Kaizen at home - 8,154 reasons why continous improvement works for our family!

As I am ending the year of our Lord, 2008. I decided to go back and calculate the monetary value of various improvements made this year in our family budget. As I began to go back and determine the financial benefits, I was astounded at the savings...and I am not done with my totals yet.

So far, I have calculated $8,154.83 of savings, cash recovered from selling stuff we weren't using, recovered long lost gift cards, and other financial improvements. In a future column, I'll break down many of these from the big ones (Furnace replacement) to the small ones (picking free local apples and bike riding to work). Even the tiniest kaizens that save time and money can make a big difference when combined with medium and large scale improvements. In addition, I will attempt to determine the time savings and other benefits gained in 2008.

"There's a way to do it better - find it." Thomas A. Edison

What did you improve in 2008?

Dan Lafever, Kaizeneer