Last year, I came across a small YouTube channel, The Productive Homemaker, and watched a video where the content creator explained how she had been monetized on YouTube. I appreciated one simple piece of advice she gave: Use what you have. Don’t rush out and buy a bunch of equipment at the beginning. Just use what equipment you have available, and you can purchase better equipment later when you need it.
It’s such a practical piece of advice, but sometimes, we don’t think to follow it. It reminded me of 2020 when I started watching videos about soapmaking. I kept thinking I wanted to try it, and then my practical brain took over. I noted all the supplies used in soapmaking, and I realized that it was more of a financial investment than I wanted to make. I didn’t know if it would be a hobby or a business venture so I held off on buying any equipment and kept watching the videos. What I discovered was that I enjoyed watching the videos and purchasing someone else’s work, but I didn’t truly want to invest my money in soapmaking products. A little patience saved me a lot of money.
The tip from this content creator is one that I have heard from many others in the last couple of years. Don’t rush out and invest in a lot of items until you know what you want to do. I’ve done this with crafting activities in the past, and I can attest to the annoyance that I felt when I began to declutter and found several crafting products for things that I started and never finished or used once and set aside. I am much better at investing in crafting items now, but I had to make some bad decisions first and learn from them.
I’m doing the same thing as a writer now. Could I invest in a more expensive office setup? I could, but the one I have serves the purpose for now. Could I buy a newer, faster computer? I could, but the one I have is operating fine. Could I buy an expensive camera for photos and videos? I could, but my primary tool right now is words instead of images so a fancy camera isn’t vital to what I do. At present, I’m going to stick with the items that I have until there’s a better reason to invest in other equipment.
If you are running a small business, ask yourself if you can continue to use what you have available. Make certain you can justify a purchase before making it, especially if you will have to go in debt for it. If you are working for someone else, make certain you need an item before you ask the company to make an investment for you. Will it make you productive enough to make their purchase worthwhile? No matter who we work for, it’s important to use what we have available and hold off making a purchase until it is either necessary, affordable, and/or useful.
Look around you and remind yourself that it’s okay to use what you have for now. Make bigger investments when it is worth the time and money. Remember that creating debt adds stress so be certain new equipment is worth it.
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Inspirational Verses for the Day:
Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19, NKJV)
All Things Subject to Change 