Tips for Troubled Times

In an effort to move"toward thrift and away from excess", I have come up with a few ideas that some of you may not have considered. That message was conveyed in a recent u tube video that I came across that sort of summed up the way I have felt for quite some time - even before all this economic mess started. As an interior decorator I have always struggled with the "excess" I have witnessed over the years. As fun as it was spending other people's money on things I could never afford myself, I always had that nagging voice in the back of my head that wanted to remind some of my clients that the fabulous Fortuny lamp they just had to have was worth enough to feed a small village in Ethiopia for a year. But, since I was part of the equation, how could I judge? Now that those same splurges are considered gauche and shopping for sport is considered politically incorrect even for those who still have money to spend, I find myself in need of some budgetary cutbacks in my own life. So, here are a few things you can do too...... It's a great time to go vegetarian. My 14 yr old daughter stopped eating meat last September - what great timing - tofu and beans are way cheaper than kobe beef and organic grain-fed chicken! Now's the time to really embrace the multi uses for vinegar and water - and improve your carbon footprint at the same time! Ladies, ladies, ladies - I recently disovered "Root Touch up" - now I only need to have a salon dye job every 3 months! DRUG STORE COSMETICS - say no more! Forget expensive gym memberships - invest in Wii Fit and get outside and walk, run - whatever - the fresh air and sunshine will invigorate you and you won't need to compete with anyone but yourself. Cancel your weekly newspaper subscriptions - keep the weekend paper if you like, you'll be saving trees, money and freeing yourself up to get out and walk (see previous tip). How many magazines do you subscribe to? - get rid of them (with the exception of any home decor mags) and get rid of clutter at the same time - buy one offs on the newsstand when you are interested in the content. I could go on and on but I think I will stop here and make this a weekly blog feature with new tips each time. Besides, I need to go grocery shopping and I haven't clipped my coupons yet. Later.