In the last post, I talked about "The Compact," a group which began in SF and aims to eliminate spending entirely aside from food and toiletries.

I have given a lot of thought to how to integrate this idea of spending less while continuing to get the benefit of experiences I associate with spending money.

Case in point: bookstores. I have a life-long love affair with them. However, part of the problem is that I never seemed to get out of a bookstore without three new books in my possession, whether I had a stack of perfectly good reading material home or not.

So, how to reconcile this urge to browse while keeping my financial goals?

I now have a new technique... I go and browse as usual, but when I get to a "must-have" title, I whip out my iPhone, sign into the local library website and then search for and request the book in question. For those who are not tech junkies... it's just as easy to write down the ISBN and go online at home. I still make regular purchases at independent bookstores in order to support them, but now I can do that only when I actually need a new book.

This integrated approach is what I am hoping to move towards in my spending. Often we have more options than we think we do... it isn't necessary to give up all spending as the Compact members do, unless that is a choice you are prepared to make. I commend everyone's choices to spend more mindfully, but spending nothing can be just as out of alignment with your values as spending too much.

Through exploring new methods, like my bookstore trick, we can all create a more balanced approach.

Please share any tips you have below!

image: eseering.