- Introduction: Spring, Study Groups, Tough Times, The Exchange & Future Dreams
- New Resources: The Latest Additions To Our Resource Directory
- Creating A Five Year Vision: Journaling To Support Your Dream
- Financial Integrity Stories: The New Road Map Foundation
- Simplicity: My Continuing Journey
- When Less Is More: Living Light & Thriving
- Gems Of The Discussion Forums: Earth Day Edition
- How Much Do You Need To Live On? My Year Without Spending
- What Will One Hour Buy You? The Non-Consumer Advocate
- The Big Move: Relocating & Simplifying
Dear Friends of The Simple Living Network,
Happy spring one and all. Even though it is pouring buckets outside as I sit comfortably behind the computer inside our new little office, I am excited by the blooming daffodils, complete lack of snow on the ground and the occasional sunshine breaks. Last weekend I even managed to get a slight sunburn while spending two rejuvenating days in the vegetable garden. I hope you are enjoying similar simple pleasures.
We are excited to announce that the Study Guide for Groups or Individuals and our On-Line Study Groups for following the nine-step program in Your Money or Your Life have now been updated to coincide with both the 2nd and new 3rd edition of Your Money or Your Life.
The On-Line Study Group process is perfect for folks who do not have access to a local Study Group, find it difficult to attend face-to-face meetings on a regular basis, or for those who wish to maintain the anonymity provided by the Internet. If you are unfamiliar with this great on-line course for transforming the way you think about, earn and spend money, [LINK]we invite you to take a free tour[/LINK].
 + Why We Need Your Help + Make A Contribution + View The Hall Of Fame
"How you spend your money is how you vote on what exists in the world."
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That said, 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 voluntary simplicity 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 us. 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!
To our CyberAngels, again, 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. Our sales simply don't cover all the expenses. Thank you for your continued voluntary support!
If you read this Newsletter often you may know about our recent move to a new office. After almost 14 years, The Simple Living Network finally outgrew my spare bedroom. Last December we had an opportunity to rent one half of a nice little duplex in the heart of Trout Lake, Washington. It was an exciting move that has allowed me to finally separate "church" and "state" — I have a personal life again for the first time in a long time and the hours I spend "at work" are more productive than ever. (For those who are curious, the move to our new location is costing only about $100 more a month.)
In addition, our new location has allowed us to open a little store front to service the local community. We have called our new home the Trout Lake Exchange — offering our time tested collection of simple living and sustainability resources as well as a few home grown and hand made items from local farmers, artists and crafters. In addition, last fall I decided to get involved in our local Grange, a logical volunteer project that fits right in with my commitment to community building and sustainability. Our new projects include a C.S.A. (Community Supported Agriculture), exciting plans for this year's Farmer's Market and a lot of community potlucks, dances and music nights. It is all a very logical fit with The Simple Living Network.
Who knows, if we can just reach a few more people with our message and raise a few more CyberAngel funds, we might even be able to purchase our new office building (and build equity rather than pay rent). I know it's a long shot, but the real estate market is favorable to buyers at the moment, and, even though we probably can't get a loan in today's climate, with help from our loyal supporters we might, just might be able to raise enough to make a substantial down payment. (The whole building would cost us about $100,000.)
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"If you think you can do a thing or if you think you can't do a thing, you're right."
— Henry Ford
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As always, we hope you enjoy the 70th edition of our user supported Newsletter. Fred Ecks and Ann Haebig have once again assembled an impressive, wide-ranging collection of articles. Thank you to all of the authors who have contributed.
Enjoy!
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!
- Dream. Invest. Live. — Pioneer The Investment Frontier So You Can Live Your Dream
- It's Not AboutThe Money: Unlock Your Money Type To Achieve Spiritual & Financial Abundance
- The Living Universe: Where Are We? Who Are We? Where Are We Going? Highly Recommended!
- Safe Money In Tough Times: Everything You Need To Know To Survive The Financial Crisis
- Secrets Of Simplicity: Learn To Live Better With Less
- 101 Things To Do With Zucchini
- Be The Change You Want To See In The World: 365 Things You Can Do For Yourself & Your Planet
- Food Drying With An Attitude: A Fun & Fabulous Guide To Creating Snacks, Meals & Crafts
- Eco-Friendly Families: Guide your family to greener living with activities that engage and inspire... from toddlers to teens.
- Food Matters: A Guide To Conscious Eating (with more than 75 recipes)
- The New Seed-Starters Handbook
- The New Self-Sufficient Gardner — Highly Recommended!
- The Organic Gardening Bible: Successful Gardening The Natural Way
- Stella Natura 2009 Calendar: A Biodynamic Planting Guide — Highly Recommended!
- A Weed By Any Other Name: The Virtues Of A Messy Lawn, Or Learning To Love The Plants We Don't Plant
- White House Vegetable Garden Poster — Our New Favorite!
- Chakra Banner
- Divine Goddess Banner Pennants
- Dragon Magic Banner Pennants
- Rainbow Peace Flags Banner
- World Peace Flags Banner
- World Religions Flags Banner
Copyright © 2009
What comes to mind when you hear the word "journaling?" For some, the documentation of a life in diary form provides insight into how history impacted common people, such as Anne Frank's innocent documentation of life in hiding during World War II. For others, it's a practice to connect with one's spirit in the here and now. Let's do something a little different by creating a vision of how you want your life to be in five years and committing it to paper.
The act of writing out one's hopes and dreams gives them structure and form, facilitating them to their fruition. If you've built a house, the process begins with an idea of how you want it to look, then the architect draws up the blueprints to tell the contractors what materials are needed and how to put them together. The end result is a home. It's the same with a vision. When it gets spelled out on paper, it's easier to focus on the end result. The steps involved become clear, and the starting point is established.
To create your five year vision, we'll be using two basic techniques: freewriting and list-making. We'll make a collage, too. Freewriting involves putting pen to paper and letting your words flow. You may answer questions in your entry; you may use a single word or a sentence stem as a prompt to keep the pen flowing. List-making is just what it sounds like: we make grocery lists; Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman made "bucket lists" in the movie of the same name.
What you'll need: a pen and a journal for the writing; old catalogs and magazines, glue, and cardboard with optional stickers and markers for the collage.
Exercise 1: A future-dated freewrite. Date your entry for five years from today. What would you like your life to look like? Do you want to live where you are now, or do you long for a life in a different environment? With whom, if anyone, would you like to live? How would you fill a perfect day? Include all the sensory and emotional details that you can. If you get stuck, use "Five years from today..." as a prompt.
Exercise 2a: List the challenges that lie in the path between life today and the vision.
Exercise 2b: Pick one of these challenges and develop an action plan to deal with it.
What do you need to do first to bring this vision to fruition? Do you need to pay off debts, or get into better shape physically? Write a step-by-step plan to make it happen. Make sure that the steps are specific and measurable, such as "I will set a target zone of X to Y beats per minute for my heart rate during my workouts that will support conditioning for a trip to Nepal," rather than "I want to get in good shape for travel."
Exercise 3: Make a list of activities that are doable in this moment to honor your vision, then choose one. So you can't slip off to the English countryside today. How about planting a few cousins of the flowers in the gardens there, or whipping up some scones or tea while listening to the Beatles?
Exercise 4: Create a collage illustrating your dream. It's art and recycling all in one — how cool is that? Raid your bin for catalogs and magazines. Flip through them at random and cut or tear images and words that resonate with your vision. Glue the clippings to the cardboard. Fill in any gaps with stickers or with your own small drawings. When your creation is dry, keep it handy and meditate on it as needed to help keep your intention focused on your dream.
You don't need to do all these exercises at once. Just do one thing each day to pay homage to your vision, and you'll be living your dream before you know it.
Resources:
Baldwin, Christina. Life's Companion, Bantam.
Cameron, Julia. The Artist's Way, J.P. Tarcher
About The Author
Since she was old enough not to eat her crayons, Fran Jablway has been committing her stories to paper and more recently to her hard drive. She teaches journaling and creative writing classes and is currently working on articles, a novel and a memoir about taking music classes as an adult. Fran writes a weblog at accordingtofran.blogspot.com. She can be reached by email at fran@thejournalcoach.net.
Related Resources
- Living Legacies
- Following Raven, Finding Ground (PDF Edition)
- Journeys Of Simplicity
- Simple Living For The Worn Out Woman
- The Lilypad List
- 31 Words To Create An Organized Life
Copyright © 2009
The new FinancialIntegrity.org "wiki" (publicly edited website, a la Wikipedia, hosted by the non-profit New Road Map Foundation) provides resources for people who are trying to align their personal finances with their values; it also provides a place for people to share their stories. The New Road Map Foundation first produced Joe Dominguez's public teachings on the nine steps for achieving Financial Independence over 25 years ago. In that time it's become clear that it's really the stories that inspire people to actively seek a place of peace with their material circumstances. Many of those stories have been updated in Vicki Robin and Monique Tilford's recent revision of Your Money or Your Life. The Financial Integrity wiki also allows for the wide variety of "FIers" to share their particular circumstances and to update their entries as their situation changes. NRM invites you to share your story of mindful personal economics, too. As an example, I will excerpt from my own here, with a new, dramatic update.
When I first created my Lifetime Earnings Estimate, I was shocked, but I think not in the way most people are — I just couldn't believe how little I had made in my life, and how relatively rich a life it had been so far! It seemed to me that with a little more wisdom and focus, I could live a very rich life indeed.
My balance sheet was pretty sad, though. Due to a series of serious health and business setbacks over 2004-5, I had $42k in short-term debt — more than half than that in my mortgage balance. Even owning property in an appreciating market, I had a negative net worth!
Although I have always kept track of my finances and made conscious decisions to align both my spending and my earning with my values, I never did a wall chart (a tool fairly unique to this program) before 2005. Since then, my wall chart has been my best friend & cheerleader. I charted my debt balance, which necessitated a whole new scale for the chart. It was so exciting to watch that line fall all those inches down to zero, and then watch my savings balance start to climb.
Long before the current credit crisis, I learned the hard way to read the fine print on every insert and offer, and to always be aware that the creditor's goal is to make money off of you. I realized they prey on the unconscious debtor, and I was not going to be one of those. My second to last online payment was late, due to technical difficulties, and my interest rate shot up from 4% to 32%! It felt so good to respond by immediately paying off that card and never holding a balance again. Once I was done paying down the debt, my savings rate shot up faster than I ever would have imagined if I had not learned the 9-step FI discipline. I applied that savvy to every other "opportunity" that came my way, and went to work on getting rid of that mortgage too.
Having gotten back on strong financial footing and developed savings, I had freedom to explore new things. I had the luxury to take some significant time to focus on building relationships and learning new skills that will serve me well, even as the investor-class quakes with a crashing monetary system and looks for a government rescue! I am aware of so many opportunities available to me — and so I feel like I'm one of the fortunate ones who can weather financial storms and who has the capacity to help others to do the same.
And sure enough, those storms did hit. Even while people started fearing for — and losing — their jobs, I chose to give mine up and take a long-anticipated trip to Thailand. There, my partner and I both caught dengue fever within days of arriving. Dengue is becoming epidemic all across the tropical world, and has now appeared in North America too. One of the long-term affects is depression. I believe this is because in this hectic, money-obsessed modern world, people do not have the opportunity for full recovery before they tax themselves with a busy work-life. I've had the luxury to spend 5 months in recovery before feeling the necessity of getting back to work, and we've been able to support hard-working friends with our extra time. We've been fortunate to experience work-life balance, advocated for all people through various organizations mentioned under FinancialIntegrity.org resources like Take Back Your Time. May this time of worldwide transition help shift policies toward national — and personal — economies that truly serve health and fulfillment! NRM is happy to provide an ever-evolving resource to aid in that goal. Please feel free to join and help this resource grow.
About the Author
Rozie Hughes is currently adding a bedroom and a bathroom to her "shack" on an island in Puget Sound (indoor plumbing — what a luxury) with her partner and local eco-minded building professionals. As Executive Director of The New Road Map Foundation for the three years since founder Vicki Robin left the organization, Rozie helped develop the new Financial Integrity resources now at the heart of NRM's work. After her sabbatical, she returned to the organization as one of the volunteer wiki moderators, and was recently elected President of the Board of Directors. Rozie can be reached by email at rozie@financialintegrity.org.
Related Resources
- Your Money Or Your Life
- Your Money Or Your Life - 2nd Edition
- Transforming Your Relationship With Money
- Dream. Invest. Live.
- Get Satisfied!
- The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map To True Riches
- The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map To True Riches (Audio CDs)
- Take Back Your Time
Copyright © 2009
I contributed an article to this Newsletter a little over a year ago. I thought perhaps some readers would be interested in an update on my journey on the route to "simplicity."
I have been recording my expenses and posting them on a spreadsheet for two full years now. For 2008 compared to 2007, I was able to cut my expenses by over $6,000. A lot of the savings came as a result of just being aware of where my money was going and making adjustments where I felt I was spending too much.
Some of the savings came from questioning my expenses. For example, I called my local phone company and told them I wanted to cancel all of my services except plain old telephone service and dial-up Internet. My phone bill at the time was $97 per month. The service representative asked me why I was doing this. I told her, "Because I am getting sticker shock each month on my phone bill when I receive it." She asked me, "What if we can lower your costs, would you be willing to keep your present services?" My answer was, "That would depend on how much you can lower my costs." At the end I wound up with all of the same services for $63 per month. So, I was able to lower my bill by 1/3 simply by asking. I applied this same method to my homeowners insurance and car insurance, lowering my premiums substantially. With my car insurance, I approached my agent armed with a quote from another company. That definitely got his attention. I doubled my liability coverage and cut my premium from $174 to $103 each six months, for $140 savings per year with better coverage.
As Job said, in Job 3:25, "The thing that I greatly feared is come upon me." Late last year I was notified by the company I have worked at for 20 years that my job, along with 26 others, is being outsourced to India. The company I worked for did give me six months prior notice of my being forced into retirement. In addition they are paying a severance package of several months pay, which really helps. So at the end of March, I become a retiree several years before I planned to be in that position. The beautiful thing is that the Your Money or Your Life program has prepared me as much as one can be prepared for job loss. The only debt I have is my mortgage; I have paid it down $100,000 over the past five years and only have seven years to go. I know exactly what it costs for me to live each month. I am looking forward to reducing expenses this year by a much greater amount, due to saving the commuting and job costs. I can draw unemployment for 48 weeks, if I understand the extension correctly.
With my savings, my severance money, and my unemployment compensation I feel confident that I can pay living expenses until I am 62 (2.5 years), and can then draw Social Security. I should not have to use my 401(k) money which is depleted by the current stock market situation anyway. If we need to in the future, we can downsize our house, paying cash for a new one. This would add considerably to our savings, and at the same time cut our property taxes significantly.
My wife has really gotten on board with the simplifying of our house. We have hauled away truckloads of extra stuff that we did not need, and we still have a long way to go to simplify our personal belongings to a level that we will be happy with. We are selling a lot of things on Ebay, which is also padding our bank account for my forced retirement. My wife teaches art at a local Christian school, and since she is three years younger than me, she plans to continue to do this for several years given the opportunity to do so.
We are eating out much less and cooking our own meals. My wife looks forward to my cooking her breakfast each Saturday morning (we used to eat out every Saturday morning). I am excited looking forward to my new life of not working for pay any longer. I plan to do a lot of work on our house and yard, take up my Tai Chi exercise again, and go on many walks for exercise. I will continue to sell things we decide to get rid of on Ebay, and I plan to do some book signings to promote my book that was published a year ago: The Symbols Of Revelation. By no longer sitting at a desk all day, instead working around the house and yard, exercising, I believe I can lose a lot of weight and recover some of my lost stamina. I am looking forward to my new life with great anticipation. Due to having a grip on my financial situation, I am not worried and full of apprehension as I would have been without the last several years of preparation.
About The Author
Stephen R. Bock works as a computer programmer for money to pay the bills. He has been Christian for 27 years and pastors a small church. Stephen has been married to his wife Deborah for 36 years and has three grown, married daughters, and four grandchildren. He has self-published 14 doctrinal booklets, and his new book, The Symbols of Revelation appeared in bookstores last year. Stephen can be reached at srbock@fuse.net.
Related Resources
- Your Money Or Your Life
- $imply Enough
- Simple Living 101
- Simple Living Struggles & Solutions DVD
- Spirit Of Simplicity
- Freedom Of Simplicity
- Money & Faith
Copyright © 2009
— Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
I'm drawn to modern architecture that embodies Mies van der Rohe's principle "less is more" for more than its sleek lines, open floor plans, and high design accolades. Less in the way of adornment and clutter also means less to clean and fewer crevices and cupboards where stuff can pile up. Less peripheral means more focus on the important stuff — the kitchen table, the reading nook, the light coming through the window.
The same principle applies to the life lived in one's home, modern or not, house or apartment. By letting go of some of the excess, we get more of the "stuff" we want to focus on — the essentials, the life-giving experiences. By letting go of obligations, we get more time to do what we love. When we spend less money, our savings and security burgeon.
What about living lighter, living "less," in terms of an environmental footprint? The same goes. It may seem that in order to live consciously of the Earth we must experience loss and sacrifice, we must inherently give things up. While that may sometimes be true, I believe we almost always gain and grow more abundant in the process of being earthwise, just like how by scrimping and saving your allowance when you're a kid you may not get the pleasures of candy bars or arcade games for a few weeks, but you may be able to afford that guitar or pair of roller skates later on — gifts that will bring many months of learning and levity rather than a few minutes of enjoyment. While I'm fond of both chocolate and Ms. Pac-Man, it still holds true that when we let go of certain things to lighten our eco-impact we often also get more of something else.
This is certainly true collectively. If we, as a country or group of countries, give up our oil and coal addictions, our air will be cleaner and our world healthier for generations to come. If we give up irresponsible logging, we'll have richer, diverse habitats and more ancient forests hanging around. But even on a small scale, in each individual's life, there is much to be gained by giving up practices that carry a large eco-impact — more abundance in terms of living creatively, along with connection to others, to our food, to nature and our neighborhoods, and to ourselves. I know from personal experience that when I forgo the car and instead lug my bike up to the street armed with proper shoes and a hat, I may be sacrificing privacy, convenience, controlled temperature, and listening to the radio, but I always feel more alive and energized getting to my destination after being active and out in the world where I can feel the wind, hear the birds, and see people and cars going by. That's not to mention what I saved in gas money.
Consider these ways that less, environmentally speaking, can indeed be more:
| Less | More |
|---|---|
| Traveling in the car alone |
Biking and walking: exercise; exploring the world; noticing birds, trees, mail carriers, and neighbors.
Carpooling: conversation; sharing responsibilities & experiences; a mutual sense of relying on others. Public transportation: adventure; flexibility; time to read / chat / listen to music; interactions with people you may not otherwise meet. Money saved. |
| Convenience foods (long distance meals, packaging, and hard to pronounce soy and corn-based ingredients) |
Farmers' Market trips.
Fresh produce. Home cooking. Time spent connecting with the seasons, your local farmers, and experiencing the way a vegetable or bit of dough feels in your hands. Health. The pleasure of growing your own — even if just herbs or tomatoes. Shared moments around a stove or a table. |
| Energy used |
Money saved.
Mood lighting (e.g. beeswax candles). Sun-dried clothing. Mindfulness about turning things off. |
| Chemicals in cleaning and personal care products (harm to human and marine health) |
Health.
Breathing easy. Natural beauty. Healing. DIY cleaning products — think baking soda and vinegar. A safe space for kids to grow. |
| Stuff (obsolescence and clutter in lives and landfills) |
Quality.
Long-lasting items. Heirlooms. Knowing where things come from. Buying from socially, environmentally responsible companies you feel good supporting. |
| Throwing out (one-time-use items) |
Reusing.
Recycling. Re-imagining. Trading with friends, neighbors, and would be strangers. Deliberateness. |
| Oversaturation of gizmos |
Silence.
Good books and films and conversation. Meditation. Spending time in nature and with friends/family. |
Living an eco-conscious life isn't a matter of seeing how much you can suffer (especially if we're fortunate enough to be financially afloat in these times). It's about balance and abundance. I love my computer — I'm a blogger after all, no old-fashioned technology-loather here — but I turn it off every so often so that I can take a walk, read a book, meet a friend, or water my container garden. I buy things. But by buying used or recycled or things that might last and bring pleasure, and whose production had the well-being of people and the planet in mind, I get less stuff and more satisfaction.
One of the rich staples of my week is eating tortillas my husband and I make from scratch with flour from a local bulk bin; it's a couple of hours on Sunday spent mixing and rolling and flipping. That's not to mention the feeling of pleasure I get from snipping parsley from my garden, having a crisper bin full of locally grown veggies, packing a zero-waste picnic, walking on an errand, scouring the racks at a thrift store for a funky, well-made coat, and making space to do the things I feel passionate about. Sure, I have to get to the farmer's market every Saturday, water the plants, fill my water bottle, pack my lunch, wash my clothes after purchasing them, get a good pair of walking shoes, and organize my time, but I don't feel the pinch when that means forfeiting shrink-wrap, plastic throw-aways, unfairly traded goods, weary produce, gas and traffic, or frazzled nerves.
If our lives are anything like architecture, then a life that's simple, streamlined, and consciously-designed is one where we can thrive.
About The Author
Danielle Davis is a writer and simple liver in Los Angeles where she keeps up her eco-conscious living weblog, www.lessismorebalanced.com. In addition, she is Green Living Contributor for www.yourdailythread.com. She walks, bikes, hikes, and writes books for the youngest readers (and older ones, too!). You may reach her at danielle@lessismorebalanced.com.
Related Resources
- The Not So Big House
- The Not So Big Life
- Little House On A Small Planet
- Biking To Work
- The Post-Petroleum Survival Guide & Cookbook
- 365 Easy One-Dish Meals
- Get Satisfied!
Copyright © 2009
This edition of the Gems is being written on Earth Day, April 22nd. The Environmental Issues Forum is the place to discuss all your questions and ideas about living more lightly on Mother Earth. Two current questions under discussion are "what do you reuse or recycle that saves you money?" and "is recycling futile?". Folks also share their favorite type of reusable grocery bag.
Recycling and reusing aren't the only ways to observe Earth Day. One forum participant is working with children to teach them the real meaning of all those computers left on overnight. She and other people are using the Kill-a-Watt device to measure just how much power is used this way. Another writer explains how she's sharing a garden with her neighbors. By growing their own, they'll have tasty fresh produce and reduce the environmental effects of transporting produce from distant locales. In line with getting more active, two different families are giving up cable television (see these conversations by clicking here and here) and want to hear experiences of others who've done the same. This happens to be TV Turnoff Week as well as Earth Day. If you missed it, you'll get another chance to turn off the box in September.
Earth Day always raises mixed feelings in me — it's good to see the day get more popular, but there's still so much to do. Similarly mixed feelings are found in a discussion on whether simple living types are doing better in economy than non-frugal people. Many simple living types are finding themselves immune to the current economic woes, yet also realize that others are feeling the pain. There's a discussion of how the current state of the economy is leading to reductions in consumption, and the pros and cons from a financial and cultural perspective. Another conversation of note on finances is advice for high school graduates.
Finally, forum readers share stories of how they've found the forums help without saying a word. After hanging around the forums long enough, thinking in the ways of Voluntary Simplicity becomes a habit. These readers asked themselves "what would the forums crowd do?" Just the question was enough to prompt their own answer, without even having to start a conversation on the subject. Join in and find answers to your questions!
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
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Green Living Handbook
- All New Square Foot Gardening
- We Know What You Want
- Unplugged
- Community
Copyright © 2009
Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt from Angela Barton's "My Year Without Spending" weblog at myyearwithoutspending.blogspot.com, reprinted with permission.
How much each of us needs to live on determines a lot of the choices we make in life. I would argue that how much we think we need to live on determines them even more.
Which brings up an interesting paradox in this economy: the more money you make (and think you need to live on), the more worried you probably are. I'd be terrified if I had a $200k job. Your eggs are all in one basket, so to speak, and you've probably come to believe you need that much to survive.
Since I'm used to working freelance, I never know how much I'm going to bring in. My husband does this as well, so the effect has been that we always live on less than we usually make, in case both of us aren't bringing in very much. But the irony is that my hodgepodge collection of little jobs not only has trained me to live on less, it's actually a better bet in this market not to just rely on one job.
Of course most people still work for one employer at one job, and for most people that's convenient and works out the best for them. That's great. But I would still argue that even for people who know exactly how much they're bringing in, it would be smart to think about how much you really need to live on. If you live below your means, you'll not only save more for retirement and things that are important to you, but you'll be more prepared if you face an unexpected layoff or illness in the family.
The interesting thing is that most people tend to adjust to whatever their income is. So if you make $50,000 and you get a raise to $60,000, you probably won't have $10,000 minus taxes in savings at the end of the year; you'll most likely have spent it.
Whether you make $20,000 or $100,000 or $250,000, my guess is that that's the amount you truly believe you need to live on. I live in Los Angeles, and a lot of my friends work in the film industry. It's very common to make six-figure salaries, even for trade / craft type jobs. So most of these people have come to believe they can't possibly live on less than $100,000 a year. If you ask them how they think other people live on the average of $42,000, they'll say it's not possible in Los Angeles. It's true that rents and mortgages are more than you would pay in places like the Midwest, but we own our home and I certainly don't believe I have to make at least $100,000 or I'll never survive.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about: if you drive a BMW and it needs a new tire, that might cost you $450. I drive a Camry, and as far as I'm concerned it's like driving a luxury vehicle, but when I replace the tires all four will cost less than that. So the choice of driving a BMW puts you in the position of needing more money to live on. As do all kinds of other choices about what neighborhood you live in, how big your house needs to be, how often you must eat out, where your children must attend school ($15,000 a year for some preschools, and I'm not exaggerating for effect), and what car you drive.
All of this is pretty obvious. But I think a lot of our choices are unconscious, because a lot of what we do is determined by the culture we live in. By this I mean the culture of our friends and neighborhood and the work we do, in addition to the general consumer culture. It's the soup we swim in. If we earn $250,000, we don't have the slightest idea how someone lives on $42,000, and we probably feel sorry for the poor schlub, if we think of them at all.
For me, whenever I've earned the most money, I've been the most unhappy, because I'm working way too hard. I spend too much on everything because I don't have time to cook or make wise purchasing decisions. When I save more and spend less, I feel more free and more in control. I don't have to worry if I get less work, because I don't need as much money in the first place.
I hope you love the work you do. I'm not anti-work. I think work can be an important part of life and something that offers great rewards. But working for the sake of making more money to buy more stuff is a no-win situation that will end up costing you more than you can afford.
A lot of people are waking up to the trap of our consumer culture. If you've never seen The Story of Stuff, check it out. It's a great argument about how stuff is destroying us — working for stuff, buying stuff, throwing out stuff. It's destroying our neighborhoods, our communities, our health, and our environment.
So what are your assumptions and expectations about how much money you need to live on? Would you like to be able to live on less? Please share your thoughts in the comments section of the My Year Without Spending website.
About The Author
Angela Barton writes a weblog about living a non-consumer lifestyle without giving up fun or style, or otherwise feeling deprived, at www.myyearwithoutspending.blogspot.com. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles, CA. She loves to receive email at ABarton62@yahoo.com.
Related Resources
- Agenda For A New Economy
- Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping
- To Buy Or Not To Buy
- Confessions Of An Eco-Sinner
- Affluenza (Book)
- Affluenza (DVD)
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 was sitting in the break room at work the other day when a discussion about the state of the economy came up. One of my fellow labor and delivery nurses was bemoaning how bad things were for all of us these days, and I chose to disagree.
I argued that if I were to take one hour of my pay to the grocery store. I could easily buy a week's worth of food for myself.
Her response was, "Well sure, if all you eat is rice and beans!"
But I don't eat just rice and beans. Yes, we occasionally eat rice and beans, but we also eat chicken, vegetables, fruit, cheese, cereal, yogurt, potatoes, eggs, pretzels, ice cream, well . . . you get the picture. We eat a completely normal diet. I'm just careful with my food shopping.
My family of four, which includes 10 and 13-year-old sons (think hollow leg here) spends $450 per month on food. This takes into account school and work lunches, as well as rare meals out. This means we're each spending a little less than $30 per person, per week. (And I don't consider ourselves to be particularly scrimping and saving when it comes to groceries.)
The notion of what an hour of work will buy began to percolate in my head. An hour's wage could easily buy a child's brand new outfit, a first run movie for the entire family or even dinner out in a nice restaurant.
But it's not that simple. I choose to work a part-time schedule. I generally work between 16 to 24 hours per week, because I know that when I work less I enjoy my job more. And when I do work full time hours, I don't get to have the time off I need to enjoy my life.
So I choose to buy second hand clothes for my family, see only second run movies, and eat cooked from scratch meals at home.
I could work full time in order to buy brand new things for my family, but then my hour of work would need to stretch into three-to-four hours.
I'm lucky that I have the choice to pretty much work as little or as much as I want. Not everyone has that option. But I'm able to choose that completely manageable schedule because I do make these across the board frugal choices in my life.
What my hour buys is different from what what someone else's hour buys.
Are your hours at work buying more than ever? 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 weblog 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.
Related Resources
- America's Cheapest Family
- Miserly Moms
- The Consumer's Guide To Effective Environmental Choices
- RADICALLY simple
- Simple Prosperity
- It's Easy Being Green
- Green Living Handbook
Copyright © 2009
Ann and I recently made a big change that we had been planning for quite some time: we moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Boulder, Colorado. Since we did this in the conscious effort of simplifying our way of life, I figured this might be of interest to others who share our ideals.
For years, we had been living on an old houseboat berthed in Oyster Point, which is on the Bay, just south of San Francisco. I had a small sailboat I enjoyed sailing to various points of the Bay, Delta, and ocean. It was a pleasant way to live, but over the span of a few years some of the downsides were becoming difficult. Our home was tiny (about 200 square feet), and a little short on creature-comforts. We didn't have hot water, our stove was a single electric burner, and heat was a problem in the winter since the insulation was poor and the windows were drafty. We could have improved all these things, but we didn't plan to remain on the houseboat indefinitely. We want to buy a home together.
With the recent downturn in real estate prices, we knew the time is
approaching for us to buy if we are going to. The thing is, the SF Bay
Area is pretty expensive — the median home price in San Francisco was
over $750,000! Sure, we could buy something very small there (I used to
own a 307-square-foot condo which was fairly affordable for that
location). But if we were to continue to compromise our housing
comfort, we would have to see huge advantages elsewhere in life. It
made sense when we were both working full-time; the variety of jobs and
salaries available made it clearly worthwhile to live there. But now?
Not so much... We decided to make a change.
It's unusual to have a blank slate, with the entire world to consider as a possible place to call home. It's a freedom we gained through following the Financial Integrity program for many years! This left us daydreaming, thinking about what we wanted in our new community. The central topics for us were the ability to walk and bike everywhere we wanted to go, a nearby university to give the area a progressive and contemplative atmosphere, well-protected large natural spaces to explore and enjoy, more pronounced seasonal weather changes, and a reasonable compromise between the advantages of urban culture and rural wilderness.
We researched a wide variety of options from La Paz, Mexico to Asheville, North Carolina. We visited a few cities, and settled upon Boulder. I cheated a little, because I used to live here and missed it ever since. We openly discussed the downsides, including the lack of diversity, high price of housing (though still half that of San Francisco), more expensive groceries (and less variety), lack of the excellent city college we were used to, and the general way in which people in Boulder can seem a little sheltered relative to the urbanites of San Francisco.
With our destination chosen, we embarked upon The Big Move. I was able to combine an apartment-hunting trip with another excursion, enabling me to go to our new city in January to find a place to live. I gained a small education in frostbite, but that's another story! We worked together to choose a place, and then regrouped to pack up our lives. We gave away most of what we owned, which enabled us to move relatively cheaply and simply. The toughest part was about 1200 miles in a small car with a loudly meowing cat in a snowstorm...
In the process of moving, I took the opportunity to change a few things in my life. I eliminated my cell phone, replacing it with a Skype phone number which I can only access with an Internet connection. My phone bills dropped from nearly $80 per month to $60 per year. I was able to easily make this change because my new friends won't have known me to be always available before now, and because the culture in Colorado is more accepting of people without cell phones.
Another major change I made to simplify my life was to replace my usage of a car with a bicycle. Now I don't own a car; I use a bicycle for all my transportation needs. That means I no longer pay for car insurance, registration, gasoline, repairs, parking, tolls, and so on. Instead, I'm outside more of each day, getting some exercise, and watching the Canadian geese and blue herons migrate through. With a second-hand bike trailer, I'm able to haul a lot of stuff when needed. Yes, I'm outside sometimes when I'd rather not be (riding in a blizzard is a little tough), but on average I enjoy it immensely. Again because my new friends will have always known me as a cyclist and not a driver, it was easiest for me to make this change at move-time.
Ann and I hadn't moved to a new area in quite a long time, and having gone through it again now, we remember how disruptive it is. We both feel like we've had a major setback in life for doing this. It will be years before we rebuild the level of friendships we cherished in the Bay Area. We are social people who deeply need friends around us who know us well. However, that will all come in time. But this time, we plan to stay in one place indefinitely. We'll plant roots here (a garden, too!), and the future looks bright. Best of all, spring has arrived, and butterflies and flowers are coming out in their full glory!
About The Author
Fred Ecks is the volunteer Newsletter Editor for The Simple Living Network. He's a dedicated follower of the 9-step program detailed in Your Money or Your Life and the Financial Integrity website. He uses the time freed up in his life for writing, volunteering, and ultramarathon trail running. He can be reached at fredx@pobox.com.
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