Last Week's Penny Pinching Tip

Go to your local library. When I got the idea that I was going to the Caribbean on a whim, even before this whole penny pinching idea, I needed to do some research. I went to tripadvisor.com and Frommers.com, two very reputable travel websites. I looked around but I really was getting sick of the web and I wanted to read a book.

That day I decided I needed to get a library card. I walked down the street from my office to the library in search of a Caribbean travel guide. To my delight they had at least a hundred or so travel guides about the Caribbean alone. I got high as I walked through the aisles imagining all the places I could go not for this trip but for the rest of my life. It really made me feel like I was missing out on this world since I haven't left the country as an adult.

The other things I have been meaning to learn are how to knit and make beaded jewelry. Yet another reason to buy a book right? I seriously lack hand eye coordination, as evidenced by my poor typing skills. Instead of buying books for a new hobby that I don't even know that I'll like, I decided to go to the library get some books and try it out. That's about $60 I would have willingly dropped at Borders or Barnes and Noble and the library is free.

I actually don't need to penny pinch. I make enough money to do what I need to do and then some. However, why not try it out so that I can do even more with what I already have? I have a tough time with discipline so this is more an experiment with delaying gratification than actually saving money. I want to be able to say eff it all and move to South Africa at a moments notice. There is so much freedom in that. That's what I'm striving. Let's Get Free!