How can we make our lives more simple and in tune with nature? How much of the stuff we have do we really need? Simple living is not about living in poverty. Rather, it is about a life in which you have determined what is important for you and valuing these things, whilst cutting out those things that clutter up your life. Here are some links to start thinking about how to simplify our lifestyles:
Downsizer
Frugal Living in the UK
Wikipedia entry for Simple Living
Simple for Sunday Scribblings
36 comments:
I love this entry. I took a carbon footprint test, and though it was so much smaller than the "average" person, it was still way bigger than it should be for the world we live in.
I, personally, am a big fan of not having stuff. Stuff is like, toys, and kitschy things, and fancified things...Stuff not only is useless (especially if it is plastic) but it also clutters the house which only clutters the mind which only makes it difficult to be still. Why do people go to nature to be still? There's no clutter. You feel like you can breathe. Do your house a favor and clear it out!
Simple is freeing, I find. Too much stuff = headaches, worry, extra outlays of cash to store it all, just to name a few of the many problems.
Your blog is a breath of fresh air every time I visit. And I love the new green theme/design! :)
Guess what? I just wrote my first Sunday Scribblings-prompted post! But it's on the dance blog, as I'm just not in the mood for poetry. I'm going to use their archives to help me write more in the dance one.
I like these suggestions, I have been trying to downsize as much as possible lately. You're an inspiration.
We're undergoing some forced simplification since my husband lost his job, and it's amazing what I find I can do without (though I keep having to resist the urge to buy poetry books)
Catherine - sorry to hear about your enforced simplification - books are my weakness too!
Nia - thanks and glad to see you participating in Sunday Scribblings!
kg - thanks
poet with a day job - it's very very difficult in western countries to get our carbon footprint down where it should be!
I appreciate the links on simplifying our lives, thank you. Everyday there are opportunities for us to not over-consume, over-pollute, etc. Your blog helps me to be more mindful and to learn more ways to help care for our planet -- in big and small ways.
A lot of this sounds great. Some like skinning rabbits, no way. Progress not perfection as a drunk friend of mine used to say. I guess.
hoorah for simpler living! last week i was talking with friends about sustainable development, and they were saying that many people still misunderstand the word 'development' and 'progress' to mean 'more' and in some way technology based.... for us sustainable development and progress is, on the contrary, a toning down of the excesses, focusing on simple living...
nice post! thanks! i will check out the links with interest!
na - I think sustainable development is a term that is quite misleading.
writer on board - as a rabbit owner myself, there's no way I'd skin a rabbit! Not all the ideas in the links are for everyone!
Clare - thanks!
I have been slowly simplifying my life for a little while now and am constantly amazed now at how much 'stuff' people buy and, more importantly, then throw away without a thought. Great links that I'm going to explore further!
I love that you offer resources for those interested in living more simply.
Thanks for the links- there are so many little simple things we can do... it's just a matter of doing them!
Having travelled quite a lot, it's forced me to make choices about what stuff I actually do or don't need. Every time I go somewhere new, I stress about what to take and what to leave behind, and then end up never using half the stuff I thought was "essential" to take! I guess it's a slow learning process!
I'm married to the king of clutter. So I can dream about purging all I want . . . I turn around and find he has dug the stuff out of the garbage that I threw in . . . somebody save me!
Thanks for those links. WE use up too much of everything. We need to conserve.
I am one who cleans out clutter as long those are not my books.
Simply great advice. Thanks!
You gave us all something to think about.
We all need to do a little something.
Me I am big on saving paper.
I say down with those crazy sales sheets - just tack one sign up and be done with it.
Take care,
Frances
I greedily open your blog, saved the links and clicked away, forgetting to comment! Now how rude is that?
All the points are true and I will take some time looking at the sites (quite enticed by Frugal.com).
Thanks!
lacithecat - so easy to do, glad you came back to comment!
Frances - Thanks. I agree about the sales sheets!
khambagirl - thanks!
gautami - I'm the same!
kamsin - I've noticed that with travelling too, though I usually manage to travel quite light!
janie - my partner too is a king of clutter, but he's just given away some things to the charity shop!
unfolding rose - we live in a throwaway society, we're always being encouraged to buy new and get rid of the old because it's no longer the right model / style.
regina - yes, we just need to get in the habit of living more simply!
sognatrice - thanks!
Juliet,
Thank-you!
rel
good post and I agree completely. All the clutter in our lives slow us down emotionally, spiritually, and even physically.
I find that as I grow older, it's much easier to part with things that just a few years ago were things that I just had to have. I've even persuaded Sweet Baboo to purge his closets -- which he has actually done a couple times! Just love your blog and I love the new theme!
An excellent take on the prompt for this week. Thank you.
There really are so many things we think we need, but like you say clutter up our life. I find I'm the happiest teaching my children about our garden and getting our hands dirty together and they are too.
thanks for the links! funny, i just posted on another blog about books on simple living that encourage us to buy more stuff. looks like you found some purer information!
I know, I know. But... I like having stuff.
"many people still misunderstand the word 'development' and 'progress' to mean 'more' and in some way technology based...."
Unfortunately including many prominent politicians around the world. I was surprised to find out a while back that there are actually a lot of potential different high-tech ways to reduce the carbon emissions from a jet plane - but no-one's working on them, because there's no (monetary) incentive.
And yet, we still have to listen to President Bush (for example) tell us that technology will somehow magically solve climate change without us having to do anything.
Some good ideas here. Today I had to unload two bookcases in the hallway, just to move them and get a table down the hallway. Then I had to move them back and put all the books back. This didn't make me think about getting rid of books, but it did make me think about selling some furniture. And a French friend and I are putting a bunch of things on eBay France soon, because one thing I learned in my New York days - space to breathe is preferable to lots of stuff (as much as I like stuff).
I think we share some similar thoughts :)
Interesting links. Did I miss the carbon footprint test? Just came froma dinner of raw foods. New experience.
Thank you for the links - I want to follow up on those. De-cluttering my life (and my impact), is becoming more and more important to me.
Thank you. Thank you for the links. I'll defnitely check them out.
Yes, living simply is worth it.
I'm thinking of lyrics from a Sheryl Crow's song--"it's not having what you want, it's wanting what you got" too often we have so much that we don't even want it all
I hate clutter and pay with cash only. I love simple!
Talk about a simple post. Well done!
self taught artist - yes clutter does slow us down!
marcy - glad you like the new look. I agree, it does get easier as we get older to get rid of stuff.
jennifer - books are our weakness too!
Jolene - yes how much do we really need?
Tricia - I've noticed too there are companies out there who see the popularity of simple living as a marketing opp!
Pacian - I quite like stuff too. I just try not to have too much. I agree with your comments about technology.
Paris Parfait - we did something similar this weekend! As I've said - books are my weakness, which means lots of bookcases!
Deb G - I think we do!
Jone - I really should try more raw meals. In a cold climate though hot food is more appealing! I didn't post a direct link to a carbon footprint test.
Tinker, Liza - hope you find the links useful!
Sage - good lyric, thnaks for sharing!
Tammy - I usually only pay by cash. I have a debit card but no credit card.
I need lots of work on the kind of simplifying you have suggested and linked us to. I am very big on recycling. I would give everything a second life if I just knew how and others were interested. But I am bad about "saving" everything; I have way too much STUFF.
Thanks for your many visits and positive comments on my blogs.
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