Spilling the Secrets of a Middle Class Life

I have a secret to share with you, dear readers.  I…well, I am not rich.  I know it’s a shock, I do. 

You must have imagined me in my elegantly sumptuous beach-front hut in Fiji, surrounded by nothing but crystalline waters and alabaster beaches being served the occasional Mojito by a golden, strapping adonis who massages my feet and plays with my tresses for hours whilst I while away the gilded hours on my laptop, scribbling furious thoughts on what it means to be ‘happy’.

Well, if you substitute a love bungalow for the high-falutin hut, rush-hour traffic for the alabaster beaches, a glass of water for the Mojito, and a computer geek for the golden adonis, whiling away the hours at my job  then – yes! – you would be correct.

Though wealthy, I am not rolling in dough or sporting any bling other than the sparkle in my eyes.  But this, my solidly middle class life, is one reason why I am passionate  about people living their purpose and living with passion.  ‘How could that be?’ I hear you wonder.

Because debt gets in the way of living your passion.

And as a recession is looming, the possibility is more than rearing it’s ugly head.  And, those of us in the middle class, are losing our homes and jobs; the stress factor has gone way up.

So here are some things you can do to get a handle on your debt, and change your perspective.

1.  Rent out a room.  It always amazes me when I read about people who have lost their homes and it never occurred to them to take in a boarder.  Sure there are downsides, but I’d rather risk those than lose my home.

2.  Ditch Dollar Menus.  If you live anywhere in the U.S., you can’t get away from those ‘dollar menu-aire’ commercials.  And what drives me nuts is that ’being broke’ apparently means ordering off the dollar menu. 

Here’s an idea, eat at Chateau du Your House!  Pretend like you are a chef contestant on a “Hell’s Kitchen” and see what kind of culinary shenanigans you can get up to.  Who needs to go out for a movie?  All the entertainment you need is in your kitchen!

And if you really  need to cut costs, without sacrificing nutrition, you could live off peanut butter jelly sandwiches and multivitamins very  cheaply.  Here is a recipe I gathered from SimpleDollar, so easy even I can make it, for fresh bread.  And here is a less easy – though delicious - recipe for honey whole wheat bread.   

3.  Plant some food.  I could seriously fall in love with having a vegetable garden.  Having lettuce, bell peppers, and tomatoes at my fingertips  would be divine.  It would be my own ‘victory’ garden.  Seeing as how I have never grown anything in my life, however, and do not wish to waste my money on an Aerogarden, I have started with an mini-herb garden and a tray of wheat grass.  It’s nice and simple.  And if I master those, I can move up ‘real’ food.

Not only is it cost effective, but it is the ‘greenest’ way to get the most locally grown produce!

4.  Ditch the car.  Well, at least a  car.  Chris and I are returning to idealized 50’s style living, what with our push lawn mower and switching to one vehicle.  I keep teasing him that the next time he mows the lawn, I am going to put on my apron and high heels and fetch him some crisp, cold lemonade!

No one in this country is very keen on using buses, believe me Raleigh’s road layout is completely horrendous for usable bus service, but there are plenty of options.  You could get a motorcycle, a scooter, or an electric bicycle.  (Mine will be here in a scant two weeks!)

I, personally, am tired of throwing money away on my car.  Meanwhile, we still have a vehicle available.

5.  Ditch the cell phone.  Like the car, we may getting rid of our cellphones, and getting pay-as-you-go phones for emergencies.  Frankly, I am sick of cell phones.  Sick of the contracts.  Sick of the fact that you can’t buy a phone unless you are buying a contract.  Sick of being worried about minute overages.  Sick of spending almost $100 month.  Gad.

What I am not sick of?  Skype!  With Skype, for $3.95 a month, I get 10,000 minutes to any landline or cell phone in the U.S. or Canada.  (Includes voicemail!)  If I am calling another Skype person, it’s free and unlimited!  Best of all, you can even buy ‘phones’ so you aren’t tied to your computer.

6.  Do not co-sign anything! 

7.  Get rid of the TV.  Keep it for movies, but disengage yourself from television.  What I’ve found is that most of the shows I love are online; their episodes are posted in their entirety!  So while I am doing boring, tedious things at work, I listen to The Daily Show and Colbert Report.  It keeps my mind engaged and I don’t miss out on my shows.

I think we can all agree that cable companies suck.  Free yourself!  You’ll get freedom from costly contracts and freedom from commercials which, as we know, perpetuate consumer driven behavior.

8.  Go to a bookstore.  I can plow through a book in under 2 hours, I can sit and catch up on magazines, I can even do research!  I prefer bookstores to libraries, at least Borders, because they are usually more inviting and friendly.  I take my laptop and get out of the house because for some reason I feel less productive at home then when I am out.

Now I don’t sit and mooch.  I usually get a drink at $2-$5, but I can spend all afternoon there if I choose, which is much better than spending $10 for two hours at a movie theater!  The best part is, my bookstores are usually open until 10pm during the week and 11pm on the weekends, which gives me a ton of flexibility.  All the libraries in my area close at 8pm!

9.  Beauty at home.  There are some places where you should not scrimp on money and beauty can  be one of those places.  However, most things you can do at home with what you have.

  • Did you know that baking soda is a gentle facial exfoliant?
  • Did you know that sugar is the perfect exfoliant for your feet?
  • Did you know that using olive oil on your hair is just as good as any ‘deep conditioning treatment’?  (Put it on your dry hair so the hair strands can absorb the oil, let sit for two hours, then shampoo out.)
  • Did you know that using an olive oil mask is just as good as any deep moisturizing treatment?  (Add salt to it and the salt will extract impurities.)
  • Did you know that certain kids of honey act wonderfully on acne?

There are so many around the house, inexpensive items that you can use which can replace the costly things you buy at the store.  But, no matter what, never skimp on your foundation!

10.  Cleaning at home.  Baking soda and vinegar can clean a heck of a lot around your house, and it is so  inexpensive.

11.  Wear black!  Accessories are inexpensive and look fabulous on the black background of your attire.  The best part?  You can inexpensively redye your clothes so they look fresh and new again!