[PHOTO Jennifer Juniper J’anet]

It's a brand new year, which means by now we all should have set our New Year's resolutions!  Last year, my husband's resolution was "Use what you've got."  What I like about that resolution was that it wasn’t just about abstaining from spending any money at all--that’s like the financial equivalent of trying to lose weight by skipping meals.  Eventually, you’ll either feel miserable from depriving yourself all the time, or you might even simply abandon the resolution entirely!  Recently, I did some research on how to set goals and stick to them, and the most important advice I’ve found, is that your goals need to be realistic.

Be practical and creative.

Resolving to not spend money isn’t terribly realistic or even practical, since there are some things that actually save you more money by paying for their maintenance—like fixing a leaky faucet.   “Use what you’ve got” makes more sense, as it doesn’t force you to do without day-to-day necessities, but simply requires that you get creative with the resources that you already have!


[Photo by Arne Hendriks]

• When we moved into a new house, he kept the existing door locks, and instead bought a re-keying kit.
• He watched videos online to learn how he could unclog a sink instead of hiring a plumber.
• When the screen died on one of our laptops, instead of tossing it out and buying a new one, he connected it to an older monitor that his dad no longer needed.  We now use the laptop like a desktop computer, and in fact, even use it to write this blog!

You can do it, too!

I’m happy to say that I’ve taken on his resolution this year, and so far it hasn’t been nearly as painful as the year I resolved to eat less junk food and sweets (Rice Krispy treats are my weakness!)  Just last week, I threw away all of my old and unflattering shades of makeup from my cosmetic bags.  I had a bad habit of buying new lipstick whenever I couldn’t locate a specific lipstick amidst my piles of unusable cosmetics.  When I was done reorganizing my makeup kit, I was thrilled that everything was easier and faster to find, and that I was actually going to be getting more use out of the stuff that I really liked.


[Photo by Riley]

So tempting!!!

Save money while looking fabulous?!

I’m also happy to point out that there’s something that I’ve actually already been doing all along, that follows my new resolution:  I take great care of my shoes!  Regularly replacing my heel tips saves us money, just like when my husband unclogs the sink—it’s cheaper than hiring a pro, and is really not that hard to do!  The reality is that just a few years ago, I rarely remembered to take my heels to the cobbler in the first place.  My heels would get ruined and I’d have to buy a new pair.  I was going through so many pairs of shoes this way, I ended up having to buy lower quality shoes that were not only uncomfortable, but wore out faster.

Photo by Jon Jordan

I'm pretty sure these poorly maintained shoes once belonged to Barbie.

Now, I simply have a monthly reminder in my calendar to look through my shoe collection for repairs and cleanings.  It’s so easy, and I can now invest in gorgeous, well-made shoes because I know that I can take care of them without spending a ton of money!


Photo by D Sharon Pruitt

Take care of yourself by taking care of your things!

So that’s the beauty of this resolution--there’s no need to deny yourself of the things you  need, but  just try and be open to the idea that with a little bit of elbow grease, you might already have what you’re looking for!