Life Lesson: Look for Quality No Matter the Price

One lesson I've learned during my 5+ years of living simply is that free or cheap sounds great at first -- recycle, reuse, etc. -- but this is not always true. 

There's something to be said for quality. 

When I first began this lifestyle, it was all about keeping a budget and appreciating things that I had ignored in the past.  Smell the roses sort of thing.

I learned some great life lessons from this.  The beauty of the sun rising over my back yard as the birds begin to sing.  DollarTree is a great place to buy onion powder, hair clips, and gift bags.  You can bring coffee into the San Antonio Public Library. 

I also learned from some mistakes.  Buying a cheap bookcase may seem like a great idea - but those cheapo bookshelves can't take the weight, and they'll break after a year or two.  Flip flops are fun and don't cost much: but I loved them into plantar facsiitis, a very painful (very) foot problem. 

Over time, I've learned to balance being frugal and living simply with being wise about what I buy or make or use.  This takes many forms. 

1. I only have so much time given to me by God, so I'm not wasting it on bad writing.  I read quality books or magazines or newspapers - covering a wide gamut of genres, etc. 
2. I have researched and learned a great appreciation for older products, when things were made to last or to be refurbished and reused.  Buying old kitchenware at a garage sale doesn't bring just a great bargain, it also provides you with a better quality mixing bowl/garlic press/ pastry cutter than what you can buy new.  Just pick your sale carefully, and estate sales are better for this sort of thing.
3. Ditto for older furniture.  If it's really funky, then spray it white and call it Shabby Chic.  It's amazing how something sprayed solid white (or I suppose black would work as well) blends into your room.  Take a piece of sandpaper to it, and get that distressed look if you want.
4. Don't use coupons just for the sake of coupons.  Buy quality food for your family.  Too often, coupons offer you a great deal on something that you would never have bought in the first place -- and it's something filled with chemicals.  Ewww.
5. I also look for quality in relationships. Life is short, and living a simple life means being observant and appreciative of those around you.  I like to think of the people I know as all being part of a big zoo:  some are giraffes, some are chimps, some are puppies.  I try and avoid the snakes, of course.  All of us with gifts and talents, flaws and faults.  Living a simple life may mean a small social circle but it's a better quality of living now. 

Sunday Inspiration for Simple Living 2 - Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Many, many years ago a friend gave me a pretty gift-book copy of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea., At that time in my life, I was more fascinated with the author and her history as the wife of Charles Lindbergh and the mother of the baby kidnapped and killed in what still may be the most famous kidnapping case in American history.  Surely you've heard of the Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping, still refered to as "the Crime of the Century"? 

Anne Morrow Lindbergh - aviatrix, author, wife of Charles Lindbergh

I looked to Anne Morrow Lindbergh as someone to admire, a role model of sorts.  Back then, perhaps I needed to find admirable, courageous people for the lessons their biographies could teach me.  I was looking for my path. 

Today, I'm older, hopefully wiser.  I've found my path and I'm walking on it.  Now, I'm more interested in the words that Anne Morrow wrote in her books than in the biographies describing her eventful life. 

Gift From the Sea is wonderful.  Physically, it's a little book which makes it all the more the masterpiece, considering the wallop that it packs.

Sunday Inspiration for Simple Living 1 - The Parable of the Rich Fool (or Greed is Stupid)

I'm going to try and provide inspiration every Sunday here at Everyday Simplicity, some words of encouragement in turbulent times.  It's been my experience that no matter who you are, there are times when you need someone to tell you "everything is going to be alright," and Dear Reader, please know that I'd be happy to relate that to you personally if you email me at rkennedy at texas dot com.  Meanwhile, I'm going to be offering an encouraging word or two every Sunday here on my blog. 

Why?  Perhaps you're into downsizing, the slow movement, voluntary simplicity, going green, being frugal, or simple living.  Heck, maybe you're just trying to live through this New Great Depression (look, we know that they say "recession" to try and keep fear levels down).  No matter your reason for altering your lifestyle away from living large, it can be hard to do - frustrating; at times, downright discouraging. Change is never easy. 

I know.  I love living a simple life, but that transition was very hard at times.  And it took me a lot longer than I wanted it to take. Sometimes, it's not easy now.  I wonder about the stability of the FDIC, for example, and what I should do proactively about that insecurity....

Anna Quindlen's Words for Simplifiers

Back in 2002, or maybe 2000, Anna Quindlen allegedly gave a commencement address at Villanova University, and what she purportedly said that day (and if she didn't, I wish she had) encouraged me, and I thought it might do the same for others who are out there, simplifying their lives today -- here's an excerpt:

"...So here is what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house.

"Do you think you’d care so very much about those things if you blew an aneurysm one afternoon, or found a lump in your breast? Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze over Seaside Heights, a life in which you stop and watch how a red-tailed hawk circles over the water gap or the way a baby scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a cheerio with her thumb and first finger.

"Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Each time you look at your diploma, remember that you are still a student, still learning how to best treasure your connection to others.

"Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter. Kiss your Mom. Hug your Dad. Get a life in which you are generous. Look around at the azaleas in the suburban neighborhood where you grew up; look at a full moon hanging silver in a black, black sky on a cold night. And realize that life is the best thing ever, and that you have no business taking it for granted.

"Care so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around. Take money you would have spent on beers and give it to charity. Work in a soup kitchen. Be a big brother or sister. All of you want ...."

The entire speech is too long for this little blog post, but I really encourage you to take the time and read it, word for word (click here).

I hope her words give you what they gave me: a reminder of how far I've come on this road to a simple, happy, peaceful and joy-filled life. Hurray!!!

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Words for Simplifiers

I'm proud to say that San Antonio will once again have the largest MLK march in the nation today, and I'm thankful that we have a national holiday legally set aside to remember just how truly great Martin Luther King, Jr. really was ....

To that end, I've collected MLK quotations that serve to encourage those of us who are engaged in living simpler lives.

Sure, there are his great words of wisdom dealing with Vietnam, discrimination, the power of non-violent protesting, etc. and I encourage you to go read all those quotes, as well as some of King's speeches and sermons. (Videos of several speeches are available online, and there are audio excerpts of his sermons, too.)

What I'm providing for you here, though, are words that speak to the ongoing effort of living a simplified life in a complex culture and all that entails.

Simplicity is not easy in today's America, and I for one found these quotes to be encouraging and comforting:


We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobile rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to mankind.

There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.

We must use time creatively.

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.

Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.

Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values - that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control.

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.

Put yourself in a state of mind where you say to yourself, "Here is an opportunity for me to celebrate like never before, my own power, my own ability to get myself to do whatever is necessary."

Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.

Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.

The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.

If man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.

Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.

The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.

The strong man is the man who can stand up for his rights and not hit back.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.