Living Simple

Okay, so I'm trying to live my life more "simply". As in, in every way I can think of. This is something I've sort of always done without actually realizing what I was doing until other people pointed this aspect of myself out to me. I've always tried to keep things simple, I don't like drama, and I'm not into fancy cars, in fact, a fancy car doesn't make me turn my head, I couldn't possibly care less. I don't like flashy new hi-tech gadgets, "Oooh, the new iPhone!", I don't care about jewelry, or luxury clothing. Never have. But now I'm actually actively seeking out living simply now.

Things I'm now doing:
- Tripp (the husband) and I don't own a car. And if it remains up to me, we will never own a car. If we happen to move somewhere that makes owning a car an absolute must, I would only buy a hybrid or a car that runs on diesel so that we could use unprocessed grease instead. This would of course require planning and I'm aware of that.
- I did not own a TV but once Tripp and I moved in together I became the owner of a television by default. I'm not a fan.
- There are times when I do like to buy clothes, sweatshop free only now, but for the most part I'm not a big shopper. I don't usually feel any urge to buy superfluous things. Buying an iPod was really the biggest splurge I've ever allowed myself.
- Try to spread the word to friends and family about the value of spenging less money and spending more time doing things you actually love.

Thins I want to do:
- There is someone on New Dream.org that has made a vow to keep the thermostat off until November, and then they only turn ot up to 48 degrees. 48 degrees!! I thought I was being so good with keeping the thermostat at 65, below the average 72, and here's this guy keeping his house at 48 degrees! Clearly my thermostat is not as eco/financially friendly as it could be. I need to improve here, but I don't know if I'm quite ready for 48 degrees.
-I need to shop even less than I do for clothing. My problem is that I won't shop for anything for months, and then all of a sudden I'll realize I really, really need to replace my worn out stuff. That doesn't seem all that bad, but I could probably work on this. A big problem is finding well-made, durable clothing that is sweatshop free and not obscenely expensive.
- Stop my frigging family from spending $1,000 dollars or more every Christmas on presents! Initially all of their spending makes me angry and I want to retaliate against it. Instead I feel the need to shop more for them to make up for how much they are spending on me. It's a ridiculous, stupid cycle. Next year I'll have more resolve. Damn it.

There are definitely other things I could do, and I'll make note of them as I think of them. And this isn't all about, "Oh, I'm going to save the environment!" Honestly, I believe it's too late to really stop the damage we've done to the planet as a whole, but I'm also not a fatalist so I just keep trying.

Living more simply is really about reevaluating my life and how I think and behave. Sometimes I'm amazed to realize how much of my thinking is really affected by modern society. And because of the society I grew up in. Meeting people from different places across the globe really makes you realize how you can think as an "American" and how American mentality is really so different from the mentality of other people across the world. Some people would not believe how much food we throw away because, well, we just don't want it. Or how quickly we replace things that aren't even broken, or that could easily be repaired. Seeing how little other people not only survive on, but actually thrive on, has made me aware of how little I actually need in order to survive and be happy. Thus, I am becoming more serious about my simplicity.

Some things that don't require lots of shopping and money that bring me the most happiness/fun:
- Filling our planters in our backyard in the spring. This past spring was the first time I was able to do this and it was SO relaxing and enjoyable I was actually surprised. Not to mention how proud I was when things actually grew! I paid for some soil and seedlings and then I was off. No pesticides or gross chemical stuff either.
- Dancing with my girlfriends. Granted, I do usually spend some money on booze, but I'm a bit of a light weight so I never really have to spend too much. And then the dancing until 4am is an amazing release of tension, and it makes me feel good. No one loses there.
-Books, books, books, a lot of books. In fact I am out of books to read now. I'm reading the last few stragglers that I never actually intended to read because I had to go a week without any books at all and then I just couldn't take it anymore. The funny thing is I actually am really enjoying these books I never intended to open.

So many ways to live simply, I just haven't thought of all of them yet. If you happen to be into living a simpler lifestyle feel free to fill me in on the ways that you've simplified your own life. I'm always open to new things.