Living a Simple Life: What it Looks Like For Me (Ideas to Get You Started)

I’ve shared why I aspire to be living a simple life but now I want to share what a simple life looks like in our home.

When I first got the simplifying bug I wanted to jump right in and change everything, but that never works. It’s a journey, not a destination, as they say.

It’s going to look different for everyone and that’s ok…great even! If it looks different from everyone else’s version of living a simple life then you’re probably doing it right.

For me living a simple life is:

• Treading lightly upon the earth. Doing my best to use fewer resources and make greener choices.
• Treating my body like a temple. I feel a little cheesy saying that but it’s sort of true. I try my best to take care of my body because my health is my wealth and without it no amount of money will matter.
• Being frugal.  To save money where we can so that we can put that money towards a greater purpose (paying debt, saving for retirement, building a business, donating or otherwise helping others, reaching goals and dreams etc).
• Living with a purpose, reaching out to others and doing good in the world.

Our Home

We rent a home where we have outside space for a garden and a chicken coop. Our home is actually a pretty good size yet still affordable so we are very lucky.

All of our furniture has been given to us, is borrowed or was bought used except for our couch (which ironically really needs to be replaced).

In the Future: I really appreciate people who choose to live in really tiny homes but I don’t think I could do it. Mainly because winters are so long here and we are stuck inside for so much of the year. That said, I could see us building or renovating a small home with really cool storage like this.

Clothing

As you know we don’t spend a lot of money on clothes. We try to buy used first, shop sales next and pay full price only as a last resort. We choose not to have lots of new or expensive clothing because we would prefer to spend our money on other things like vacations, hobbies, etc.

In the Future: I would love to become more skilled in sewing and be able to upcycle thrift store finds or sew my own clothing from vintage material. We’ll see.

Food

We choose to eat mostly homemade real food. I try to grow as much as possible and make homemade breads and granola bars for snacks. We don’t eat out or get take out often (maybe once a month). And we try to avoid processed and prepared foods. Not only is our food healthier but also we save a lot on our grocery bill by avoiding packages and making our own.

In the Future: I would love to say that I raise, grow, bake and preserve all of my own food. I don’t know if that will ever happen (and it really doesn’t have to).

Commitments

I try not to pack too many activities into one week and I also make sure we have at least one weekend a month that we can just stay home and do our own thing. I don’t like being so busy that I’m stressed out and frazzled all the time (although sometimes it can’t be avoided).

We try to prioritize time with each other and with friends and family above everything else.

In the Future: I would love to get to a point where neither Matt nor I have to “go” to work. A girl can dream can’t she?

Possessions

I wouldn’t call us minimalists (like at all) but we do try to have only what we need. One main reason we choose not to have lots of stuff is because it’s expensive to have lots of stuff.

That being said, I sometimes have a hard time saying no to free stuff because I mean, it’s free! Who doesn’t like free stuff!

But then it just turns into clutter and I get rid of it anyway. There is nothing worse than clutter. Hmm, I guess it would be easier not to take it in the first place.

In the Future: I hope we can instill the value of less in our daughter even though she will inevitably be faced with consumerism.

What does a simple life look like for you? How would you like to change or improve?

This post is shared at Waste Not Want Not Wednesdays, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Simple Living Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Homeacre Hop, Fabulously Frugal Thursdays