Voluntary Simplicity
65Concept of Voluntary Simplicity
In the past few years there has been a fundamental shift among a large group of people as to how we live in the United States. Long known as a consumer society, many people have eschewed this lifestyle and are instead turning towards a life of more simplicity. By returning to a more simple lifestyle, they are finding that they save money, have less stressful lives, are able to spend more time with family and friends, and are more able to deal with the ups and downs of the national financial downturn.
For different people, Voluntary Simplicity means different things. For some, it means they grow more of their own food. For others, it means they buy less and try to reuse, restore, or build their own things. A recent story I watched on a local news channel featured one family who committed to buy nothing new for three months. During this three months, they found they saved a lot of money and were just as happy and comfortable as they had been before.
Not a novel concept, it is possible that the Voluntary Simplicity movement is gathering a full head of steam because of the recent financial downturn in our nation. Many are worried. Those who live a simpler life, are less worried because they have found they can do without.
Wartime Poster
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Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich (Revised edition)
Price: $4.00
List Price: $12.99 |
List of things you can do to Join the Voluntary Simplicity Movement
- Raise your own livestock (chickens, bees, rabbits, etc.)
- Plant a garden
- Consume less
- Build your own furniture
- Buy only used items
- Trade and barter for things you want
- Build "green" projects around the house. A windmill, solar panels, a greenhouse, etc.
- Make your yard more water friendly.
- Catch and use rainwater
- Eliminate all those things in your life which drain energy, time, and happiness while returning nothing.
- Make your own soap
- Cut your own firewood for winter heat--if you have a fireplace
- Plant some fruit trees
- Can more fresh fruit for winter use
- Do it yourself around the house
- "Reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, or make do and do without" --I am not sure who I first heard this from but it is great advice and embodies the spirit of Voluntary Simplicity
- Find ways to help your neighbors
Great Resources for Voluntary Simplicity Ideas
- Choosing Voluntary Simplicity
About finding balance in your life, connecting with who you are, and creating a lifestyle where you wake up each morning feeling a sense of fulfillment and excitement about the day ahead. - The Simple Living Network
Providing Resources, Examples & Contacts For Conscious, Simple, Healthy & Restorative Living.
Please add your ideas to this HUB
Please comment below and add your ideas. Together we can fight the consumer within and turn back to a simpler mentality.
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Comments
Larry Lathrop--that is fantastic. Definitely nothing new in this hub but some important things for each of us to look at. Congrats on being ahead of the curve.
Being debt free sounds great... almost there.
Great hub and wonderful poster to illustrate it, TD.
I never use my furnace or air conditioner any more (for several years now), keep my water heater on the lowest setting, gave my dryer to the Salvation Army and dry everything on a rack, and make my own bread 95% of the time. If I could just keep a job I'd be doing fabulously!
MindField, that is awesome. I love the things you are doing. Keep it up
I'm hoping the momentum keeps going so it becomes a lifestyle and not a fad. If the economic downturn reversed tomorrow, would we go back to consumerism without a blink of an eye?
One thing I do actively is walk instead of use the car as much as possible.
Shop once a week for groceries instead of every day. Saves resources and makes you plan meals more carefully.
Takeaway food is never on my mind (it's unhealthy anyway). Going out to dinner or lunch is a wonderful treat and treasured for the social aspect. But home cooking is healthier, more economical and satisfying.
Make a habit of not having the TV running while using the computer. It's background noise and not really achieving much! If it's too quiet, play music using headphones thru your computer.
Do we really need a back lawn? How about converting to a vegie patch. Design one with paths to make it look and feel pleasurable to be in. Plus less mower fuel. Even your front lawn may do well with downsizing and utilize the space for something more economical.
Become part of a community garden project. If you're overweight and need exercise, gardening is cheaper than the gym and often times more rewarding.
Keep talking about this incentive. The more people hear the more it's likely to happen.
Fantastic hub. I've considered urban foraging from time to time. LOL! Out of necessity and for the sake of our planet, we definitely utilize many simlicity methods these days. I'm appalled by all the "stuff" my kids want from rampant commercialism, we've really pared down. Again, great information and important stuff.
Great hub, well listed for new folks entering the "footprint" age as well as a great reminder for many of us on where to find more things we can do.
Larry Lathrop says:
8 months ago
tdarby,
Some of your recommendations we have been doing for years such as firewood, gardening and now we'll move toward solar. Went so far as to build my own house also doing 80% myself; for those that are able I highly recommend it. Becoming debt free is of paramount importance now-a-days and we found help in that endeavor also and have shared our secret with others.