Ate only 7 foods a month. Wore only 7 pieces of clothes for a month. Gave away 7 things every day for a month. Eliminated 7 forms of media for a month. Spent money in only 7 places for a month… 

Are you intrigued?   

Well, I did not do that but Jen Hatmaker, author of  7 experiment did.  Jen details out her experiment against excess, in seven categories of her life.  This article is NOT a book review but I am taking you behind the scenes of my life, my personal finances, my thoughts on stuff, the private conversations I’ve had with friends as I reflect on the impact of this specific book.  ‘Beware of small expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship” – Benjamin Franklin.  This one book gave me food for thought about areas of leaks (waste) in my life when it came to time and personal finances.  

From ‘many many many’ clothing items to 3 capsule wardrobes

A few years ago a friend came over to help me pack up my clothes as I was moving across State.  I kept pulling clothes out of the closet and just like the magic porridge pot – they just kept flowing out.  My friend may or may not have raised an eyebrow at me on what now seemed to be a never-ending task. I thought my clothes were under control since I was only using one of the two closets in that room.  Clearly not! Since that time I’ve had to move again 3 more times – packing, loading, and unloading. Enter my 3 wardrobe capsules: Summer, Winter, and Spring/Fall.

What is a capsule wardrobe, anyway?

There is a lot of information on what it is and what it should have so I’ll let you Google that one.  Mine consists of 39 pieces of clothing that include tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear, and shoes. It does NOT include work out clothes, pajamas or formal wear (thank heavens).

So one day I had an aha moment and it went like this aka Money Saving Challenge

I’m an adult who wears one outfit per day, unlike a baby who may change clothes several times.  Plus there are only seven days in a week – so then, how many clothes per week do I really need? So the endeavor to streamline started and still goes on. I’m okay to let the fashion trends pass me by- they come around anyway. 

Food

We’ve already established that I didn’t eat 7 foods in a month although that makes for a small grocery list and a short time at the store.  A friend once said to me they have high standards when they go out to eat and expect only spectacular food. I may not be a chef in a five-star establishment but I hold my own pretty well in the kitchen so when I eat out it is more for the company and convenience. If I want spectacular food, I make it myself! I love to cook. I dislike grocery shopping.  So in the past, I found myself ‘stocking up’ so I would have fewer trips to the store.  This did not work very well for a creative cook as I found I was not always feeling inspired to make the food that I’d bought the ingredients for.  Month after month I would toss out unused ingredients, expired condiments. Can I digress a moment and give a shout out to all those ingredients delivery companies that just send you the right amount of condiment you need for the recipe you are preparing.

Now my pantry and fridge only have ingredients that I will be cooking in the next few days and by a few days I mean the next three days.  Yes, it’s more trips to the grocery store but they are quick as I am not stocking up for the entire month like before.  

Money Saving Challenge: Have you ever found surprise food in your pantry (and I don’t mean spoiled)- that food item that was buried deep in your freezer or pantry that you did not think you had?    Use up everything in your pantry and then only buy as needed and see how much savings you will rack up.  Trust me it works.

Possessions

If you have ever visited someone living in the New York area then you know that the square foot of a property is much smaller than places like let’s say the South and don’t get me started at the ridiculously high price per square foot.  Having lived in the South for 16 years, I knew I had to scale down on my stuff and scale down in a big way as prepared to move NorthEast. I organized everything in two piles: keep it or donate it. I took stock of ALL my stuff. Why did I have multiple sets of champagne glasses, wine glasses, water glasses, 7 baking dishes when I always used 2.  I looked at the frequency of which I had used the items and made the determination to purge or keep.  

Money Saving Challenge: If I have not used an item for the past 3 years then it’s time to let it go.  This area is still a work in progress so let’s do it together.  

Bills

I cut off cable (insert readers gasp here).  Yes, I did. Most cable companies offer the triple package -TV, online, & Phone. After trying one of those packages, I evaluated how much I needed all the channels offered or a landline.  I realized that now I spend most of my free time building my business, listening to a podcast, learning something on YouTube or another course I’ve enrolled it. Yes, I do watch shows, movies as well but not to the degree I used to. So I made a decision- cable must go.

I contacted the cable company and told them that I was removing TV and Phone options and would only need the Online i.e. Internet. The price that they quoted was not what I was willing to pay so I used my voice.  I told them how I want to remain their customer and that $x is what I can afford and after a few moments of negotiating they tagged ten dollars to my offer and that is my new bill.  I just made sure I started low with my offer to give room to the negotiation. 

Money Saving Challenge: You may not be ready to give up cable like I did but do you know you can call your provider and get a special rate for 6 months or even a year as an existing customer.  Yes – you can. I’ve done it before. You see, it costs them more to lose you as a customer.  

What about that service/ subscription that you do not use but are still paying for because it is only $9.99 or whatever minimal amount.  Call and get it canceled.  
Take all four challenges or just one.  The end result will be a Win-Win for your personal finance.  Don’t forget what Benjamin Franklin said, ‘Beware of small expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship”.