A Simpler Life

[rebapuck]

I've always felt I lived a simpler life than most of my friends. Maybe that's because I've always been single. I never had to consider anyone else' needs or desires. And now I'm retired and don't even have a boss.

Not sure I could give up much. I like my "stuff". But basic cable is 75 channels. I have a cell phone that I carry for emergencies. Call my landline once a month to make sure it's still working. I love to read my Kindle, sew on my Singer, cook on my Hotpoint, email on my Dell.

Putting in a garden is too much work. As long as I get my pension, I'm happy to pay my electric bills. I'll drive my three cars when/where I want. I have more tees than I can wear out in the time I have left, but I'll still buy a new one if I like it.

Living a simpler life to me is being pleased with yourself, not trying to best the "Joneses". Taking time for friends and family. Not watching the news.

[stevem50]

diffrent strokes and all- i just dont want to spend my life chasing money to buy stuff i dont really want. no offense to those that enjoy their pleasures. mine is to have a clean house, clear of clutter, and the few things i actually want to have shine a little brighter without sitting in the backdrop of random crap i had accumulated. a tv is in the house so my boy has something to do when its nasty out, but if the sun is shining, i boot him out the door to go play with real friends instead of the video game babysitter.

the first 30 years were spent chasing a dollar to keep up with the jones' but the past 5 have been spent whittling down my piles of junk and spending time with my family actually using the things we surround ourselves with...

[rebapuck]

Exactly. I think the downsizing hits everyone eventually.

Alot of people think "simpler" times is yesteryear. Long ago still wasn't simple. Just a different set of priorities. Like the next meal.

I'd rather buy a can of vegetables than put in a garden, tend it, can it. To me, that's simpler.

[droid_ca]

The simpler life that I'm talking about is all by choice it's the little things in life instead of hoping into the truck to drive two blocks to go to the coffee shop walk it's the do I really need to buy that particular item brand spanking new just because I can afford it or would the used broken in one suit me much better if they both are going to last the same length of time its the working the earth for the food that you eat or at least contributing to it like do you really need 3 ipods no you only have one set of ears my one major weakness I'll admit it here is I like to buy fishing rods I have so many of the things and I can justify every single one of them but I don't count every single one of them I count them as a whole unit I like the ideas that you guys are throwing out there there is allot that we can learn from each other for the future to come and its not money that buys happiness sure it does help sometimes but not all the time the barter system is great if it is mutually beneficial to both parties why the heck not.....I really enjoy where this thread is going so lets keep up the good work and help out each other and keep contributing more of these healthy bits of advice ....... until latter by the campfire

[Mojave Bob]

Wow! I can make you a really good deal on some nice, used, gently broken in punctuation if you are interested...

Seriously, we downsized by choice back in '96, and it was one of the most liberating things ever. We downsized again last year when our home burned and the insurance came up short of replacing everything. I have come to realize that we have way, way more than we need, and if we just realized it, we have more than we really want, too.

Our church has an annual "Yard Give-Away" -- like a garage sale, except everything is free to anybody with a need. It is a great exercise each year to go through the house and ask myself, "Does somebody else need this more than I do?"

[azmotoman]

Wifey loves to garden. She does a few 'beds' each year. Our hens give us more eggs than we can eat (we use the 'extras' to barter, help the neighbors or reward friends). We started using a few solar fixtures earlier this year and love the convenience of placement. We have started amassing larger panels for major home usage in the future (we noticed a neighbor recently covered their roof in panels - SWEET!). We plan to extend our eves and use them for shade AND power. The 'less is more' idea led us to Teardrops and we are s-l-o-w-l-y trying to incorporate that into our daily lives.

This may seem a bit extreme to some: if I print something that doesn't require the whole page, I frequently cut off the remainder and leave it atop the printer for future use (I print a lot of addresses for our home business). What was it grandma said? - A penny saved is a penny earned!

One thing I almost NEVER do: see a penny on the ground - LEAVE IT! At our age, bending over to pick it up could cost thousands in Dr. or hospital bills.

Retirement is just around the corner and we would like to LIVE ours out - not just ride it out.

Mantra: I will not be a burden to my kids, I will not be a burden to my kids, . . .

[stevem50]

yep... "simpler" means something else to everybody, lately i have been using the internet to get the stuff i want. not with money, i posted a listing on craigslist in the barter section for the things i want. just got a like-new eureka tetragon tent and weber grill for an hours work cutting down a small tree. older people without a chainsaw, younger guy that wants a tent for his son.

sounds simple to me

[starleen2]

Not quite "downsizing" but today i let the satellite TV go - been with D***ctTV for 12 years and finally realized i was paying about 70 bucks a month for TV and still filtering out channels that i did not watch - no I have a good antenna and get about 40 digital channels off the air. I don't seem to miss it much since i can get most episodes off the net

[MyChell]

I have downsized a great deal. All of my stuff is in the car or the teardrop. I have no plan at the moment and no idea where I am going to end up. I don't have a job right now and only have a small savings. I am spending only whats absolutely required and not wasting a bunch of $ in gas. I have definitely downsixed though. I am off Facebook, but have found these forums. I don't have internet unless I go elsewhere as I am now. I do have a cell and still have my xbox3560. Who knows whats next....

[droid_ca]

I like the idea of being self sufficient, and being able to live in your trailer if you have to by choice.I live in what some people claim to be one of the most beautiful provinces in Canada. I have seen a fare bit of it but not all of it I would like to explore more of it at my own leisure and not be rushed into leaving. So that is one of the reasons for down sizing as I don't want to be homeless or needing anything, as I don't want to be a burden to anyone and to make my point to onlookers I'll even get this sign made up for the back of my trailer

I like to be comfortable I do have shows that I enjoy to watch and find the news to be important to follow, so my television is a must ....I even just got a new one for my future trailer but in the mean time I'll use it in the house, was a little on the pricey side but it is multifunctional (my new word ) as I like the idea of something serving more then one purpose to me that just makes sense here is a link to the place
http://stores.ebay.com/PawleysIslandMar ... =874353138
well thats been my 2cents for today thank you to all who have contributed to this thread

[droid_ca]

Ok so I got a new truck, now been thinking about a camper for it, that I could use as a mobile home in a pinch. Anyone do this or know of someone that has

[Shadow Catcher]

I thought that some one would bring up the classic story of Walden Pond and Henry David Thoreau 1854. ""I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan- like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion."

[Deryk the Pirate]

We all make choices of how we wanna live. I never made the "big" money, a friend told me years ago I need to step up to management to make more/better oppurtunities. I don't care for the stress, its not worth it. When I punch out at the end of the day I leave the job there.... for what maybe a few K more a year I could be stressed all the time...pass lol.

I live on an old sailboat I'm. Slowly. Restoreing. My last boss. Asked me once how much does it cost a month? I told him about 300 plus utilities. In. My area a 1 bdroom apt is about a grand a month. I told him I could walkout the door and manage to get by...could you? He quickly walked away lol.

I don't buy all the toys, I do have a smart phone but its a tool I use well and a lot. Don't have or need an ipad...I manage with less cause storage space on the boat is lean lol.

Deryk

[droid_ca]

giving this thread a bump still want some more ideas

[Moho]

I have been in the process of downsizing for the past couple years. I went from running a sucessful business and basically sold the business to be able to stay at home and raise my son. I have a modest income now from residual income from the business.

I started selling my extra "stuff" the past year. I had roughly 25 guitars, now down to 8 and trying to get rid of a few more. I had 3 Harleys, now just the one. Had 4 big screen plasma TV's, now one modest flat screen tv. Etc, etc.

I closed my facebook, myspace and all of the other internet social accounts. Everyone is so "connected" with these things that they are missing life. Last month Americans spent 53.5 billion total minutes on Facebook — or roughly 101,720 years. If I want to get updated I call a person on the phone and talk to them or actually go spend time with them.

I stay away from major chain stores as much as possible and we only eat out on special occassions. We make a majority of our foodstuff that most people buy. Things like baking our own bread.

Bought a bicycle and kid trailer and use it for the quick grocery store runs, etc. Went from the full package cable to the most basic. The cell phone I'll keep, got rid of the home phone LONG ago. The thing is I don't depend on my phone for constant communication any more. You will never see me with my face buried in the phone, texting, etc and missing the world going by. There are a few conveniences I like and will probably always have: the cell phone to replace the home phone, the computer and internet for the wealth of knowledge at my fingertips, my super automatic coffee maker and my cordless drill.

Life now moves at a much slower pace than it did and I LOVE it. I am happier than I have ever been in my life. There are many things I observe everyday that I never noticed moving at the pace of the typical American, the simple things like a squirrel in the backyard, watching a leaf fall from a tree, etc.

To get a better idea of this, research other countries lifestyles. The majority of other countries put family, friends and tradition above other things in life and were a big source of my inspiration to the change in lifestyle. In my opinion most people in America have a messed up sense of priority and responsibilty. Greed, Glutony and Sloth are too prevalent in the American society.