- Welcome: Introduction & Announcements
- New Resources: Highlights Of The Latest Additions To Our Resource Directory
- The Accidental House-Sitters: Discovering Simple Living
- The Green Triangle: Living Cheaply With Style
- Simplifying: A Personal Experience
- New Book, Campaign & Website Help America "Get Satisfied" Simple Living America
- Gems Of The Discussion Forums: Recurring Topics
- Money/Life Balance In The New Millennium: Making Life Energy Visible
- No Impact Man: An Urban Experiment
- "Green" Shopping: The Compact
- Won't You Be My Neighbor? The Smart Simple Woman
Dear Friends,
Well, Labor Day has come and gone, vacations have ended, fall is just around the corner... back to work and school. It is time to refocus our energies and continue the exciting adventure of simplifying life.
This edition of our Newsletter is full to overflowing with ideas and resources for simplifying. Immediately following this brief letter of introduction are a number of Important Announcements. And, as usual, Newsletter Editor Fred Ecks has put together an impressive collection of articles. (See Table Of Contents.)
Enjoy our free, on-line Newsletter and remember to "simplify, simplify,"
Dave Wampler
Founder
The Simple Living Network
Here is a great big THANK YOU to all of our CyberAngels. Your contributions keep this user-supported web site alive and growing. The Simple Living Network is a small, home based business with only one full time employee and a number of greatly appreciated, dedicated volunteers. It costs a fair amount to keep this web site running and Dave Wampler fed. Our modest book sales only cover a small portion of the costs. As such, this Newsletter, the Discussion Forums, and the other free services you find here would not exist without your generous financial support.
As of this writing, we are still $3,000 away from our 2007 goal of $14,000. If you enjoy this Newsletter or use the Discussion Forums, we encourage you to help us reach our target by making a financial gift, anything large or small, to keep things going well into 2008.
In July we introduced The Simple Living Newsletter Discussion Forum — a place where you can provide direct feedback and input on this Newsletter. We want to thank everyone who has participated to help make this publication all that it can be, and we want to encourage you to keep up the good work. Your thoughts and ideas are greatly appreciated. (If you are new to the Discussion Forums, CLICK HERE for an introduction.)
Speaking of the Discussion Forums, they will be closed for routine maintenance and upgrade September 24 - October 1. Thank you for your patience during this time.
It is hard to believe that the beginning of a new year is not too far away. Time to start planning ahead. Now is the perfect time to sign-up for an OnLine Your Money Or Your Life Study Group. The next course begins September 25th and registration is limited. Click here to learn more.
The New Road Map Foundation is seeking volunteers to help rework the study guides for Your Money Or Your Life. If you have hosted a Study Group at least twice and would like to contribute to the new guide, or if you would like to host a group to test the updated guides, please e-mail Ann Haebig at: ahaebig@pobox.com.
We are pleased to welcome a new Simple Living Partner: The Center For A New American Dream. New American Dream helps individuals and institutions consume responsibly for a better world. Climate change is a serious problem, but you can live well and have fun being part of the solution. Start lowering your carbon emissions today with six easy steps over six months with New American Dream — because big changes start with small steps.
Carbon Conscious Consumer (C3) is a national climate campaign sponsored by the Center for a New American Dream that challenges individuals to establish climate-friendly daily habits and inspire their friends to do the same. Participants who most creatively and effectively spread the word will win prizes.
Pledge to make a change and become a Carbon Conscious Consumer. There's no better time to stand up to the challenge and live consciously for a safer planet! Visit the New American Dream C3 Web Site for additional information.
Simple Living America is the first national, nonprofit membership organization for the general public centered on simplicity. What is simple living? It means many things to many people, but we are broadly defining it in lay terms as The Satisfaction of Enough. The academic definition and rationale upon which this is based can be found at "Science of Simple Living", including numerous SLA projects.
By providing mainstream America with a means to The Satisfaction of Enough through its new Get Satisfied book, campaign and website, Simple Living America is helping to launch a satisfaction movement in this country. House parties, community events, the member newsletter, and on-line postings are building the momentum. SLA calls for balance in a complex world, in partnership with the popular Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska national public television series. Click here for additional information.
Register now for the big What's The Economy For, Anyway? conference, October 5-7, 2007, Washington DC Convention Center (part of the annual Green Festival).
What's the economy for, anyway? Is it just about having the biggest GDP or the highest Dow Jones Average? Or is it about providing for a healthy, happy, fair and sustainable society?
If you think quality of life matters, and wonder how the United States compares to other countries when it comes to providing for its people, then the WHAT'S THE ECONOMY FOR, ANYWAY? Conference is for you! Dozens of prominent experts and activists will offers parts of the answer to the big question and offer out-of-the-box ideas about what we can do to make our economy serve us instead of vice-versa. Three tracks include QUALITY OF LIFE, SOCIAL JUSTICE and SUSTAINABILITY. See the full schedule and register NOW at: www.timeday.org/economyconference
I'm writing to invite you to be part of America at Home, a nationwide photo project being shot the week of September 17-23, 2007, enlisting the creative talents of 100 of America's leading photojournalists. The focus of the project is to depict in pictures and words what home means to Americans. I'm interested in some stories about families that have chosen a life in line with their beliefs by living simply. Interested families willing to invite a photographer into their home for a few hours can contact jonathan.ohara@myamericaathome.com. Thank you. — Jon O'Hara
Copyright © The Simple Living Network. All Rights Reserved.
- Get Satisfied: How Twenty People Like You Found The Satisfaction Of Enough
Special Pre-Publication Offer! - 2008 Calendars
A selection of 2008 calendars, including the popular "Out Of Office Countdown." - September Body, Mind & Spirit Special!
Save 20% On All Body, Mind & Spirit Products! - Ecotopia
A Novel & Environmental Classic by Ernest Callenbach - Following Raven, Finding Ground:
A Road Trip In Search Of Home
A new PDF E-Book by Claire Josefine, author of The Spiritual Art Of Being Organized - Deep Economy: The Wealth Of Communities & The Durable Future
- Living Green: A Practical Guide To Simple Sustainability
- My Job Sucks & I Can't Take It Any More! Help!
- The Dangerous Book For Boys:
Recapture Sunday Afternoons & Long Summer Days
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! - The Flip: Turn Your World Around!
- The Not So Big House: A Blueprint For The Way We Really Live
- The Not So Big Life: Making Room For What Really Matters
- All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More In Less Space!
Copyright © 2007
Sometimes a change in life creates a new and wonderful opportunity. At the age of 51, my husband Paul had just had his job outsourced to India and real estate was booming in Vancouver, British Columbia. On a camping trip to a small coastal town, we discussed just leaving the city and seeing where life would take us.
We sold our nice 900 square foot condo in September and moved out in December with no firm plan in mind. We thought we would house-sit in the town where we been camping for two months and then find a small house there to live simply. Ten months later we are still living in other people's homes, caring for other people's pets and calling ourselves "The Accidental House-Sitters."
Tonight we are sitting in the garden after watering the vegetables, looking over the Strait of Georgia and eating fresh blackberries. People ask us all the time how we set up this Accidental House-Sitting, so I thought I would share a little of our experience.
We have lived in nine places so far this year. All of them are wonderful and different, and have given us ideas of what we like and what we don't like for our future. We are finding out what suits us in the simplest, most economical way. So far this year, we have lived in the following places:
- A wonderful little vintage rose-covered cottage on the waterfront,
- An architectural wonder in the woods of Roberts Creek,
- A geodesic dome on five acres,
- And two gorgeous homes with big decks and wonderful sea views.
Right now we are more or less booked until Christmas.
By house- and pet-sitting we create a wonderful exchange: we look after your home and your pets and you give us your home temporarily. We settle into a new environment of usually a month or so and learn about a new community.
We don't ask for any money, but usually our homeowners (many now friends) throw in lots of freebies. We have been given homemade wine, homemade bread, freshly made mint jelly, handmade chocolates, a bag of prawns, and access to refrigerators all over the coast.
Every house we have stayed in has been incredible and special, and we have come to have a first hand look at what life is like in each community with an eye toward living there in the future. We have explored local political issues, traffic patterns, what kinds of clubs you can join, and a lot more. This information is invaluable as we choose where we next want to buy a home.
Our costs are low, very low. We pay no house taxes, no hydro or electricity, no strata fees, no Internet cost and no heat or fuel. We buy really nothing for these homes as they come fully equipped. We are never tempted to buy little household trinkets, as everything we pick up we end up carrying around in the car, and it becomes quite a hassle.
Some of these homes even come with the use of a car, should we need to take the animals out for a drive and walk.
Many people ask us how we get all these opportunities, so here are some thoughts:
- Don't charge. Many pet-sitters do this as a business, but because we see this as a swap and we need your home temporarily we don't need to charge. That means that our schedule is nearly always full. It is a win/win for the homeowner, the pets and for us.
- Tell everyone you meet that this is what you do, and give an email address where people can reach you. Tell people you meet at coffee shops, in the mall, at parties and everywhere. Some of our best house-sits have been arranged months after meeting the homeowners. A chance meeting on a beach might turn into a month in a seafront cottage.
- Gather your list of references as you go. For years we had been house-sitting for a week here, a week there, just to get away from the city. We would look after dogs, cats, donkeys, what have you. We started with a list of four people who could act as past references. Now we have over 12.
- Keep in touch with everyone. Every 6 weeks I send out a general "Where are Paul and Deb NOW!" bulletin on the Internet to friends, family and past homeowners. People we know are beginning to realize that we do this for a service and might mention it to people they know, and so on. Now and then when we might have a gap and don't have a place to stay, we contact all our past homeowners and let them know we are free for particular dates. They may well have friends who need house-sitters. As I write this, we have a three-week gap in the late fall. I am confident that this will be filled long before we get to November.
- Say YES! Take the house-sit for every type of home offered. We have said yes to house-sitting in a mobile home in a park and the possibility of a fifth wheel that will be parked on the beach. Why not try it to see how you like it?
- Do a little extra. My husband mostly wants to play banjo. But from time to time he has been known to mow lawns, paint a little woodwork, chop wood, and even wash people's cars when it is sunny outside. He has an incredible tan this summer from all his time outdoors.
- Soon it will be one complete year that we have been house- and pet-sitting on the coast. What started out as a few months of fun has turned into an incredible opportunity. Many of the homeowners are now our friends, and that is the biggest payoff of all.
But tons of other exciting things came along the way too. In house- and pet-sitting we have:
- Learned to play killer canasta
- Explored all kinds of new kitchen machines
- With permission, read a lot of new books (including cookbooks) in people's homes
- Listened to a lot of new music
- Joined a few musical groups so Paul can play banjo
- Learned to bake bread
- Walked hundreds of miles around the new towns
- Visited farmer's markets we never knew existed
We have also learned that we really don't need all that "stuff" that is indeed "stuffed" into 2 storage lockers in Vancouver. One of the only costs of this lifestyle is the $150 a month we pay to keep all our possessions under lock and key. I know when we open those storage containers half of it will go directly to Freecycle or thrift shops. We have learned to live lightly and have fun doing it.
Life has become a pleasure in so many ways. We take time to do the things that we had been putting off. We certainly don't have the money to retire full-time, but this way we are easing into the next stage of life. The money from the sale of our home makes money while we travel around and, because our costs are low, this year we will come out ahead financially.
We have also fallen in love with so many of the pets we got to look after: Naughty Bird, Chaos, Jo-Jo, Jack, Samson and Delilah, Larry and Linus, Piggelet and many more. For people who were never allowed pets in the condominium, it is like having foster animals all over the coast.
"Don't you miss your own place?" people ask. Well sometimes we do, but not often. When I think of the great people we have met and the fun we have had at the lakes and beaches, not to mention summer festivals, the music we have heard and the joy of discovering a new community, I don't miss it much. Soon we will probably buy another home, but for now, we are free to move around, come and go and pick up and change places. And, when we do own our next home, we will know a whole network of people who might return the favor and house-sit for us.
Could this experience be for you? It could if you have no children to look after and no pets of your own, can get away for a while and are, above all, flexible. My husband Paul has never been known for his flexibility. In the first month he wanted to find a place, buy it, capture it and seal the deal. Now he feels quite differently. He has become more open and is more comfortable meeting new people. He has played for the first time really in public and has jammed with some fine musicians.
If you want to try something like this, put the word out to friends and relatives in your area, or as far as you are willing travel, that you are available for short house- and pet-sitting stints for weekends and vacations. Then, if you discover you like it, take on longer engagements.
I still have to go by ferry every month to work in Vancouver doing workshops for a few days to keep the piggybank from emptying, but apart from that our life is truly wonderful.
We don't need a lot of money to do this. We spend our money on food, ferries and fun. So that's our story, I might call it "Sleeping Around," "The Accidental House-Sitters," or whatever; we're always open to new ideas.
You can reach Deb and Paul at their email address as they have no other fixed address and no real telephone number. They are always happy to chat. deb@wizbangers.ca
About The Author
Deb Calderon, of no fixed address, travels with her husband and banjo player Paul and is the head of Calderon Consulting: www.wizbangers.ca Contact Deb at deb@wizbangers.ca
Copyright © 2000. Reprinted here with permission from the author.
Editor's Note: The following article is an excerpt from Living Cheaply With Style. One of our Newsletter readers recommended we include this well-written article in this edition. We agree this article is indeed timeless!
Living a sane and ecologically responsible life doesn't mean self-sacrifice and austerity; on the contrary, it should mean a richer, more interesting, fuller, longer, and healthier life. But so far nobody has been able to dramatize this on a national level in the folksy, convincing way that Ronald Reagan and Ivan Boesky made greed respectable. Jimmy Carter may have been our only recent president to understand that an equation has two sides, but his wan demeanor on TV in a sweater, urging us to save energy, did not exactly inspire the American people. (I know, he looks better and better now, doesn't he?)
Is it possible to talk attractive sense about a new lifestyle for Americans? It had better be, or we can start preparing a suitable tombstone for our nation. And what we say needs to have both human verve and internal logical coherence to be memorable - more than a cafeteria menu of 50 or 750 ecological things we ought to choose among. Luckily, although we may sometimes lose the faith, on the whole it works to assume that the universe displays many reassuring regularities that we can rely on. This goes for science almost without saying, since without prediction of regularities it is impossible to devise experiments. But it is also reassuringly true of our daily lives. However chaotic they sometimes seem, they have patterns; we can actually make sense of the ways things work, and react accordingly.
One way I've devised of talking about some critical everyday regularities is what I call the Green Triangle. It's a handy means of generating for ourselves ideas for personal and community and national change.
The three points of the triangle are:
The principle that relates these three points is: Any time you do something beneficial for one of them, you will almost inevitably also do something beneficial for the other two - whether you're hoping to or not.
For example, let's suppose you decide to take a step to improve your health, like eating less fatty meat and dairy products. This will of course decrease your chance of circulatory disease; it may even make you stronger and give you greater endurance. But, since meat and dairy products are relatively expensive, you will save quite a bit of money; moreover, you will also help the environment - since meat production is a very land-intensive and damaging use of our farm resources.
But the interesting thing is that you can start at any point of the triangle. Thus, let's assume you do something beneficial for the environment, like walking or bicycling instead of driving your car. You cut down pollution emissions, you reduce smog and lung damage, you decrease acid rain, and you may postpone the greenhouse effect. But you'll help your health because you get more regular exercise, and you'll also save money on gas, oil, and car depreciation.
Some people are skeptical about good things stemming from thrift, which is an American virtue that has gone out of style temporarily in the well-to-do layers of our society, but the third point of the triangle is actually just as potent. Anytime you do something beneficial for your pocketbook, like not buying an expensive gizmo whose manufacturing expends a lot of energy and uses a lot of raw materials, or taking an expensive trip that turns a lot of petroleum into atmospheric pollution and noise, you're also helping the Earth. But you're probably also doing your health a favor since you're less stressed out to earn the money to pay off the gizmo or trip; and not pouring a lot of emotional energy into interacting with the gizmo leaves time and attention for other human beings and the kind of spontaneous improvisation and fooling around that our species evolved to be good at.
If you apply the Green Triangle to your everyday life, examples of delightful synergistic effects can be found everywhere; you come out with many delightful new perceptions. Some cases: Low- or no-cost fun with other people is almost always more ecologically and financially benign than hard work and heavy consumption; evidently evolution did not commit an ecological error in making us playful. (Making us willing to live by clocks is another story.) Exchanges outside the cash economy - trading massages, for instance - don't have monetary ramifications you have to worry about, whereas if you pay for a massage, the money may go into a bank, and you know what they do with it. Growing or making your own is usually cheaper and healthier, as well as more ecologically benign. Fun, isn't it? So go triangulate!
But one last word: even using the Green Triangle, we must still remember that there is no such thing as innocent purchasing, even in countries with eco-labeling programs that guide consumers to "less damaging" products. Of course it's good to buy things that do less damage, and we ought to have an eco-labeling program in this country as soon as possible. But best of all is to buy less in general. Hard though it may be for moderns to admit, Jesus was totally correct in saying "Blessed are the poor" - because they do less ecological damage. There are a few things that we, the rich people of the North, can buy that really do positive good for the earth: photovoltaic cells and solar hot-water heaters, for instance, which move us toward a solar economy. But learning to live happily with less consumption of goods vastly outranks all the other things we might choose to do to save the earth. That's why, in my book Ecotopia, people are appreciated for what they produce - in human relationships, in art, in community life, in science, in politics - and to call somebody a "consumer" is an insult.
About The Author
Ernest Callenbach is a writer and editor best known