Last Year's Best Frugal Choices: Work, Home and Travel

My road to frugality has not led me to what most frugal gurus would call a minimalist lifestyle but it has gotten me to where I wanted to be. I still have more stuff than I know what to do with, or that I could use in many lifetimes, so decluttering our modestly sized home is still a priority. This is why I really think twice before I bring anything into my life that doesn't add to its quality significantly.
That said, this past year a few purchases have greatly added to my quality of life:
Three identical pairs of pants from Kohl's (different colors) at about $30 each. They have elastic waists so if my weight goes up or down a few pounds I don't have to worry. They are dark so they don't show stains and they don't need ironing. This is my uniform system for work: each pant goes with almost every shirt I own so getting dressed for work is simplicity itself! I've divided my closet into work clothes, weekend clothes and in-between clothes (read: "retired" work clothes that will serve in a pinch!)
A medium sized oscillating fan ($30--Lasko brand purchased via Amazon) which immensely helps disperse a/c to specific spots where I need it instead of just turning the a/c to a lower temp. It would be nice to have ceiling fans, but this fan is perched on a bookshelf and does basically the same job much more cheaply! It reaches two "hot spots" in the house where I regularly hang out.
An under the seat carryon suitcase with wheels: $60. (London Fog brand, purchased at Tuesday Morning store) This simplified my traveling greatly--it's much smaller and lighter than the usual carryon so I can lift it with ease if necessary. I have fewer things hanging off my body so it's easier to get around the airport. And it serves as a leg rest when I'm in the waiting area and a bathroom door guard as well--when the stall door doesn't lock properly I prop it up against it to keep it closed.
Speaking of frugality gurus, I'm happy to see that Get Rich Slowly is back in the hands of its originator, J.D. Roth. I'm glad to see this trend away from corporatization of the frugality movement. I hated it when The Simple Dollar's Trent Hamm sold his site, for example. It's never the same once they do. You can see the differerence on the sites for yourself. They both have lots of advertisements but The Simple Dollar is obviously a commercial site now.

Retirement vs. Jubilación

Although I haven't posted about any financial/frugal ideas lately it doesn't mean they haven't been on my mind.  With the house paid off, now my main focus is building up our liquid savings and saving for our mythical retirement.  Since my husband and I enjoy our current occupations so much, I have a feeling that retirement will not be our choice, but something forced upon us by circumstances beyond our control, but we'll see.  In any case, someday either one or both of us will be officially retired, at least partially.  I guess one could say I've been semi-retired for 10 years now, since I began working part-time, but the difference is I have not considered myself retired.  I have come to realize retirement is a state of mind, not just a financial one.

In Spanish, we say a retired person is "jubilado" which technically means "freed" or "released" rather than "retired."  I have felt released and freed most of my life, so in that sense I've been retired all along! "Jubilación" sounds a lot like "jubilation" in English, which of course means great joy and elation, so I guess the term is a more positive-sounding one than "retirement" which sounds like you're retreating from life.

Anyway, in the effort to save for retirement I try to keep frivolous, impulsive purchases on a tight rein but I also like to keep track of low-cost purchases that deliver high satisfaction and make life more pleasant.

This year my frugal winners are:

A Cool Gear thermos on sale at Tuesday Morning that keeps my iced tea cold for 24 hours.  (The first one we got for free but its top eventually broke so I needed a new one--I now use the old one at home but I needed one with a tightly sealed top for work)  Cost: $10  (normally this type of thermos goes for $25-30 at the supermarket).

A cushioned zero-gravity chair for Jim--the removable cushion alone was worth the price I paid for both the chair and cushion.  It's a sueded material that makes the chair look much more living-room-worthy. Cost: $80

A Hamilton Beach room odor eliminator Cost $25.  Wow, this has really helped cat-related odors in my room and doubles as a personal fan and gray noise generator as well!