Your Own Personal Economic Infrastructure
Instead of
the mountain of books out there that attempt to assist people in improving
their net worth and getting out of debt, I think we should concentrate on books
that have a slightly different focus.
Improving your personal finances is a complex process that deserves a
whole lot more thought than simplistic maxims like Pay yourself first.
One book
that captures the challenges faced by people living with greatly reduced
incomes is Pat Capponi’s Dispatches From
the Poverty Line. Capponi gives us
some insight into a life that has been robbed of any infrastructure that can
help lift a person out of poverty. It’s
full of rented rooms with no access to refrigeration, so meals have to be purchased
ready to eat. There’s no TV or cable, so
entertainment becomes something you go out for.
It’s that
infrastructure that’s so very important when someone is trying to economize:
The
vegetable garden where the sun and some water can provide you with the means to supplement your groceries with healthy produce
The
workshop where you can repair broken appliances, furniture and fixtures
The
chest freezer that allows you to buy large quantities of items on sale and have
them available whenever you need them
The
car that takes you to the big box store to take advantage of bulk discount
The ensuite washer and dryer that saves you countless time consuming trips
to the laundromat
The
big screen TV that provides a wealth of inexpensive entertainment at home
And sadly,
these are things that so many people take for granted, but when they’re gone we
notice the impact on our pocketbook immediately. Many of the items in the above list are
associated with home ownership, and yet we don’t often hear about them as concrete
economic benefits.
I know that
people generally associate frugality with fewer possessions, and I tend to
agree with that – except when those possessions allow you to save money. Then they become part of your own personal
economic infrastructure.
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