Starting Over

10 years ago, I had it all. My whole life in front of me. A warm loving family, a good set of brains and great looks. Of course, I still have the brains and the looks, but a lot has changed since then and I am now at a point where I have to start over. There are many things I would not do the same way again, I've learned a lot and know that I still have a hell of a lot to learn.

The title of this blog, Living More With Less, is more relevant than ever to me. I will talk more about my financial situation later on, but the fact of the matter is that I'll have to learn to live a lot more with a lot less. That thought sometimes really scares me, while at other times it is actually inspiring. Let's just hope that most of the time, it will be the latter.

Just a short message for now, to find out if I'm alone out there or not ;-) Did you every have to start over at some point in your life? And how did you manage to do that?

New mortgage payment!!

Usually I don't really like the blue envelopes from the tax collecting office, but this time, they brought good news. I received about €5,000. Had to pay another €1,000, but it still left me with €4,000 extra. So I put €500 in the renovation fund, used €885 for paying my health insurance at once for the entire year (had never done that before, so I also did not save for it. I will save up for it this year) and I put €2,500 towards the mortgage! I had just a little over €400 on the mortgage account, so I had to take about €2,100 from the tax return. What was left, will be used for my retirement.

Or at least be stored in my retirement account, since this was not the final return, and I might have to pay some of it back.

What would you have done with this money?

Making holiday plans

Having expensive holidays does not really help reaching my goals, but I'm really dying to get away. We went to the US a few years ago and it was really great, so we would like to do that again. All-in costs: about €3,000 a person. The last time, we rented a car and drove around. We didn't make reservations beforehand, so we would be as flexible as possible. We spent most money on the car, the flight and some shopping.

So, what should I do: start saving for a holiday and loosen a bit on my other goals? Trying to do both? Any tips/suggestions?

5 Ways To Save Money Every Day

If you want to save money, don't just focus on the major things, but also on the small things. Here are 5 tips to save money every day:

1. Turn off your computer
Nowadays, computers are almost constantly on. Not good for the computers, and certainly not for your electricity bill. Turn it off if you're gone for more than 30 minutes and try to find hobbies that do not involve computers. Fan of blogging? Maybe you can use an iPad instead, if you have it.

2. Be gentle with the toilet paper
Well, if you gotta go, you gotta go. But how much that costs, is almost entirely up to you. Use only what you need. It might be a little adjustment, but it can save a lot of money.

3. Watch your lights
If you are like me about six months ago, you get out of bed, turn on the lights where you walk and turn them off a few hours later, if you see that they are still on. Don't do that. It is a waste of energy. Don't turn them on, unless you really have to and turn them off if you leave the room. Even if you plan to come back to it within a few minutes. Turning it off at all times creates a habit, that will pay off in the end.

4. Keep it cool
Is it really necessary to turn on the heat right after you get out of bed? If you're off to work, you are probably walking around and not really cold. If you have to stay at home, start with keeping it 15 minutes off and try to extend that period. You do get used to colder temperatures, which is also handy if you like to be outside, but hate the cold.

5. Find a cheap hobby
You're bored, so you go to the mall. Sounds familiar? Then it is time to find a cheap hobby. For example: reading. If you're a member of the local library, you can get books for free. Return them in time, so there are not late return fees. Reading is also good for your brains and if you do it during the day, you won't need any electricity for it. Get yourself a nice blanket and settle in, and you won't need to turn on the heater either.

How do you save money every day?