I was tackling this job again.

Working in my basement, essaying the value of various ‘saves’, whether it’s time to trash them or to keep saving them. I was at this one box in particular…

It contained ~200 pens, reams of 3 holed bond paper (94 whiteness), 4 composition notebooks, a dozen college-ruled pads, and some colored bond paper.

Why was I holding on to these things?  I hadn’t used them in more than a dozen years…

And, then, I realized…

I grew up poor.  Once I began living by myself, I was actually better off, but I was panicked as to when the next dollar would cross the transom.  So, I was careful with everything I bought, everything I saved.

Let’s get a little more real. I could go to the theater for $ 3 a pop.  So, I went to the theater two to three times a week.  (I viewed that as a worthwhile trade off for an hour’s work.)  And, I bought a book a week- sometimes two.  (Same logic here.)  But, I bought my clothes at Klein’s (a semi-discount shop) or Modell’s (not the Modell’s of today- this was closer to an off-brand kind of WalMart- but everything was made in the USA).

And, now, even though my financial picture has changed (Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition…), my brain still has that mindset permanently implanted.   I need to replace it with something else.  So, I can feel free to get rid of this box (and dozens like it), even though it represents $75 or so of costs.

But, that may not be true for everyone trying to get rid of “stuff”.  For example, if my children were still young and around- this particular box would be perfect for them.  To doodle.  To use for school.  To use for projects.  But my grandson is too far away for him to partake.  (Of course, the cute little girl about two doors down may actually have use for this stuff.  Just like the 3000 piece Lego set I transferred to her and her parents four weeks ago.)

And, with our K economy (as shown above), some of us can live our lives as though nothing has happened.  While some 50 million of us now find ourselves among those food-challenged.  (That’s how many folks in the USA need assistance, requiring meal or grocery aid.)

This is what many of us need to do to cope with 2021.  Even though it’s much better than 2020.  (April 2020 had us saving 1/3 of our income- way, way up from 7.6% that obtained in 2019, which was down from 1960 (11%).  Now, we’re saving about 13.6% of our income.  Cash is king once again.)

If these stories resonate with you, it’s time to start tracking our income and expenses.  Whether you use Excel, Quicken, Mint, or Wave-  we should know what we spend and on what.  This includes items that show up each month, as well as those we only pay once a year.

Once we do that, saving more money becomes a breeze.  Shoot for 20 or 25% (if we have an income level that matters.)  But, we need to pay down debt- because whatever we THINK we are earning on our savings, the interest due on our debt climbs even faster.

Here’s to the New Normal.   May it arrive by close of business today for us all.