Updated rules

When I said the rules were going to evolve, I wasn't kidding! I've already thought of another essential rule of the game:

Each day's SMID (Save/Make Idea of the Day) must save at least $100, so sometimes we may need to combine a few smaller, hopefully related, ideas on the same day. And if a SMID saves more than $100 (like Day 1: Make a written budget, whose projected savings is $200), it doesn't count for the next day(s). We want a new SMID every day so we don't lose our momentum!

Here's the updated rules:

1. Each SMID must save $100 over the course of 365 days from when it is implemented. Better yet, as many SMIDs as possible will save that $100 within 365 days from today, the blog's inception. That way we will actually realize as much as possible of our whole $36,500 by 7/11/09!

2. Each SMID must be implementable (basically) in 1 day. Some upkeep over the course of the year is OK, but if a potential SMID takes me an hour every day for the next year then it is not going to past the test -- if nothing else, since I don't know anyone who can find or make 365 hours in a day!

3. Each idea must be usable by a wide range of people. I won't say "everyone" because I cannot think of a single idea that I could guarantee would work for every one on the planet. But we want the ideas to work for as many people as possible.

4. We will use the word "save" most of the time, although making that $100 instead of saving it is OK too. But it would get really old to read "save/make" on every line! Maybe we should coin a new word; can you say "S'make?"

5. The $100 must be net, meaning if we spend $10 to implement the SMID, we must save $110 over the year to have a net savings of $100. So many times I see ways to "save" that require me to spend so much up front that it would take me years to recoup the initial investment, much less actually save $. That won't cut it here!

6. Each day's SMID must save at least $100, so sometimes we may need to combine a few smaller, hopefully related, ideas on the same day. And if a SMID saves more than $100 (like Day 1: Make a written budget, whose projected savings is $200), it doesn't count for the next day(s). We want a new SMID every day so we don't lose our momentum!

Let's remember the rules are somewhat subjective, and their role is just to keep us on the right track, but we're not going to get all caught up in them.