Simple living

[abcowboy]

Moss, I still use the bumper sticker slogan lol. Something else I always think of is what my dad always told us boys, it's not how much you earn that will make you rich, it's how much you save...

[MossRose]

Cowboy - your dad is a wise man.

NS - so much wisdom in your post, it's hard to call out anything specific. Although this...."An object is not the person who gave it to you. If the sweater from your grandma no longer fits, take a digital photo of it for you and give it to someone who is cold." is profound. I just had a conversation with a dear girlfriend the other night who is a borderline hoarder. She used to collect a specific item, so everyone always gave her one for every occasion - for decades!! OMG - her house is filled with this stuff. She wants to simplify her life, so I suggested getting rid of some of her gifts. But - she can't do it. So-and-so might notice. haha You are so right.

Love you too, my dear friend.

[Pie]

Not sure I thought of it as simplification at the time, but a few years ago I began to feel burdened by all the things I had acquired, furniture and home decor mostly. For example, a poker table, because I had the perfect spot for one. But I don't play poker, so I never used it, or the poker chips, or the playing cards, or the perfectly sized glasses that fit in the table's drink holders. And it struck me that I was spending some portion of each day, at a job I no longer enjoyed, to support the poker table! Duh!

I went on an extreme downsizing mission; sold everything, including the house. There's more to the story, of course, but these days, with a few exceptions, I won't own anything that needs to be stored, dusted, or maintained unless it performs an important function for me.

Thanks for the thread, Moss. Lots of great ideas here!

[patrice]

Pie - I so agree. I've moved around a lot over the past few years and when I leave my present job next year, I will be leaving with only the 2 boxes I came with... I have had no possessions for the last 4 years and I find it very freeing.. Nothing in storage, just me, my son and our 2 boxes ( well maybe 1 for him too!)

I'm loving these great posts
Xx
Pat

[frances]

D
4. Reach out to people. This was another hard one for me. I'm an introvert by nature, so it's easy for me to climb into a shell and shut others out. Now, I answer my phone. I make calls. I make plans. It's working out quite well. I heard from both of my sons today. A simple phone call and I realized that life doesn't get any better that

What a great post and thoughts. I am going to be giving this more thinking, I agree it is very worthwhile. The idea #4 you posted is something I so often think about for myself. I am also an introvert and hate that I can't seem to be the one to initiate doing something with other people. I need to set a goal or something of making x phone calls to others every week - or making x plans with others every month. It is important to me to keep my connections, but I just don't seem to really do anything about that. thanks for the reminder and for making me give this more serious thought!

[Samstone]

Great idea for a thread Mossy. I just started a batch of Kombucha about a week ago. It has been my alternative to beer for the past year, but it is expensive so I decided to try and make it myself. Hopefully I don't turn into Mr. Hyde!

Here's how I upload pics from my computer:
here's what I do regarding uploading photos:
When posting, there's a tool bar above the text box. 3rd thing from the right on the bar is insert image (says so when the curser is on it). click it and when the window appears, click the tab "from computer". At the bottom of the window (same window) you'll see "basic uploader", click that, then click on chose file tab. Once your picture has been chosen, you should be back at the window. Under chose file is "upload file" click on that and you should be done.

Be well everyone
Sam

[NoSugar]

Sam, I've been making Kombucha for the past several months. That is saving me more $ than giving up cheap wine did, esp b/c I'm not the only one who drinks it. Our current favorite flavor is grapefruit/lemon/ginger. What's yours?

[Samstone]

NS
I like the ginger, I used to brew my beer too, so this is another replacement! See you're 2 year anniversary is quickly approaching.

[NoSugar]

Thanks for noticing, Sam :smile:.
I helped my son brew beer once - Kombucha is a whole lot easier!

[BeachGirly]

Wow- NS - it is very close!
Congratulations!!!

[MossRose]

NS - so proud of you. Two years!! Can you and Sam share a recipe or two? I would be very interested.

Cowboy - one more question for you if you don't mind. I used to collect rainwater at my house to water my flowers. I cut into the gutter and attached a rain barrel. It was great. However, I was never comfortable using that water on my veggies. I now grow all of my food in containers since I live in an apartment, but last summer, I noticed that one of my containers (cucumbers) was getting dripped on by roof run-off. I freaked and wouldn't eat them. Am I being paranoid? I moved that container further from the building and hopefully won't have to worry about it this year. I want to conserve water, so I am open to all suggestions. My outside water (hose) is probably as disgusting as my inside water so that has to go. Do I just put open containers out to collect the rain? Are there any other ways I can grow in containers and still not use more than my fair share of water? I must sound like such a newbie, but I am!! Container gardening is all new to me. Thanks in advance.

[abcowboy]

Moss, we water everything, inside and out, even the garden with rainwater. We collect it from the eaves troughs (gutters) on both asphalt shingles and tin roofs without any problems. If you are concerned about debris etc, strain the water through an old nylon, one of the best water filters around! If you are forced to use municipal tap water, put it in an open container such as ice cream pail and let sit for 24 hours. The chlorine and fluoride will evaporate off leaving chemical free water... Hope this helps...

EDIT: It is not recommended to use water runoff from the "tar and gravel" roofs, most commonly used on flat roof buildings..

[MossRose]

Thanks, Cowboy. This definitely helps.

[BeachGirly]

Today I started to do some research on de cluttering my closet. I found this idea about making a wardrobe capsule. (sorry guys - boring girl talk).
Basically it is choosing a limited number of items, 30 ish, and only using those items for 3 months. Then on to the next season and another 30 items.
Anything not used can be sold, gifted, donated etc.
Good start to de-cluttering.

Once I have de-cluttered a bit more, I know I will feel calmer.

[BeachGirly]

I also enjoy posts from this site.

https://www.zenhabits.net

He has a wonderful section on simple living. It is more then just stuff...