Circus for the Kiddos - Free Ticket

Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey invite your baby (infant up to 12 months) or your adopted child (any age, within 12 months of adoption date) to their festivities - for free.

Movies For Free

You can see relatively recent movies for free easily by checking them out from your local library. Here in San Antonio, it's even easier than simply roaming the shelves: by going to the local public library website, choosing its search function and limiting that to "VHS/DVD" results, you can review the entirety of the city's film library from your chair.

Once found, put a hold on the selections and choose your closest branch. The library system will bring the various selections to your branch, no matter how scattered they may be in the county. Once they are corraled at the branch of your choice, you pick 'em up, watch 'em, return 'em. Free.

How current is the local library's selection? Well, I couldn't find recent releases as shown on RottenTomatoes.com -- but I could find Sideways as well as the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, both Academy Award nominees for 2004. Not bad.

SuperSize Me

Supersize Me is not a new film - but definitely one that's worth your time. Having been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2004, and winning awards at the Sundance Film Festival as well as from the International Press Academy and the Writers' Guild of America, its reputation for quality is well established.

How does it help simplify your life? By helping you avoid fast food, which is bad on your budget and on your body. The film encourages an appreciation of the simple ideas of cooking at home, of knowing what you're actually eating, and of understanding how the nutritional value of your food impacts the quality of your life.

Get the DVD, used, for under ten bucks at amazon.com. Or better yet, rent it for free at your local library. (The San Antonio Public Library alone has 20 copies on its shelf.)

The Walmart Movie

The Walmart movie everyone is talking about has an unusual distribution method: in all probability, you can see it for free somewhere in your local area. Entitled "The High Cost of a Low Price," the film's site allows you to input your zip code, and the site responds with a listing of times and locations for the next showing near you. You can also buy a used DVD at amazon. com for less than ten bucks.

The First Post: Purpose and Contents

The purpose of this blog is to organize and consolidate information appearing around the web and elsewhere dealing with simplifying life. Everyday Simplicity seeks to help those considering a lifestyle change as well as those expert at living an abundant life in a frugal way.

Topics will include:

Shopping Tips -- from bargain hunting to thrift stores, the art of shopping well will be covered
Health Tips -- meeting physical, mental, and spiritual needs the Simple Way will be addressed
Beauty Tips -- natural cosmetics and fashion finds from a Simple perspective
Seniors' Tips -- seniors have unique needs that are addressed in a Simplified Way
Kids' Tips -- kids get special Simple attention, too
Saving Money Tips -- from insurance to the grocery budget, savvy saving the Simple Way
Investing Money Tips -- the most bang for your buck, the Simple Way
Food Tips -- outside of recipes, food is discussed from a Simple Perspective
Herb & Garden Tips -- growing herbs, vegetables, flowers, and great yards Simply
Time Tips -- some Simple ways to save that most precious commodity
Recipes -- an expanding collection of Simple Recipes
Freebies -- free stuff found on the web and elsewhere
Books to Read -- great reads that help on the Simple Path
Movies to See -- films that touch on living simply
Instances of Excess -- spotlights on the Uncontrolled to remind us of where we used to be
Simple Living Kudos -- attaboys for the role models
Inspiration & Encouragement -- quotations and remembrances and testimonies to cheer you
Great Simple Sites -- links to Simple Living Sites: we're cooperative not competitive here