Do you want to be free to live life on your terms and follow your passions? I have three words for you:
Live More Simply.
It is my belief that simple living is one of the key ingredients of getting to know yourself and living a more rewarding life. Do you not follow this logic? Let me explain…
Less stuff equals less overhead, less clutter, and more freedom to get up and go when opportunity presents itself. When you have less, you can work less, and therefore, live more.
Many Americans spend their lives in the endless pursuit of things that they are told they “need” to have. I’m talking about fancy cars, boats, big-screen TVs, large houses, and any number of interesting but predominantly unnecessary gadgets.
Now please, don’t get me wrong. It is not my desire to mock or ridicule people who live this way. People have a right to live the way they choose. However, since the audience of this blog is likely comprised of people looking to find more in life than a collection of things, it is to that group I will speak.
My point is that by choosing to live a life of acquiring things, people can fall into the trap of spending all of their time chasing the next thing, all while not realizing that life, real life, is passing them by. How many of you can relate to the feeling that your whole life is spent supporting the things that you have, leaving little room for deeper relationships, and better experiences? At the end of the day, each of us has to ask ourselves what in life is truly important? It has been my experience that things do not satisfy for long.
With this in mind, I would like to suggest 5 ways that you can begin to live simpler, starting today.
1. Redefine “Need”
This can be trickier at first than it seems. However, I would encourage you to really take this step seriously, because I believe it is the foundational step in this process.
Sit down with a piece of paper and write out everything that you spend money on each month. Write down the things that you plan to purchase soon, or that you have recently purchased as well. Then, one by one, imagine living life without that item for one month. What would your life look like? How much money and time would the absence of that item free up?
Highlight each item on the list that you feel you could not live without. For the rest, set these things aside for one month to test the water. You may be surprised at just how much you didn’t really “need” that object after all. Soon you will discover that you have much less overhead in your life, and thus, more freedom.
Once you feel you can go on indefinitely without the things you have set aside, get ready to make some extra money from them.
2. Have a Spring Cleaning and Garage Sale
OK, you’ve got your pile of things you no longer "need"; now you are ready to offload them. Time to mow the front yard, put up signs, grab a chair and some sunscreen, lay it all out, and start making some money.
Another great way to offload stuff is to start posting on Craigslist. Though effective, this method can be more time consuming, so be patient. One thing that I have learned selling stuff in Craigslist is that if you want stuff to go quickly, price it well. Remember, most items that you are selling aren’t as valuable as you think. My rule of thumb is to see what others are posting items for, and shoot for 5-10% cheaper. In this way, things sell quickly.
Having recently begun to go through this step myself, I can attest to the fact that it is all rather cathartic. For me, it has not only produced extra cash enabling me to pursue more experiences, but has also had an almost physically lightening feeling.
3. Kill your TV
…or if you’re not strong enough, at least seriously maim it.
This has got to be one of the biggest steps in a simpler life. TV is at once good and evil. There are two problems with TV:
a. It has the potential to suck out our soul, use up our time, and take away any drive we have to do great things or work to make a difference in other people’s lives.
b. It constantly bombards us with messages that we need to buy more stuff.
Now, I’m not an extremist. I love good TV shows or movies. When I say “kill your TV”, what I actually mean is to set up boundaries. Be specific. Allow yourself a certain amount of time each week to watch TV, and stick to it. You will be amazed at how much time you will realize you actually have.
So how does this equal a simpler life? When we aren’t bombarded with noise and messages to buy and consume all the time, we can acquire a more peaceful and basic existence; we can take part in activities that build us up as people. Imagine, instead of sitting in front of the TV for 3 hours on a Friday evening, instead grabbing a good book on a topic you are interested in learning about and heading to the park to read under a tree. You could do this or any number of other simple things with that time, and notice that the time spent was more intellectually engaging and rewarding.
I have lived without cable television for over 7 years, and have never really missed it. While I still find it easy to be drawn to sit on the couch and watch a movie on a Friday night after a long week, I am taking steps to unlearn this behavior, and to spend more time doing things that will make life more interesting.
4. Cook More, Eat Out Less
Field greens with roasted hazelnut Chilean balsamic - 8
Pork rillettes with caramelized pear chutney – 15
Molten chocolate soufflé – 7
Ice water – 3
OK, seriously, you know you are in an expensive restaurant when the prices are listed as whole numbers.
All joking aside, I know there is sometimes nothing like going out to a great restaurant and enjoying a good meal. The problem is that in our culture so many people do this several times a week, the cost of which is similar to a car payment. Like many other things in life, moderation is the key here.
By buying in bulk, and bringing lunches to work during the week, you can save a significant amount of money.
Aside from the rather obvious fact that spending less equals a more free and simple life, cooking can be a wonderful activity. It can be fun, educational, and provide the opportunity to bond with others. Who knows, perhaps you can learn to cook your own Pork rillettes with caramelized pear chutney (what is a rillette?)
5. Start a Small Garden
I would estimate that 15% of my grocery budget is spent on fruits and veggies; even greater when I choose to buy organic.
While it is convenient to be able to buy these things at the grocery store, growing fruits and veggies yourself can be both rewarding and healthier.
Fruits and veggies grown at home usually will not only be better for you, since they won’t have poisonous insecticides on them, but in my experience they usually taste better and fresher than store-bought ones. And, of course, there is the added benefit of saving money while have a life-enriching and simplifying experience in the process.
Don’t have much room, or in an apartment? No problem. By doing a brief search on the internet I was able to find multiple web sites with tutorials on how to grow many different types of fruits and vegetables using pots, taking up very little room. You can grow as many or as few different types as you want, but you’ll feel good knowing you are helping out the environment, while helping your wallet and taste buds in the process.
There are many other ways to live simpler as well. As you begin this journey of simplifying, you will no doubt begin to have ideas of other ways you can simplify. You will find your life becoming less stressful, and you will find small and large new freedoms.
I will admit that these steps fly in the face of much of what we have been told our whole lives. Don’t let this stand in your way of trying though. Don’t over think the process; rather, begin by taking a small step and see where it leads you. You won’t ever regret it!
