Voluntary Simplicity... Anyone Here a Practitioner ?

[veracious]

I realize this is a dumb question on a credit card forum because the majority of folks here are the ultimate consumers,

but I just wondered what everyone thought of this way of life.

Found this the other day;    an interesting article which brought me to do a little more research.

The simple life has benefits for us all

Samuel AlexanderMarch 16, 2012

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/the-simple-life-has-benefits-for-us-all-20120315-1...

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[Imhotrodcrazy]

The way I see it, this way of life has existed already  for a very long time.  It is known as the Amish community, of which I have seen many of  growing up in PA.  Parts of the article also lead me to believe they are talking about wealth distribution, which I am totally against.  Being very conservative myself, I have never lived way beyond my means and I have always helped,  or provided for, those close to me along with some  outsiders  when they are in need.  I am not the typical consumer.  I buy what I need, but I do not go overboard buying everything in site.  So, I live my life taking care of myself, not expecting to be taken care of. 

[IOBA]

veracious - I think I/we live this way now.   We have a small space, one vehicle, have just what we need, and grow some of our own herbs and veggies.

We are constantly sifting through what we have and deciding whether we need to keep it or give it away.  

The goal this year is to grow much more of our own food (quite a challenge with all the travel we do).  We started freecycling this year - will continue with that.   And starting this month, we are going for the Grand Plan for a 100 Grand.

[veracious]

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@Imhotrodcrazy wrote:

The way I see it, this way of life has existed already  for a very long time. 

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@IOBA wrote:

We are constantly sifting through what we have and deciding whether we need to keep it or give it away. 

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Congrats to both of you  As you both have  stated, the effort to live a sustainable lifestyle does not require much sacrifice.

It only takes a conscious effort to contribute to the sustainability of our precious, finite planet. Just as one commenter so aptly said:

Moreover, infinite growth on a finite planet is obviously an impossibility, and any economic system predicated on that is ultimately just a pyramid scheme. The sooner we realise that, the better for all of us. It ain't the end of the world if GDP contracts by 1 per cent one year, and it's no reason for companies to panic and lay off hundreds of workers.

Just keep on doing what you're doing ,and spread the word

[Anonymous]

I couldn't get the article to open for me..

But, my husband and I live a fairly simple life. We each have pre-paid cell phones used minimally. Most of what we own was purchased used. We do have some gadgets, but, we try to select ones that are more likely to last. We stil have my husbands first PS2 that he bought the year they came out and it sitll works.. lol  We keep our computers until there's no longer any way to access the internet without serious upgrading, usually 5-7 years.

Most of our clothes and baby gear was purchased used. Our daughter is 17 months old and the first time I ever bought her a new outfit was last month, everything up to that point was obtained used.

I'm a huge fan of "reduce, reuse, recycle". My pots and pans are 60 year old Revereware plus a collection of cast iron pans with my oldest one being around 125 years old. My daily user pan though is a 70 year old cast iron pan made in Pennsylvania. Every spatula, measuring cup or other household gadget I own is vintage US made. We like reduced packaging and rarely buy processed food with the exception of cereal. I have purchased new glasses, but only because I found some made in the US, otherwise we were using mismatched vintage.

When we want to shop recreationally, we shop at the local thrift stores. Every few months we donate items we no longer use.

The funny thing is right now we make less that we've ever made, less than half our previous income, but we feel so much better off.

[IOBA]

JenniferinFL - I know how you feel.  

DH and I went to the grocery store to get food for the next three dinners.  We spent just under $30.  Our budget is $10 a day - so a good deal. DH's response, when I told him how much we paid (I said $30, but really, it was $23), he said, "Wow!  We got so much more than $30 worth!"   One item was in the clearance area, so that helped a lot.  

hhmm...we bought 2 junk foods, 3 proteins, and 3 veggies.