One-Ply and the Road to FI

How can toilet paper help anyone achieve financial independence?  We all have ways to save and invest.  Our house holds family meetings where we talk about … all things that impact our family.  When we go over budget, and we do every so often, we handle it by holding a family meeting and talk about the fact that we need to have a spending hiatus for a month or two… or until we are back on track.

Recently I talked to a friend who had a different approach.  Whenever they would over spend, they would switch all the TP in the house to 1-ply until they were back on track.  Honestly, I thought this was the funniest thing but brilliant at the same time.

We have a family meeting, talk  about it and then really don't talk about when the spending hiatus is over.  The switching of the TP not only signals where the family is with their finances but also gives everyone a friendly reminder of where the family finances are.  Once the hiatus is over, the family celebrates with cushy 2 ply TP.  I think this brilliant.  Everyone is working towards the same goal.

When I was growing up, my dad paid the bills.  Every month he would sit in the living room with piles of paper sitting in front of him.  Armed with his checkbook he would pay each bill one by one.  As I got older I would sit with him and even write some of the checks.  (English was my dad's second language.)  Like most families, we never really talked about money except to say to follow the 50-30-20 rule  (50% to rent/mortgage and utilities, 30% for clothes/fun, 20% for savings).  I don't ever remember taking a spending hiatus, but we didn't live an extravagant life either.  It was simple, filled with lots of dinners and parties for all kinds of things (i.e. “Its Thursday, lets have a party!!”).

How do you keep the family on track?  Do you take spending hiatuses?  Share your tips below.

Grab Your Slice,

PieLady