Any ideas to live SIMPLE?

[Monza_dh]

After running around for the holiday's working, buying presents, going to parties etc I am spent.

So I've been thinking on trying to live a little simpler and greener but have no idea on where to start. I have a drafty Colonial with 2 car garage in NE heated by oil, ,three cars (including P-car) wife, three kids, work hard and make decent money but also have too may tools, gadgets and equipment to manage, maintain, charge and take care of.

Besids my house and cars I have all the standard kitchen equipment and washer dryer, etc but also two coffee makers, bean grinder, blenders, mixers, toaster, three clock radios, stereo system, three tv's with cable boxes, DVD player, 2 digital cameras, sony video camera, two cell phones,lackberry, two Ipod touches, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, one laptop, one Mac, countless power tools, a generator, ride on lawnmower, snow blower, the list goes on!!!!

How does one make the break?!?!?!

[Embraer]

Every sunday, I make my own bread for the week. ....and not with a bread machine. not only do I save money by baking my own bread, but it takes up so much of my time that I don't have time to throw at unnecessary things...at least one day of the week.

kneading is therapeutic, too.

[daepp]

I have a lot of respect for th Jewish tradition of the Sabbath - even though I'm am not a Jew.

Many tell me they look at their break from electronics etc as a refuge from the life you refer to. I wish I had been raised to do the same.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Monza_dh

How does one make the break?!?!?!

poverty helps considerably!

I'm guessing you have an attic. Move as much as you can up to the attic for one month. See how it goes.

[Zeke]

I COMPLETELY understand. This NYD resolution is to rid myself of the accumulation. I started NYD by throwing out boxes of TV, phone, stereo cables and some electrical stuff. I've adopted a Noah's Ark approach; 2 of anything is enough (talking about small parts here).

I have been tossing potted plants as they become unattractive instead of continuing to nurse them. I've removed some lawn that went around shrubs and was hard to maintain. Now it's mulch.

Tools are tough to get rid of. The better idea here is to have enough storage so that they are easy to get to. A pile of equipment in the corner is not fun to dig through. Although a professional organizer would be nice, I can do this and so can you. Besides, I can't afford the services or a whole bunch of fancy storage system. I'll have to wing it on that.

The kitchen is not my domain. I used to cook, no more. My wife has way too much stuff in there and elsewhere. It's very frustrating. To me, a kitchen would have only enough utensils to cook one large meal. One set of bowls is enough. We have several and some haven't been used in a long, long time.

Some suggest that if you haven't used an item in a year, to get rid of it. That doesn't seem to be practical in some cases, but it's got to be at least one of the criteria.

I've even considered offering some things as "on loan" just to get someone else to be the custodian, but I don't think that's gonna work. An example is a pressure washer I rarely use.

Good luck on this. We need a support group.

[varmint]

my local starbucks has the emerson/thoreau quote on the wall, "simplify". yes, "simplify" but buy a six dollar cup of coffee.

i live in an apartment with 2-3000 books. some people are doomed to a life of clutter.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Pay stuff off, get rid of things you don't use, live well within your means so you don't feel the need to constantly chase money and live a ratrace lifestyle.

[Tim K]

If I can’t find or make a place for the stuff we’ve got, Either we don’t need it or something else has to go to make room. Without knowing any of you, I suspect that everyone here has enough room to live like kings (relatively speaking). I would rather live with less and have less than have more stuff than I have room for. Doing large scale renovations while living in our smaller house really challenges us to organize well and to choose our new acquisitions carefully.

Tim K

[HardDrive]

Simple and Green are not the same things.

The wife and I have a lot of electronics and appliances. But we cook most of our meals at home, and we use the vast majority of the gadgets we have. Its not 'simple' if you feel overwhelmed by what you have. When then gadgets themselves begin to be a chore rather than a benefit to your life. But we only bring home things we know we will use. We are both technophiles, so we bring technology into our lives that streamline how we live.

We have 2 cars, but we don't drive them much because we live 1 block from my wifes work, 4 blocks from my kids school, and 1 mile (easy to walk to, sidewalks/walking trail the whole way) grocery store. I pick up a lot of our grocerys when I am out for a walk and bring them home in my backpack. About once every 6 weeks we drive to a Costco and buy all our paper supplys/bulk stuff. If you live in a rural area, or a suburban area that is not walkable, then getting more efficent cars is really your only option. The NE is tough, because you have tough winters to contend with, and that dictates you need to have a somewhat capable car. Not sure where you live, but perhaps public transport is an option?

Greening up your house is pretty obvious stuff. Replace drafty windows, get better insulation, plant trees for shade to reduce cooling bills in summer. Modern appliances (especially refridgerators) are much more efficient than older models.

Bah! Don't overthink this thing. Just buy a Prius and put a 'Envision World Peace' sticker on the back.

[SCWDP911]

I can definitely relate to you guys. Back in 99, my wife and I had kind of had enough, if you know what I mean, and just needed a change. It kind of felt the same as when we decided to leave California when we had our first child.

I sold off just about everything, turned down a nice promotion and left a well paying job, started a new consulting business with a colleague, bought 22 acres in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana bordering the Bitterroot-Selway National Forest (SW of Missoula), built a place off-grid (solar powered with genset as backup). I had always since I was a kid, wanted to do something like this. I was not trying to save the planet mind you (anyone who thinks solar is answer to this is foolish and needs to do some honest research), I just wanted some more independence. My wife, bless her heart, let her husband live out a "childhood" fantasy for a couple of years. If it had not been for my aforementioned colleague turning crooked on me, I would still be there. Can't complain though, bought and sold at the right time. I am constantly in search of a way back. Since then, life got all complicated again. I went back to work for a large utilty (in fact the one I left in 99), bought a large house (of course I have 7 children), and I am feeling exactly what you and others are feeling Monza. I have two sides within me taht battle each other, the simple side, and the side that likes Porsches. Sometimes I am not sure how well they coexist!

Good luck! If it is something you really want to do, you just have to bite the bullet and do it... but best make dang sure it is really what you want, yeah?

[ckissick]

Check out this website. I just got a copy of 'The Not So Big House' and it's very enlightening.

http://www.susanka.com

[Aurel]

This guy lives a simple life in a tiny house...

[varmint]

the thing that has most simplified my life is to go back to a cash existence. i only use the credit cards a few times a month just to keep them alive. everything else is in real money.

[pwd72s]

Always have lived relatively simple. Life got easier when I passed the P-car on to Evren.

I'm afraid it's true...the more stuff you have, the more stuff you have to take care of. Choose your stuff carefully.

You also need an attitude adjustment to make the move. A rejection of peer pressure, a realization that image isn't everything.

[rsNINESOOPER]

Making life simpler by streamlining tasks and getting rid of unused items etc. is an excellent idea as others have said. However it sounds to me like you need a regular break from all those things a couple times a year. This means a break from the wife and kids as well even though you love them. Personally I go on a short camping trip a couple times a year with a longer backpacking trip thrown in from time to time. Sometimes with other people, my girlfriend, and sometimes I just take my dog. Its amazing the difference it makes in my life and the head clearing that occurs during these trips. Im not talking about camping in a trailer with a toilet etc. as that just defeats the purpose. Go to the mountains somewhere, go on day hikes to a lake or go to a remote part of the coast. If straight camping/backpacking is not possible then find a remote cabin that lacks modern amenities and make it your base camp. I am always amazed at how (cleansed) I feel when I return from my trips. Never hurts to try.

There is of course no reason not to get rid of accumulated junk in your life. Its a proven fact that clutter and complexity of ones surroundings can have adverse effects on many people. Clutter and complexity can cause increased stress and difficulties with concentration for some.

[rsNINESOOPER]

Making life simpler by streamlining tasks and getting rid of unused items etc. is an excellent idea as others have said. However it sounds to me like you need a regular break from all those things a couple times a year. This means a break from the wife and kids as well even though you love them. Personally I go on a short camping trip a couple times a year with a longer backpacking trip thrown in from time to time. Sometimes with other people, my girlfriend, and sometimes I just take my dog. Its amazing the difference it makes in my life and the head clearing that occurs during these trips. Im not talking about camping in a trailer with a toilet etc. as that just defeats the purpose. Go to the mountains somewhere, go on day hikes to a lake or go to a remote part of the coast. If straight camping/backpacking is not possible then find a remote cabin that lacks modern amenities and make it your base camp. I am always amazed at how (cleansed) I feel when I return from my trips. Never hurts to try.

There is of course no reason not to get rid of accumulated junk in your life. Its a proven fact that clutter and complexity of ones surroundings can have adverse effects on many people. Clutter and complexity can cause increased stress and difficulties with concentration for some.

[SLO-BOB]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Always have lived relatively simple. Life got easier when I passed the P-car on to Evren.

I'm afraid it's true...the more stuff you have, the more stuff you have to take care of. Choose your stuff carefully.

Wise words.

I used to obsess over my P-car. Upgrades. Cleaning. Rain. Rollbar or not? Seats or not? A thing of beauty that I ddn't enjoy. I'm so glad I don't have it.

As far as simplifying, a storage unit has done wonders for me. Clutter was killing me mentally. All the crap that was driving me nuts went to the garbage or to storage. I still have it, but I don't have to look at it.

As far as green, that's harder. Parked the Yukon (worthless) in the heated garage and bought a Fit. We recycle of course. Try to turn off lights and I'm considering a kill switch for the house to shut of non-essential power to TVs etc. I insulated the heck out of my attic and have low-e glass.

[SCWDP911]

Originally Posted by SLO-BOB

Try to turn off lights and I'm considering a kill switch for the house to shut of non-essential power to TVs etc. I insulated the heck out of my attic and have low-e glass.

It is amazing how ghost loads can add up...

[968rz]

Originally Posted by milt

Some suggest that if you haven't used an item in a year, to get rid of it. That doesn't seem to be practical in some cases, but it's got to be at least one of the criteria.

A good way to do this is put the stuff you think you don't need in a box and tape it shut, date it and put it in the basement/attic. If in 6 to 12 months you have not opend it out of desperate need for what is in it- get rid of it; (do not open it) just put it in the trunk and stop off at Goodwill (good for you and them).

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by 968rz

A good way to do this is put the stuff you think you don't need in a box and tape it shut, date it and put it in the basement/attic. If in 6 to 12 months you have not opend it out of desperate need for what is in it- get rid of it; (do not open it) just put it in the trunk and stop off at Goodwill (good for you and them).

One has to divide things up according to use, value, memorabilia, etc. I recently got rid of a bunch of novels. I'm not going to read a book twice. Old pics are fun but I don't necessarily want them in the computer. So, they need a place. Collectibles have gotten out of hand for me. I couldn't pass a garage sale for years. Now, I'm going to be the garage sale.

As I said, if you designate an adequate area for each type of item and store efficiently, you can hang on to more. Off site storage and attics are not a good way to approach the problem.

I have enough extra furniture (all of it antiques) to furnish a small house. I always thought I might have a cabin in the local mountains and could enjoy the second tier of belongings. Not going to happen if it hasn't happened by now. That's kind of how one has to look at the situation.

Hello, my name is Milt and I'm a pack rat.