Every Friday is 11 Things day at Living Behind the Curve.

I was sitting here, staring at a blank screen a couple of hours ago. The inevitable finally happened: I couldn’t think of a damn thing to write. Dani was going up to bed, and I told her as much. She responded by turning to the DVD collection, because she is brilliant. “Why not mine lessons from your favorite shows?” So, of course, I hop on line and see if my dear friend Kate had any ideas. Because Kate is a TV junky and also brilliant, she had a whole bunch of fabulous ideas, and really helped me out with this post. In what is destined to become a long-running series, I present the first installment: 11 Lessons About Frugality and Simplicity That I learned From The Golden Girls.

1. Observe the housing laws in your area. As far as I can tell, people start frugality regimens for two basic reasons — to pay off debt, or to buy, improve, or upgrade a house. (Don’t argue with me, I know people do frugality with the goal of economic independence, but that reason seems to pop up after the fact.) This tip obviously addresses the latter reason. Doing home improvements or taking in renters can be great methods for improving your financial long view, but never forget that local government bodies are often staffed by small-time politicians, and to risk generalizing, they can often be described as “power-grabbing, bureaucracy-worshiping, Napoleonic little weasels”. Whatever it is you’re planning on doing, someone has probably passed an inconvenient ordinance regarding it. Be sure to do your homework, because while begging forgiveness may be easier than asking permission, it’s frequently more expensive. Blanche learned this lesson, and it leads directly to…

2. A mortgage payment split four ways can’t hurt too much. Do what you can to diversify. Find multiple streams of income. Spread your investments out. Eat something new for dinner. Whatever. It’s good for you.

3. You never want to waste leftover cheesecake. This is an important rule of frugality that I don’t see addressed much. Overspending is discussed to death, but overbuying doesn’t seem to hit the radar much. Look, how well is your money being spent if you spend $10 on a cheesecake and half of it gets thrown away? See if you can’t find a bakery that will supply you with half-cakes. You may spend more per slice this way, but less of that money will go straight in the trashcan. Or, better yet, invite your friends over, and see if they can’t bring some coffee or a bottle of wine.

4. Hot flashes can be a sufficient substitute for turning on the heater. Ok, I don’t have a good guideline for this one, it just sounded good. Come on, I had to get one menopause joke in, right?

5. A story about St. Olaf is cheaper than any sleeping pill. While it’s not a hard and fast rule, sometimes it’s cheaper, easier, or both, to take advantage of the natural remedies available to you.

6. Fire the houseboy. This one works at cross purposes, but it’s a great obscure Girls reference. It’s cheaper to clean your own house, but it’s much simpler to pay someone else to do it. It’s that hoary old dichotomy of time vs. money.

7. One good bra will pay for itself many times over in drinks at Gringo Night. It bears repeating: the cheapest option isn’t always the least expensive.

8. Making friends at work is great, but working with your friends is a bad idea. Another oft-neglected topic in the simplicity cannon is the reduction of drama. Friendships, or any relationship in general, shouldn’t be a struggle, and making your life more complicated than it has to be isn’t recommended.

9. Cheesecake is cheaper than therapy. Sometimes, a professional just isn’t called for, and it’s time to DIY.

10. Therapy is cheaper than 25-to-life. Other times, you just have to suck it up and pay for an expert.

11. Pursue your dreams — maybe the world really does need a baked potato opener. Hey, why else are we frugalizing and simplicifying? We have plans, dreams, and goals that we want to make happen, and we’re stubborn enough to believe we can succeed. Whatever it is you got, go for it.

That was way more fun than it should have been to write. You guys should try it! What frugality or simplicity lessons have your favorite shows taught you?