Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to borrow before you buy. It is
Speaker 1: the human condition to have less money and less space
Speaker 1: then we probably want, so most of us would prefer
Speaker 1: to buy and own only those things that we are
Speaker 1: actually going to use. Unfortunately, it can be hard to
Speaker 1: anticipate what those items will be. I got less use
Speaker 1: out of the high end stroller I bought for my
Speaker 1: now fourteen year old. Then I got out of the
Speaker 1: twenty dollar umbrella stroller I bought for a trip once
Speaker 1: and then wound up using for several more children. This
Speaker 1: is true even though the fancy strollers were use we're great. Inevitably,
Speaker 1: it is hard to anticipate what items we will actually
Speaker 1: use and enjoy if we don't own them already, and
Speaker 1: the trial and error it takes to find the right
Speaker 1: items can introduce a lot of expense and clutter into
Speaker 1: our lives. So how can we acquire more wisely simple?
Speaker 1: Aim to borrow before you buy. I think you want
Speaker 1: an insta pot. Everyone has it on their Christmas list
Speaker 1: right Well, ask to borrow your neighbors while she is
Speaker 1: out of town. If you love it, you can buy
Speaker 1: your own when she returns. If you don't, now you
Speaker 1: know without any decrease in cash or increase in stuff.
Speaker 1: Borrowing gear for hobbies you want to try can be wise, too,
Speaker 1: so you can see whether you actually enjoy a hobby
Speaker 1: and want to commit the time before buying all the gear.
Speaker 1: If your kid wants to try playing an instrument, that
Speaker 1: is awesome, but there is a reason. Several companies specialize
Speaker 1: in renting instruments to kids through their school band programs.
Speaker 1: Instruments are expensive and it is hard to know what
Speaker 1: will take, just as you don't know whether you will
Speaker 1: be really into diving or rock climbing or whatever else
Speaker 1: catches your fancy. I'd say that this philosophy can work
Speaker 1: to a degree with clothing too. If you have a
Speaker 1: friend who is a similar size and style, consider sharing
Speaker 1: clothes and accessories back and forth. If you borrow a
Speaker 1: dress and love it, you can consider buying something similar
Speaker 1: and no it will get used. There are also plenty
Speaker 1: of things you can borrow without ever buying your own.
Speaker 1: Is your neighbor have a power washer, borrow it twice
Speaker 1: a year when you need it, and bake him a
Speaker 1: loaf of bread as a thank you gift. You can
Speaker 1: save your money and garage space for other things. Do
Speaker 1: you go skiing approximately once a decade, borrow old ski pants,
Speaker 1: goggles and the like from your friend who skis all
Speaker 1: the time, and take her out to dinner to say
Speaker 1: thanks and get skiing tips. People generally like to see
Speaker 1: their stuff used and they like to help out friends,
Speaker 1: so don't assume that everything you need occasionally is something
Speaker 1: you need to own yourself. Borrowing may be a long
Speaker 1: term solution. Of course, for this to work, it is
Speaker 1: important that you always return things in good condition and
Speaker 1: share generously yourself. People are going to be happy or
Speaker 1: to lend you their power washer if they know that
Speaker 1: your ladder is there for the asking better yet, don't
Speaker 1: wait to be asked. If your friend mentions that she
Speaker 1: is thinking of buying an air friar, offered to lend
Speaker 1: her yours to test it out before she buys her own.
Speaker 1: Even if you love your air friar, she might not
Speaker 1: because we are all different. The only way to figure
Speaker 1: this out is through lived experience. Sharing and borrowing lets
Speaker 1: us save money and tends to reinforce bonds. With neighbors
Speaker 1: and friends, and you are far less likely to wind
Speaker 1: up with barely used items sitting in the garage for years,
Speaker 1: as a certain stroller of mine did. In the meantime,
Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here is to
Speaker 1: making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love
Speaker 1: to hear from you. You can send me your tips,
Speaker 1: your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,
Speaker 1: Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the
Speaker 1: number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also
Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i
Speaker 1: heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out
Speaker 1: with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward
Speaker 1: to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of
Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio,
Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.