- Introduction: Top Down vs. Bottom Up
- New Resources: The Latest Additions To Our Resource Directory
- Living Simply In A Living Universe: A Personal, Civilizational, & Species Choice
- The World Has Changed: Alternatives For Simple Living
- The Art Of Living: In Search Of Simplicity
- Recession-Proof: Voluntary Simplicity As The Key To Living Well Even In A Recession
- New Guest Speaker Conference Calls: Simple Living America
- Gems Of The Discussion Forums: Housing, The Workplace, Food, & More!
- Living Simply: Boomers Back To Basics
- Conscious Frugality: The Non-Consumer Advocate
- Discovering An Abundant Life: The Picket Line
Dear Friends of The Simple Living Network,
We are at a turning point. The recession is in full swing. For many, things are getting worse. On the other hand, the raw reality behind the bumper sticker, "Insatiable IS NOT Sustainable," provides a great moment that should be thoroughly embraced. For those of us practicing voluntary simplicity, opportunities have never been greater to share our collective wisdom with a public looking for answers. There is hope!
Not to sound all doom and gloom, but it is clear that in chasing the American Dream we have finally taxed our economic, social and environmental systems to the breaking point. Unchecked overconsumption and greed had a price and we will be paying it for many years to come.
Current attempts to rescue "the dream" by Washington through Wall Street may work, but it will be years before we know for sure. It is possible that top down solutions like throwing good money after bad may actually exacerbate the problem. Current talk of restoring stability seems to suggest propping up broken systems so that everything can return to "normal." I find that approach perplexing.
I applaud those like economist David Korten, author of Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth (Why Wall Street Can't Be Fixed and How to Replace It). In this challenging time we need more people with the guts to propose a bottom up approach that asks why we should even consider the rescue of the failed systems that got us into this mess in the first place. I hope many more speak up.
I believe it is the responsibility of those who practice voluntary simplicity to champion this moment in history and take matters into our own hands. It is time to publically demonstrate and share and support the amazing changes already taking place. Yes, the economic downturn has a positive side. More people are walking and biking to work and helping to reduce pollution in the process. Bike sales are up! More people are growing their own food, eating seasonally and locally and getting healthier in the process. More people are learning how to share, borrow and help each other, building community in the process.
The principles of voluntary simplicity provide the fundamentals of a parallel economic, social and environmental approach to living with practical alternatives that can solve our problems when practiced by many. It is difficult to say exactly what will happen when hundreds of thousands or even millions of people consciously choose the lifestyle of voluntary simplicity. However, I think it is a healthy, achievable dream.
I see a day in the near future when our political and financial goal of continuous economic growth is replaced with choosing to live below our means, doing more with less, working together to restore the damage we have done to the natural world.
I see a day in the near future when people have enough to meet their needs with a few extra creature comforts, and choose not to work for the sake of making more money, but to work less and live more — a world where acts of kindness and celebration are worth more than all the money in the world.
I see a day in the near future when the social capital that springs from active participation in community building is the most highly valued commodity.
Seize the day!
My favorite poster says it all:
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Turn off your TV Leave your house Know your neighbors Look up when you are walking Greet people Sit on your stoop Plant flowers Use your library Play together Buy from local merchants Share what you have Help a lost dog Take children to the park Garden together Support neighborhood schools Fix it even if you didn't break it Have pot lucks Honor elders Pick up litter Read stories aloud Dance in the street Talk to the mail carrier Listen to the birds Put up a swing Help carry something heavy Barter for your goods Start a tradition Ask a question Hire young people for odd jobs Organize a block party Bake extra and share Ask for help when you need it Open your shades Sing together Share your skills Take back the night Turn up the music Turn down the music Listen before you react to anger Mediate a conflict Seek to understand Learn from new and uncomfortable angles Know that no one is silent though many are not heard. Work to change this. |
We are grateful to the talented authors and practitioners who have shared their simple living wisdom through the articles in this issue. There is much sage advice and many working examples below for those doing the important work of learning a new way of living that provides an alternative to the broken American Dream. Enjoy!
Thank you to everyone who has shared this web site with their family, friends and neighbors. We don't advertise. Our best promotion is YOU. We have found that word of mouth is far more effective at introducing folks to this web site and the voluntary simplicity movement than any other method. Whenever you mention The Simple Living Network (www.simpleliving.net) in passing conversation, at a study group or meeting, at your place of work or worship, in an e-mail, in your blog or in a newsletter, you are helping us spread the word in the most personal way possible. Keep it up. We really appreciate this kind of grass roots support!
I must also say thank you to everyone who has chosen to purchase a book or t-shirt or poster from The Simple Living Network. We hope the resources offered through the e-commerce portion of our web site are helpful to you. Although we cannot compete with the big, discount web sites, please be assured that your purchase from a small, independent bookstore like ours makes an important social and political statement. We appreciate your business!
Finally, to our CyberAngels, we know things are tough out there and that you may not have much extra to go around during these difficult times. Whatever small amount you can contribute as a CyberAngel is extremely important and helps pay the bills that keep this Newsletter and all of the other features on our web site going and growing. Thank you for your continued voluntary support and keep up the good work!
Live simply, and we hope you enjoy the 69th edition of our user supported, on-line Newsletter!
Dave Wampler
Founder
The Simple Living Network
Copyright © The Simple Living Network. All Rights Reserved.
- Agenda For A New Economy: From Phantom Wealth To Real Wealth — Why Wall Street Can't Be Fixed & How To Replace It — Highly Recommended!
- America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right On The Money: Your Guide To Living Better, Spending Less, & Cashing In On Your Dreams
- Dream. Invest. Live. — Pioneer The Investment Frontier So You Can Live Your Dream
- The Living Universe: Where Are We? Who Are We? Where Are We Going? — Highly Recommended! Special Pre-Publication Offer!
- Money & Faith: The Search For Enough — Includes Study Guides For Groups & Individuals
- Safe Money In Tough Times: Everything You Need To Know To Survive The Financial Crisis
- A Study Guide For Groups Or Individuals: For Use With Your Money Or Your Life (2nd or 3rd Editions) Revised & Updated!
- The Student Loan Scam: The Most Oppressive Debt In U.S. History & How We Can Fight Back
- 365 Easy One-Dish Meals
- Alcohol Can Be A Gas: Fueling An Ethanol Revolution For The 21st Century
- The American Boy's Handy Book: What To Do & How To Do It
- Confessions Of An Eco-Sinner: Tracking Down The Source Of My Stuff
- Dining On A Dime Cookbook: Includes 1000 Money Saving Recipes & Tips
- Ina May's Guide To Childbirth
- Made From Scratch: Discovering The Pleasures Of A Handmade Life
- The New Self-Sufficient Gardner: The Complete Illustrated Guide To Planning, Growing, Storing & Preserving Your Own Garden Produce — Highly Recommended!
- The Organic Gardening Bible: Successful Gardening The Natural Way
- Organic Garden Design School: A Guide To Creating Your Own Beautiful, Easy-Care Garden
- Spiritual Midwifery
- Stella Natura 2009 Calendar: Inspiration & Practical Advice For Home Gardeners & Professional Growers — Highly Recommended!
Copyright © 2009
Materialism is a rational response to living in a dead universe. If the universe is a barren and inhospitable place comprised of non-living matter and empty space, then what matters most is matter: material possessions, material power, and material comforts. Where do I find significance and pleasure in a non-living universe? In things. How do I know that I amount to anything? By how much stuff I have accumulated. How should I relate to the world? By exploiting that which is dead (the universe) on behalf of the living (myself). Consumerism and exploitation are natural outcomes from a dead universe perspective.
However, if we view the foundations of the universe as intensely alive and the universe a place perfectly suited for our awakening to that aliveness, then it makes sense to minimize material clutter and distractions and to grow in the non-material riches of life-nurturing relationships, caring communities, creative expressions, and more. In a living universe, we will naturally want to reduce the busyness, clutter, and needless complexity that consume our time and distract us from diving deep into existence. In seeing aliveness rather than deadness in the world around us, we gather great satisfaction from the simple pleasures of sharing a conversation, a meal, or a walk. We see the significance of our lives in the size of our souls, not the size of our houses, cars, or bank accounts.
As we master the art of living on Earth, our mastery will be evident in the simplicity of our way of living. Simplicity does not mean turning away from progress; to the contrary, it is an expression of a maturing civilization. We can gain insight into the relationship between simplicity and progress from the eminent historian, Arnold Toynbee, who invested a lifetime in studying the rise and fall of civilizations throughout history. Based on his voluminous studies, Toynbee summarized the essence of a civilization's growth in what he called "the Law of Progressive Simplification." He wrote that a civilization's progress and growth was not to be measured in its conquest of land and people; rather, the true measure of growth lies in a civilization's ability to transfer increasing amounts of energy and attention from the material side of life to the non-material side — emphasizing education, psychological maturity, spiritual depth, cultural and artistic expression, and the strength of democracy and society.
Toynbee also coined the word "etherialization" to describe the historical process whereby humans learn to accomplish the same, or even greater, results using less time and energy. Buckminster Fuller called this process "ephemeralization" (although his emphasis was primarily on getting greater material performance for less time, weight, and energy invested). We can see material ephemeralization at work in many areas of our lives. For example, computers have evolved from room-sized giants to slim laptops with vastly more computing power. Libraries are evolving from massive buildings that warehouse millions of books to small computer chips that can store an even greater volume of knowledge. The telephone has evolved from a cumbersome network of telephone poles, wires, and transformers to cheaper, lighter and more powerful cellphone technologies that employ transmitting towers and get rid of the bulky, burdensome, and weighty copper wires strung across the landscape. Automobiles have evolved from heavy works of iron and steel to an increasingly lighter architecture of high-strength plastic, aluminum, and other exotic materials.
Building upon the insights of Toynbee and Fuller, we can redefine progress by expanding the definition of ephemeralization. Progress can be viewed as a two-fold process involving the simultaneous refinement of the material and non-material aspects of life. With ephemeralization, the material side of life grows lighter, less burdensome, more relaxed, more easeful and effortless. At the same time, the non-material side of life becomes more vital, expressive, informed, knowledgeable, wise, artistic, and nurturing. In short, ephemeralization involves the co-evolution of inner and outer, consciousness and matter. Ephemeral progress does not negate the material side of life but rather calls forth a new partnership where the material and the non-material aspects of life co-evolve in concert with one another.
The outer areas of our lives that are most important to ephemeralize are the basics: housing, transportation, food production, and energy generation. It is important to "lighten up" the inner side of our lives as well — learning the skills of touching the world and others ever more lightly and lovingly — in our relationships, work, community life, and more. With the combination of outer and inner refinement we have the potential for genuine progress, or building a sustainable and satisfying world for billions of people without devastating the ecology of the Earth. In place of a paradigm of consumerism we can embrace the more powerful, interesting and creative paradigm of ephemeralism.
There are many names that we could give to this new approach to living; for example, voluntary simplicity, green living, sophisticated simplicity, and Earth-friendly living. Whatever we call this shift in our manner of living, it has dramatic implications for the future of our world.
Earth-friendly or green ways of living are no longer alternative lifestyles for a marginal few; instead, they are becoming conventional lifestyles for the mainstream majority, particularly in developed nations. Even with major technological innovations in energy and transportation, we will require dramatic changes in our overall patterns of living and consuming if we are to maintain the integrity of the Earth as a living system. Simplicity is simultaneously a personal choice, a civilizational choice, and a species choice. We can make the choice for a sustainable future with enthusiasm when we recognize that it is also part of a path that calls forth our highest species potentials and leads us into ever-greater communion with the living universe.
About The Author
Duane Elgin is a researcher, author, and speaker with 30 years of experience in exploring the co-evolution of culture and consciousness. He is the author of three books: Promise Ahead: A Vision Of Hope & Action For Humanity's Future, Awakening Earth: Exploring The Evolution Of Human Culture & Consciousness, and Voluntary Simplicity: Toward A Way Of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich. He is also the author of two reports: Global Consciousness Change: Indicators Of An Emerging Paradigm and Collective Consciousness & Cultural Healing. In addition, Duane co-authored (with Joseph Campbell, Willis Harman, and others) the book Changing Images of Man (Pergamon, 1982). Duane's new book, The Living Universe will be published by Berrett-Koehler on Earth Day April 22, 2009. Duane's web site is Awakening Earth.
Related Resources
- The Living Universe — Special Pre-Publication Offer!
- Promise Ahead
- Voluntary Simplicity
- Living Legacies
- Plain Living
- The Earth Speaks
Copyright © 2009
Many people around the globe have said that the "world changed" with the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. Of course that is hyperbole. But to have a man of mixed racial background as president is a dramatic change for the United States. Michelle Obama's forbearers came to this country as slaves. That is a big difference from some of the former inhabitants of the White House whose forbearers were slave owners.
A change I find very hopeful is that Mr. Obama is aware of environmental concerns, such as human-generated global climate change, and he actively supports the development of alternative energy production.
Am I hopelessly optimistic when I note that the instrumental music at his inauguration was a beautiful arrangement of Tis a Gift to be Simple?
If I had to choose what I am most hopeful about with our new president, it is that he seems to be a leader willing to listen to all reasonable opinions, even if he disagrees with them. He appears to be a leader who does not quickly divide the world into "Us" and "Them" or "Good" and "Evil" where inevitably we ("Us") are on the good side of everything. It takes a mature person to recognize that we are all mixed blessings (to quote Father Richard Rohr) and that even the United States is a mixed blessing to the world. Mr. Obama appears to be that kind of mature leader.
Having this kind of leadership in the White House, leadership that is open to alternative viewpoints, bodes well for the voluntary simplicity movement. It bodes well because voluntary simplicity challenges the over-consumptive and overly materialistic lifestyle of many North Americans, and questions many practices considered desirable by mainstream culture.
"The world has changed." We have a president in the White House who, I believe, will listen to our ideas and concerns with respect and openness. Our task is to continue to practice voluntary simplicity, publicly challenge consumerism, and express our desire to live justly and sustainably for the sake of all of the global community.
About The Author
Michael Mortvedt is a Lutheran pastor serving as Vicar of Trinity Episcopal Church in Kremmling, Colorado and CoDirector of Alternatives for Simple Living with his wife Sandy Olson. Together they enjoy traveling to congregations, retreats and conventions to speak and lead groups of all ages to explore the faith perspectives of sustainability and simplicity in this and future generations. When he has time, Michael bikes (even to the store followed by his Bob trailer), hikes, skis, reads a lot and searches the globe with his short wave radio. Alternatives For Simple Living can be found at www.SimpleLiving.org.
Related Resources
- $imply Enough
- Simple Living 101
- Simple Living Struggles & Solutions DVD
- Spirit Of Simplicity
- Freedom Of Simplicity
- Money & Faith
- Hot, Flat, & Crowded
Copyright © 2009
Editor's Note: This article is an entry from author's In Search Of Simplicity web site, reprinted with permission.
Our world of distinctions is built on paradigms, on the collective agreement of human-created models. Frankly, many of these models have outworn their welcome; many of them have stayed on the shelf long past their due dates.
There are numerous teachers today of something called 'The Secret', something called 'The Law of Attraction'. In many cases, these people have tapped into the Stillness and have gained the realization there are no limitations. But to bring that awareness back to this world and to teach that we can all have everything that we want is to forget that wanting is the source of suffering.
This craving for more is based on a limited understanding of the Absolute. When there is action without true understanding, it is action without heart. This has been the course of humanity, at least in the so-called civilized world, for long enough. Some would say for too long. Yes, we can each own and enjoy the luxury of things — the latest gadget, the biggest TV, the newest and greatest cell phone — yet we must not forget that someone else in this world may be suffering because of our greed, because of our lack of understanding.
When we are looking for economic solutions from within a model that is fatally flawed, we will not find lasting, sustainable solutions. We need to look outside the box.
It is a delusion to think that if enough is enough, then more is better. When we're in touch with who we really are, what is here right now is perfect. Then our needs, our true needs, are fulfilled. There is an immense sense of gratitude, an immense feeling of peace and spaciousness.
One of the messages of my first book, In Search of Simplicity, and other writings is that we need to take a close look at what our real needs are. We need to re-evaluate our lives. If we have enough money — and let's face it, most people reading this have enough since we have clean, comfortable shelter and enough to eat — do we have enough time? Do we have enough quality time? In today's world, some are money-rich and time-poor.
The art of living is learning to be content with where you are now, with what is. An example would be with relationships. Isn't it interesting that when we are in a relationship, we may think it would be better to be on our own? And when we are on our own we wish we had a partner.
Don't look for a partner when you are not content with yourself. Be happy with one and two will find you. When Lucia and I met in India, we were each content on our own and we became good friends. Our relationship grew out of this friendship, and it was possible because of the personal contentment we had each found at the time. We weren't consciously looking for each other. What we need finds us when we are looking the other way.
Yes, we can apply our will and certain techniques to get anything we want. Yes, we can use the law of attraction for this. The risk is that we become manipulative, that we are playing God. We are assuming we know what we need.
When we live each moment in a state of presence, when we look at the world with our 'child' eyes, when we stop to smell the roses, when we are happy, truly happy, what we need automatically comes. We don't need to ask for it.
It has been said that when the student is ready, the teacher comes. In this world, everyone and every experience can be our teacher. Be happy and allow what you need to come to you. Believe in magic, and magic is. Love what you are doing in the moment, and the moment will reward you in wondrous ways you least expect.
This is the art of living.
About The Author
John Haines was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He now lives with his family in New Zealand's lightly populated and stunning subtropical Far North. His simple life includes the growing of an abundance of organic vegetables and fruit and assisting his wife in the homeschooling of their two daughters. He broadcasts a popular weekly one-hour radio interview program that is simultaneously carried on local cable television. He's lived in The Netherlands (twice), Saudi Arabia, Australia, New Mexico and Arizona, together with his first 25 years in Ontario, Canada. He met his beautiful Dutch wife Lucia in India during an 11-month period in the Himalayas. He holds Bachelor of Commerce and MBA degrees, and is a qualified teacher of the Power of Sound and Touch for Health. Read more at John's web site: www.InSearchOfSimplicity.com.
Related Resources
- Gifts From The Mountain
- Gifts From The Sea
- Journeys Of Simplicity
- Simpler Living, Compassionate Life
- The Not So Big Life
- Get Satisfied!
Copyright © 2009
Congratulations to everyone who has joined the Voluntary Simplicity movement! You have put yourself in the enviable position of living with abundance even in bad times.
The world's economies are clearly in a recession that promises to be deep and prolonged, despite governmental attempts to control the outcome by lowering borrowing costs to near zero, providing huge bailouts to financial institutions and the auto sector, and enacting massive and unaffordable spending. These measures will not work, and they seem to be tied to the need for continued growth as a measure of prosperity.
It is this need for continued growth that has led to the financial crisis facing the world today. Dr Wayne Dyer in his book Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life says, "Analysts might tell us the economy is failing if it is not continuously growing, but we can realize that excessive growth, like cancer, will ultimately destroy us." Since the governments of the world seem to believe the analysts, it is up to us individuals to realize that excessive growth can destroy us, and do something about it for ourselves.
So, what can the world as a whole learn from the voluntary simplicity movement?
For those of us who follow the guiding principles of voluntary simplicity or Simple Living, we all have some common rules we live by. It is these common-sense rules that help to create recession-proof lives for us.
So, what are some of these common-sense rules to live by that makes us recession-proof?
- Spend less than you earn. This is the key to financial security in good times, but it's especially so in bad times. With spending said to be in the range of 125% of annual income for many in Canada and the U.S., it is little wonder that when faced with job loss or reduced income, people find themselves in financial crisis.
- Live debt-free. Debt is the modern-day form of slavery that takes away freedom of choice and makes us stay chained to jobs we no longer enjoy. Though there is no debtors' prison in the literal terms, figuratively, debtors' prison is alive and the bars are stronger than ever.
- Take control of your financial life by controlling spending. Too often people feel that the source of their financial problems is that they do not earn enough. "If I had a better paying job, all would be OK." Making more money is not the answer. First, study after study shows that when people make more money, they just spend more. Second, few people have control over how much they earn. Yes, you can take another job, maybe work more hours, if there are extra jobs to be had. You can't control what jobs are available, and working more just makes you more of a wage slave and reduces your freedom of choice even more. Spending however, is fully within your control. Everyone with some effort can find ways to stop spending or spend less in all areas of life. Yes, it takes a little planning and some work, but once you have spending under control, you now control your financial life. Keep track of your spending and review it to find ways to reduce or eliminate areas of spending that do not fall in line with what is important to you.
- Establish an emergency fund. Next to reducing debts to zero, having money set aside for unexpected events is key to financial freedom. Since you have already taken control of spending, there will not likely be many surprises here, but an unexpected reduction in income due to job loss is not within your control. Have enough set aside to pay for several months of basic living expenses (food shelter, transportation and clothing). It used to be thought that three to six months' worth of basic living expenses was enough, perhaps now six to nine months may be more appropriate.
- Save for the future, but save with a purpose. Saving without knowing for what purpose will not work. Plus you will never know when you have enough. Some savings will be for future expenses: replacing an automobile if you still feel the need for one, replacing the roof on your home, travel, and various other expenses require savings to finance them. After all, you are not going to use debt to pay these types of expenses. You need to save money to invest, and create an income for when you choose not to work for pay, or reduce hours at work. This is necessary for the next step.
- Have multiple streams of income. Most people have very limited sources of income, usually a paycheck, or perhaps two if both spouses work. The more sources of income you have, the more control you have over your life. It is better to have two smaller paychecks for two different people than one large paycheck. If you were to lose that large paycheck, you would be in trouble. Just look at families who have multiple family members working at one of the auto companies. They all risk losing their jobs. Try to have family members work in different industries to diversify income. Having savings invested to generate interest is another source of income. Be creative: write articles, have a small business, sell handcrafted jewelry, or grow and sell vegetables. The bottom line is that the more streams of income you have, the better position you are in to weather any downturn, as you will not lose all your income at once.
- Live your life consciously. Do not be influenced by what others have or do not have. Whatever you buy, make sure it is what you want. Do not get talked into buying a house bigger than you need or buying a new car to keep up with the latest trends.
For those who want more information on how to put this common sense into practice, there is no better resource than what I call the "Bible of Simple Living", Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship With Money And Achieving Financial Independence, by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin.
If you can live by these guidelines, you too can be recession-proof. I think Henry David Thoreau summed up the key to living recession-proof when he said, "A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone."
About The Author
Gordon Morrow has a BA in Economics and a Certificate in Financial Planning. Gord and his lovely wife Maureen retired 10 year ago at age 42.He was able to do so because he lived by some old rules: spend less than you make, save for the future, and stay out of debt. Gord and Maureen have worked on and off over the past 10 years, but it has always been by choice rather than by necessity. Gord has published articles and presented workshops on various topics related to Financial Independence. He is a strong believer in life balance and living life according to one's values. Gord can be reached by email at gord.morrow@gmail.com.
Related Resources
- Your Money Or Your Life - 2nd Edition
- Your Money Or Your Life - 3rd Edition
- Transforming Your Relationship With Money
- Getting A Life
- Your Money Or Your Life Study Guides
- How To Get Out Of Debt, Stay Out Of Debt, & Live Prosperously
- I'm In Debt, Over 40, With No Retirement Savings, HELP!
- My Job Sucks & I Can't Take It Anymore! Help!
- Handmade For Profit
Utilizing the wonders of national phone-ins and a frequent focus on mental health experts, Simple Living America offers a new member benefit in 2009: free monthly guest speaker conference calls for one unforgettable hour including Q&A with each. Here's the speaker line-up to date on the overall subject matter of "Our Mental Health in the Culture of Consumption:"
- January 20, 2009 — Psychologist Tim Kasser, PhD
Author, The High Price of Materialism - February 9, 2009 — Psychologist April Lane Benson, PhD
Author, To Buy or Not to Buy - March 19, 2009 — Psychiatrist Peter C. Whybrow, MD
Author, American Mania - April 20, 2009 — Psychologist Allen D. Kanner, PhD
Coeditor, Psychology and Consumer Culture - May 2009 — Psychologist Robert E. Thayer, PhD
Author, Calm Energy
Monthly invitations with conference call details are sent to the email roster (contact carol@simplelivingamerica.org to be added to the public invitation list). Current Simple Living America members can sign up for as many free calls as desired during the year. Members who don't want to miss a word of sanity and simplicity, but are unable to make a call when scheduled, will receive 24/7 telephone playback access for the call within 30 days by phoning toll-free 1-877-Unstuff. To join the first national, non-profit membership organization for the general public centered on simplicity, visit www.GetSatisfied.org/join.
Related Resources
Copyright © 2009
Every so often a forum member talks about their appreciation for the forums and those that participate in them. This time I'd like to pass the thanks along. One of our forum moderators bought a house without taking on a mortgage, and says our community definitely played a part in making that possible .
Other members that do have mortgages are discussing prepayment — whether to do it at all, and what methods are effective. Folks are also talking about adding more space to their homes, and whether that really adds equity in the long run. Simple living types are known for being independent thinkers and these discussions certainly demonstrate that tendency.
It's been well over a year, and our longest-lived regular topic is still going. The daily frugals discussion, reposted every month, is the spot to share your latest little victories in saving money and get ideas from others. Two other regular topics have also sprouted up, one on decluttering, and a second that asks, "What's for dinner?" These forums are good for inspiration when you need a little motivation to save, declutter, or cook at home.
Along the lines of food, members are discussing the virtues of different diets. This topic is inspired by The China Study and The Omnivore's Dilemma. Not a vegan-vs-carnivore war, this discussion also demonstrates the variety of visitors to the forums.
Currently two conversations about communication in the workplace are taking place. One revolves around communication styles in email, where two participants are asking, "How informal is too informal?" The other conversation concerns how much private lives should be discussed in the workplace, and how to make clear you'd rather keep your life private without offending coworkers. Also related to the workplace, one person is bored at work and seeking advice for how to go about finding a different career. Have you broken out of a boring job? Add your story!
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE INTRODUCTION to our on-line community. Then join the fun!
About The Author
Ann Haebig is a part-time geek, part-time bicycle advocate, and dedicated follower and promoter of the Your Money Or Your Life program. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her partner, cat and guitar. Ann can be reached at ahaebig@pobox.com.
Related Resources
- The Not So Big House
- Community
- The Omnivore's Dilemma
- Unplugged
- The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map To True Riches
Copyright © 2009
In this time of economic upheaval, living simply is becoming a must for nearly everyone, but for us Boomers on the brink of retirement the need to simplify our lives is urgent. With the increasing prospect of layoffs, many of us will face retirement before we expected. For those of us still working, our ability to replenish our IRAs in time to live the retirement lifestyle we expected is limited, as is the likelihood of reaching higher salary levels before we leave the workforce.
Luckily, living simply is something many of us practiced before. There was a time when we didn't need much. The patches on our jeans measured our commitment to a simple life embroidered with beauty. But somewhere along the way we turned into Hippie-crites, becoming more materialistic than the establishment we condemned. When did our desire to shed unnecessary possessions turn into a feeding frenzy of consumerism? As we enter the next phase of our lives, we have to ask ourselves what all that consumption got us.
No doubt our initial questioning of rampant consumerism came first from the fact that we were comfortable. We were the children of affluence. As far as we knew, food came from the refrigerator and cars from the garage. We're still comfortable, though our sense of need and want may be somewhat warped. We need a car. We want a Mercedes. We need a bag. We want a Prada. We need shoes. We want 200 pairs. Most likely we already have what we need and a great deal we don't.
Even if we shed three-quarters of our possessions and stepped down our lifestyle considerably, in many ways we would be living better than the Emperors of Rome. We turn on the faucet and get hot water. The produce of the entire world is available in our local markets. Our Polartec parkas keep us snuggly warm. We travel the country in hours and communicate instantly with anyone in the world.
There is a difference between living simply and impoverishing ourselves. In the introduction to Duane Elgin's classic on the subject, Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich (Revised edition), 60's sage Ram Dass describes how when he was young he moved into a cabin behind his father's house. Here he bathed in cold water, slept on a mat on the floor and ate only lentils and rice, while warmth and comfort lay only fifty yards away. "I was running as hard as I could away from Western values even as I was studying in depth the Bhagavad-Gita, which says that one must honor one's unique life predicament; one cannot imitate another's."
Fortunately, we will need less in retirement. Clothing can be chosen for comfort. We can fix our own lunch and tuck away the money spent on commuting. We might want a smaller house. Maybe we only need one car. Entertainment will be cheaper. We can travel off-peak, enjoy matinees, play golf or tennis on weekdays and take advantage of the many discounts available to us. Movies, museums, theaters, sporting events, restaurants, recreational facilities, adult classes, airlines, hotels, and public transportation all offer discounts for people over sixty.
Actually, income relates little to retirement satisfaction. Though financial security is essential for a comfortable retirement, money does not guarantee contentment. A study by Dr. Daniel Ogilvie of Rutgers University discovered that the strongest factor in life satisfaction is the time a person spends doing what they do best, enjoy the most, and find the most meaningful.
The quality of our experiences are not determined by what they cost, but by what we get from them. Learning to be grateful for what we have and enjoying the abundance of simplicity can return us to a time when life overflowed with possibilities.
About The Author
Leisure Manager Regina Kessler, author of Who Says Retirement Has To Be Boring?, works with both corporate and non-profit organizations to prepare employees for a rewarding retirement. Ms. Kessler received her MA in Leisure Studies from New York University and her BS in Recreation from Ohio State University. She teaches Dynamic Retirement at NYU Life Long Learning Institute and is the webmaster of www.boomers-guide-to-our-60s.com.
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- The Living Universe — Special Pre-Publication Offer!
- Voluntary Simplicity
- The Lilypad List
- Nothing's Too Small To Make A Difference
- Living More With Less
Copyright © 2009
Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt from Katy Wolk-Stanley's Non-Consumer Advocate weblog at thenonconsumeradvocate.wordpress.com, reprinted with permission.
I've been thinking lately about the concept of frugality. Is frugality buying a lot of clearance items, loading up the shopping cart at Goodwill, pinching pennies and then holding onto as much of your income as possible?
It's kind of all of that, but pretty much none of that.
For me, frugality is about being wise, thoughtful and deliberate with my money.
This is something that's taken me a long time to get to. I've certainly had my years of filling my cart at Goodwill and scooping up piles of clearance items. But mostly, these purchases have led to nothing more than a house full of clutter, and a mysteriously empty bank account.
Why am I broke, when I save so much money on everything I buy?
Joining The Compact (buy-nothing-new) in January of 2007 completely changed my mindset. I no longer have the compulsion to buy things just because they're "too cheap to pass up."
My compulsion now is to get rid of stuff instead of accumulating it.
I spent much of 2007 decluttering my house. I donated to Goodwill 19 times, a few of which were minivan-filling trips. I could probably donate another 10 vanloads before the house would develop anything close to an echo. (Which, now that I think about it might be taking things a tad too far.)
Which brings me to the term conscious frugality. To be mindful with one's money without being miserly or blowing it on poorly made stuff that was never manufactured with longevity in mind.
To be willing to pay more sometimes from a locally owned business, to support businesses that you want to keep in your neighborhood, and to continue to give to charity even when your own budget is aching.
To me the concept of conscious frugality (which I though I made it up, there are a few references on Google), is about buying smart, buying used, buying local and sometimes just not buying at all.
What does conscious frugality mean to you? Please share your thoughts in the comments section of the Non-Consumer Advocate website.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
About The Author
Katy Wolk-Stanley writes a daily blog as "The Non-Consumer Advocate." She works part-time as a labor and delivery nurse and full-time figuring out the minds of her pre-teen boys. She is a library patron, Goodwill enthusiast, utility bill scholar, laundry hanger-upper and citizen. You can read her thoughts on living a responsibly fun and frugal life at: TheNonConsumerAdvocate.wordpress.com.
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- Miserly Moms
- The Complete Tightwad Gazette
- The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map To True Riches
- The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map To True Riches — 7 Audio CDs
- Green Living Handbook
- Radical Simplicity
Copyright © 2009
Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt from The Picket Line at www.sniggle.net/Experiment, reprinted with permission.
Thursday night I spoke at a meeting of The Abundance League, a group that was founded in San Francisco a few years ago and now has a few branches elsewhere.
It sounds a bit like a support group for superheroes who are trying to lose weight, but in reality it reminds me a lot more of a modern, California-style version of Benjamin Franklin's Junto.
There were about twenty people in attendance, and after some informal meet-and-greet over potluck snacks, we sat in a circle and introduced ourselves — sharing three things: our passions, our gifts, and our needs. The idea being that some people's gifts and passions might be a perfect fit for other people's needs.
The gifts and passions ranged from esoteric things like permaculture and neurolinguistic programming to more down-to-earth subjects like accounting and web design. Needs also ran the gamut from a good-paying job to a community that could usher in a paradigm shift.
After this set of introductions, it was my opportunity as the evening's designated speaker "to share a passion, project or skill that creates abundance" in a fifteen-minute talk, followed by some discussion. Here's what I said, more-or-less:
Thank you for inviting me to speak tonight about how I discovered an abundant life — how I started living more by working less, earning less, and spending less.My story starts about five and a half years ago when I went in to the human resources department where I worked and asked if it would be possible for me to get a significant pay cut. "How significant?" they asked. I said I didn't know, but probably something along the lines of 75%. As you can imagine, this was not the sort of request they were used to, but they gave it their best shot.
I should back up a bit and explain how I came to make such a strange request. Five and a half years ago was early 2003, and at that time as you probably remember, the war on Iraq had become more-or-less inevitable. Along with many other people, I was horrified by the thought of the magnitude of the suffering the United States was about to inflict with its "shock and awe" campaign and at the increasingly blind, ignorant, and bloodthirsty belligerence that dominated our country.
But I was also painfully aware that as a taxpayer I was one small but vital part of the machine we were unleashing — that no matter how much I complained or voiced my moral opposition, as long as I continued to pay taxes, I was — in a practical, bottom-line sense — a war supporter.
Because of this, I had a hard time getting to sleep at night, and a hard time looking myself in the mirror in the morning. I knew I would have to stop supporting the war, if only for my own peace of mind.
The question was: how could I go about it? My major financial contribution to the military and the war came from paying the personal federal income tax. This tax was automatically withheld from each paycheck before I even saw it.
If I tried to stop this withholding, for instance by filing a new W-4 form with more allowances, this seemed like it would just be delaying the inevitable. Come April, the IRS would realize they'd been underfed and would come after me or my employer to seize the difference.
So I decided to see if I could get "under the tax line" — if I didn't owe any tax to begin with, I wouldn't have to pay and that would be the end of that. And so that's why I went in to my H.R. department. As it turns out, they said they couldn't help me — that such a move would look suspicious, as though they were trying to get away with something — and could cause problems of some sort for the company.
But as it turns out, I'm glad. I don't think I would have wanted to continue to commute to a full-time, year-round job for an under-the-tax-line income if I could accomplish the same thing by just working fewer hours.
So I quit my job, where I'd been earning about $100,000 per year, and determined to get under the tax line. Now I'm self-employed, doing contract work and writing books.
At the time I started this experiment, I didn't know where this "tax line" was. I assumed it was somewhere in the vicinity of the "poverty line," which wasn't a very encouraging thought.
When I did some initial research, I found some stories about war tax resisters who used this method — there are many methods of war tax resistance, this is just one of them — and these seemed to suggest that the "tax line" was somewhere around $3,000 to $8,000 of income per year.
So I started thinking "hmmm... I could buy bulk rice and pick dandelions for vitamins" ... "you can do a lot with top ramen!" ... "maybe I could work as a fire-spotter to avoid paying rent" ... that sort of thing. I'd started to resign myself to the idea that the path I was on was going to be one of deprivation, sacrifice and renunciation in the service of my ideals. — There are things to be said for a path of sacrifice and renunciation in the service of ideals, but if that was how things had turned out, I'd probably be somewhere else, addressing the League of Renunciates tonight.
But instead I decided that first, I'd research tax law a little more closely, so as to find out more precisely where that "tax line" was and just how much of a budget I had to work with. What I found was a great relief.
Today in the United States, about one-third of households that file tax returns are already under the federal income tax line — that is to say, one-third of American households pay no federal income tax. If you take into account that those households tend to be larger on average (with more dependents, thus more deductions & credits), and if you take into account that some Americans earn so little income that they don't file returns at all, that makes about 40% of Americans who are under the tax line. So I didn't have to live in a cave and eat grubs and berries after all — all I had to do was become one of those two-in-five.
As it turns out, there really is no one "tax line." It's different for everyone, based on things like your family structure, your age, how you make your income, and what you do with your money.
For me, the tax line is about $30,000 per year. By using deductions for tax-deferred retirement accounts, for health savings accounts, in some years for tuition, and for legitimate business expenses, I'm able to — legally and by-the-book — pay no federal income tax.
To do this, I have to put about $14,000 into these retirement and health savings accounts. That leaves me about $16,000 to live on during the year. That seems like very little to many people, especially here in San Francisco where I live, but it's more than enough for me. For one thing, it's a real $16,000, not a $16,000 salary that then gets whittled down by income tax.
But my yearly expenses — rent, food, transportation, and the like — come to only about $12,000. What's left over is a rainy-day, emergency, or vacation fund. I usually use it on a south-of-the-border vacation. And note that I'm also saving about $14,000 per year for retirement and for health expenses.
Here are some of the techniques I've adopted to lower my budget:
- I cook my own meals from scratch rather than eating out or eating expensive packaged food.
- I brew my own beer, because I like the good stuff (and I want to avoid the federal excise tax on alcoholic beverages).
- I trade English tutoring for Spanish tutoring rather than paying for classes.
- I use the public library for research & recreational reading rather than buying books.
- I don't own a car — which is such an expensive thing, especially here in the city — but I use City Car Share, public transit, bicycling, Greyhound, and such.
- I try to find used stuff on Freecycle / Craigslist rather than buying new — for instance: a pot rack, a Foreman grill, our vacuum cleaner, a back door that I could cut a cat door in without risking our security deposit, a bread machine, speakers for our DVD player, our living room couch, some lectures on video tape, our food processor and blender, and a carboy I use for brewing.
So how do I feel about my life now that I've gone from the $100,000 a year urban playboy lifestyle to living on $12,000? Money Magazine profiled me briefly a few months ago for an article they put out on how to avoid paying taxes. They concluded that their readers probably wouldn't enjoy what they called the "ascetic lifestyle" that comes along with my technique.
If this is "asceticism," asceticism is very underrated. The life I'm leading now is fuller and more enjoyable than ever, I have less anxiety and feel more integrity, and I'm genuinely living a life of abundance.
By being willing to take in less income, I am able to work fewer hours. It turns out that, to me, those free hours are much more valuable than the money I'd been trading them for.
It seems that many of the things people commonly give up in order to pursue careers and more money are more valuable than the money we gain in the trade. Not only are they more valuable, but many are not for sale at any price! This includes our health, our youth, and the time we need to pursue our dreams, learn new skills, strengthen relationships with our family and friends and communities, or just to read those books we've been meaning to get around to.
Money, unless you collect it as examples of the art of engraving, is at best a means to various ends. It is these ends, and not the money itself, that define abundance. And while money can be very useful as a means to some of these ends, it is hopeless for others, and inefficient for many. And not only that, but the pursuit of money can take up so much time and energy that it makes it more difficult to pursue some of those ends.
How does it make sense to spend extra hours at work to earn enough money to pay for a gym membership so you can lose the pounds you've put on from sitting in your desk chair all those extra hours at work?
How does it make sense to work extra hours so you can afford a meal in a nice restaurant once in a while because you don't have time after all those extra hours at work to shop and cook and do the dishes if you want to do it yourself?
I love good food. When I was making the big bucks I used to go out to eat all the time, because there are so many great restaurants in San Francisco. But for the cost of one restaurant meal, I could eat fantastic food all week — if only I had the time to shop for the ingredients, look up the recipes, prepare the food, and clean up the kitchen afterwards. Now I have that time, and so I eat great food just about every day for a fraction of what I used to spend.
One measure of abundance is this: what percentage of your time and energy — what percentage of your life — are you able to devote to your passions, and what percentage are you forced to spend on priorities that contradict and oppose them. Now, by "your passions" I don't just mean "your own selfish interests" but your values, the things you think are worthwhile and important.
If a percentage of your paycheck is being sucked up by Uncle Sam, you're spending that percent of every working day using your energy and your time — spending your life — to promote the Pentagon's priorities and political pork projects.
What worked for me won't necessarily work for everyone. Some people, for very good reasons, have higher expenses than I do — for instance, children, though they are good tax deductions, I understand can be something of an expensive hobby. I don't have kids. Also, not everyone has job skills that translate well to a part-time, contract, work-from-home style job. And many people have to work full-time jobs, year-round to earn what I earn.
I haven't come here tonight with a one-size-fits-all strategy for abundance and fulfillment. But, there are some lessons I learned along the way that many of us can use to make our lives better, whatever our situation.
So I urge you to take stock of your own vision of an abundant life, and look closely at which components of it are best-served by earning money and which components are best-served in more direct ways. Look also for ways in which your career may be interfering with a more abundant life. And look especially at how the government, by means of the tax system, is forcing you to expend your time and energy on priorities that contradict your own.
And consider the possibility that the most abundant life you could be living may be one in which you are earning and spending less but living more.
I simplified some things and left some loose ends hanging. There's a lot more I could have covered and many more gaps I could have filled in, but I was supposed to hold it down to fifteen minutes and I think this just barely fit.
The talk went well, I think, and the discussion afterwards was excited and heated and threatened to keep going long after we needed to wrap things up and close down the meeting. I gave away a few copies of the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee's "Low Income/Simple Living as War Tax Resistance" pamphlet, and had discussions with a number of people who had more detailed questions about how I do what I do, and how they might be able to incorporate some of the same sort of techniques into their lives.
This "Abundance League" seems like a good group to know — energetic, enthusiastic, idealistic people with an itch to strive and improve and give a helping hand.
About The Author
David Gross is a writer from San Francisco, California. He blogs about tax resistance and frugal living at The Picket Line: http://sniggle.net/Experiment/.
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