Note: This is a post from Joan Otto, Man Vs. Debt community manager. Read more about Joan here.

At one point not too long ago, I had one full-time job and five part-time jobs – at the same time.

When I say we’re serious about paying down almost $90,000 in credit-card debt… I mean it. And that means that when Chris and I can make some extra money, well, we take the chance where we can. When we’re hustling, our family income can be over $13,000 NET in a month.

So when I ask you how could you – YOU – make an extra $200 this week if you had to, I’m probably going to be pretty skeptical if your answer is, “Uh, no way I could do that!”

So just keep that question in the back of your mind… “If you had to make an extra $200 this week, how would you?” We’ll come back to that in a few minutes.

***********

As of last fall, our family’s income situation looked like this:

• My full-time job income from the local newspaper
• My husband’s full-time job income from the local newspaper
• My part-time income from helping Baker with some projects
• Our joint part-time income from buying and reselling used books online via our Amazon store
• My part-time income from working as a Weight Watchers leader
• My part-time income generated as a Mary Kay consultant
• My part-time income from doing some private website setup and design
• Our occasional income from selling our crap on Craigslist, eBay, Amazon and our local “virtual yard sale” email group
• Our occasional income from monetizing our personal blogs using Amazon affiliate links, Google AdSense, etc.

Right now, we’re running a pretty similar setup, with a few changes and some streamlining. Today, I’d like to take a look at how I make all these “side hustles” work – in part, to help continue to introduce you to me and to our situation, but also because I have a sneaking suspicion that there are some applicable lessons out of my experience for anyone who’s trying to generate more income!

I’m using last fall’s list as a reference for two main reasons.

First, this was our longest “list of income streams” ever.  It was notably long enough that it earned me a chance to do an interview as part of the Part-Time Money Podcast with Phil Taylor of PT Money about all my side hustles. (Funny story there: If you listen to it, I talk about working full-time from home at some point in the distant future – turns out it was much nearer in the future than I’d have guessed!)

Second, during the same period, I was participating in the Fall 2011 You Vs. Debt class and as part of that, for 30 days, I was tracking EVERY bit of income and expense in our life. That gives us a lot of data to draw from!

Our three main streams of income

This is actually the part I want to spend the LEAST time on today, but it’s an important background to the rest of the jobs.

In the fall, this was my full-time job income from the local newspaper, my husband’s full-time income from the same source, and my part-time income from helping Baker with some projects.

There are two main things to note here.

First and pretty obviously, my “full-time” and “part-time” jobs have swapped. I now (as you hopefully know!) work full-time with Baker, and I’ve remained an employee of the newspaper in a part-time, from-home capacity.

Second, all of this work is salaried. This is extremely important to note, because if I had to pick one piece of advice to give most people on generating extra income, it would be to take the simplest possible path, which is usually to pick up more hours or jobs doing what you’re already doing.

In our situation, though, especially when our full-time incomes came from both of us working at the paper, we had to look outside the box to make extra money. That was good – because that’s actually what led me to the full-time opportunity here with Baker! At the same time, I’d caution you from getting as varied and complex as we are if you have an existing stream of income that you can grow. Don’t create NEW complexities, new jobs, unless your current ones are maxed out for any reason!

Total income per month (average) from these: $8,000 (more in months with three paychecks at the newspaper, which pays biweekly).

One note here: Assume these figures to be net, but realize that with lots of part-time work comes a lot of tax-time finagling, some of which draws out of this pool of “income”; I won’t get into that in TODAY’S post, but please know I have an accountant who helps me out with all of this and keeps us in good shape with the IRS!

Our biggest side income stream: Our Amazon store

This is another post on its own – how we went from selling our own no-longer-needed books and DVDs on Amazon, to running a full-scale store with a massive inventory – but suffice it to say we average more than 1,100 items listed for sale at any given time, with a stockpile of more than another 300  items that will almost certainly be listed in the coming months.

Total income per month (average) from this: Varies; about $180 a month profit on a “regular” month.

That doesn’t sound like a ton, maybe, especially not when I consider this a “business.” However, we’re just now starting to hit our stride (and monetize on some previously purchased inventory), and there are months in which we top $300 to $400 if a big-ticket book sells. This is basically my husband’s hobby – and, over the course of a year, this “hobby” adds about $3,400 to our family’s income!

We’ll talk more about this concept when I talk about our occasional selling-our-crap income, but here’s a point to remember: Selling used goods online – whether they’re yours or someone else’s – can be pretty profitable!

Joan’s original side-income sources: Weight Watchers and Mary Kay

I talked a little about my job with Weight Watchers in my post about how I think being overweight and in debt have a lot in common. Essentially, since 2006, when I lost 50 pounds on the program, I’ve worked as a part-time meeting leader and receptionist.

The great thing about this job in particular is that you can choose how much you want to work.

Right now, for instance, I’m working only on a fill-in/substitute basis, helping out other staffers when they want time off. At my highest, I led 10 meetings a week across a three-county area (still ON TOP OF a full-time “regular” job). At my highest, I brought in about an extra $250 a week from this work.

Mary Kay is similar; as with any direct-sales business, you can certainly be as active or passive about it as you want. I’ve had months where I was really active, going out and doing facials, etc., holding open houses, what have you, again bringing in $250 to $300 profit in a week. I’ve also had months where my reorder business was the only income.

If you’re going to pursue direct sales – and I’ve heard many arguments both for and against these businesses – I highly recommend choosing a product that meets a need, is used year-round, and is consumable.

In a “down” economy, selling a product that’s completely a “want” can be hard to do, and if you sell something that doesn’t get used up, well, then the sum total result from your efforts will only be that one original sale.

With cosmetics, people are using them – and using them up – pretty much year-round, and that means if you’ve built a solid customer – even if you only ever sell them on one “product” – they’ll use it and keep coming back for more, which is pretty nice.

In both cases, the biggest draw for these income sources actually isn’t the income. The great thing about both of these “jobs” is that they spring from products/services I’d otherwise be spending my own money on.

In Weight Watchers, all Lifetime members at their weight goal can attend for free (so I don’t have to work there to attend at no cost), but staffers also get a 50% product discount, which I enjoy.

Same story with Mary Kay. I’d been using the products anyway, and paying full price to a friend. Now, I get anything I want at 50% off, and my income at a minimum covers the other 50%. That means that at the LEAST, in a month, I’ve saved the money I would spend on cosmetics. At best, there’s profit on top of that!

Total income per month (average) from these two sources: Varies; right now, about $100 a month on a “regular” month; can be over $1,000 a month combined.

Making money by making websites

This is perhaps my favorite “side hustle,” in part because it has been very serendipitous for me at various times.

In short, I design VERY basic blog-based websites for small businesses, churches, nonprofits, etc., then train personnel there on how to maintain and update.

I don’t do hosting and I do only light graphic design and technical support. I’m not working with huge companies with big chains of command. Generally, I do about two to three hours of work once, get a check, and then deal with the client by email as needed here and there (usually less than 15 minutes a month if that, unless a new “project” comes up, for which I then get another check!)

My favorite story about this is that one day, I received a Dropbox file shared to my email account. It was from a gentleman asking his web developer to take a look at his files and make some changes. I replied and said the digital equivalent of “Sorry, wrong number. … I’m not who you need, but by coincidence, I’m a developer and I can certainly take a look if your guy is for some reason unavailable.”

Long story short, that worked out, and I’ve now had several “batches” of work from this company, all of which can generally net me about $200 to $300 for a couple hours of work!

This isn’t the type of work I go seeking – other than my serendipitous email project, most of the sites I deal with are from local businesses that I either patronize or have personal connections to – but it’s something I can grow if I have the time to do extra work.

Total income from this per month: Varies, but can be $300 to $500 on a month where I have one to two projects completed.

Selling our crap for cash

This was something I was into even before I became a rabid Baker fan.

At a few points in my life, I was so broke that selling stuff for cash was how I got groceries.

In more recent – and better – years, getting rid of crap was something that I was doing anyway, often to prepare for a move, and since we tend to keep our stuff in pretty good condition, it seemed logical to at least cursorily try to sell it.

We’re very lucky in our area – our Craigslist is well-used and not full of freaks, and we also have a local email group called the “Yard Sale,” which often will fetch higher prices and more reliable buyers than Craigslist will. If you have such an option available to you, I highly recommend it! (Search Yahoo!’s email groups directory here to see what comes up for your area and phrases like “yard sale”!)

Total income from this per month: Varies widely, but can be $100 to 200+ a month, even more if we’re dealing in larger items like furniture.

Monetizing our personal blogs

Both my husband and I run blogs about our passions – his for old books and paper, mine for homeschooling – that we monetize lightly with Amazon affiliate links and Google AdSense.

We’re not going to get rich doing this. These blogs won’t likely become our full-time income sources any time soon (nor, really, do we want or need them to be). However, it’s pretty great to recoup a little money for something we were doing anyway.

Read that again.

It’s great to recoup a little money for something we were doing anyway.

That’s the key to a significant amount of our extra streams of income. I’m going to a Weight Watchers meeting each week anyway – so why not make some money doing it?

I’m going to buy, and some of my friends are going to buy, cosmetics anyway, so why not make some money doing it?

I’m going to be online anyway – so why not design some websites for a couple hours at night and make some money instead of just playing on Pinterest?

I want to get rid of a bunch of my stuff, so why not see if I can get back some of the cost?

And if we’re going to blog anyway, why not try to bring in an extra $100 or so here and there, which more than offsets our nominal expenses and gives us a little extra as well?!

Total income from monetizing our blogs per month: It’s fairly new, but so far we’re averaging about $80 to $100 a month.

So how could I make an extra $200 this week?

That was my challenge to you at the beginning of this post, and I’m willing to take it myself if you are. These “little hustles” can really add up – and when you’re trying to pay off as much debt as I am, or trying to get cash together to start or grow a business, or to fund an emergency fund… well, it comes in pretty handy.

So if I had to make an extra $200 this week, I’d probably start by selling some crap; I’ve got AT LEAST $100 of stuff sitting here that I had planned to donate (for lack of time right now), but I could take the time to list and sell it and bring in the cash.

The other main thing I could do would be to call some Mary Kay clients and see if any of them are in need of product reorders. That’s a quick and easy way to usually get $50 to $100 in sales. Not something I do terribly often, but I do like to check in and try to provide good service when I can, even though I’m very part-time with my consultancy!

What’s the big picture?

Remember how I said I tracked EVERY dollar spent and EVERY dollar earned for 30 days this fall? Well, here’s what that looked like:

Total money outgoing: $10,228 (included mortgage and debt repayment; some credit cards were paid twice in this 30-day period due to how the days fell)

Total money incoming from the sources above: $13,081 

$5,000 of that income came from sources OTHER than our primary jobs. That’s intense – and it allowed us to make our outgoing number higher, as we paid a significant amount above the minimums toward our debt repayment. It’s not a level of dedication we can pull off every month – but if you’re entrepreneurial, even a “spare-time” business can make you some decent change toward getting your finances where you want them.

By the way, my numbers together added up over those 30 days to us being $2,853 ahead – which allowed us to create our emergency fund and start building a buffer in our checking account of a month’s expenses. (We’re not all the way toward that buffer yet, but we’re getting there!)

So can you make some extra money hustling?

I sure think so! Whether it’s $30 in selling on Amazon or $3,000 from a side business that you’re trying to build into a career, in my book, it’s worth doing.

How could you make some extra money this week – what’s ONE THING you can try?

Let me know in the comments!

Early this week, I received an email question from a passionate reader.

I’ve changed a tiny bit of the details to protect the guilty, but the question went like:

Hi Baker!

I forgot to ask you a question about money vs time. I hope you don’t mind that I ask you here: I have a bunch of crap- loads of it. But at this point I’m thinking it’s not the best use of my time trying to sell it all.

I’ve got 3 kids (7, 5, and 21 mos) and Im thinking it best to donate most of it except for a few items that are clearly worth over a hundred dollars. And spending the time instead creating and writing my blog.

Would you agree with this decision or would you still recommend the selling process?

Much appreciation,

-Really sweet lady that Baker hasn’t asked permission, so he won’t share her name here.

I love questions like these, because they are simple, straight-forward and easy for me to provide help!

Here was my response edited for the blog:

Hey (secret woman) thanks for emailing and all your kind words!

I tackle this problem a lot – but only from people who are really honest with themselves (like you).

I always give the following advice:

The single most important thing is ridding that crap from your life.

A.k.a. getting it out of your life will reclaim so much time, stress, and energy that throwing it into a bonfire would be beneficial to you.

Now, obviously we don’t want to do that! So donating the far majority of small stuff is usually worth it for busy people and entrepreneurs.

One other idea is to host a mega yard sale – it’s coming up on Spring – you likely wouldn’t need too much planning and could devote one weekend to dumping a ton of it a micro-prices. Essentially mark everything to move quickly. Then on Sunday bring a truck and donate anything that’s left.

We’ve found these weekend projects can be fun family bonding moments, can generate a least a little bit towards the blogging or travel fund and can save you a trip or two to Goodwill, etc…

If it were me, I’d donate it. My wife would likely coordinate a mega-yard sale and then donate.

Do go for listing the “low-hanging fruit” or the larger items you know will sell for a decent amount of money on Craigslist or eBay.

But if you try to individual list every single item you sound like you’ll be far less likely to actually succeed at the most important step – getting rid of it for good!

Hope this helps… please take pictures if you go the bonfire route!

-Baker

Haha!

Obviously, I’m being cheeky when talking about the bonfire. But I’m not being cheeky about the end result.

Nothing is more important than parting ways with the crap that bogs down your life.

In other words, it’s easy to get sidetracked.

It’s easy to get attached to the “value” that you put into something years ago (or even weeks ago) and thus let it keep you from ditching the physical clutter that plagues you.

Don’t let anything stop you!

In Sell Your Crap I have a full walkthrough with recommendations of where to sell what item (based on its value, size, shape, type, etc…). We also provide a full list of where to donate specific types of items (to avoid bonfires).

I don’t have the space to break that all down here, but we always start that process by setting a “floor” or minimum value that we will invest time in selling. For some people, the floor may be $5. Anything worth at least $5 they will sell.

For other people, the floor may be $100. Anything less than that and they are donating – above that they will work on selling.

You set this amount in your own life.

The lady who emailed me was in the middle of radically changing her life and her business – and thus her floor in this case was higher than it may have been even months before.

Bottom Line: Your excess crap steals your time and energy – and adds stress to your life. Sure, get money from it if you can. But let nothing stop you from your commitment to reclaim your freedom.

In case you were wondering… here’s her response:

You’re so awesome! I just may have a bonfire, but don’t worry — I will not link you to the cause

So glad you confirmed what I thought about this — for *me* it’s just not worth the hassle of a yard sale. Time would be much better spent towards creating our new life!

The crap is good as gone!

Perfect!

You can see the passion and the excitement in her emails. And I have no doubt that purging the crap from their life will only add to the momentum!

It’s springtime, folks.

Look around and identify the layer of crap in your life.

Time to have some bonfires!

(figuratively… or literally… your choice…)

I’m really excited to launch the first episode of the brand new Man Vs. Debt podcast!

Our team has been working hard on exploring the ins and outs of the podcasting world – and to be honest – I’m really, really enjoying it so far.

We’ll be taking off next week for Christmas, however starting in 2012 this will be a weekly podcast. One hour a week of action-packed, non-stop fun! Whoo-hoo!

Notes on Episode #1:

• We start with a section that will be named “What we can learn from the news!” in future episodes. News is typically boring, negative, annoying… or all of the above. We try to spin that around and actually learn something from it!

• Next, we talk about finding your “Big Why.” That’s the deep reason that you desire a change in your life.

• Then we visit the audio from my recent TEDx Talk which explores the question, “What does FREEDOM mean to you?” Even if you’ve already seen the video, you may be able to pick up something new while playing the audio in the background.

• Before we wrap up, I share a quick interview I recorded with Hannah Loaring. Hannah is a MvD community member who recently paid off $26,000 in just 9 months and completely changed her internal confidence and key relationships. She sheds a lot of insight into her recent success!

As always, I really appreciate your insight, comments, and suggestions.

We have nearly a page of improvements, features, and fun things we’d like to add in the next couple of episodes – and I know you guys will help us add plenty of fantastic ideas to it!

A special thanks goes out to Cliff Ravenscraft for working with me on getting set-up and optimized and Pat Flynn for inspiring me to “be everywhere” with the message.

How you can help the podcast jump out the gates!

The best possible way to help is to listen to the first 2-3 episodes as we put them out – and let us know what you think!

Click here to view and/or subscribe via iTunes!

(It may take an hour or so for the podcast to show in iTunes, but if you subscribe it WILL download even if it’s not showing yet.)

If you really enjoyed the episode, please leave a quick review (this is done by clicking “view in iTunes”). Great reviews is how iTunes knows which podcasts to share and recommend with others!

So as you are SAFELY driving to your friends and family this Christmas and New Years (or you are hitting the gym for that new workout), pop in the podcast and give it a listen. Exciting times!

Have and amazing holiday season!

Xoxoxo,

-Baker

I’m extremely excited to share with you a talk I gave as part of TEDx here in Asheville a little over a month ago. Some of my favorite online sources of inspiration are TEDx Talks, so I was honored to be invited to give one myself!

I spent a lot of time planning and preparing what I believed to be the most powerful and concise version of our message here at Man Vs. Debt. I’m extremely pleased with how it turned out!

It revolves around finding your own answer to one powerful, life-changing question.

It’s less than 20-minutes long. I think you’ll love it!

Note: I have a deep passion for speaking and would love to add a couple more events to my 2012 speaking schedule! If you know of any opportunities, conferences, or events – don’t hesitate to reach out to me. You can email me directly at Baker(at)ManVsDebt.com.

What did you think?

Let me know in the comments below!

I’ve written a lot about our own journey to redefine freedom over the last few years. But this community is so powerful because it’s made up of thousands of stories of people chasing their own dreams.

We’ve shared some of these stories before – and I’m always ecstatic to shine the spotlight. I’ve got another great story for you today.

Dustin Koester (in the picture above) has been a long-time member of the Man Vs. Debt community. In fact, he’s been around longer than any of you!

You see, he was part of the community before it even started. Dustin’s a life-long friend of mine – and responsible for almost every graphic (including the very first logo) and design you see on Man Vs. Debt or our guides/courses.

Dustin’s great at graphic design and helping as a creative consultant on projects, but that’s not what he was born to do.

Dustin was born to play the drums.

In elementary and middle school, that’s an acceptable dream. All of us encourage it, foster it, and support it. You want to play drums? Great… go for it… do it!

So throughout this time, Dustin played in a band with his friends from middle school. Their parents helped fund the gear. They played after school all evening. They even recorded and burnt CDs of their first “album”. Dustin was widely known for his talent as a drummer amongst his peers and fellow students.

But as we get older, high school rolls around. In high school, playing drums in a band can be “cool,” but we’re slowly taught that it’s not realistic to try and play drums to make a living. There’s still a fading glimmer of hope left… the possibility of trying to get into a specialized college or program still exits.

Dustin continued to play in a band throughout High School and played drums in the marching band, jazz band, and show choir competitions. His talent was obvious for anyone to see, yet there was still an underlying force pushing Dustin away from drumming.

Society’s real message was clear: Keep playing drums for fun, but it’s time to find a career or job that’ll pay the bills.

As we graduate high school and move onto college, that message is pounded over and over to us. The dreams that were acceptable and encouraged as kids are now shoved to the back burner. “It’s the responsible thing to do,” we tell ourselves.

Dustin went along with everyone else to college (Indiana University to be exact). At college, Dustin struggled to find that “responsible career” he was suppose to be working towards. As he was pushed and pulled from one focus to another, there was one consistent factor in the chaos…

Drumming.

Dustin joined the respected “Big Red Basketball Band” and continued to play in a college rock band at the bars and clubs on the weekends. When life got hectic, scattered, or confusing… drumming was Dustin’s constant.

After college, Dustin did what everyone else does – tried to find a job. He worked several, from Barista to Graphic Designer, from Security System Installer to Substitute Teacher. He got an apartment, bought some things, and tried to “settle” in.

But something wasn’t right.

This life path he was on didn’t feel like his own. He was trying to do everything he was suppose to. Get decent grades. Go to college. Find a career. Get a steady job. He was doing his best, but none of this was what he really wanted to do.

He really wanted to drum.

It was a simple realization, but one that changed the course of his life.

Not too long after, a friend of a band he was playing in mentioned his brother was a talent agent who booked musicians for cruise ships. With a spark of interest, Dustin asked for more information – and two weeks later he was auditioning for his first gig.

Over the next few years, Dustin would travel the world doing what he loved… playing the drums. He lived and played on cruise ships with destinations all over the map:

• Italy
• France
• Greece
• Turkey
• Portugal
• Spain
• Egypt
• Tunisia
• Sicily
• Monaco
• Ukraine
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Malta
• Alaska
• Canada
• Mexico
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Panama
• Bahamas

All along the way he was housed (more on this later), fed, and paid to travel the world and perform.

It’s not an opportunity for everyone – Dustin’s the first to admit that. He had to get rid of a lot of his stuff and start focusing on his finances to make the shift possible. For him, he welcomed the added flexibility to chase his dreams.

In between cruise ships, Dustin also was given the opportunity to travel the US and fill in on the Jesus Christ Superstar Nat’l Tour. He’s met hundreds of fellow professional entertainers, musicians, and industry professionals along his travels.

His journey to chase his dreams and follow his passion for drumming is just getting started. But his mindset about what’s possible has completely changed.

More from Dustin’s Point of View…

How long have you been drumming?

I started playing drums in 5th grade when my dad bought himself a drum set. Although I played guitar at the time, drums quickly stole all my attention.

When did you realize drumming was your biggest passion?

Honestly, not until recently. It’s always been an interest of mine, but it’s taken a while to realize the severity of my involuntary dedication. There’s an indescribable feeling – It’s the only place in the world where I feel completely confident, and the notion of time just disappears. At the risk of sounding like a hippie…it’s like I’m in another dimension.

How did you get started with the Cruise Ship opportunity?

I was sitting in with a friend’s cover band and after the gig we were all hanging out & talking. A friend of the band mentioned that his brother was a talent agent who booked musicians for cruise ships. About 2 weeks later I got in touch with him, he got in touch with his brother, and I had an over-the-phone audition scheduled for the next week to join my first ship later that month.

What’s your favorite part of the process (traveling and drumming)?

I really enjoy the traveling aspect of the cruise gigs. It makes me feel on top of my game when I’ve got a company flying me from place to place and staying in hotels all around the world before joining the ships. It’s also part of that surreal period where I’m realizing ‘I’m about to live on a ship for X months…again.”

What’s your least favorite part of life on a Cruise Ship?

My least favorite part of the cruise life is the housing. The rooms are quite small, but that’s to be expected, I guess. In general, what goes on behind the scenes on a cruise ship would turn a lot of people off to the cruise industry. It’s like any of your large Vegas hotels – it’s all glitz and glamour on the floor, but behind the scenes it’s business as usual.

Would you recommend it to another entertainer/musician/crew member?

I would recommend it to anyone who has a passion for traveling…and not everyone does. It’s certainly a different lifestyle for a musician onboard a ship and some don’t prefer it, but if you want to see the world and get paid while doing so, cruise ships are a great introductory way to do that.

How would you suggest someone getting started… do you have any tips for someone wanting to do this?

The best way to get started is to audition with an agency. Mine is Landau Music, Inc. which operates out of Pasadena, California. Larger group auditions are usually held at Universities and sometimes auditions can be held over the phone. The best way to be prepared for an audition is to have your sight-reading skills to a point where you’re very confident going in, and to also be familiar with a lot different styles.

What made you submit to be in the Queen Extravaganza Contest?

The curiosity, really. It’s an ongoing internal conflict, wondering how you fare against other players…and I thought this would be a great contest to experiment with. I love Queen’s timeless music and my genre of choice to play has always been rock – big moves, heavy playing – its what has come most naturally to me over the years. So I thought…”What the hell. Let’s see where it takes me.”

4-Hour Workweek Giveaway…

Lastly, I have 5 more copies of Tim Ferris’ best-selling book The 4-Hour Workweek, Revised and Expanded Edition that have been sitting around for nearly a year.

It’s time to pass them along to those of you looking to chase your own dreams!

What dream have you been pushing to the back of your mind?

What passion have you been sacrificing?

What dream do you want to chase?

Leave a comment below!

*****

Note: I’ve released the final “sneak peek” You Vs. Debt video. Check out “Purge the Excess Crap That Holds You Back“. Don’t forget to download the flowchart under the video!

Last week we touched on the “status quo” of our Upside-Down Nation.

We talked about our obsession with the debt-fueled life path and how it’s keeping millions trapped.

But talk is cheap.

I’m much more interested in action.

And this week, I want to do my part to shatter any excuses or justifications you may have. Below are 24 different actions that can be done this very day. Most are really quick (as quick as a few minutes) and others will require a chunk of your evening after the kids go to bed.

I took the time to provide 24 different options. For pete’s sake, you can at least do one of them. Can’t you?

Sure, there’s little chance all will be viable for your situation. Some you’ll already have done.

I’m asking for one. Just one.

Do it.

*****

Action #1: Pull Your Credit Report (10-20 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Visit Annual Credit Report – Visit annualcreditreport.com. Do not use other scam sites.
2. Follow this tutorial step-by-step – Rather than rehash every detail here, I’ve provided screenshots for each step along the way over on Get Rich Slowly (as a guest post). Click here to see the guide.
3. Quickly check your report over for errors – Over 2/3 of credit reports have some sort of existing error (many are very minor, but some can be large!).
4. Store a copy of your report in a safe place – You can use your report to reference all sorts of information in the future, including listing every debt you owe, following up with errors, or when applying for different services.

How this can change your life: When we first pulled Courtney’s credit report, we were saddened to find she was a victim of identity theft. We had better luck with my credit report, however I did discover a $200 collections account I didn’t even know existed! Fixing errors like these is the fastest way to improve your credit score! Many people go years and years without ever pulling their reports.

Additional Resource: How to Get Your Free Credit Report Online: A Step-by-step Guide

Action #2: Employ the “Clean Slate” approach to your clutter (20 – 90 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Pick a room, area, or desk drawer – Pick a single, specific area. Your closet, bedroom, kitchen, office – or even the top of your desk or a “junk” drawer.
2. Remove everything out of the space - Everything… that’s why it’s called “Clean Slate”. Move it into another area or room.
3. Go item-by-item - Ask yourself not “Should I get rid of this?” but instead “Does this item add joy, value, or purpose into my life?”…  ”Do I really need it?”. If yes, move it back into the room.
4. If no, put it into one of three piles – Put it either into SELL, DONATE, or RECYCLE piles. After you’re done with each item, sell the SELL pile, donate the DONATE pile, and recycle the RECYCLE pile. Duh.

How this can change your life: Clutter slowly sucks away more of our time, energy, and money. By attacking specific areas where it tends to collect you can reclaim back pieces of these resources. For most people, selling excess stuff is the #1 way to generate extra cash quickly. This process is also addicting and can lead you down a rabbit hole that may just end in an organized and clean living space.  Gasp.

Additional Resource: Video & Flowchart – “Purge the Excess Crap That Holds You Back”

Action #3: Get 1 paying client (15-35 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Brainstorm a specific need you can fill – Can you cut grass? Shovel snow? Walk dogs? Provide computer training/support? Tutor? Teach English? Consult on a topic?
2. Write out three clear benefits to working with you - Pick three BENEFITS of what someone would get out of working with you. BAD: I’ll cut your lawn.  GOOD: You’ll have a freshly trimmed, clipping-free yard by the time you get home.  Three benefits.
3. Brainstorm 5 people who could use those benefits - 5 people. Likely whom you already have some relationship with (or know through someone). Quickly list them out.
4. Call the most likely candidate – Pick one that’ll especially need your benefits. Call them. Explain who you are and list out the three benefits of them hiring you. Then… just ask.
5. Continue down your list until you have 1 client. If the first doesn’t work, try the other 4 – one at a time.

How this can change your life: The biggest mistake most people make in making more money is that they do TOO much planning. Your facebook fan page, twitter profile, and even your blog aren’t a tenth of the value of your first paying client. You’ll learn more in this process than you will in years of tweeting. I promise.

Additional Resource: Examples from the Field: How to Stand Out

Action #4: Do something incredibly nice (and free) for your spouse (5-20 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Brainstorm a free gesture or activity – Plan something fun, cook a nicer-than-normal dinner, record a song, write a poem or letter. There are thousands of ideas online at your fingertips. Base it on what they value/love most.
2. The next time you see your spouse, surprise them. - It’s really as easy as that. Use your brain and heart instead of your wallet this time.  :-)

How this can change your life: All too often, I find myself getting stuck in the “oh I forgot to do something nice for Courtney… let me buy XYZ or get XYZ thing.” The easiest solution is to simply buy something. Quick and painless most times. But gifts and actions of the heart and mind often mean many, many times more. They are often just as easy, once you take the time to actually start brainstorming. Try it. You may find out that a happy spouse doesn’t always require spending.

Additional Resource: 74 Simple Things You Can Do to Brighten Your Spouse’s Day (many free)

Action #5: Freeze Your Credit Reports (20-30 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Decide if a freeze is right for you – A “freeze” will restrict new creditors (and identity thieves) from being able access your reports. You can easily lift a freeze (should you want someone to access your reports), which takes anywhere from 10 minutes to a couple days. Some states have a small cost to place a freeze, others are free. Free reports are given to senior citizens and victims of identity theft in most cases.
2. Freeze with TransUnion Online - Click here.
3. Freeze with Experian Online - Click here.
4. Freeze with Equifax Online - Click here.
5. Call customer service if needed – Most of the time, freezing will be just a few click away online. If you have problems, call - TransUnion: 1-888-909-8872 – Experian: 1-888-397-3742 – Equifax: 1-800-685-1111
6. Turn down any upsells – Unfortunately, customer service may try to sell you on additional services. Just state you would like a “credit report freeze” only.

How this can change your life: A credit report freeze is one of the best ways to lower your exposure to identity theft. Many sources report that the average time spent fixing an identity theft case (by the victim) is over 150 hours. Need I say more?

Additional Resource: How to Freeze Credit Reports Online

Action #6: Draft your first budget (25 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Estimate your income – Round down whenever possible to convenient numbers. If on extremely inconsistent income, start by budgeting based on last month’s income. That’ll never change.
2. Brainstorm fixed expenses - Brainstorm your fixed, regular expenses. Those bills you pay every month. Round these up to convenient numbers. Don’t worry about being perfect – get as many as you can.
3. Brainstorm irregular expenses - This is the hardest part for most people – and where most budgets fail. Think ahead to any non-regular expenses or bills that are coming up in the next 30 days. Gifts, repairs, holidays, supplies, taxes, etc…
4. Accept that you are going to fail miserably – Do not try to be perfect. Round income down and expenses up. Give yourself fluff room. Next time, at least you’ll have a base with which to start and adapt. Simplify when possible. Take notes when things come that were unplanned.

How this can change your life: The toughest thing about the budgeting process is just getting started.  People try to spend hours creating their first budget – perfecting every single category or angle. Formula for failure. Take 25 minutes and complete as much as you can. Next week, revisit it for another 25 minutes. It’s only as hard as you make it.

Action #7: Track your spending all day at point of sale (5-10 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Get paper and a pen – Fold a piece of paper until it fits into your pocket – or find an unused small notebook.
2. Jot down each purchase you make, when you make it - At the point of purchase, quickly write down the item and the amount you spent. Feel free to round up to the nearest dollar or whole number.
3. At the end of the day, review your list - Check it over with a spouse or partner. Did you forget anything?

How this can change your life: Tracking your spending (along with budgeting) is one of the most high-leverage financial habits you can form. The act of writing expenses down will be a powerful jolt of consciousness into your spending. If you can do this simple task for one day… why not 30 consecutive? You’ll have great data to budget with – and even more insight into your habits.

Action #8: Use Cash Envelopes for Food, Clothing, “Blow Money” (20 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Pick your spending limits - For the categories “Food”, “Clothing”, and “Blow Money” (guilt-free entertainment) – pick a maximum amount you are willing to spend over the next 30 days.
2. Stop by your bank and withdraw cash - Of course, the cash is equal to the combined limits you set for the three categories.
3. Stuff envelopes with the cash - Get out 3 envelopes. Write the name of the category on the outside, and stuff the appropriate cash inside the envelope.
4. Pay with cash – For the next 30 days, anytime you want something in that category – you’ll pull out your envelope and pay with cold, hard cash. Yes, I’m serious. You don’t have to carry them around at all times. When you go to the grocery store – take your Food envelope. Again, this isn’t rocket science.

How this can change your life: There is no budgeting trick or technique that is more powerful than going to pay for $60 in groceries and only having $45 in the envelope. I promise, the first time you put back $15 in items – your commitment to budgeting will never ever be the same.

Additional Resource: Dave Ramsey’s Envelope Budgeting System

Action #9: Start a “30-day” list (2 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Pull out a piece of paper and pen – Pretty self explanatory. Write “30-day” list at the top.
2. Write impulse desires on the list - The next time you want an iPad 2, new purse, video game, television, online subscription, etc… you’ll first write the item down on the list (along with the date).
3. After 30 days on the list, revisit the item - After 30 days have passed for each item, ask yourself – do I really need this item? Is it the best way to spend my money in accordance with my goals and values? If yes, then buy it.

How this can change your life: For most of us, our weakest moments are just that… moments. It’s the new shiny gadget, the review we just read, the window we walk buy, or the webpage we just landed on. Separating ourselves from our desired purchases even 72 hours will nip most impulses in the bud. Do it for 30 days? Well, it’s the best method I know at ensuring you spend on only those things you really do want.

Action #10: Automate a large, regular bill (5-15 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Select a large, regular bill to automate - Pick one that you always plan for and know is coming anyway.
2. Log onto your online banking website - The far majority of banks now have “online bill paying” or “pay bills” as features. Walk through the individual process for this one single bill. If in doubt, call your bank.
3. Mark the automatic transfer on your calendar – Mark the automatic transfer down the day before it is set to go out of your account. This will get you used to the process for the first few times (and ensure you don’t bounce the payment).

How this can change your life: First let me say that you should only automate bills when you are in a positive financial situation. Automate a bad financial plan – and you get more of a bad financial plan (with less control). That said, automation can be a powerful tool once you get on the right track. Just going through the process once, will give you the confidence to automate more and more of your routine financial tasks (and focus on more valuable issues).

Additional Resource: Ramit Sethi’s Automation Strategy

Action #11: Cancel your cable (15-20 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Call Customer Service – Look on your last over-priced bill and call your cable company.
2. Tell them you’re calling to cancel - Do not yield, they will be trained to talk you into staying. (sound familiar?)
3. Ask for a confirmation number or code - Before hanging up, get a confirmation code or number that verifies your cable has been cancelled. Write it down.
4. Throw your television out the window – Just kidding, checking to make sure you’re really reading. Keep your television for movie nights – or to watch your favorite one or two series via DVD, Netflix, or the internet.

How this can change your life: Just as debt is the default life path for so many of us – television is the default form of mindless entertainment. Look, I don’t hate television – I just know what happened in our life once we stopped defaulting to it every night on the couch. I still watch a few favorite shows, games, and events from time to time, too.

Additional Resource: 11 Reasons to Ditch Your Television

Action #12: Start your emergency fund (20-40 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Walk into your bank and open an account – If you don’t already have a separate savings account, open one. Make sure it’s separate from your normal process.
2. Fund it with whatever you can - $20, $25, $50 – your bank may have a minimum, but many are set up to encourage savings accounts and their limits will be low. You don’t need $200 to start!
3. Commit to $50 per month - Or $100, or $20, or $250. Pick something you know you can make room for and transfer it as soon as you get paid every pay period. Throw any extra small income chunks or bonuses into this fund!
4. Celebrate vigorously at $1000 – Even if it takes two years, celebrate achieving your first $1000 emergency fund. This is a great place for most people to start – and now it’s time to attack our next most important financial goal.

How this can change your life: A $1000 emergency fund is the most important financial principle you can instill in your life. Having this fund will radically change your relationship with money. You’ll sleep better, build confidence, and be able to sustain momentum in the event of a true emergency. I can’t stress this enough – start here (if you don’t have one yet).

Additional Resource: 11 Ways to Spice Up Your Emergency Fund

Action #13: Create one single product from scratch (15-45 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Select an everyday product you use regularly – This could be anything from shampoo, to laundry detergent, to clothes, to gifts, to… you get the point.
2. Find a great tutorial online - Google: “How to make [YOUR THING] from scratch at home”. Your answer will be on the front page 9 times out of 10. Skip eHow if  you can and find a real person or blogger with a tutorial.
3. Follow the step-by-step directions - Just like you are doing here – except over there.

How this can change your life: Resourcefulness is one of the traits I respect most in people – and one of the ones I struggle with most. The simple act of creating one gift, product, or gadget yourself (at home) can really change your relationship with buying new things every time you need something. Some people take frugality to extremes, but almost all of us could benefit from some ole’ fashioned resourcefulness.

Additional Resource: Trent Hamm’s “Do It Yourself” Rule

Action #14: For one day this week, take alternative transportation (10-45 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Pick a day of the week – Today would be great, but if not… what about tomorrow?
2. Take an alternative form of transportation for the day - Take public transportation. Walk. Bike. Call your buddy up and car pool (you get to ride in the cool lane legally this time!). Switch it up.

How this can change your life: Most of us aren’t willing to explore possibilities unless we are challenged. In New Zealand, I could have never imagined enjoying riding the bus. But I loved it. It gave me time to think, work, or relax – without being stuck in traffic and stressing out. You may find that biking to work on nice days is a possibility after all. Or that carpooling may save you gas, repair costs, and give you social interaction.  :-)

Additional Resource: Tammy Strobel’s Rowdy Kittens Blog

Action #15: Intentionally negotiate something (10 – 25 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Pick your target – Maybe there is already a new product or service you are in the market for. Otherwise, cable bills, credit card interest rates, and medical bills are always good targets. As a last resort, go find a local flea market.
2. Call, approach, or visit your target - Call customer service or drive to the location of the item/service.
3. Politely, but firmly ASK for what you want – Ask for a lower interest rate, ask for a discount on the portion of your medical bill not covered by insurance, ask for 40% off a service or item. What’s the absolute worst thing that could happen?  Seriously?
4. Walk away/hang up – Always be willing to walk away, there’s nothing wrong with that. If they can’t help you, hang up the phone. There… it’s over. You can breathe again.

How this can change your life: Negotiating is one of the most important life-long financial skills you can build. I’m not talking about the cheesy, take-advantage-of-people, type of negotiating.

Additional Resource: 27 Simple Ways to Become a Better Negotiator

Action #16: Cancel An Unused Credit Card (15-20 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Call Customer Service – Turn your credit card around and call the number on the back. Alternatively, Google the customer service number.
2. Tell them you’re calling to cancel the card - Do not yield, they will be trained to talk you into staying.
3. Ask for a confirmation number or code - Before hanging up, get a confirmation code or number that verifies your card has been cancelled. Write it down.
4. After 60 days, verify it’s been canceled – For extra security, pull your credit report and ensure it’s been closed. Recall customer service if needed. Provide confirmation code. Send a certified letter if they request it. 9 times out of 10 the first call will do the job – these are just extra steps to help in rare cases.

How this can change your life: Sure, canceling an unused credit card can temporarily lower your credit score. However, Courtney and I found this first process so empowering – we decided to cancel the rest of the credit cards in our life, as well. With no credit cards we are much more conscious of our spending, worry less about identity theft, miscellaneous fees, and account changes. By the way, our credit score has gone up since we canceled all our cards. Just pointing out a fact.

Additional Resource: I know this is a controversial topic. Here’s a break down of the pros and cons of canceling a credit card that I wrote over two years ago. Read this for more perspective.

Action #17: Arrange a coffee or lunch meeting with a person you look up to financially (5-10 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Brainstorm 3 people whom you respect when it comes to money – Don’t pick people who “seem” rich – this can often be an illusion. Pick people who you know have solid financial habits – or even better – people who’ve recently turned around a bad situation.
2. Ask them to meet you for coffee or lunch - Call them up and be 100% honest. Tell them you respect how they handle financial issues and were wondering if they’d spend 20-30 minutes mentoring you on how they got started.
3. Create a list of questions - You don’t have to read from a piece of paper – but it’s important to plan out some great questions to ask during the conversation. Ask about their personal experience and do 5 times as much listening as you do talking.

How this can change your life: Finding and surrounding yourself with positive influences is absolutely key to accomplishing any financial goal. A mentor that can help you with both inspiration and advice will be invaluable to you as you proceed.

Action #18: Understand your “Big Why” (15-20 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Watch this video – Yes, that’s my video – and yes I think it’s awesome. Watch the full thing, first. Alternatively, find someone who helps inspire you to go deeper with your reasoning.
2. Download the worksheets - Under the video, there are two worksheets with examples. Download, print, and fill them out.
3. Tape your “Big Why” on the refrigerator - Once you have a clear, emotional answer to what really motivates you (deep down) – paste it on your refrigerator. Heck, put it in front of your computer or on the wall of your bedroom. Anywhere that’ll remind you.

How this can change your life: All the step-by-step instructions in the world won’t help you – unless you’re clear about what is really driving the change or goals. All to often, we stay at the surface. We don’t just “want more money” we want what the money will bring us. Going deeper will provide you the extra momentum to overcome the dips in the journey.

Additional Resource: Understanding What Really Motivates You (Deep Down)

Action #19: Read 3 chapters from a personal finance book (25-45 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Find a book that most closely speaks to you - Read reviews, websites, or pick from my suggestions below.
2. Buy, order, or borrow the book - It’s ok to pay for education. However, you may be able to borrow these books from a friend or your local library. However you do it, obtain the book!
3. Pick 3 chapters to read in full – In one sitting, pick three of the chapters that seem interesting and read them.
4. Take notes – What down what you think or feel when reading. What lessons can you apply to your life? Does this resonate with you?

How this can change your life: My life has been changed many times on the account of digging into a book. Courtney’s and my journey started with a couple books and a few select blogs. Again, surrounding yourself with positive influences (both human and informational) will immerse you in motivation to keep chugging ahead.

My top three personal finance books:

• The Total Money Makeover
• Your Money or Your Life
• I Will Teach You To Be Rich

Action #20: Write a letter (or email) to yourself (10-15 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Fetch a pen and paper – You likely already have this on hand from past action items.
2. Write a letter forgiving your past self for financial mistakes - Specifically forgive yourself for all your past financial mistakes. Mention details if you need to. Express your true frustration and feelings – and then forgive yourself.
3. Open up the letter and read it - The next morning open your letter and read it.
4. Burn it in a fun (but safe) way – Rip it shreds, light it on fire, give it to the cat to play with. Destroy in a fun, safe way and part ways with the guilt.

How this can change your life: I’ve talked to a lot of people about their financial issues – and one of the most recurring themes is regret and guilt. While it’s important to acknowledge that past habits and decisions have had less-than-desirable outcomes… dwelling on them does no good. One of my favorite quotes is “Even God can’t change the past”. From this day forward… that’s what you can control.

Action #21: Update your resume (15-30 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Find your most up-to-date resume – Some of you may have that on hand, for others it may have been a while since you used one.
2. Update the personal information - Start by ensuring all your personal data is up to date. Address, phone number, years, etc…
3. Update job history/duties - A little more difficult is going back and updating any new job history – and refreshing the job duties/responsibilities section.
4. Update references - Are these still the best references to talk about your talents, experience, and work ethic?
5. Revisit your copyrighting – Over every part of your resume, revisit how you describe the tasks, duties, responsibilities, and talents. Often times, if I take a break from something (especially for a long time) – I’m able to immediately make drastic improvements when I revisit it.

How this can change your life: Having an updated and fresh resume on hand will allow you to quickly jump on any potential opportunities that may come up. It doesn’t mean you’ll be able to quit your job just yet, but it’s the first step in taking initiatives in that direction!

Additional Resource: SquawkFox Resume Series

Action #22: Pledge to volunteer one full day next week (10-20 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Research local volunteer options – A quick Google search (or call to church/friends) will turn around dozens of opportunities to give back.
2. Schedule a specific date/time - Clear your schedule for one day and pledge yourself to that organization for the day (bonus points for pledging your partner and kids, too!)
3. Show up ready to give back! – That’s it.

How this can change your life: Our society makes a big business out of blurring the lines between our needs and our wants. If we aren’t careful, we can lose appreciation for exactly how fortunate and blessed we are. Giving back, especially to the underprivileged is an amazing way to come face-to-face with these facts. It also builds up your community and helps set an example for others to give back.

Action #23: Sleeve your credit/debit cards (10-20 minutes)

Simple steps:

1. Pull out all your credit/debit cards - Dump out your wallet or purse and pull out any cards you commonly use.
2. Tape a “Big Why” reminder around them - You can wrap them in a piece of paper (a paper sleeve of sorts) and write your “Big Why” or some other pieces or motivation on the outside. Even better, tape a picture of your kids or photo that represents your goals to the front.
3. Every time you go to make a purchase, pause – Whenever you go to pull out your card to swipe for a purchase, pause and reflect at your writing or picture. Does this purchase support that?

How this can change your life: The downside of the convenience of credit and debit cards is that they make our spending unconscious. Many people – myself included – get into habits of swiping without realizing what’s going on. The ability to pause – even if for a few seconds – and be reminded of your financial goals and motivation can completely change your daily spending habits.

Additional Resource: Sleeve Your Credit & Debit Cards to Fight Impulse Spending

Action #24: Be happy (30 seconds)

Simple steps:

1. Recognize when you are in a bad mood – The first step is to realize when you are frustrated, depressed, stressed, or upset.
2. Establish a silly gesture, pose, or thought - Find something completely outrageous that you can do to “break” your current state of thinking. Physical gestures, actions, or celebrations are the best at this.
3. Jump on one leg and scream like a monkey – Execute said gesture.
4. Stop being so pissy – A positive attitude is a choice.

How this can change your life: Study after study has shown than people are weakest financially when they are in crappy moods. Many of us resort to buying to fill temporary holes in our attitudes (much like food). Establishing a silly gesture that helps break you out of your rut can help you avoid your most vulnerable financial states.

Additional Resource: Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project Blog.

*****

Remember, you don’t have to do every item on this list.

Pick whichever ones stand out – and knock them off the list. Start small. Start with one.

You have the time… it’s up to you do it.

If you found this list valuable, please share it on Facebook or Twitter below:

Now get into action!

Xoxoxo,

-Baker

*****

Note: This is the very last opportunity to get on the “You Vs. Debt” private notification list. The first few seats will be available next week (but not publicly). I’ll be taking down the sneak peek videos, so download the files if you want to keep them: “Your Big Why” and “Purge Your Excess Crap“.

*****

photo by Brian Tomlinson

Everyone has stuff. Some stuff is essential. Some stuff isn’t.

In the past, I’ve referred to this as “Stuff vs. Crap”. Knowing the difference between the two can be an ongoing battle, especially in our current culture.

Early on in our journey, Courtney and I decided to inventory every item we own - in order to stay on the offensive in our own battle against clutter.

To be honest, it was easier for us at that time. We had just started downsizing leading up to our ambition goal to fit everything we owned into two backpacks. Australia was waiting.

Note: If you remember these times here on this blog… thank you. It’s been nearly two years and I appreciate you being there in the early days!

Our “Stuff List” was a core feature of the blog for awhile, but no one is perfect. As we returned from our trip and settled temporarily in Indiana – I fell behind in updating it.

Part of the reason for this was our own stumble off the wagon. Courtney and I accumulated a lot of crap as we entered back into U.S. consumption mode and started filling our 3-bedroom rented house.

But I knew it wouldn’t last for long. We decided that a nice little house in a young part of town wasn’t quite for us – at least yet.

After that decision we turned to the next best option – our new home on wheels. We paid cash for a thirteen-year-old RV and a thirteen-year-old Jeep and pushed off for our road tour.

Most importantly, we made the commitment to consciousness again.

*****

There is a discussion going on these days about how minimalism is “mainstream” and thus no longer the hip thing to do. I never realized it was hip, nor really viewed myself as a “minimalist” – so it’s hard to get deep into the discussion.

You see, when Courtney and I made our decision to fight back against our unconscious consumerism trends, we had no blog. I didn’t have a medium to talk on or a readership to talk with. In fact, there wasn’t a single person in our life that was going to be especially impressed with our decision (freaked out maybe – but not impressed upfront).

Courtney and I just wanted freedom.

We were tired of feeling trapped. We were tired of selling back pieces of ourselves to monthly payments and new kitchen tables.

Most importantly, we wanted freedom for Milligan. We wanted to impress her.

Maybe all this talk of 10 things, 50 things, and 100 things is getting worn out with a small sector of young, 20-something, internet-savvy world travelers.  That’s cool – I count dozens of people in this group among my closest friends.

But what percentage of the population is in this group?  Seriously… less than a percent of a percent? Here’s my point:

Conscious consumerism – no matter what hip name it carries – is a long, long way from reaching its potential to help people.

And what’s the point of enhanced freedom if it’s not used to lift the boats of everyone around you. Not just you… everyone around you. Which I guess leads me to my next point…

I’m not done spreading this part of our message – in fact, I’m just getting started.

Courtney and I have recently updated our list of everything we own.  We own – by our own counting system – 417 things.

We’ve listed them each out, item-by-item. Courtney also took over 250+ photos of the items.  You can find the updated list and all the photos on our “Stuff” page.

Some people could care less about what we own.  That’s cool.

But I know from hundreds of comments, emails, and conversations over the last two years – that it *can* have a positive influence on others.

Why do we spend hours and hours putting together this list and taking the pictures?

To inspire you to do the same. Yes, you – even if on a smaller scale.

Start small.

You can do a single room – or even a part of a single room.

Open your eyes and really look around at all the stuff in your life.

What adds joy, value, and purpose?  More importantly for this exercise, what doesn’t?

I’m not anti-consumerism. Take a look at “Baker’s Gear” section of my stuff.

At 417 things, I probably won’t make the “minimalist” cut either. Oh well.

What I am is a husband and a father who is interested in opting out of a huge chunk of the consumerism madness in order to funnel his time, energy, and money into the things he really loves… the two women who share this life with him.

Oh, and Apple products. Everyone has a vice.

Time to go explore Washington D.C.,

Xoxoxo,

-Baker

p.s. To give credit where credit is due… Dave was the first person I ever saw tracking his possessions. Colin was the first I saw to photograph them all.

p.p.s. Tyler Durden is – and always will be – the best source of motivation in this arena.  ;-)

p.p.p.s. Spend 15 minutes tonight jolting your own consciousness. You didn’t read all the way to the bottom to do nothing. Take action.

.

A year and a half ago, leading up to and continuing through our travels overseas, Courtney and I began publicly tracking every item we own.

I’ve talked in length how the exercise helped raise our consciousness and kept us accountable. It really does make us more aware of what we are buying, consuming, and using – which I think is a great thing!

What I haven’t spent much time talking about is how I got the idea to start. When we started doing this there was only one other person (who I saw) who was doing something similar online…

His name was Dave Bruno. His experiment was called “The 100 Thing Challenge“.

Through finding Dave and following his journey, I became inspired to do the same for Courtney, Milligan, and me.

Dave’s experiment officially lasted one year in length, but he found the benefits to last far beyond the “end” of the challenge. He’s spent the last year turning his experience and story into a book – which comes out today!

Dave was nice enough to send me a review copy AND jump on Skype for an 18 minute video interview. Frankly, it was a really fun interview to conduct – as Dave and I seem very similar in our beliefs and values (plus he gives great answers).

[Can't see the video above?  Click here to view the video in your browser.]

As, I said above – I really enjoyed this interview. For those of you that can’t watch it, I’ve included the full transcript below.

Hey everyone. It’s Baker from Man vs. Debt. And today I’m joined with Dave Bruno, which is a special guest for me because Dave’s blog, which is guynameddave.com, was one of the first sites that I ever saw—was the first site I ever saw to track possessions.

And many Man vs. Debt fans will know we’ve been doing this since we started selling our stuff almost a year and a half ago, two years ago now. But Dave was actually the first person that I saw doing this and was the inspiration for me to make my own list.

So it’s fun to have Dave on, who is the author of The 100 Thing Challenge, which is what he called his tracking on his blog, and it is now a book. So Dave, welcome. Thanks for joining us today.

Thanks a lot, Baker. I’m really happy to be here.

No problem. And I wanted to ask you a few questions about anti-consumerism, minimalism. Just the atmosphere that we’re in today. And the first thing, I just want to know, what’s the bird’s eye view of The 100 Thing Challenge? What’s it about?

Yeah. 100 Thing Challenge is not so much about owning 100 things as it is about breaking free from what I call American-style consumerism which is just this notion that we always have to get more stuff to be satisfied.

And so really the 100 Thing Challenge is crafted around forming new habits and breaking free from this cycle and no longer participating in this get, get, get kind of attitude. And really just changing behaviors.

That’s awesome. And obviously, anyone who’s been around Man vs. Debt for awhile can tell why I’m such a fan of the message and the book. But I want to get your personal story on this. So how did this start for you? Where did the book come from? Or how did your challenge get started?

Yeah, the challenge started… I had been blogging for awhile, kind of an entrepreneurial guy, doing online stuff, having my own business. I work in marketing online now too. But I’d been blogging on the side and specifically talking about consumerism.

I had an old blog called Stuck in Stuff, which kind of is a term a lot of people can resonate with. They feel stuck in their stuff. And one day, summer a couple years ago, we were cleaning up and we were going around our house.

And here I am, this guy talking about consumerism and how we should avoid it, and the house was just like—you know, we had just cleaned it up, and it was still messy and whatnot. And so it just kind of—I think it was the straw that broke the camel’s back, right? I just sort of snapped one day and it was very spontaneous at that point, once I got to that point.

And I wrote on my blog, “I’m going to do the 100 Thing Challenge” and then one thing led to the other. A lot of people started paying attention to what that was.

That’s right. It sort of blew up, I guess is the polite way of saying that.

Viral or whatever.

Exactly. And I can really relate to that message, because we’ve had the same epiphanies back and forth. When we decided to sell our stuff, it was very—There was no intentions. We just wanted to get rid of our stuff. It was that same sort of breaking point.

And then when we came home from traveling, we experienced a sort of pull of consumerism that I talked about the blog. As in, I talked about all this stuff, and how cool we are, traveling with no things. And then as soon as we get back in the culture, we start expanding. And just like you, we looked around and saw that sort of expansion.

I’m going to ask you the common question, the blatant one. You probably get it all the time. Why 100? So first of all, what’s the significance of that number for you? And second of all, why do you think that—I believe that number has helped the message spread. I’m interested in your opinion on whether that number has been helpful or not.

No, I totally think you’re right that the number has been helpful. I didn’t think it through, so I’ll answer that second question first.

I didn’t think it through and think to myself strategically, “What number is going to be the most effective for people to pay attention to.” But I think, just for some reason, 100, it’s a nice round number, you know. $100 bill, you just think of 100 as a nice, simple number, to do math or whatever, whatever the case may be.

For myself, what I did was, that day that I freaked out, I said, “I need to just get down to some number.” So truly not strategically, in terms of what would be most popular, I just did a quick inventory of my stuff.

And I realized if I did the 50 thing challenge, I wasn’t going to be able to quite pull it off. I’d basically have enough clothes, but I wouldn’t be able to keep my camping gear, as an example. And if I did the 150 thing challenge, it would just be too easy. It really wouldn’t feel like I was pushing myself.

So I could’ve come up with 90 or 110 or something like that. But it just seemed like, why not round it to 100.

And I guess the good point there is, you picked a number that psychologically worked for you. Why is that a surprise? It’s no surprise that other people can relate to that number as well.

Right, and I think the thing is too—And I make mention of this in the book, and when I talk to people. I don’t think the goal is to maybe own a certain number of things for a lifetime or whatever. But the main issue is to try to break habits. And 100 is, for most middle-class folks in the United States, that’s kind of pushing it.

Absolutely. It’s really pushing it. Again, you’re being really light on that. It’s really pushing it for a lot of the people that I talk to. And I think exactly what you said, for us it was about awareness. When we first created that list, it was the awareness and the consciousness that allowed us to be like, “Holy cow. We really do have a boatload of stuff.” And that was more beneficial than any secret number, having any special number that grants powers or anything.

That’s a good point. When you start really paying attention and counting, you think, “I don’t have that much stuff.” And whoa, 10, 20, 30, keeps going.

Exactly. I want to transition into some tips. You’ve researched this. You’ve been doing this for a couple years. I consider you an expert. What are your top three suggestions? If I brought you a new person and said, “Here’s my brother.” What would be your three suggestions for him to get started, just in the movement or shift away from consumerism?

Yeah, absolutely. So I think the thing I always tell people is, start with your clothes. ‘Cause all of us have more clothes than we need, and even want, you know what I mean? It’s like you always have that stuff that you’re just like, “Why am I still holding on to this?” kind of thing. So the reason I say that is it’s a quick victory.

You can go, maybe in one week, and pick out 40 clothing items, maybe 50 clothing items that you’re going to keep. And even if you don’t get rid of all that other stuff, just put it away for awhile and within a couple of months, you’re like, “Wow, I can actually live really comfortably and feel like I’m not living like somebody who is impoverished, or something, a slob, living with 50 clothes.” So it’s a quick victory, and kind of get you motivated and jazzed up to do other things. So definitely start out with the clothes for sure.

Just really practical stuff. Just got to stay away from the mall. In fact, I was just reading a couple of articles this week in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. They put so much—advertisers and marketers put so much money into stimulating you and getting you interested in spending money.

And that’s one of the things I’ve really learned. It’s so easy to acquire something, to spend $10, $20, $50 in our culture. And it’s really hard to get rid of stuff. So if you put yourself in that situation where you’re in the spot where you can easily pick up something, it’s—you’re just not going to ever ultimately get the upper hand on this thing.

And on that note, I feel like a lot of people will come and say, “It doesn’t affect me. Advertising doesn’t affect me. Commercials don’t affect me. Or being in the mall doesn’t affect me.” And it just, I can’t believe it. I’m sorry, I can believe a lot of things. I’m a big thinker, but I know how much money they pump into that. I know the psychology, and you can’t put yourself in those situations, no matter how steadfast you are in your values. It does affect us.

Oh, totally. And I consider myself obviously minimalist. I’ve changed my habits. I don’t—Even though the official 100 Thing Challenge has been over for a year now, I still have about 100 things. I think last count was 96 or something like that. But hey, I don’t browse the Patagonia catalog a lot, or go into the Patagonia store. I just don’t spend a lot of time looking at—Or going to the REI. Going when I need something, but I’m not going to just go in there and browse around, ‘cause I know that—

Don’t walk into the Apple store.

Don’t touch the new Air.

Do you have a third tip? I think I interrupted you on your second one.

Yeah, no, that’s OK. Well, and I think this one’s a little bit more radical, and it might not seem totally related to what we’re talking about here. But I do always kind of mention to people, if you’ve got the guts to do it, ditch the TV.

‘Cause I just think the TV—not only the advertising, but a lot of the shows are actually built in. They make their money by throwing in product placements on the TV as well. You can still watch a lot of show on your computer, but you’re a lot more intentional when you do that. Whereas you’re not just flipping on the TV and just sitting there for an hour or two.

And we haven’t had a TV in our house for almost 15 years now, and we have a lot of fun and keep up on some shows through online watching and stuff like that. But yeah, that’s going to be a big mind change, because it’s hard to combat it when you’re constantly, constantly getting those things pitched at you. And they all look so cool, with all the lights and stuff. They film them real neat.

It is true. And I have actually loved that. Of course, traveling we didn’t have a TV. But we recently got rid of our TV that we had when we got back as well. And like you said, it’s a big one for us too. I just really love not having it.

And we watched Modern Family last night, you know? We watch it on the computer and we keep up with it. But like you said, it’s very intentional. We’ll say, “Hey, you want to watch two episodes?” “OK.” Instead of just sitting there. It’s also a great productivity tip, but that’s a whole different thing we won’t get into.

I want to talk to you about, the next question I guess is, what was the hardest part? And this is a question I get a lot personally, so I want to hear how you relate to this. For you, what was the hardest part of the entire challenge or process for you?

Well, I think I already made mention of an aspect of this, in that our culture—again, what I call American-style consumerism—it is just set up in a way where it’s very efficient to get stuff, and it’s very inefficient, very difficult to get rid of stuff.

Unless you’re just willing to contribute your electronic devices to landfills, which you don’t feel good about doing, right? Or you have something that’s valuable that you’ve picked up but you realize you don’t really need anymore. So you have some desire to either give it to somebody else through a sale, or even giving it to somebody.

There were things that were really valuable that I couldn’t give away. People were like, “I don’t need that. I’ve already got 10 of those,” or whatever. So I think that’s a really difficult part, is once you’ve been living in this American-style consumerism habit, become a practitioner of getting stuff, it’s really hard to shift gears then and start having stuff primarily leaving your possession.

And that’s really difficult, so I would just say that it wears down on you, and if you decide to go this route and try to downsize, you really have to have some staying power. And be willing to make it past the first weekend or two, when you’re just kind of purging. That’s a little bit easier than the long haul.

Yeah. It’s a great tip and it’s just like any long-term positive change, like dieting or increasing income or budgeting or anything. You have to—There’s always that challenge. How do you use the motivation? Someone’s going to read The 100 Thing Challenge, they’re going to put it down, they’re going to be ready to go.

And you want people to be able to—when you give them motivation, you want them to be able to take advantage of it while still making it last long. And I think that’s a perfect way of saying one of the most difficult parts is making it long-term.

Yeah, and that’s—I’ve thought about this a lot, and I actually went back and forth a little bit with my publisher and stuff. We were talking about whether we should make this thing more practical, or a little bit more memoir, which it is. And hopefully inspirational. And I feel like there’s some practical aspects to my book.

Overall though, and what people have told me is, it’s kind of a page-turner. They get inspired by reading it. And I think that’s more important.

Again, get rid of those clothes; that’s a quick victory. But then a lot of the other stuff is going to be long-term change, and that just doesn’t happen overnight.

Yeah, it’s about awareness. I completely agree with you. I’ve read a lot of books that are both. My favorite books among all of them are ones that have shifted a big way that I think. And when I want more resources—when I want to know how to eBay, I’ve got a guy. You can go find sources for things like that. But rather than—I don’t need another person to tell me how to use eBay. What I need is more inspiration to live the lifestyle, and then I can go out and find the exact tools.

Yeah, and hopefully it still offers some good anecdotes for folks, and some things people can try out.

Absolutely. That’s why your story has been so powerful, that’s what drew me in, is your personal challenge, right? That’s how I found you whenever, a year and a half, two years ago, I forget exactly when it was. But that’s what I liked about it, and so that’s what—And of course, that’s what people like about Man vs. Debt, or at least what they tell me. The story, that’s what helps people resonate.

So this is a big question. We’re sort of starting to wrap up here, so maybe this is the last question. What’s the number one way that the challenge, or this process, has positively affected your life? So if you had to choose one, what’s the number one way? ‘Cause if you’re like me, there’s a bunch, but I want one. I want the big one.

Yeah. You know, I think the number one way the challenge has affected my life—and I didn’t actually think this was going to happen when I started it—is just a complete, complete lifestyle and habit change. And so again, I was really shocked.

I think I even maybe blogged about this when the official challenge, the year that I was going to live with 100 things was coming up. I was like, “Well, probably going to be up to about 125 pretty quick,” by that December or January, a month or two after the challenge. And here it is, over a year after the challenge has officially ended, and I think I still, like I said, am at about 96 things or whatever.

And the reality is that, even though I—what I mentioned before, stay away from stores—I can walk into stores, like REI, whatever, and not walk away having purchased $50 worth of stuff, or $100, $500, whatever the case may be. It just has really become a new habit, and a new way of approaching consumption.

And what that does then is, it takes the desire to get stuff out of the equation. And I’ve got the energy and interest in contributing my own things, whether it be my writing and books, whatever, to the world.

To the movement. To the lifestyle. That’s great. And I’ll play off of that a little bit and say it gave us a lot of security. The exact same thing you thought when I thought we were going to sell and travel. I thought once we got back it would completely change. And we did have a sort of regression, I guess you would call it. But I’m just completely a different person. Just how I view things, what I want.

Courtney will bring home something and put it—I’m just like, “I don’t want that around me right now.” It does fundamentally change you, so I’m glad you brought that point. And I resonate with that.

I think, you know, it—And for a lot of us, again, we have a very immediate culture, whether it be the reality TV world or just the fact we can go out and get something right away. So again, that long-term change, it’s a bit surprising ‘cause I think so often we have a weekend inspiration, and then it fades away, whether it’s exercise or diet or whatever the case may be. So then to actually see this thing change and really realize, “Wow, I’m not motivated, I’m not doing these things anymore,” it’s pretty awesome.

Yeah. So if you’re looking for long-term change, you check out The 100 Thing Challenge. That’s the—

Yeah, or Man vs. Debt.

But seriously, I’m a big fan of yours. The book is The 100 Thing Challenge, so of course there will be links below and the transcription for audience members. But you can also check it out at guynameddave.com, and then in the sidebar, 100 Thing Challenge. Or just go to 100ThingChallenge.com and it directs you. Did I get that right?

Exactly.

Wow.

That’s right.

And the last thing I want to do, wrap up, is a question for the readers. I like to do this with people that I get to interview. So do you have a question for the Man vs. Debt readers that you’d like to know?

Yeah, absolutely. And this is something where, actually an extension of my personal life of The 100 Thing Challenge, because it was really focused primarily on stuff, like physical, material things. And not so much on financial and debt. We don’t have a ton of debt, but we’ve had a little bit over time.

So I would just be really interested to hear from the Man vs. Debt readers how much tackling debt first has influenced consumption habits.

Because it seems to me you might be able to go at this thing two different routes, right? And say, “I’m going to get my financial house in order,” and all of the sudden, things don’t look as attractive at the mall and whatnot. So I’m interested to hear if people have kind of come into a life of minimalism through first attacking good financial stewardship.

Sure, and it’s a good point. They go hand in hand. Obviously went hand in hand very much so in our lives. So for readers, did that help you? Did you come into it first through finances? Did you start by just getting rid of your stuff? Did that help your finances? I’m actually interested in that. It’s a great question, Dave. Thank you so much for being our guest. And best of luck with the book.

Thank you.

*****

Now it’s your turn to speak up!

Dave wants to know:

What came first paying off debt or selling your crap?

How did you journey to pay down your debt help motivate you to purge some of your possessions – and vice versa?

It’s a great questions and I look forward to reading your responses! If you want to check out Dave’s book – here’s the link.

Stay tuned Thursday for the longest post in MvD history – yes, for real.

If you enjoyed the interview, please click “Like” below:

Wake up, people.

Seriously… we are embarrassing ourselves.

This isn’t what Christmas is about.

I know this isn’t a new change, but we’ve fully shifted the focus from quality time with family, friends, and God – into mindless exchanging gift cards so that we can avoid guilt.

Worse than mindless exchanging of money is the complete free fall into consumerist shopping. Have you been to the local mall in the last few weeks? If you find yourself in the belly of the beast this season, take a few minutes to just sit and observe people.

It’s mind numbing how mass-programmed we are at this point in the year.

Christmas has the power to turn normal, every day people into this:

Seriously? Is this what our annual Christmas traditions have spiraled into?

Listen to the celebratory roar of the crowd as the first break into the metal doors in the first clip… it’s like a siege scene from a fantasy movie. I can’t even believe this is real.

And let’s all not forget the 2008 fatality of the Wal-Mart employee… death by human stampede:

Wal-Mart fights $7,000 fine in Black Friday death [USA Today]

Sure, the above video compilation and story are examples of some of the more extreme cases in recent years. But on a smaller scale, this madness influences us all.

Over the past couple of decades, consumerism has been elevated to an art form. Christmas has become a well-calculated, well-executed, income-generating masterpiece.

Rather than looking forward to intimate time with family, friends, and religion (gasp, I know – I’ve cussed twice now)… we sit around and wait for Oprah’s annual consumerfest:

Watch this above video carefully. Study the reactions of the audience members as they are given shoes, cameras, sweaters, jewelry, shampoo, candles, and 3D televisions.

People are crying, make-up is smearing, and facial expressions are frozen in shock. Every time I watch another audience reaction, I want to vomit.

I know that’s extreme… I don’t *want* to be so judgmental about other people’s values. Deep down, I feel that as long as people aren’t hurting others – they should be able to live with whatever value structure they want.

But I can’t help to think… “any value structure they want… except this madness.”

Also, I fully realize that Oprah has done more positive humanitarian work than I will ever do in my lifetime. It won’t even be close – she does a lot to give back (not to audience members, but to girls in real need across the world).

Frankly, I wish if they wanted to show hyped-up, hysterical reactions - they’d show more of the good work Oprah is doing. Show the girls in Africa crying and celebrating their safe education. I know they have those shows, too – but it’s just so sad this is the one everyone waits for every year.

Despite, half the audience screaming “Oh my God… Oh my God…” – this still isn’t what Christmas is about.

How to Save Christmas…

I have no idea how to fix everything – nor do I want to dictate how people should live their lives.

I’m willing to honesty share my thoughts – even if they are more judgmental than I wished – in hopes that it challenges you to think outside the box. But I’m not going to propose a 10-step plan to save Christmas.

The plan on what to do is on you.

Courtney and I have decided to severely limit the gifts we buy this year. We won’t be buying for each other (instead we are making huge life changes – trust me – we are spending enough on those “gifts”).

We’ve bought a few small traditional “gifts” for younger family members, but decided that we would make small donations on behalf of any adults in our life. We’ll be browsing to attempt to find charities and non-profits that reflect the values of each family member and rather than buy them golf balls or a candle, we’ll make a small donation.

We are lucky that none of our family really cares about the “stuff”. The donations will be a valued gesture and by customizing each one, we show that we took time to think about and appreciate the personality of each family member.

I’m not saying our method this year is better or worse than any other. We are still affected by the consumerism, too. We are still spending money – we are still giving a few traditional gifts, as well.

We aren’t immune or above this issue – we are simply searching for our own answer to it.  :-)

What other bloggers are saying…

Fortunately, many of my blogging friends – especially in the minimalism niche – have also chimed in their thoughts on the season. Here’s what my friends Leo, Joshua, Everett, and Dave have to say:

Zen Habits: The Case Against Buying Christmas Presents

Leo goes into great depth (much more than I will here) into the reason why not to buy gifts. Not only that, but he answers some common questions and objections – and provides a list of alternatives. Leo calls this post a “rant” – it may be – but it’s one of my favorite posts of his in a long time!

Becoming Minimalist: 35 Gifts Your Children Will Never Forget

So many of us can’t imagine not buying presents for our kids. But as Joshua points out, very few – if any – of my most passionate childhood memories are of Christmas presents. In fact, even my childhood memories of Christmas, don’t include specific presents. I’m a sucker for list posts and this one is awesome!

Far Beyond the Stars: 1 Simple Strategy to Save $2,000 and Make Everyone Love You Forever

You think my tone is a little strong at times? Go check out what Everett thinks about this topic. Never one to pull punches, Everett wrote an aggressive, but important piece when it comes to challenging the status quo for many people.

Dave Bruno: The 100 Thing Challenge

Lately, I’ve also been following the new blog and Twitter stream of Dave Bruno. Dave was the first person I ever saw online consciously tracking his possessions – and was the sole inspiration for me to do the same here when we started traveling. Dave’s recent insights have been stellar and I can’t wait for his soon-to-be-released book The 100 Thing Challenge.

None of these gentlemen can tell you how to celebrate Christmas either, but they’ve all help shape our approach this year.

How would your life be different if you spent $0.00 on Christmas this year?

Two weeks ago, I asked a simple question on Twitter and Facebook that got over 50 responses:

I’d like to take that conversation from those platforms and gather your responses and insight here. I realize that most people have already spent some money on Christmas – and I’ve already stated that we our in this group, as well.

But I’d still like to know your honest response…

But first, some final perspective into this issue by my friend Eddie Vedder (not really my friend yet, but one day…)

Society, you’re a crazy breed…

Oh, it’s a mystery to me
We have a greed with which we have agreed
And you think you have to want more than you need
Until you have it all you won’t be free

Society, you’re a crazy breed
Hope you’re not lonely without me…

When you want more than you have
You think you need…
And when you think more than you want
Your thoughts begin to bleed
I think I need to find a bigger place
Because when you have more than you think
You need more space

Society, you’re a crazy breed
Hope you’re not lonely without me…
Society, crazy indeed
Hope you’re not lonely without me…

There’s those thinking, more-or-less, less is more
But if less is more, how you keeping score?
Means for every point you make, your level drops
Kinda like you’re starting from the top
You can’t do that…

Society, you’re a crazy breed
Hope you’re not lonely without me…
Society, crazy indeed
Hope you’re not lonely without me…

It’s your turn…

You’ve heard from me, Leo, Joshua, Everett, Dave, and Eddie…

What’s your opinion?

How would your life be different if you spent $0.00 on gifts this season?

How can we save Christmas?

[small-share-box align="right"]In 2006 (according to a report by Nielson), the average American household had 2.55 people living in it.  That same average household owned 2.73 televisions.

Yep.  On average, American households have more televisions in the home than people living in it.

I guess the good news is that on average we can now safely watch whatever we want, whenever we want, without having to share or spend time with anyone else. An average family of four can each sit in different rooms and watch different television show at the same time.

What could be more American than that?

The same 2006 report showed that the average American watches 4 hours and 35 minutes of television each day. So at the very least, it looks like we are getting our mileage out of all these televisions.

Note: According to this 2009 blog post by Nielson, it appears that last year the average increased to over 5+ hours per day.

5 hours per day? As an average? Like… every day?

It’s mind-boggling how much television and it’s programming has become a default (and accepted) part of our society. I know it’s been that way for decades, but it still blows my mind.

Our roller-coaster love affair with television…

Over the last few years we’ve gone back and forth on the television front. Prior to our decision to sell everything and move overseas, television played an important role in our life. It’s tough admitting that, but it’s true. Television (and watching movies on television) was our primary form of entertainment.

On the other hand, during our year traveling abroad we rarely, if ever, watched television. Obviously we didn’t own a television, but even when we stayed in places that had one (like our apartment in New Zealand) we just never turned it on.

For starters, we weren’t familiar with the majority of programs. But more importantly, television simply wasn’t part of our daily routine. So even when it was readily available, we didn’t automatically default to it for mindless entertainment as we had done in years past.

Earlier this year when we made the decision to spend 6 months back in our home region of Indiana, a television was one of the first items we acquired. At first, we just got it for movies – or so we claimed. But we got sucked into a cable/internet combo package as we went to hook up our internet.

So once again, we were back to life with cable television. To start, we just watched one show together – American Idol. Then, occasionally, I’d watch a sports game or two. Then we started watching another series… and then another.

A few months in we had half a dozen shows we “watched as a family”. We had nearly one show for each night of the week.

Last month, we once again downsized as we moved from our 3-bedroom house we were renting into our new, temporary 1-bedroom apartment. One of the first things to go? The television.

After a fresh month without the magical box of mindless entertainment, Courtney and I have been reminded of the reasons we love life without television so much.

I’m not claiming we’ll never, ever have a television in our house. But here are 11 reasons why we aren’t going to be rushing out to purchase one anytime soon:

1.)  More Conscious of Entertainment

One of my biggest griefs with television is how quickly and easily it can become the default option. Maybe there are people who can control it better, but whenever I have a television available it seems to slowly, but surely become the default option for any downtime I have.

One reason for this is because our society sets it up to be that way. For most of us, our living rooms are built around one main feature – the television. It dictates where the other furniture goes and how the room is set up. When we consider moving into a new apartment or house, most of us walk into a empty living room and first think “the t.v. will go here.” It’s our first priority in one of our most lived in spaces.

If you’ve followed this blog for more than a couple weeks, you’ll quickly realize I’m a big fan of conscious, intentional choices.

I’ve come to be able to admit that the majority of my television watching tends not to be a conscious, intentional choice. Sure, there are certain shows or sports events I actively and passionately choose to watch. But then there’s the hours of time before and after where I just drift in and out… surf for something to distract me so I can “veg” out.

2.)  Increased Creativity

Along the lines of the first reason, the less access to television I have the more creative I become.

Without television, I find myself practicing and playing the guitar more. We read books more. We listen to more music as a family (rather than having the television on in the background).  We play more games together – a much more intimate and active form of entertainment.

You may be different, but I find that the more creative the form of entertainment – the more happy I am.

Lack of television as the default option forces you to brainstorm more diverse solutions. Sure, we sometimes can find ourselves simply replacing television with another dominating option (think online games or internet surfing for example), but eliminating or drastically reducing television is a step in the right direction for us.

3.)  More Active

In addition to increased creativity, our entertainment also tends to be more active by nature without a television. We go outside more. We are more likely to take a walk or play a game outside.

We are more likely to stick to exercise plans and spend more time cooking (rather than opting for the quickest option we can eat in front of the television).

Heck, we even run errands more often. Rather than putting off and piling up small to-do’s, we actually take some evenings to knock a couple of them out. At the very least, this gets us out of the house, moving around, and reduces the number of stressful “to do list” weekends.

4.)  Better Sleep

An article I found on Psychology Today pointed out that when surveyed, between 76-89% of people reported watching TV in the hour before they went to sleep each night.

Is there any doubt in your mind that this negatively affects both the amount and the quality of sleep? There’s not one in mine.

For most of us, there are far more effective techniques for “winding down” than staring at a television screen. But, once again, television is usually the easiest and most readily available. So we go with that.

I know this for sure:  without a television I generally go to bed earlier and sleep better. It may not affect my habits every single night, but access to a television increases the chance I find myself channel surfing at midnight. My brain seems less restless and more calm if I can avoid television (and the computer) for at least an hour or two before bed.

5.)  Deeper Conversations

One of the greatest benefits of not having a television has come in the form of deeper and more meaningful conversation with both Courtney and Milligan.

We don’t sit down and have philosophical talks every night. But I’ve noticed a sharp increase in the amount of times Courtney and I have put Milligan to bed and then gotten lost in a two hour conversation. No tv. No computer. Simply sitting and talking. Sometimes over important topics… sometimes over random ones.

I really love it.

I’ve noticed the same increase in quality conversations with Milligan. At 2.5 years olds, she’s at a critical crossroads for her speaking and reasoning development. If you give her the chance, and truly engage her, you’ll be amazed at how long she’ll carry on a conversation (and where it’ll end up leading).

The sad truth is that this happened far less frequently when American Idol was on last season. When Milligan grows older, I doubt she’ll remember who finished third in Season 9. Neither will we.

6.)  Reality is Reality

Reality television.  Blah.

I’ve noticed a trend with people the last few years. Everyone I know talks badly about reality television. The talk about how it’s not real, how the people are fake, how stupid a form of entertainment it is… and then they watch it regularly (me included).

As a culture, we have an obsession with programming and/or shows we view as “real” or that we can “relate to”. But the truth is that 99% of what’s on is sensationalized crap.

Ask any police officer, lawyer, doctor, federal agent, or soldier how closely popular television shows depict their day-to-day lives. They will likely laugh in your face. (Ok, they may be a little nicer than that – but they’ll want to laugh in your face.)

Violence is shown in situations that make it seem acceptable or even heroic. Sex is hyped up, over played, and grants nearly impossible expectations and standards to live up to.

Speaking of sex…

7.)  More Sex

Look at #2, #3, #4, #5. More creativity and variety in entertainment. More activity and exercise. More rest and getting to bed earlier. Deeper conversations.

How can that not help your sex life?

I recently read a statistic (couldn’t find where) that couples with no tv in the bedroom have sex 2-3 times more than those that have bedroom televisions. Sign me up.

I won’t pretend to be a sex expert (Courtney may be falling out of her chair laughing at this point), but when given the choice between watching television before heading to bed and doing just about anything else before heading to bed – history has taught me that choosing the latter usually pays better returns.

8.)  Less Cost

You knew this was coming.

It costs less to not pay for cable. It costs less to not upgrade to a new model of television every 12 months.

Many alternative forms of active, creative entertainment are far cheaper (or free).

9.)  Less Exposure to Advertising

Please, please, please don’t give me any lines about how advertising doesn’t affect you.

It does.

If affects us, too. And why it’s nearly impossible to tangibly measure the benefit of less exposure to advertising – I know it’s there.

Yes, I know it’s possible to record shows and skip the commercials. That’s a better choice than watching them, but doesn’t reduce the exposure to product placement or cultural obsessions with trends. Not watching the commercials during Glee is pointless is you download every album, collect Glee action figures, and drink coffee out of your new fancy Glee mug.

As with anything, if that stuff truly brings joy and purpose into your life – great. But if we allow it, most of us get swept up into frenzies and fads which lead to us spending our time, money, and energy on crap like this that just doesn’t last.

Companies spend billions and billions each year on convincing us that something in front of us brings joy or value into our lives. Turning off the television is one way to ensure that your choices and spending is more in line with those things that truly do.

10.)  Prevent Zombie Kids

From the Center for Screen-Time Awareness:

Research now indicates that for every hour of television children watch each day, their risk of developing attention-related problems later increases by ten percent. For example, if a child watches three hours of television each day, the child would be thirty percent more likely to develop attention deficit disorder.–D. Christakis, Pediatrics, April 2004

Studies have also correlated the average amount of television watched (by children of all ages) to increased obesity, lower reading levels, and lack of social development. As they develop into teens, television provides a warped sense of reality that leads to all sorts of physical and emotional challenges and pressures.

There’s nothing new about these statistics and problems. We’ve known about the negative impact of too much television on kids for years and years.

For me, more impactful than reading any statistic has been watching Milligan’s use of television (and our laziness as parents) change over the past few months.

As we came back to Indiana, we slowly began to allow Milligan to watch more television. This wasn’t hard as she hadn’t watched nearly any the year we spent mobile prior.

At first she just watched with us – which in limited quantities was fine. Then we allowed her to watch a few select shows -specifically, Martha Speaks and Clifford. It was a slippery slope from there.

It began as a treat, she was excited at the rare opportunity when we’d turn one on. Slowly, it became more of a habit. We kept recording of the show on DVR and put it on whenever we needed a half an hour of uninterrupted time.

For 30 minutes, Milligan would sit and stare at the television like a zombie child. She wouldn’t move. I’m not even sure she blinked. She just stared. It was as if I could see the television waves omitting from the screen and slowly creeping into her brain.

Some of the times we cut it short – or cut it out all together. But it was hard. Martha Speaks was the world’s best babysitter. For the first time, I could see why so many parents let their kids watch so much t.v. Let’s be honest. It makes life so much freakin’ easier.

After a month or two of increased television, Milligan started whining for it.  “I wanna watch MARTHA SPEEEEEEEEAKS!” Anytime she was tired, or sad, or hungry, or upset… “MARTHA SPEEEEEEEEAKS”

We knew it was time to wake up. We not only were letting Milli watch too much television, we were setting a bad example ourselves. We ditched the television. For her – and for us.

As a side note, you wanna guess in the last two months without a television how many times Milligan has whined about or asked for Martha Speaks?

Yep, good guess. Zero. Not once.

11.)  T.V. as a Social Opportunity

Even now, it’s not like we never watch television. We do sometimes. But without one readily available in the center of our living room – we have to be more creative.

Just last night, we drove to my mother’s house to watch Sunday Night Football. The Packers beat the Vikings in Brett Favre last appearance (let’s all hope) at Lambeau Field. We watched and chatted and ate Chili.

It was fun.

I know other people who all get together, once a week, for a specific show to watch together. They have XYZ-watching parties… they pick sides… they dress up.

Another group of friends ordered the most recent UFC fight, had a bunch of people over, grilled out, and used a projector to watch it on the side of their house outside.

To me, this is awesome. It’s the highest and best use of television – as a social medium to bring people together. And yes, I fully realize that to host an event like this you need a television (or a white house and a projector). That’s fine.

The big whammy is that the majority of the time our televisions aren’t used for this purpose.

*****

Bottom Line: I’m not anti-television (neither is Courtney).  We are anti-television as the default, addictive, subconscious form of mindless entertainment. In our life, we’ve noticed the best way to fight back is to simply ditch the television altogether.

*****

What role does television play in your life?

Are you o.k. with that role?

This is one subject where I’m particularly interested in what you have to say.  Please let me know in the comments below.

photo by schmilblick