Do you live a simple life?

[Gruntina]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

In a different perspective of "simple living", my day to day life is a lot simpler. I no longer choose jobs that requires overtime, or overload on stress or a job that has "homework". (I rather choose a stress free low paying job than a very stressfull higher paying job) Choosing a less stressful job allows me to go home stress free. My future spouse does not need to hear negative things from me all the time complaining about the job. Not working overtime or feeling too exhausted from working allows me more time to plan grocery shopping so nothing is done at the last minute and can shop for sales, coupons. This also leads to more pleasant home cooking. I also picked a simple small home that does not require a lot of stuff and learned to not want so many things.

Our activities are simple as hiking up the mountain that we live on, planting in our yard and etc where it does not require us to do a lot of advance planning, complex projects and so on.

Living this way actually has us save money and not need so much of it. For many years I was living “life on the edge” in the city of San Francisco and a big time spender but had way too much drama that goes along with it.

Now I am at peace, happy, well rested, organized, and think more clearly about the things I need to do. In that definition, I am living a simple life.

[MonkeyMama]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

In the area I live in I feel we live a very simple life.

I am sure many of you would argue I don't. IT is all so relative!!!!!

Generally, instead of plopping thousands of dollars every year to constantly entertain our toddler and baby with amusement park trips, concerts, and endless activities, I am more likely to take them to the park or for a walk. OR stay home and draw pictures with them and play play doh. Etc. You get the point. I often get the whole - poor kids, deprived look because I generally don't spend money to do activities with them, there is SO MUCH they can do without spending all that money. I have no idea why 2-year-olds need to go to Wiggles concerts at $50 a pop. Or a 3yo needs to go to the movies every week and an amusement park every weekend. IS it just me????

We drive older cars and mostly have hand-me-down furniture. We home cook 99% of our meals. I don't wear makeup, spend money on beauty, and could care less about name brands.

Because of being a little frugal my hubby does not have to work and overall it makes our lifestyle very simple. I would like to get to a point where we can both work part-time and meet all our financial goals. We will get there not too long. To me that is simple. We have a few luxuries, but we just try not to go overboard.

Every thing we have done in our young lives is to get to a point where we had a simpler existence, that we didn't have to work a lot of hours or have a fancy lifestyle to support.

The long and short is yes and no I guess. I know a lot of people who leave even simpler lives. I guess we have found the right balance for us though.

To me simpler is cheaper. & that is my aim... IT is less stressfull too.

[vsjhoc]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

I've moved around a lot, sometimes as far as 12,000 miles from one home to another. That has really helped me pare down my possessions. You look at your things differently when you have to pay someone to move them.

[vishenda]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

Not only is it cheaper, it's ironically more fulfilling. Simple means not following anything, but being yourself; not trying to be sophisticated yet not deprving yourself. It is about setting own definitions and own boundaries.
1) Reduce any options/choices in my daily life - namely keep a consistent schedule that I spent a good amount of time preparing/improving.

2) Not necessarily; this depends entirely on the options/choices I've eliminated. For example, I choose to get a coffee immediately upon getting to work, instead of from a cafe on the way (money saver), but I've also decided to pay to launder anything that would otherwise require ironing (money spender).

[JoyJoy]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

Hubby retired in June, 2006, and with me already retired (medically), we tend to do as we please as all three of our sons live out of state. Hubby and I don't entertain a lot. We enjoy the simple things in life, a walk, reading with discussion time afterwards, our computer games (his being Everquest and mine are Doublecross and Spades when I do decide to play...), going for an ice cream cone and now we're remodeling the house together and it's fun! Simple pleasures are the best!

[vsjhoc]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

mine are Doublecross and Spades when I do decide to play...

Joy - Where do you play Spades on-line, and at what level? Perhaps we've played with or against each other!

[baking23]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

Well I still live at home so I keep everything I own in my room so when I move I know exactly how much I have to take. I also don't get too many things and declutter freqeuntly.

[baking23]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

Great questions. This is something I've been trying to figure out for a while. convincing family members I really don't "need" anything for holidays/birthdays, .

The hardest part of the that is convincing them you really mean it. My family doesn't take no for an anwser.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

Yes and no. We do because of school and work we don't have time to go out to movies, plays, etc. But no because we travel home to visit family to exotic locals, where most people dream of vacationing, so I guess we're luxurious. But it's no vacation. This weekend we're finally going to be together after a semester of running ourselves ragged.

[lrjohnson]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

In some ways, yes, my life is simple. I work mostly 8 hour days with a very short commute. I sometimes walk to work. I dislike clutter, I dislike shopping, I like sparse. I don’t have or want a dishwasher or bread maker or manyt other appliances-I’m grudging about the microwave. I hang laundry and read a lot and can my own jam. I cook bulk foods like bulghur from scratch. I am childfree by choice.


I guess no one factoid makes my life simple, just like no factoiud makes it not simple-I travel internationally and have a computer and etc. I just know that my life is so very much NOT hectic. I have plenty of me time, and I stop and smell those darn roses too.

[JoyJoy]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

Joy - Where do you play Spades on-line, and at what level? Perhaps we've played with or against each other!

I play Spades at the Sierra Games website. Hoyle games/Vug. Used to be Uproar too!

My rating is in the 1900's. I play their game of "Mirrors" and my rating goes up and down! But I really don't worry about that. I like to play in the social rooms as opposed to the rated rooms at times. Less stressful.

We probably have played against one another if you do play on Sierra or together even.

My brother plays there and my uncle too....Kaards2 and Sean2U!

[Ima saver]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

I think I lead a simple life also. Until I got this computer as a christmas gift, I did not have any electronic stuff. I don't even know what most of the stuff in an electronic store does. I don't watch tv much or rent movies. I never go to movies.
I like to spend my time with my husband, just talking. We enjoy sitting on the back deck watching the creek flow by.
I really don't care for shopping any more. Taking a drive in the mountains or a simple walk is a lot more fun than shopping.

[tabbycat31]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

For me it all depends. My idea of entertainment is taking a loaf of bread to the beach (a bakery gave me day old bread for free) and watching the seagulls in a "feeding frenzy" with my ipod playing in the background (I am a music person). The experience of being surrounded by them is something that you would not get from watching TV. And I also like to read in bed.

As for technology, I think that age has a lot to do with everything. I'm 26 and I have things like a computer, cellphone (my only phone), ipod, and cable tv. I don't need a fancy computer, plasma tv, latest cellphone, etc, as long as they work. About the only thing that I plan on upgrading on that category is my cellphone, because the backlight no longer works and I have to have specific light to see the screen.

I used to be much more high maintanance than I am now. I gave up shopping as a hobby as my 2006 New Years resolution and for the most part I stuck to it (coming from a former shopaholic).

Someone mentioned "Wife Swap." Even though I'm not married, if I were on that show, my opposite would be one of those SAHMs that spends the day shopping (there are so many in my area.... working in retail this was the customer base) and is completely dependent on her husband for everything. And she'd probably drive a gas guzzler. And she'd probably spend the time that her kids were in school doing things like getting her hair, nails, etc done.

[sarah]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

I don't know what a simply life is. The more I study this question the more confused I become. Is is Living LIghtly on the earth or non-technologically. No these are not the same thing. Is is being uncluttered and orderly or being organic is living and attitude. I think I have read 90% of the books on simple living and I am still confused. Isit deliberate self sacrifce or is it intentional living. I have become so confused with this term that I have abandoned it along with its sister voluntary simplicity. Neither is really definable. I am striving to live consciously and intentionally. What I mean by that is to be aware of my choices and how they effect others. To be aware of my options and not to simply take the easiest or most convenient solution but to be fully aware.

[Broken Arrow]

Re: Do you live a simple life?

I fully agree with you, Sarah. It's a very convoluted concept sometimes. I suppose it's also a mix of all of the above, because many of these ideas tend to be joined at the hip. Well, whatever it is, I try my best to do a little bit of everything, but in a way that is most meaningful to me.