I was introduced to the KISS principal in engineering school. “Keep It Simple Stupid.” When left to myself, I overcomplicate things. There…I said it. I prefer doing things that make me look smart or innovative. It is not nearly as exciting to come up with a design or idea that others look at and say “well, I could have done that.” The KISS principal teaches us that the simple solution is the better one. It is the easier one to implement, isn’t as prone to failure, and is more likely to consistently accomplish your goals.
KISS doesn’t just apply to engineering.
Consider, for a minute, the task of reducing how much you spend on food and supplies. You can clip coupons, or watch each store’s ads and apps for deals. You can run to multiple stores each week to chase down the best deal. You can consider which items to buy in bulk and which ones in small quantities, but that requires you do the math on whether it costs more for the Costco membership than buying stuff in regular stores. But, this takes a lot of thinking, time, effort, and energy. At the beginning, you are on fire to save money. You plan every meal based on the items on sale. You hit all the stores and score great deals, and post about it all online. But, for most people, you get burnt out. For me, I get burnt out quickly.
I’m lazy, and I suspect other people are too. The more effort and thought required to succeed, the more likely I am to fall off the wagon and take the easy path, such as eating out or just grabbing what I need at the closest store.
When I was first married and trying to stick with a budget, I had a lot of trouble at first. I would shop at WalMart, Marcs, Giant Eagle, second guessing every purchase, and still constantly fail to keep my cost under control. I’d reach my tipping point and”cheat”. Then I made the simple choice to do my grocery shopping at ALDI. Originally, it was buying some things there, then ultimately everything there. ALDI isn’t ALWAYS the cheapest option, especially if you consider coupons. It also doesn’t offer name brands, most of the time. And…ALDI doesn’t offer choices. You want ketchup…here it is. No choice of size, brand, or packaging. But that’s what made it work. Often times, the things we bought at ALDI were 10-20% cheaper than other stores. On a monthly budget of $500, that can save $50-$100. That’s significant.
I made one decision…buy groceries at ALDI. Because the items were cheaper and there were no major ways to “splurge” I was able to say that as long as I bought it at ALDI, it was ok to buy. I didn’t get down on myself any more for buying Oreos for the kids. That one decision took away the effort of saving, and because of that, I have been able to stick with it for more than 15 years.
Remember to Keep it Simple. Make a simple plan that requires only one or two decision that you can stick with. A good plan that you can follow will be better than the best plan that you abandon after a month!