The 7 Personal Finance Articles We Loved This Week

If there’s one topic we never shy away from here on the ol’ TFD, it’s how getting rid of crap you don’t need can be life-changing. I even underwent a 30-day decluttering challenge to get my home situation in order before I moved apartments. That included getting rid of about seven garbage bags full of clothes, accessories, and books I was no longer using. I am hardly a minimalist, but it made the move a lot easier, and I now don’t feel crowded by my own things in my home.

But another thing we’ve talked about a lot is that physical stuff is not the only thing to expel from your life to make it better for you. Getting rid of things can mean trading in your car for a bike, ending relationships with people who don’t deserve your time, or even chopping off your hair. A lighter life can better for anyone, but it looks different for everyone. We all have things we can stand to get rid of in order to make room for what we really care about.

That’s why I loved J. Money‘s last pick this week from blogger Amanda Page, wherein she details everything she’s eliminated from her life — beyond just physical clutter. While I personally wouldn’t get rid of everything she details in the post, I appreciated so much of what she had to say — including this tidbit on “shopping for fun”:

I let go of shopping for fun when I was paying off debt. It simply became more exciting to see the balance go down than it was to buy a piece of clothing I might never wear. My personal preference is shopping at thrift stores, and while more frugal, it’s not as frugal as not spending money at all. Instead of shopping, I started hiking with friends. We had better conversations on wooded trails than we ever did in between sales racks. Eliminating the shopping hobby not only kept actual, material clutter out of my life, but it was one more activity I didn’t have to do. I could do ones that were more fun, and free, and fed my bank accounts instead of my closet.

Be sure to check out the full post, as well of the rest of this week’s great articles!

1. I’m 38 Years Old and I’ve Never Had a Job – Greg Shahade 

“My life would honestly not change if I had twice as much money as I do now, nor would it change if I had half as much money as I do now.”

2. How We Made $12,000 Flipping Flea Market Stuff Last Month – Flea Market Flipper

“This prosthetic foot had a great ROI with a very minimal investment. I paid $2.50 for it, and was able to sell it on eBay for $200. This flip sparked a little discussion on Facebook because one reader thought I was taking advantage of the person who needed it by selling it.

3. More Gap Years For Grown Ups – The Escape Artist 

“We can’t claim to be brave for quitting work early; I had a work-related breakdown, and initially we stopped work to take a year out and recover. Things took an interesting twist from that point onwards.”

4. How Money Actually *Can* Buy Happiness – Wallet Hacks

“The goal is to increase the total happiness in your day, which can be achieved by removing bad time (by improving it or removing it) and improving good time (by making it better).”

5. The “Ship To Store” Loophole – Enemy of Debt 

“In the event that the online price is better, and the physical store won’t match the price, check if there is a ship to store option… If the product is already in stock, you can pick up your product immediately for a discounted price.”

6. When You Get Money, Get Rid of It! – Broke Girl Rich

“Okay guys, this is my biggest savings fund tip of them all. When you get money, get rid of it. Especially when it’s more difficult to get the money.”

7. The Other Clutter – Amanda Page

“The clutter I’m most interested in clearing is the other clutter. It’s the ‘stuff’ that clutters up my mind, my body, my emotional and spiritual selves.”

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