A Welcomed Addition: Going Without (for a While)
When I ran out of bananas a couple days ago, I was met with a decision: do I dip into my untouched emergency fund, or do I wait until Friday and stock up on shopping day? Regardless of the decision at hand, it was 10pm, and no banana selling stores were open anyways. I rummaged through the fridge and found some raisins to throw into my Cheerios. It sounds weird, but try it- the combination is actually really good.
One of the most important things that this Survivor exercise has taught me, however unexpected, is that there are many benefits to removing things from your life for a while. I’m not talking about quitting your favorite things cold turkey, but simply abstaining from them for a week or two.
By going without, you’re not actually going without; you’re removing the most popular solution. This forces creativity, and ultimately creates new experiences. You find new things that are fun and entertaining, and don’t really miss the old.
So as my final Survivor week rolls along, I’m met with a sort of weird feeling: it’s not that hard. Last week I basically lived this final survivor week, with the exception of getting Indian food on Friday. In reality, I’ve not gone without at all. I’ve saved an amazing amount of money by budgeting this way, and I feel much more safe in my ability to keep a responsible savings. Sure, I’ve run out of things I like to eat, and I haven’t been able to go out some nights, but instead I’ve been doing things that make a difference. I’ve been finishing a lot of work, I’ve been creating new work that I’ve had in the back of my mind but never acted on, and I’ve been further cleaning out and selling things I don’t use. It really is like a detox, but after a few days it doesn’t feel as extreme as it sounds; it feels good, and I feel much less stressed.
A couple small updates:
First, you may have noticed the different looks that the blog has been going through. I’ve been trying to find the best way to get comments in the blog while keeping it nice and simple, and have yet to figure it out. Honestly, it’s not a huge deal right now, but I do like hearing from everyone reading, so I’m going to keep looking for solutions. Until then, please feel free to (keep sending) send emails with your thoughts, etc, as I love to read them.
Second, as I’ve mentioned before I make my living as a leathersmith. I’m proud to say that after a year and a half, I’ve released my first collection of accessories! I’ve also made a new website- it’s still at www.CorterLeather.com (Last week was very busy, hence the lack of updates here). My website is also linked at the top of the blog, and please feel free to email me with any barter offers. I talk a lot about being an informed consumer, and just so you can know exactly what you’re looking at and/or purchasing, everything I sell is 100% handmade and sales go towards this project- buying the RV and setting off.
Lastly, I’ve finally got some free time, so as long as I can keep my computer limping along I’ll be updating a couple times this week. Thank you for all the amazing, unexpected and wonderful support!
