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Our eldest daughter just recently moved out to begin her adventures as a young adult. My wife and I are suddenly discovering how quiet a house can be, and how much free time seems comes with “empty nesting”.
Given my fidgety nature, I’ve started looking for all the little jobs that have escaped my attention for a while, but can now be attended to. One of the most mundane was replacing the screen protector on my cheap Android phone. The old protector had a crack through it for several weeks, quietly irritating me without actually being notable enough to act on.
So for the princely sum of $6, I replaced the hard thin strip of plastic. Suddenly my phone is pleasant to look at, and far less irritating to use. All for $6 and five minutes of my time.
I think I’m getting better at identifying the very small items that are almost zero cost, but make my life a little more pleasant.
Hygenic wipes in the car. A few cents per sheet, a minute to wipe over the steering wheel and gear shift, suddenly I enjoy driving more.
A pen nearing “end of life”. How much time have I wasted trying squeeze the last drops of ink, all the while making my life a little bit worse? Proud to say that at the first sign of fatigue, pens are now retired to the trash.
I figure that if I can find a few more of these, our bank balance will be negligibly changed but my life will be measurably better. My search continues….
new socks, I love the feel of a new sock…not changing new socks every week….but maybe more often than my current default of, no hole, keep going…love the article
Thats interesting Roy. My son has always said that if money were no object for him he would wear a new pair of socks every day.
Roy, thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it.
I agree – fresh soft socks feel like a real luxury.
This also reminded me of an Australian personal finance guy recommending buying the best pillow you can buy, and the most comfortable underwear you can find. Both these strike me as excellent examples of small, valuable spending.
Greg, an interesting article and it made me think about what little luxuries I encounter whether big or small. I like your thinking on that side of the world where you are. Maybe life is greener in Australia?
Unfortunately, as with many of the articles I read on HD along with the comments, it brings out snide jabs and the main topic gets hijacked. Who would have thought Jeff Bezos name would become a part of this topic?
We live in a little rural town of about 1500 people, and I work in an agricultural supply business. I’m certainly living a quieter, simpler life than most Australians, thus my fascination with small mundane things!
Greg, this is a wonderful reminder that improving our lives doesn’t always require a grand plan, or much money. Sometimes the smallest annoyances quietly take up more mental space than they deserve. A few dollars and five minutes can provide an unexpectedly generous return. I may even stop trying to coax one more sentence out of a dying pen!
So true. By nature and by cultivated habit, my initial reaction to a need is to “make do” with what we have or do without. But lately I’ve relaxed my policy, and encouraged my wife to do the same. Not enough to acquire a collection of impulse-bought junk, but with the aim of eliminating the annoyances that you write about. And also to purchase a few things that I know we will enjoy for years.
Mama is doing so well with her cancer battle that last month she was able to travel with sister-in-law to Wisconsin to visit the other side of her family for a while. Our house is now spookily quiet.
I went a little overboard finding something to keep me busy in the evenings. I auditioned for three local theater productions, hoping to land one part. Unfortunately, I got all three. 6-day-a-week rehearsals.
I’m onstage this weekend as Zeus in a comedy about Greek mythology, and next month it’s Fiddler on the Roof.
Retirement is utterly exhausting.
Glad to hear that boredom isn’t an issue!
I wouldn’t be able to remember the lines for three plays!
Greg, if the weatherman were to describe my retired life, he might say something like, “Dan will be busy today with periods of sedentary”. As I recently posted, we have had a very active year so far, still, a day doesn’t pass without me sitting on my butt for too long, being not productive. So I find myself looking for just the type of project that you have described. Installing some tiny wire clips on the end table to keep charging cables neatly, organizing a drawer or cabinet, replacing ugly over-the-door hooks with fancy hardware.
I think such little projects help convince me that I’m not wasting my life away after all.
And writing HD articles!
Mine will say clear with periods of napping.
There is an easy fix for all this. Open an Amazon Prime account. When you want something large or small just log on and click here and there and the next day or so it’s at your house.
In the last ten days we have acquired a book case (yet to be assembled), a popcorn popper, two books, a 3” Swiss Army knife that I keep losing and assorted cleaning products.
Were they all the best price possible? Assuredly not, but it was easy and we don’t even pay for prime, we share our daughter’s account.
As an added bonus I have linked my AMX card to pay and the points earned on the card can also be used to pay for what we buy on Amazon.
No travel required, no gasoline used, no shipping cost, no hassle at the store. And for those desiring to track spending, you can look up past purchases anytime. I’d say Bezos deserves his billions.
The market in Australia is a little different. Amazon seems pretty disappointing out here. I tend to use eBay, which is an endless source of small, interesting stuff.
We’re also 2 hours drive from our nearest major city, so same day or overnight delivery isn’t part of the deal. Maybe next week, if you’re lucky.
Our refusal to further enrich Bezos is one reason we decline to enroll in Amazon Prime, but another is a visceral dislike of paying for the privilege of quicker delivery.
When I run short of vitamins or see a book I want, or Sarah needs some doohickey for her artwork, I add it to the Amazon shopping cart — but I don’t click “Proceed to Checkout” until I have the $35 minimum required for free shipping. Might take a week or so.
That also acts as a brake on impulse purchases. I’ll generally delete one or two “what the hell” items from the cart before clicking.
Why do you care how much wealth Bezos has? He had the idea, he took the risk, he benefits from the stock market the way each of us hopes to do. I wish I was as smart and motivated to accomplish what many of the billionaires have.
I consider the razing of the East Wing of the White House — the People’s House, not the property of the current resident — and its replacement with a ballroom for billionaires to be an obscenity against America.
Bezos helped fund it. And he promoted it in the Washington Post, which he personally owns and whose editorial policy and news coverage he has perverted to his own personal views. He has explicitly stated that the paper will promote only positive coverage of personal liberties and free markets, with no opposing viewpoints published. This is another abhorrent use of his wealth.
That’s why, Dick.
After not having a delivery the other day, the Amazon driver stopped by to make sure Chrissy was okay.
Ha-ha, good one! :-))
You might consider getting an Amazon credit card. 5% back on all purchases.
Almost all of our Amazon purchases are through Subscribe & Save. We get delivery once a month and save up to 15% on top of the 5% for the credit card. Even if you only buy an item once, sometimes you can subscribe and get a discount for quick delivery, and then cancel the subscription.
Greg, when my last daughter finally flew the nest and we officially became empty-nesters, I treated myself to a little luxury. Her (very spacious) bedroom got a full makeover into a proper home gym and weights room. That went so well that I got carried away and turned my other daughter’s room into a games room, complete with a pool table and a full-size table tennis table.
I’ll admit: this is less “cheap little luxury” and more “mid-life renovation spree.” But in my defense, both rooms get used constantly, so I’m counting it as a win.
The most amusing part is this: my daughters still sulk every time they visit and have to slum it in the two smaller guest bedrooms. Nothing like reminding your kids they’ve been demoted to houseguest status in their own childhood home. 😂
I was frugal all my life – I wouldn’t spend a dime if I didn’t have to. Now I have so much money, I can buy what I need and not have to worry, but I’m still getting used to it.
I hear you. I was a bit the same, but luckily have been able to transition to spend a little more. I hope you can find ways to boost your life!
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