I met with my friend Tracy this week, and she asked me this question: If you could spend a year devoted to one idea to implement in your life what would it be? With little hesitation I said that I would live out of need not out of want. Basically, I would simplify my life as much as possible.
I have thought a lot about living simply and how I can do it in my own life, but have failed to consistently practice simplicity.
There are so many ways to simplify- time, money, resources, etc. After more thought it occurred to me that I should just start by implementing a few key rules in how I will simplify for this year. The first thought I came up with after researching about budgeting and living simply (which I will be implementing), is to live off of $20 a week in groceries. Believe it or not there are a lot of websites which give detailed plans on how to do this. Living off of $20 in groceries a week may sound radical to some, but I realize that to others (many) it is not at all! For me I know this will be an amazing goal to accomplish as I have taken a shine to getting coffee...nearly daily...yikes! All this to say I am not writing this to sound radical because I know that many people do this and still others live off even less than this; but for me this is a personal goal that will require a definite level of sacrifice!
So tomorrow starts the revolution! Any suggestions on how to incorporate the food I have already bought?? Hmmm...
Another challenge I want to have is to not buy any clothing for a year.... and if I must then replacing it with a different item in my closet so that I don't accumulate more. As much as possible I try and get everything from the thrift or second hand so as not to create a need for more clothing in a store, but rather taking something that has already been used and redeeming it!
There are certainly other monthly expenditures other than groceries, but I have not yet figured out how I want to approach that. I will need to think through what is reasonable yet sacrificial in other aspects of the budget. For instance, I will need to think through how much to spend on "entertainment", going out to dinner with friends, going to coffee with friends, etc. I certainly don't want to oppress others with a rigid budget that does not allow for me to do these kinds of things!
So far what will directly be changing is bringing my lunch to work everyday, no more coffee :(
or buying my lunch, on the flip side I will be much more intentional about how I eat, what I buy, and more aware of what I have! I am excited! So if you could commit to one thing for the year, what would it be?
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This is great, I'm glad you're implementing simplicity more into your life. I think this is so important for us as followers of Christ! I'll be praying that he gives you the creativity and endurance to keep this up! Actually, the clothes thing is pretty easy when you come to grips with it, my wife and I haven't bought new clothes for almost 2 years now! The most challenging thing for me with simplicity was honestly shoes, when I realized that I wasn't wearing out shoes before I bought new ones! I'm currently still wearing a pair of nikes that I got as a gift three years ago... still no holes! God bless Lauren.
ReplyDeleteI love shopping. A lot. I like pretty things. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love my earrings :D I don't buy something unless I absolutely love it, and I don't shop a lot. But I rarely shop at thrift or vintage stores, so in reality I spend 20-30 times more than I should on clothes and things. My shopping spree last week definitely reminded me of that, and yes, England is much more expensive than America.
ReplyDeleteI have grown used to my morning cup of coffee with a fresh croissant, and giving that up would be slightly painful (and excessively dramatic) but I do feel your pain of "no coffee".
If I were to commit to one thing for the year, it would be to be more intentional about buying organic and fair trade things as well as things from smaller co-op like stores and markets. Doing that actually increases expenditure rather than decreasing it, but I think there will be a long term benefit to my health as well as I know I am supporting the people who make and produce healthy things rather than large chain stores and supermarkets. I didn't used to do that, but living here has definitely changed that about me. If I can get something organic or fair trade, I will.
PS - We get our eggs from the farm next door. Organic free range eggs. :)
rice & dried beans were my best friends when i lived off of $20 a week, sometimes i even managed to go 2 weeks off of $20. good luck!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great idea! This has given me a lot to think about. When I'm at my least cautious, when I've spent a lot more then I should, it's because I allow myself to get too busy. I think time and money go hand-in-hand. The more I pile onto my schedule, the less likely I am to eat at home. And the less often I eat at home, the less healthy I eat. All of these things are interconnected - the way we spend our money and our time determines how healthy we allow ourselves to be. I'm definitely going to define some boundaries after reading this. Thanks! :)
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