2871: How To Feel Richer + Fancier Without Spending Any More Money by Sarah Von Bargen of Yes and Yes

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Hey you with the podcast in your ear! Just a moment! Have you already activated your mobile happy hour?

[00:00:06] [SPEAKER_00]: With that, you have an additional unlimited data volume for at least one hour every day.

[00:00:10] [SPEAKER_00]: It's brand new and for everyone who is now getting mobile communication plus internet for home at the telecom.

[00:00:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Now become Magenta 1 customers, activate the mobile happy hour in the My Magenta app and you're off to the 5G network of the telecom.

[00:00:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Also nicht warten, jetzt einsteigen und aktivieren in der My Magenta App der Telekom.

[00:00:30] [SPEAKER_01]: This is Optimal Finance Daily. How to feel richer and fancier without spending any more money by Sarah Von Bargen of YesandYes.org.

[00:00:41] [SPEAKER_01]: And I'm your host and personal finance enthusiast, Diana Merriam. We're gonna get right to it as we optimize your life.

[00:00:52] [SPEAKER_01]: How to feel richer and fancier without spending any more money by Sarah Von Bargen of YesandYes.org.

[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_01]: If you're looking to feel richer, let me preface this by saying,

[00:01:06] [SPEAKER_01]: Number one, I'm not gonna tell you to make a list of everything you're grateful for. That's lovely. Gratitude is great, but that's not what we're doing here.

[00:01:15] [SPEAKER_01]: And number two, I'm also not gonna tell you to manifest more money. We're not doing that today either.

[00:01:21] [SPEAKER_01]: Instead, I'm gonna share a wildly effective, potentially obvious way we can all feel richer, fancier and more abundant.

[00:01:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Use the things you already own and pay for to the utmost of their capabilities.

[00:01:39] [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe that doesn't sound particularly sexy, but hear me out.

[00:01:43] [SPEAKER_01]: Many of us buy things we don't need out of boredom.

[00:01:46] [SPEAKER_01]: We buy things because we feel like we need a bit of luxury in our lives.

[00:01:51] [SPEAKER_01]: What we're actually chasing when we buy these things is the feeling of novelty.

[00:01:56] [SPEAKER_01]: Buying stuff isn't always about the stuff itself. It's often about boredom, novelty or wanting to treat ourselves.

[00:02:05] [SPEAKER_01]: We can often scratch the I'm bored and I want something new itch without actually buying something new.

[00:02:11] [SPEAKER_01]: We can meet our I deserve a treat needs without spending money.

[00:02:17] [SPEAKER_01]: Four ways to feel richer and fancier without spending any more money.

[00:02:23] [SPEAKER_01]: Number one, see what actually comes with all those memberships and monthly subscriptions.

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_01]: Let's be real. I use my Amazon Prime membership to A, watch the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and B, get free shipping.

[00:02:38] [SPEAKER_01]: But did you know you can use your Prime account to download music, read magazines and books and store photos for free?

[00:02:47] [SPEAKER_01]: If you support public television or public radio, there are probably tons of benefits you didn't know about and aren't using.

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_01]: If you support Minnesota Public Radio, you can get a free dance lesson, 50% off tickets to comedy shows, free coffee and free wine tastings.

[00:03:05] [SPEAKER_01]: Does your gym have a sauna or hot tub you never use? Maybe they offer meditation classes or restorative yoga classes, which is basically a napping class.

[00:03:17] [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you were entitled to a free session with a trainer when you joined and you never used it.

[00:03:23] [SPEAKER_01]: You're paying for this stuff already. Why not get your money's worth?

[00:03:27] [SPEAKER_01]: Number two, read the manuals for your electronics and actually use all the options and settings.

[00:03:34] [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know about you guys, but when I get something new, I usually tear open the package.

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER_01]: Then I try to get it working as quickly as possible while also referencing the directions as little as possible.

[00:03:46] [SPEAKER_01]: It's a fun game of impatience and frustration.

[00:03:50] [SPEAKER_01]: Sure, all my stuff works, but I absolutely don't know what 30% of the buttons in my car do and I haven't hooked up the Bluetooth yet.

[00:03:58] [SPEAKER_01]: The same goes for my beloved Roomba, my stereo and my microwave.

[00:04:04] [SPEAKER_01]: What do I do with that button that's just a picture of a chicken?

[00:04:08] [SPEAKER_01]: With pretty minimal effort, I can download the manuals, actually read them, help my electronics live their best lives and make my own life easier and more awesome.

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_01]: Number three, figure out the attachments and accessories to, well, everything.

[00:04:27] [SPEAKER_01]: How many attachments came with your food processor, your KitchenAid, your vacuum?

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_01]: The company makes and includes that stuff because it's useful and helpful.

[00:04:38] [SPEAKER_01]: Dig out the box and use that ish.

[00:04:41] [SPEAKER_01]: And number four, clean out and cuten up that space you're not using.

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_01]: Even when I lived in a 500 square foot apartment, I had corners of my space that didn't see much use.

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_01]: There was a hall closet that was 75% empty and a fire escape that could have easily housed herbs, flowers or cherry tomatoes.

[00:05:02] [SPEAKER_01]: Turn your closet into an office or a reading nook.

[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_01]: Put a ping pong table or a punching bag down in the basement.

[00:05:10] [SPEAKER_01]: You're paying the rent or mortgage on this space.

[00:05:13] [SPEAKER_01]: Why not actually use every square inch?

[00:05:16] [SPEAKER_01]: Every time we take a second before we make an impulse purchase, we're making it more likely that we'll take a second next time to.

[00:05:25] [SPEAKER_01]: Every time I look around my house and think, do I already own something that does that?

[00:05:31] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm making it more likely that I'll have the same thought process in the future.

[00:05:35] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm strengthening my good habit muscle.

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm setting my future self up for success and a healthier bank account.

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_01]: The added benefit to all of this is that it just feels good.

[00:05:47] [SPEAKER_01]: It feels good to know how to use your stuff, to use it as well and as often as you can.

[00:05:53] [SPEAKER_01]: We feel capable and confident when we know how to work and use everything we own.

[00:06:03] [SPEAKER_01]: You just listen to the post titled, How to Feel Richer and Fancier Without Spending Any More Money by Sarah Von Bargen of YesAndYes.org.

[00:06:13] [SPEAKER_01]: And I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:06:16] [SPEAKER_01]: Buy low, sell high. Buy low, sell high.

[00:06:20] [SPEAKER_01]: It's a simple concept, but not necessarily an easy concept.

[00:06:24] [SPEAKER_01]: Right now, high interest rates have crushed the real estate market.

[00:06:28] [SPEAKER_01]: Prices are falling and properties are available at a discount, which means Fundrise believes now is the time to expand the Fundrise flagship funds billion dollar real estate portfolio.

[00:06:40] [SPEAKER_01]: You can add the Fundrise flagship fund to your portfolio in minutes by visiting Fundrise.com slash OFD.

[00:06:50] [SPEAKER_01]: That's F-U-N-D-R-I-S-E dot com slash OFD.

[00:06:57] [SPEAKER_01]: Carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Fundrise flagship fund before investing.

[00:07:06] [SPEAKER_01]: This and other information can be found in the funds prospectus at Fundrise.com slash OFD.

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_01]: This is a paid advertisement.

[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_01]: This post reminded me to find new ways to appreciate things that I already have.

[00:07:24] [SPEAKER_01]: So, for example, I haven't been feeling very enthusiastic about my couch lately.

[00:07:29] [SPEAKER_01]: I have three furry friends who all have long hair and shed all over everything.

[00:07:34] [SPEAKER_01]: So even when I clean, my house really only feels clean for a whole five minutes.

[00:07:40] [SPEAKER_01]: But the other day, I actually took advantage of one of the key features of my couch.

[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_01]: I removed all the covers and washed them in the washing machine.

[00:07:51] [SPEAKER_01]: It made the couch feel brand new.

[00:07:53] [SPEAKER_01]: And by the way, if you're one of those people who routinely washes their couch cushions, feel free to judge me accordingly.

[00:08:00] [SPEAKER_01]: It was a bit of work, but it was part of this process I'm going through right now to slowly deep clean my whole house.

[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_01]: I do regular cleaning, but deep cleaning never seems to be on my agenda.

[00:08:13] [SPEAKER_01]: Rather than spending a whole weekend on this one task that I continuously avoid,

[00:08:19] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm doing it slowly by picking one small thing per day to deep clean.

[00:08:24] [SPEAKER_01]: So in addition to Sarah's advice to use our stuff to its full capacity,

[00:08:29] [SPEAKER_01]: cleaning and maintaining our stuff can make it feel like we got new stuff without spending any money.

[00:08:36] [SPEAKER_01]: And that'll do it for today and another installment of Optimal Finance Daily.

[00:08:41] [SPEAKER_01]: Have a happy Thursday. Thank you for being here every day and listening.

[00:08:45] [SPEAKER_01]: And I'll see you tomorrow as usual, where your optimal life awaits.