Changing your life to a simpler lifestyle can be achieved in many different ways, for many different reasons. And there are lots of different names being tossed around the web these days as lifestyle options: e.g., downsizing, downshifting, anti-consumerism, the slow movement, voluntary simplicity, going green, being frugal, or simple living, to name a few:
Anti-Consumerism
Political and moral stance against consumerism and materialistic societal norms. Activist outlook on living in a way that does not promote consumer-driven marketplace goals. Conspicuous consumption is rebelled against by anti-consumerism, and lifestyles are changed accordingly.
Downshifting
Considered by many to be a precursor to full Voluntary Simplicity, a.k.a. "simplicity lite." Downshifters alter their lives to a more managable lifestyle without taking drastic measures of change. For many, this is a transitional period where there is a commitment to "the best things in life are free" before more the drastic steps found in voluntary simplicity are undertaken. A mother who changes her job to part-time so she can have more time with the kids is downshifting; parents who go to one-income and accordingly, sell their house to avoid their high mortgage are voluntarily simplifying (see below).
Downsizing
Commonplace among empty-nesters, lifestyle attitude isn't changed so much as physical environment is altered, i.e., moving to a golf course condo from large family home, etc. Ecological concerns, cost-cutting measures, political stance are not motivations here so much as increased free time, less responsibility for material things, preparation for retirement.
Organizing and consolidating information dealing with simplifying life since January 2006, to help those considering a lifestyle change as well as those expert at living an abundant life in a frugal way.
January 13, 2010
January 12, 2010
The Danger of Shopping With Coupons
There in my Yahoo inbox this morning was my weekly message from Coupons.com, giving me some "piping hot offers." I've subscribed to Coupons.Com for a long time, and I still get that thrilling thought when one of these e-messages arrives: THIS may be the week when I'm going to walk away from the grocery having paid diddly for baskets and baskets of basically free food. (You know, like they do on TV.)
Because coupons are, after all, free money - right? Wrong.
Coupons are free money to me, and to you, only if they allow us to have things that otherwise we'd spend real currency to purchase. If they replace our dollars, then they act as substitute currency and we're wise to use them.
Coupons are also incentives to try things, particularly new products.
The big companies that provide these coupons (along with rebates) are trying to build customer awareness as well as their consumer base -- they are for-profit organizations, there is method in their madness. They aren't offering coupons as some kind of friendly endeavor, just because they like us. They're using a marketing tactic called a "coupon campaign."
Because coupons are, after all, free money - right? Wrong.
Coupons are free money to me, and to you, only if they allow us to have things that otherwise we'd spend real currency to purchase. If they replace our dollars, then they act as substitute currency and we're wise to use them.
Coupons are also incentives to try things, particularly new products.
The big companies that provide these coupons (along with rebates) are trying to build customer awareness as well as their consumer base -- they are for-profit organizations, there is method in their madness. They aren't offering coupons as some kind of friendly endeavor, just because they like us. They're using a marketing tactic called a "coupon campaign."
January 11, 2010
10 Ways To Avoid Overspending at the Grocery Store
Let's face it -- grocery stores want to make a profit just as much as any other business, and while their profit margins are notoriously low, they can and do have lots of subtle ways to get you to spend cash on their products.
Here's 10 ways to stop yourself from spending more dollars than you should at the supermarket:
1. Never go to the grocery store hungry. If you're parking in their lot and your stomach's growling, then take the 5-10 minutes to chow down on a snack at their little cafe or deli (most of them have these now), or get a yogurt smoothie, cold organic juice, or protein drink and guzzle that down (show the empty container to the cashier at check-out, you're not going to get stopped in the store for drinking the stuff while shopping). Don't roam those aisles on an empty stomach!
2. Shop once a week for perishables, biweekly or monthly for staples. Fresh fruit and veggies need to be replenished more often than toilet paper, but not every trip to the grocery has to be a Major Event. Have a plan for your non-perishables (personal hygiene items, canned goods, etc.) and buy them once or twice a month. Bigger packaging means less cost per ounce, etc. but make sure to check the unit price on the item, don't just assume bigger means cheaper. CostCo and Sam's are great places to buy things like this -- toilet paper, pickles, beans, rice, things like that. Have a weekly run for the stuff that goes bad -- bananas, milk, stuff like you want to eat fresh.
3. Never enter a grocery store without a list. Make a list of what you need -- go thru the house, keep a running list on the fridge. When you're in the store, only buy what is on the list. If you're new to this, trust me -- it gets easier over time.
Here's 10 ways to stop yourself from spending more dollars than you should at the supermarket:
1. Never go to the grocery store hungry. If you're parking in their lot and your stomach's growling, then take the 5-10 minutes to chow down on a snack at their little cafe or deli (most of them have these now), or get a yogurt smoothie, cold organic juice, or protein drink and guzzle that down (show the empty container to the cashier at check-out, you're not going to get stopped in the store for drinking the stuff while shopping). Don't roam those aisles on an empty stomach!
2. Shop once a week for perishables, biweekly or monthly for staples. Fresh fruit and veggies need to be replenished more often than toilet paper, but not every trip to the grocery has to be a Major Event. Have a plan for your non-perishables (personal hygiene items, canned goods, etc.) and buy them once or twice a month. Bigger packaging means less cost per ounce, etc. but make sure to check the unit price on the item, don't just assume bigger means cheaper. CostCo and Sam's are great places to buy things like this -- toilet paper, pickles, beans, rice, things like that. Have a weekly run for the stuff that goes bad -- bananas, milk, stuff like you want to eat fresh.
3. Never enter a grocery store without a list. Make a list of what you need -- go thru the house, keep a running list on the fridge. When you're in the store, only buy what is on the list. If you're new to this, trust me -- it gets easier over time.
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