Back to the simple life I guess

With gas at $4.00 a gallon we have cut out going anywhere that is not necessary. No eating out and more cooking from scratch. I clip coupons or buy what I can in bulk. We bought chickens again this year for eggs and possibly meat later on. I am trying to talk my family into getting meat rabbits as well... this is not going so well but if the price of groceries continue to soar I think they will start liking the idea more. I have a container garden and I hope to have a real garden plowed up by late summer/ fall planting time. We invested in grape vines, blue berry, black berry & raspberry bushes this year after we got our taxes. We drive vehicles that are paid for and only carry the minimum insurance allowed. When I see a good deal on something I stock up. I am no great couponer and I can't walk out of the grocery store with $400 worth of food for $25 but I try to be as savvy about deals/coupons/bargins as possible. The workers in the family pack their lunches and I send canned drinks with them to work. The cans get turned in for recycling and that $ goes back into the budget. We do not purchase things that we do not need. Our microwave broke several months ago and I refuse to buy another one... we don't NEED it even though it is very convenient. We do have a dryer now but we went for over a year without one. When it is warm outside I hang the clothes instead of drying them. (I wish I could get the kids to stick with this but they are accustomed to the dryer now.) Now if I could get everyone to quit smoking we would save some real $$$!

It seems like in the Spring and Summer I eat less. Power costs less cause we don't use the heat or cook much. I sautee vegetables and eat at home more and eat healthier than I do in the Winter and Fall. The cold makes me hungry. Ugh! With our neighborhood garden we saved alot last year. We worked there several times a week and brought home enough vegetables to last. It was great!

I think that a simple life is a peaceful life. I want to simplify my life more too. I want to get rid of the clutter in life so that there is less to maintain and clean. Its a step by step plan that we are working on. There is a lot of stuff to go through. Every thing I get rid of is a little weight I can feel off my shoulders. Im glad its not just me feeling this!

I moved from a 4 bedroom house, all the kids grown..had yard sales and when we moved...donated 4 pickup truck beds full of stuff to the rummage sale at church and had the disabled vets come get a full truck load and moved into a 2 bedroom apt. I was shocked at how much stuff I had (I had yearly yard sales - at least 2 each summer)and not a lot of money so I wasn't sure how I got so much stuff...I didn't have access to our money unless I asked for it but I guess it just showed how frugal and money saving I really was to be able to collect so much stuff with so little money! But...I was really surprised at how much I really didn't need! And again at how well I did without all that stuff!! Now, I usually stock up on household using items, like shampoo etc while on sale and with coupons etc. But the other stuff...just don't use, need or want it! Around the house life is much simpler!

Far from it! I just wish I had a place to garden, & the ability to do it, but I'm too disabled to do so any longer. I'm forced to rely on others, & you're correct; it is a lot less expensive once you're set up, to live more simply. Just think of all the money you save by preparing your food from scratch, & let's don't even get started on what ready-made clothes cost as opposed to home-sewn ones! I lived that way as a child on my grandparents' farm, & I was never happier! Yet by today's standards, we would be called poor, even though we never went hungry or ill-clothed. We even built our own houses & barn! We recycled before the word was coined, long before it was trendy. I wish I could return to that time. I tell you, we were richer than Bill Gates, in terms of country beauty & closeness. Maggiepie "In art, economy is always beauty." ~ Henry James

I too have been trying to live a more simple life. Lucky for me I have always found joy in small pleasures - sitting on my patio enjoying a cup of tea, reading a good book, being with family, etc. I do not need to go on a cruise or spend all day shopping for clothes to be happy. I just wish I would do better at garage sales. I live in a small town and just do not get the traffic to make good money at my garage sales. Maybe next year I can find someone to go in with in a bigger town. Here's to the simple life! :D

no, you are definitely not alone! i have started to live this way as well. although it is still too cold here in canada to start a garden (seeds shouldnt be put in the ground before Victoria Day - May 24 weekend. The holiday was started well over a hundred years ago to honour Queen Victoria's birthday) but my garage sale pile has started and i have begun looking at ways to make some extra money (oh and i am making gifts for Christmas as well!)

I defiantly dno't think that you are alone in this. A lot of people are attempting to cut back and save money, myself included. Many people are growing gardens to help lighten the load of their grocery bills, and clipping coupons trying to savbe money in ne way possible. My husband and his cousin actually decided to work at the same plant so they can car pool together and split the cost of gas. We had already had two vehicles but they are both gas hogs so my husband purchased a third used vehicle at a local auction for $800.00 and it is so much better on gas. We even replaced a lot of appliances with energy efficient appliances and use them at their efficeny level. Hopefully some type of finacial relief comes soon for all of us. Good luck.

No not at all. I have sold many item we no longer use like what i would have sold in a garage sale on EBAY!! i find it a great way to urn your trash into someone elses treasure!! and i have made a few hundred dollars doing it!! maybe after the garage sale you should give it a go with what items you have left. Just be careful with heavy items because postage can be quite expensive for bulk items and your product is less likely to sell at a good price. The wizard is really helpful and easy when you get the hang of it! You will need a paypal account to sell on ebay.

I don't know but what the simple life wouldn't be better for all of us. I have always had to live frugally & it hasn't killed me, lol.I think most everyone could cut back if they just would.

The radiation problem in Japan has made many of us think about all the energy we are consuming by using all sorts of gadgets we can live without. I losr my husband /the main provider at home) 11 years ago. I discovered that I could live very well with a lot less. I learnnt to cook gourmet, so now I only go to restaurants when someone invites me (to pay back my gourmet cooking). I remembered that I wore heavier clothes in Winter when I was a kid as houses were a lot colder. I´m doing that again with a great saving in gas. I gave away my drying machine and my clothes are sundried in Summer and I hung them one by one to dry in the bathroom in Winter. I can live with little money but not like a pauper. I have my vacations thanks to my work online, quit smoking for money´s sake and this Summer I had my first vegetable garden. I´m sure my veggies will be better next yesr as I am learning. My potatoes in containers were awesome!!!

You are definitely not alone in this with your life. Our family has tried for the last couple of years to make our lifestyle more simple than it used to be. For us, it has meant that we've made a lot of sacrifices for the betterment of our family in the future. However, what I can say is that even though our family does not have the latest and greatest things in our house, we are happy. When it really comes down to it, I think that our family is better for being a simple family.

No, you are not alone. With the dip of the global economy, people are trying every means to penny pinch, and the best way to do it is to go back to the simple life. IMO, it's a lot healthier and less stressful that way. It also makes one appreciate the little things - things we take for granted when we surround ourselves with every materialistic thing there is.

Absolutely you are not alone. Many of us have become spending conscious. Here at home we got rid of added unnecessary expenses and we do cook at home a great deal as opposed to going out to eat.

no you are right on with the way that things are going you have to do what you have to to find ways to cut corners and save money.

Me, too. I wish life would be simpler. A simple life can heal the earth.