Photo courtesy of Prakhar

It was Elaine St. James, author of Simplify your Life, who gave me the idea of the Wish List. That is – rather than purchasing something on sight, I wait a minimum 30 days. I was extremely guilty of regularly making impulse purchases and then regretting it afterwards. I had many of those “what the eyes see, the heart desires” moments, only to be followed later by “what was I thinking?”

Awhile back, I started using the wish list concept. I do not allow myself any impulse purchases whatsoever. If I decide I want to buy something, I put it on a list where it has to remain for at least 30 days. Quite often, I completely forget about the item or decide later upon reviewing my list that I really didn’t want/need the item after all. I couldn’t begin to tell you how much money I’ve saved doing this or how much less clutter I have brought into the house.

When I am at a physical store, I carry a little notebook that fits into my pocket and if I should happen to see something that I want to purchase, I write it in my notebook. It is then added to my main wish list on my computer when I get home. In order to make this work, you have to be strict in adhering to the rule of “No impulse purchases of any kind, under any circumstances, for any reason.”

The only time that I don’t hold myself to the wish list is if I’m on vacation. If I see a cool t-shirt or unique memento, I’ll buy it. Although these days, I’m more about experiences and less about souvenirs.

If you want to control impulse spending, give the wish list concept a try. What I like about it is that it not only saves money but helps with the clutter as well.
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While browsing the Lifehacker blog, I came across a post entitled “Do you Own a Fax?“. While reading the post, I had to chuckle because it wasn’t too long ago that I decided to get rid of my own fax and register with an online fax service. In an effort to simplify my life, I began questioning the value of all my equipment and gadgets. My reasons for getting rid of the fax were:

Taking up Space
With a printer, scanner, two computers (I write computer courseware for both the PC and Mac), Air Port device, 3-tiered in box, reference books, USB Drive (for Time Machine backups), and a USB Hub, my desk space is at a premium. Getting rid of the fax cleared up a lot of space on my shelves.

Cost
All of my business – both profession and personal – is now done via my cell phone. The only reason I still held on to my land-line phone service was because of the fax machine. After a bit of research, I found that online fax services run about $10 a month (there are even some free ones out there). By getting rid of the physical fax machine, I save close to $30 a month.

Maintenance
Not only did I have to clean and arrange the darn thing, but there was also the maintenance of regularly replacing the toner cartridges – once again, a savings of money as well. With an online fax service, there are also no paper jams.

Clutter
One of my resolutions for 2008 was to migrate to a paperless office (I have actually done quite well – I’ll talk about this in another post). Getting rid of the fax machine helped me to accomplish this. When I receive an order via online fax, it is in .pdf format. I process the order and then file the “fax” in my online database. Nothing is printed and no paper needs to be filed or otherwise dealt with. With my electronic database, I can also find the order quickly – no more rifling through files and papers.

How about you? Do you still have a fax?
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