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Addicted to Saving

Lately, there has been a huge change in lifestyle for me. My side work has declined in volume (largely by choice). As a result, I have the tradeoff of less money and more free time. The realization of this new lifestyle came to a head this past week when I was on vacation at home.

So, I thought that this would be a great time to find some things that needed to be done around the house that I had not gotten to lately. I fixed up the front garden and was able to also work on my back deck and get it stained.

I am also looking at ways to improve and make even more out of what I have. Lately I've become seriously addicted to rolling change. Saving change is a great way to save money without noticing it. In my house I have a 5 gallon water jug that gets all the extra change and occasionally a dollar bill. But, the problem for me now is that I know that this money is money that is not "earning" anything. If you find yourself having extra time on your hands, consider getting your finances in order by making sure your "cash" accounts are in appropriate accounts for the goals that the cash is for. Money stuffed under the proverbial mattress is probably not a good long term strategy.

More valuable than fixing any particular problem or actually finding myself able to save more money is the serious reduction in stress that I have experienced. Work is a wonderful thing to do, but working to the point where you have little time for anything else can be quite difficult and stressful. I'm not sure what will happen next, but for now, I am just trying to relax with the extra time.
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