What does it cost you to leave your house? What is the average cost of leaving your home? I think if we really look into it it would surprise you. Take into account the gas, the average amount of potentially useless items purchased, your time and stress to deal with individuals less qualified than yourself and you will see a staggering amount. Imagine shaving 25% off that total each year, it would probably be enough for a vacation. Savings aside, what about your time and peace of mind?
Living a less transaction filled life is a good thing and is certainly working for me. It's not just about saving money although that is a major part of it, it's about not having to perform a transaction - any transaction. An ATM withdrawal, buying laundry detergent, getting lotto tickets - are all times that can be better spent. Every transaction you perform makes you think about bank balances, bills that are due, income not yet received, and cash remaining...It's an awful thing to have to think about! If we focus on less transactions in our life we will be infinitely happier. "Running" to the store is an activity that needs not to happen. I'm not running to anything except to escape a fire. Try going a day or even two or three without performing any transactions. You will feel like you're on vacation, if you can do it. I have only been able to get to a day and a half so far. Internet transactions also apply, even if you are not physically there you are still performing a transaction, still experiencing the stress filled images mentioned above.
My transaction per day limit is about three, maybe four if absolutely necessary, after that I just shut down. After three or four transactions in a day I feel that I am being nickled and dimed to death. If you're not careful, you will be nickled and dimed to death. It's a death of a thousand transactions, kinda of like carbon dioxide, odorless and silent yet certain death. Hey, lets grab lunch! , OK, there goes $40 bucks...oh, the dog needs food, alright, $22..oh, the printer needs ink....$15 for black only,,,it's endless. Bam, I just spent $100, after the gas, a victim of being nickled and dimed to death.
Performing less transactions is certainly a solution to this madness however the severe cases of transactional addiction require more robust means. The transactionally challenged could benefit from a transaction meter placed near your front door. This meter would be unobtrusive and would record the exact amount of money spent each time one leaves the house. I envision a touch-less card swipe on the frame of the front door that will record all costs associated with leaving the premises. All you have to do is walk through it and it reads your transaction card.You simply enter the mileage from the trip when returning and all purchases are downloaded from your credit or debit card, cash entered seperateley. The transaction wizard calculates MPG, maintenance costs, purchases made, etc and displays them on your mobile phone or to email. You now know without any doubt, what it costs you to leave your house! Imagine getting a reminder email saying "..Congratulations! You have performed 13 less transactions this week and saved an average of $52 ! Good for you!" Historical purchasing and traveling patterns can be utilized for more accurate assessment. What a great conversation to have! Wow hun...your little trip to the store cost us $360...How do you know? Transaction Wizard baby, Transaction Wizard...
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