Frugal

Living like a Lightweight.

By Brad Beckstrom

You still hear it occasionally. “That guy’s a lightweight.” When I was a kid, it may have meant you couldn’t hold your own on the playground. In college, this term was often used to describe someone who was a sloppy drunk or couldn’t hold their liquor. In business or politics, lightweight may be used to describe someone who can’t take a little heat, or bails out when the going gets tough. Today the word lightweight implies something very different. If you’re a lightweight who can compete or dominate above your weight class, then you have something. If you’re talking about a boxer like Roberto Duran, a legend like Bruce Lee, or the UFC fighter Conor McGregor then lightweight can take on a whole new meeting.

Look at any sport in the racing world, “lightweight” is the hottest thing going. Carbon fiber tubing is used to make incredibly fast racing boats to compete in the America’s Cup, and superlight racing bikes that weigh as little as 13 pounds. In a competitive world, lightweight can have great advantages.

If you’re not a professional athlete, or in the market for a $9,000 bicycle, you can still live like a lightweight. Let’s apply this term in three areas: Health, Life, and Work.

Health, Physical and Mental.

There’s a memorable scene from the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. The movie is about Joe Cross who lost 100 pounds juicing. You hear stories all the time about people losing tremendous amounts of weight. What Joe did differently is he that he visually demonstrated how much weight he’d lost by carrying around six professional bowling balls to represent the weight. This really clicked with people and helped him kick start the green juice trend. Most of us could not imagine carrying around even one or two bowling balls all the time.

The bowling balls Joe carried around are a great metaphor. Think of all the excess stuff we carry around, garages and closets full of stuff we don’t use, those extra pounds, guilt and regret about things that happened in the past, huge SUVs to haul all this around, while sitting in traffic. It’s time to start looking at the benefits of becoming a lightweight. [Read more…] about Living like a Lightweight.

Is that purchase worth it? Consider the cost per use, a simple strategy to help you decide.

11/16 by The Frug Leave a Comment

Technology can be a pain in the ass. Smartphones, Game Consoles, DVRs, digital thermostats, talking cars, and home appliances. A lot of this technology is designed to improve our lives, give us more free time, maybe even help us save a little money. Most of it falls short. In fact, when multiple technologies are combined, they can often have a negative impact on our time and quality of life. Multiply this by a family of four or more, and all this stuff can make you its bitch. Constantly beeping, demanding upgrades, presenting you with unrepairable failures, offering multiple support options, mostly paid ones, none of which actually solve your problem, and all of which require your time.

smarttv

Planned obsolescence has become a science, hurling consumers into a constant cycle of upgrades and repairs on items that didn’t even exist 10-15 years ago, taking time and attention away from more important matters. It in an affluent society we often just throw money at the problem, replacing the defective item with the new shiny model, while the old one often ends up in a landfill.

It’s possible to step off this treadmill, embrace simplicity or minimalism. I believe these are viable approaches that can change people’s lives. The problem most people have is that they been on this hedonic treadmill so long they are afraid to step off. It’s the transition from having your life managed by stuff to a simpler path. That is the challenge for most people. I’ve been working to simplify my life for over three years: writing about it, working on it, giving stuff away, but still have a long way to go. Some progress is forward progress, and that’s what I’m focused on.

Something I found that has worked is evaluating any purchase, item you want to replace, or something you’re having trouble parting with, on a cost per use basis. Here’s how it works. Cost Per Use is the price of something divided by the approximate number of times you use it over the life of that item. So something you use many times per day may be a better investment than something inexpensive you use infrequently. Based on this formula, my iPhone is one of the least expensive things I own, and after I finish with it, I’ll give it to a family member, lowering the cost of use even further. As an added benefit, my iPhone replaced about 20 other items helping me lighten the load getting rid of everything from music CDs to handheld GPS units.

Some other cost per use examples

It’s best to start with the big stuff, so let’s start with automobiles. If you buy or lease a new SUV every three years you’re absorbing all of the depreciation and increasing your cost per use of that vehicle substantially. That vehicle loses most of its value in the first three years. If you buy a larger vehicle your cost per use is also higher based on gas and operating expenses. To lower the cost per use, it would make sense to buy your next car like it’s your last. Purchase one high quality, fuel-efficient vehicle and keep it for at least 10 years. You can lower your cost per use even further if you know exactly the vehicle you’re looking for and can purchase a low mileage version just coming off lease, and keep that vehicle. Once those car payments end, you’ll find the maintenance costs required to keep the car in excellent running condition are a lot easier to swallow. I’ve also found that keeping a car in excellent condition, including the occasional carwash or detailing, makes me less apt to even think about replacing it. [Read more…] about Is that purchase worth it? Consider the cost per use, a simple strategy to help you decide.

How to hack your Keurig Machine, make better coffee, and keep K-Cups out of landfills.

06/16 by The Frug Leave a Comment

By Brad Beckstrom

Ahh coffee, the fuel of empires. There is something about that hot, head-clearing beverage as it hits the back of your throat. I like to have two cups in the morning to get me going, any more than that I start shaking and develop twitches. I think of coffee as a do-it-yourself beverage, preferring to brew it at home rather than frequent coffee shop lines or convenience store baristas. You might think it’s odd that I have a Keurig machine, the hugely popular coffee system that unfortunately is filling our landfills with plastic K-cups. K cups are certainly not frugal compared to buying a bag of good coffee at Costco or grinding your own beans.

It turns out that the Keurig Classic is one hell of a coffee maker without the K cups. Part of the reason for the machines success is the ability to get the maximum amount of flavor out of the minimum amount of coffee. The problem is is that the K cups often don’t have enough coffee in them especially if you use the 8 or 10 ounce setting, you’re just adding more water.

The Solution

A while back I purchased a Keurig Classic that was on sale due to the fact that a newer version Keurig 2.0 was coming out with an enhanced digital display. (Hint avoid appliances with digital displays, especially unnecessary ones). I had talked myself out of this purchase until I noticed the display of reusable K-Cups next to the coffee maker. I took the leap, calling it an experiment with the intention of returning the machine unless I absolutely loved the coffee. The results were fantastic, not only could I use my favorite coffee, I only needed half as much to get the same taste versus my old plastic drip coffeemaker.

The Hack [Read more…] about How to hack your Keurig Machine, make better coffee, and keep K-Cups out of landfills.

The Frug’s List. The best free things on the internet (I’ve used for over a year).

06/16 by The Frug Leave a Comment

By Brad Beckstrom

I should have made this list sooner, but I don’t like recommending something unless I’ve used it for a while, especially if it’s free, or it’s often too good to be true cousin (freemium). Since I started this blog in 2013, I’ve written about all kinds of free things on the inter-webs so I thought it would be a good idea to consolidate these into an ongoing list that I can update when I discover new free things, or get pissed and take one off the list. You can be sure that if it’s on this list I’ve been using it for at least a year.

Some of the items on this list are what we call “freemium”, meaning the initial version of the app is free, with more full-featured versions available for a fee. I won’t include them on the list if I don’t feel the basic version will fulfill most people’s needs, and I’ll be sure to mention if it’s ad-supported or freemium. These are not in any particular order, but in the future, I’ll add my latest discoveries to the top of the list.

Craigslist, the granddaddy of useful free things on the web. Craigslist has been one of my favorite tools for getting rid of stuff, whether it means posting a curb alert to have your old stuff hauled away for free, unloading old computer equipment for cold hard cash, or selling some sports tickets without some service adding 20% to the price. It’s free, it’s useful, it works. The more you use it, the better you get. Always remember to use photos to get your items noticed. My favorite craigslist story was when our local UPS guy came and hauled away an old sofa that The Salvation Army would not accept.

Google Apps for Work. Including Drive, Calendar, Docs, Gmail. I’ve been using Google’s online suite of apps for years. It always amazes me that I can create or find something much faster online in my browser than I can waiting for slow apps from Microsoft and Apple to grind through their bloated routines. After 6 years, I am currently using about eight gigs of the 15 free gigs of storage Google includes with my suite of apps. If you’re worried about security, you can even add two factor authentication. You’ll get a code sent to your mobile device if you try to login to your documents from another browser. You can also sync and backup your docs to your computer using Google Drive for your desktop.

Living Lean, a 30 Day Giving Challenge.

04/16 by The Frug Leave a Comment

By Brad Beckstrom

Many of us forget how much stuff we have lying around, countless drawers, boxes and storage bins, full of unused things. Three years ago I declared war on stuff. I pictured myself and my family living a simpler, leaner lifestyle. We’ve been at it ever since, filling up a large box of stuff nearly every month, then like clockwork scheduling a pick-up with Purple Heart. I keep one large box in the basement and another upstairs so there is never an excuse not to give something away. You might be thinking, a large box every month for three years, he must’ve been some sort of hoarder. Sadly no, most people who know me would tell you I’m organized. I guess I’d become pretty good at organizing all the stuff that a family of four accumulates living in the same house for 18 years. I was spending time researching, buying, organizing, cleaning, repairing, storing, and disposing of stuff. It was straight up batshit crazy.

Enter The Minimalists

We’ve made progress controlling our spending on stuff, but sometimes I feel like we’re running in place. Stuff in, Stuff out. This spring it’s time to jump start this process. To do this, I went back to the source, the Minimalists. I met Joshua and Ryan 3 years ago in Fargo, ND. They gave an inspired talk about Minimalism that’s now become a movement and a movie coming out this spring. The most popular essay on their blog is the 30 Day Minimalism Game.

Here’s how it works. [Read more…] about Living Lean, a 30 Day Giving Challenge.

Getting rid of GAS. Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

09/15 by The Frug Leave a Comment

Buying stuff you don’t need in hopes it will make you better at something.

By Brad Beckstrom

I have it. I think I’ve had it for a long time. At least, I still have many symptoms. Psychology Today defines Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS) as “lustily buying more tools than you need.” Wikipedia’s describes (GAS) as “the urge to acquire and accumulate lots of gear.” They single out musicians in their definition, saying the term sometimes refers to Guitar Acquisition Syndrome. Guitarists tend to acquire lots of guitars, guitar amplifiers, custom pedals and effects processors.

But this goes way beyond musicians. In fact, I could list any number of hobbies, interests, careers, passions etc. that suffer from gear acquisition syndrome. Just pick up any magazine on cooking, photography, technology, fitness, beauty, cycling, hunting, fishing, boating, camping, gaming, music, cars and you’ll see gear featured front and center on nearly every page. Web sites are worse, the candy colored gear pops up and can lead you on click tangents.

I recently canceled a free subscription to a photography magazine because they weren’t really talking about photography, they were talking about gear, tricks and tools to make you a better photographer. Most of the photos in the magazine were of …..gear. What I know now is that gear will not make me a better photographer. The best camera, latest versions of software, and the fastest Mac out there will not make me a better photographer. Going out and doing the work, taking the photographs will make me a better photographer.

GAS can definitely be a problem for someone like me who is interested in everything. Technology, music, boating, even healthy stuff like hiking, cycling………lots o’gear.

Even self-help junkies (people constantly trying to improve themselves ) are not immune to this syndrome. Our gear just looks different, books, online courses, the latest to do list app software and razor thin laptops, tablets and phones to run it all. Holy shit, I am in that group as well. If I’m not careful GAS could kill me!

Getting rid of bad GAS

The first step in getting rid of GAS is admitting that you have it. So how do I get rid of it? There is no remedy that you can go out and buy in chewable tablet form for this. Even if there was, I would probably tell you not to buy it.

Once you know you have it, understand that it will pop up in the strangest places. This is not your fault. If you’re reading this, you are lucky to live in a place that has a paradox of choice. Meaning that there are so many choices and options screaming for your attention that some of that cream really has risen to the top and grabbed your attention. You feel the urge to buy and the pressure to make the “right choice.” Smart phones, motorcycles, vacuum cleaners, laptops, guitars, high-tech shoes and clothing, all available all the time, next day delivery. This stuff all looks great doesn’t it ? Which one will be best for me?

How to deal with this? Do what you do best, procrastinate. Put off the decision, stop spending time researching, tell yourself “I’m going to think about this for a few weeks.” This is one of the single best things I’ve found for getting rid of GAS and avoiding purchases I will regret later.

Once you’re able to put that decision off, think of the time you just saved yourself. You’re done with the research. You can use that time to go fishing, go skiing, cook, or do whatever it was you were trying to improve with new gear. I recently heard a writer speaking about how she used to be a self-help junkie, taking every course, buying every book, attending seminars. What she finally realized was that she could improve her writing, by actually doing it instead of reading about it. She had found the secret! She literally found the secret, instead of buying a book called The Secret for $14.95.

Output versus Input [Read more…] about Getting rid of GAS. Gear Acquisition Syndrome.