment plants. Unfortunately, they also look just like food to some marine animals. Opt for products with natural exfoliants, like oatmeal or salt, instead.

4. Cook more. Not only is it healthier, but making your own meals doesn’t involve takeout containers or doggy bags. For those times when you do order in or eat out, tell the establishment you don’t need any plastic cutlery or, for some serious extra credit, bring your own food-storage containers to restaurants for leftovers.

5. Purchase items secondhand. New toys and electronic gadgets, especially, come with all kinds of plastic packaging—from those frustrating hard-to-crack shells to twisty ties. Search the shelves of thrift stores, neighborhood garage sales, or online postings for items that are just as good when previously used. You’ll save yourself a few bucks, too.

6. Recycle (duh). It seems obvious, but we’re not doing a great job of it. For example, less than 14 percent of plastic packaging is recycled. Confused about what can and can’t go in the bin? Check out the number on the bottom of the container. Most beverage and liquid cleaner bottles will be #1 (PET), which is commonly accepted by most curbside recycling companies. Containers marked #2 (HDPE; typically slightly heavier-duty bottles for milk, juice, and laundry detergent) and #5 (PP; plastic cutlery, yogurt and margarine tubs, ketchup bottles) are also recyclable in some areas. For the specifics on your area, check out Earth911.org’s recycling directory.

7. Support a bag tax or ban. Urge your elected officials to follow the lead of those in San Francisco, Chicago, and close to 150 other cities and counties by introducing or supporting legislation that would make plastic-bag use less desirable.

8. Buy in bulk. Single-serving yogurts, travel-size toiletries, tiny packages of nuts—consider the product-to-packaging ratio of items you tend to buy often and select the bigger container instead of buying several smaller ones over time.

9. Bring your own garment bag to the dry cleaner. Invest in a zippered fabric bag and request that your cleaned items be returned in it instead of sheathed in plastic. (And while you’re at it, make sure you’re frequenting a dry cleaner that skips the perc, a toxic chemical found in some cleaning solvents.)

10. Put pressure on manufacturers. Though we can make a difference through our own habits, corporations obviously have a much bigger footprint. If you believe a company could be smarter about its packaging, make your voice heard. Write a letter, send a tweet, or hit them where it really hurts: Give your money to a more sustainable competitor.

So you know what to do. Go do it. Please.

FAIR FAVOURITES

Mean It fashion- it was hard to stop choosing things I like from here. What a great selection!

“Our mission is to source ethical fashion around the world and offer well-designed, desirable and luxurious pieces in one marketplace. Clothing and accessories designed and produced in a sustainable way, using environment-friendly materials. Vegan pieces. Fair trade and upcycled items. All made by teams that have control over the production process, making sure there is no wrongdoing in any sense. Brands we are very proud to sell.”

Maya Day Dreamer Maxi Dress

Kelly Cotton Chambray Shirt Dress

Queenie Dress

Verushka Denin Skirt

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/16/toxic-timebomb-why-we-must-fight-back-against-the-worlds-plague-of-plastic

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39953209

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4519380/Prince-Charles-Dame-Ellen-MacArthur-tackle-plastics.html

https://www.lifewithoutplastic.com/store/the_plastic_problem#.WSAkiXeZPqQ

http://www.plasticsindustry.com/plastics-environment.asp

http://www.therecyclingassociation.com/latest-news/ceo-simon-ellin-picks-out-worst-packaging-offenders-for-recyclability-for-the-bbc

https://www.nrdc.org

#plastic #pollution #environment #recycling #fashion #ethical #hide #getinspired #inspiration #shy #shy activist

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newstfionline · 6 years

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The best way to spend less? Cut back on the big stuff!

Get Rich Slowly, 19 Mar 2018

You don’t need a high income to achieve Financial Independence.

Making more money helps, sure, but if you’re diligent about cutting costs, it’s possible to reach financial freedom on even an average salary.

I want you to meet my friend, John. John is an 81-year-old retired shop teacher. He’s a millionaire--but you’d never know it.

John started life as a carpenter. In his thirties, he went back to school to become a teacher. He spent the next twenty years teaching shop at a junior high school in a poor part of town. He retired to financial freedom at age 58. He never had a huge income and he didn’t inherit a fortune.

So, how’d he get rich? He pinched his pennies and doted on his dollars. John achieved Financial Independence by ruthlessly cutting costs.

John doesn’t live in a mansion. He lives in the same small ranch house he bought for $10,500 in 1962. He paid off his mortgage early, and has now lived in the place for 53 years!

John doesn’t drive a brand-new Mercedes or BMW. He drives a 1998 Chevy minivan he bought for cheap five years ago. It’s ugly, but he doesn’t care. It meets his needs and he has no plans to upgrade.

John doesn’t take lavish vacations. He spends his summers in southeast Alaska on an old 38-foot fishing boat that he bought with cash in 1995. He spends his winters doing volunteer work on farms and ranches in New Zealand.

John doesn’t like to dine in fancy restaurants. He’d rather make his own meals at home. “For me, restaurants are a waste of money,” he says. “I don’t appreciate them.”

We’re constantly bombarded by messages that wealthy people enjoy lavish lifestyles filled with luxury. From my experience meeting with dozens of millionaires over the past decade, this kind of lifestyle is the exception, not the rule.

Most wealthy people I know are like John. They’re quiet millionaires. They practice stealth wealth.

But don’t just take my word for it. Let’s look at what the experts say.

In The Millionaire Next Door, authors Thomas Stanley and William Danko share what they learned through years of academic research into the habits of America’s wealthy. Here’s one key takeaway:

What are three words that profile the affluent? FRUGAL FRUGAL FRUGAL…Being frugal is the cornerstone of wealth-building.

They write that millionaires tend to “play great offense” with money--their incomes are much higher than average--but they also “play great defense”. They’re not big spenders. They’re thrifty. They opt out of consumer culture, making purchases based on their personal needs and wants rather than status and fashion.

“Few people can sustain profligate spending habits and simultaneously build wealth,” write the authors. “[Millionaires] became millionaires by budgeting and controlling expenses, and they maintain their affluent status the same way.”

Study after study shows the same thing. To get and stay rich, you have to manage your lifestyle. You can’t outearn dumb spending.

Great. You get it. To achieve your goals, you’ve got to cut costs. But how?

There are two schools of thought:

Most money writers emphasize saving on small stuff. They teach how to clip coupons, conserve electricity, and spend less on entertainment. These small wins are usually quick and easy to achieve.

A few folks urge readers to pursue “big wins”. They argue that the quickest way to wealth is to spend less on big-ticket items like your home and your car. The downside to this approach? Big wins take a lot of work, and opportunities to pursue them are rare.

I believe that a smart money manager does both. She practices thrift on a daily basis and she seizes every opportunity to slash spending on the big stuff.

You could save maybe 50 cents a day by drinking a glass of water instead of a can of soda. That doesn’t mean much if you only do it once, but over the course of an entire year that single change would increase your personal profit by nearly $200. When taken together, many such small economies make a noticeable difference.

Small amounts do matter.

Rather than provide some made-up examples of how much you could save, here are actual numbers from my own life. When I dug out of $35,000 in debt a few years ago, I decided to:

Switch my cable TV package from $65.82 per month to $12.01 per month, saving $645.72 every year.

Get rid of my home phone line (roughly $46.50 per month) and my subscription to Audible ($21.95 per month), saving $821.40 per year.

Cancel my magazine and newspaper subscriptions, saving $137 per year.

Make use of the public library instead of shopping at bookstores, saving $391.95 in the first year.

Plant a vegetable garden to grow my own produce, saving more than $300 per year. (Yes, I’m such a nerd that I kept a spreadsheet to track how much I saved!)

With these changes alone, I increased my cash flow by $2,281.61 per year. That’s an additional profit of almost $200 every month.

You won’t get rich--slowly or otherwise--by cutting your cable bill or growing your own tomatoes. But when small changes are a part of an ongoing campaign of saving and investing, they can bring big changes indeed!

True story: I recently had a friend ask me how to get out of debt. “You can start by getting rid of your $200 cable package,” I told him. “No way!” he said. “That’s the first thing everyone says, and it’ll be the last to go. TV is important to me.” Right. More important than being debt-free, apparently.

While it’s important to save money on everyday stuff, it’s even more important to watch how much you spend on major purchases. By making smart choices on big-ticket items, you can save thousands of dollars in one blow. If you spend fifty grand less when you buy a house, that’s fifty grand (or more!) you never have to earn.

Housing: Housing is the biggest expense for most Americans--and by a wide margin. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2015 Consumer Expenditure Survey, the typical American household spends 32.8% of its income on housing, which includes mortgage (or rent), maintenance, insurance, interest, and utilities.

In an ideal world, you’d slash your housing expense by buying an affordable home in a city with a low cost of living.

While relocating to a cheaper home in a cheaper city would probably provide a huge financial reward, it’s not exactly easy. A more practical alternative might be to move within your current city. Sell your home (or move out of your rental) and choose something more affordable.

Think about it: If you’re an average American who spends $1534 per month on a place to live, dropping that expense by 10% would save you $150 per housing payment. Drop it by 30% and you’ll save more than $5000 per year!

Transportation: Transportation is our second-largest expense in the U.S. We spend an average of $792 per month (17 percent of the typical budget) to get around, including vehicle payments, gasoline, insurance, and repairs. I know Americans love their automobiles. They’re loath to let them go, even in the face of logic. But imagine how much you could save if you could cut your car costs in half! How do you do that?

Sell your current car. Replace it with a used vehicle, one that’s fuel efficient. (Side benefit: An older, used vehicle will cost less to insure!)

Drive your car only when necessary. When possible, bike or walk to reach your destination. (Side benefit: Increased fitness, which also saves you money!)

Make use of public transportation. (Side benefit: Time to read!)

When I recommend people change the way they get around, I’m usually met with a wall of objections. But let me suggest that instead of looking for reasons you can’t do this, instead look for ways you can. You’ll save buckets of money.

Other expenses: Together, housing and transportation consume half of the average American budget. There are enormous opportunities to save if you choose to economize on these two categories. But you can achieve big wins in other areas too.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey shows that the typical household spent $1846 on clothing in 2015, $4342 on health care, $2842 on entertainment, and $7023 on food.

Because each of us is different and we spend in different ways, opportunities for big wins vary from person to person. After tracking my spending for the last half of 2013, for instance, I realized that I was spending way too much on travel. In 2014, I cut my travel costs in half. This allowed me to save money for other goals, such as buying a motorhome.

The Best Way to Spend Less: A few years ago, I asked my friend John if he had advice for young people who want to retire early.

“Here’s the secret to financial freedom,” he told me. “I don’t care how much you make--you spend less than you earn. You don’t have to like it. You just have to do it. Because that is the secret.”

The best way to spend less is to optimize the big stuff.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t make your own laundry detergent or plant a vegetable garden. By all means, do these things! But understand that if all you do is the small stuff, your only hope is to get rich slowly. You can do better.

#frugality #cutting costs #personal finance

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foursproutwealth-blog · 6 years

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The best way to spend less? Cut back on the big stuff!

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The best way to spend less? Cut back on the big stuff!

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You don’t need a high income to achieve Financial Independence.

Making more money helps, sure, but if you’re diligent about cutting costs, it’s possible to reach financial freedom on even an average salary.

I want you to meet my friend, John. John is an 81-year-old retired shop teacher. He’s a millionaire — but you’d never know it.

So, how’d he get rich? He pinched his pennies and doted on his dollars. John achieved Financial Independence by ruthlessly cutting costs.

John doesn’t live in a mansion. He lives in the same small ranch house he bought for $10,500 in 1962. He paid off his mortgage early, and has now lived in the place for 53 years!

John doesn’t like to dine in fancy restaurants. He’d rather make his own meals at home. “For me, restaurants are a waste of money,” he says. “I don’t appreciate them.”

Does John sound like a typical millionaire to you? If you were to believe TV, movies, and magazines, you might think most millionaires live like this:

Most wealthy people I know are like John. They’re quiet millionaires. They practice stealth wealth.

But don’t just take my word for it. Let’s look at what the experts say.

Lifestyles of the Rich and Fameless

In The Millionaire Next Door, authors Thomas Stanley and William Danko share what they learned through years of academic research into the habits of America’s wealthy. Here’s one key takeaway:

What are three words that profile the affluent? FRUGAL FRUGAL FRUGAL…Being frugal is the cornerstone of wealth-building.

They write that millionaires tend to “play great offense” with money — their incomes are much higher than average — but they also “play great defense”. They’re not big spenders. They’re thrifty. They opt out of consumer culture, making purchases based on their personal needs and wants rather than status and fashion.

Study after study shows the same thing. To get and stay rich, you have to manage your lifestyle. You can’t outearn dumb spending.

Great. You get it. To achieve your goals, you’ve got to cut costs. But how?

There are two schools of thought:

Most money writers emphasize saving on small stuff. They teach how to clip coupons, conserve electricity, and spend less on entertainment. These small wins are usually quick and easy to achieve.

I believe that a smart money manager does both. She practices thrift on a daily basis and she seizes every opportunity to slash spending on the big stuff.

Frugality is an Important Part of Personal Finance

Small amounts do matter.

Rather than provide some made-up examples of how much you could save, here are actual numbers from my own life. When I dug out of $35,000 in debt a few years ago, I decided to:

Switch my cable TV package from $65.82 per month to $12.01 per month, saving $645.72 every year.

Get rid of my home phone line (roughly $46.50 per month) and my subscription to Audible ($21.95 per month), saving $821.40 per year.

Cancel my magazine and newspaper subscriptions, saving $137 per year.

Make use of the public library instead of shopping at bookstores, saving $391.95 in the first year.

Plant a vegetable garden to grow my own produce, saving more than $300 per year. (Yes, I’m such a nerd that I kept a spreadsheet to track how much I saved!)

With these changes alone, I increased my cash flow by $2,281.61 per year. That’s an additional profit of almost $200 every month.

You won’t get rich — slowly or otherwise — by cutting your cable bill or growing your own tomatoes. But when small changes are a part of an ongoing campaign of saving and investing, they can bring big changes indeed!

The Magic of Thinking Big

Housing

Housing is the biggest expense for most Americans — and by a wide margin. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2015 Consumer Expenditure Survey, the typical American household spends 32.8% of its income on housing, which includes mortgage (or rent), maintenance, insurance, interest, and utilities.

In an ideal world, you’d slash your housing expense by buying an affordable home in a city with a low cost of living.

“If you’re not yet wealthy but want to be someday, never purchase a home that requires a mortgage that is more than twice your household’s annual realized income. Living in less costly areas can enable you to spend less and to invest more of your income. You will pay less for your home and correspondingly less for your property taxes. Your neighbors will be less likely to drive expensive motor vehicles. You will find it easier to keep up, even ahead, of the Joneses and still accumulate wealth.” — The Millionaire Next Door

Transportation

Transportation is our second-largest expense in the U.S. We spend an average of $792 per month (17 percent of the typical budget) to get around, including vehicle payments, gasoline, insurance, and repairs. I know Americans love their automobiles. They’re loath to let them go, even in the face of logic. But imagine how much you could save if you could cut your car costs in half! How do you do that?

Sell your current car. Replace it with a used vehicle, one that’s fuel efficient. (Side benefit: An older, used vehicle will cost less to insure!)

Drive your car only when necessary. When possible, bike or walk to reach your destination. (Side benefit: Increased fitness, which also saves you money!)

Make use of public transportation. (Side benefit: Time to read!)

Other expenses

Together, housing and transportation consume half of the average American budget. There are enormous opportunities to save if you choose to economize on these two categories. But you can achieve big wins in other areas too.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey shows that the typical household spent $1846 on clothing in 2015, $4342 on health care, $2842 on entertainment, and $7023 on food.

The Best Way to Spend Less

A few years ago, I asked my friend John if he had advice for young people who want to retire early.

“Here’s the secret to financial freedom,” he told me. “I don’t care how much you make — you spend less than you earn. You don’t have to like it. You just have to do it. Because that is the secret.”

The best way to spend less is to optimize the big stuff.

Exercise

Pull out your personal mission statement. With that in front of you, brainstorm ways to reduce your spending. No idea is too small. No idea is too big. No idea is too stupid. Do a rapid braindump of any (and all) actions you could take to cut costs. If all your spending were aligned with your goals and mission, where would the money go?

After you’re finished brainstorming, pick three specific ways — large or small — you’ll reduce spending starting this week. (Examples: I’ll walk to the grocery store. I’ll sign up for a library card. I’ll finally cancel my landline.) Also pick one “big win” that you will work to achieve in, say, the next two years. Make this a big, hairy audacious goal. (Example: We’ll go from a three-car family to a one-car family.)

Note: During the month of March, I’m migrating old Money Boss material to Get Rich Slowly — including the articles that describe the “Money Boss method”. This is the fifth of those articles.

Part one answered the question, “What is financial independence?”

Part two looked at why you should run your life like a business.

Part three explained how to write a personal mission statement.

Part four explored the importance of saving rate.

Look for further installments in the “Money Boss method” series twice a week until they’ve all been transferred from the old site.

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