Striving For A More Simple/Minimalist Life in 2010 - Page 6

[ParisApril]

Originally Posted by Delicateflower

Ah, that's the first explanation that's made sense to me! Except for the wood part. That's just crazy.

That's why I started the "People think I'm Crazy" thread! I have to chop and move wood today and am looking forward to it. I love physical jobs, I could never work at a desk all day long; I'd go crazy!

[Delicateflower]

Originally Posted by ParisApril

That's why I started the "People think I'm Crazy" thread! I have to chop and move wood today and am looking forward to it. I love physical jobs, I could never work at a desk all day long; I'd go crazy!

LOL, I think it would be fun every so often, but I'd hate it once I *had* to do it. Like crafty creative stuff. i love doing it, but if I had an etsy shop I'd hate it. Or making pasta. It's fun, but I love to grab a box of the bought stuff when I'm tired.

[ParisApril]

Originally Posted by Delicateflower

LOL, I think it would be fun every so often, but I'd hate it once I *had* to do it. Like crafty creative stuff. i love doing it, but if I had an etsy shop I'd hate it. Or making pasta. It's fun, but I love to grab a box of the bought stuff when I'm tired.

I don't have to chop every day. I just have to chop and move wood for 1 hour every 2-3 weeks. Today the sky was clear blue and the sun was shining. A beautiful day. As I was chopping I remembered another good reason why I like to burn wood for heat. My sinus' are usually a mess in the winter, one cold after another. Constantly blocked sinus'. This year we are totally heating with wood and my sinus' have been clear all winter! So I guess it's good for my health too.

I grab a box of pasta when I don't feel like making it myself too. I really need to get a pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid. That would simplify things.

[Delicateflower]

Originally Posted by ParisApril

I really need to get a pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid. That would simplify things.

Yep, my rice cooker and bread maker and panini press totally simplify my life, too. :giggle

[Sweetmama26]

Originally Posted by ParisApril

I don't have to chop every day. I just have to chop and move wood for 1 hour every 2-3 weeks. Today the sky was clear blue and the sun was shining. A beautiful day. As I was chopping I remembered another good reason why I like to burn wood for heat. My sinus' are usually a mess in the winter, one cold after another. Constantly blocked sinus'. This year we are totally heating with wood and my sinus' have been clear all winter! So I guess it's good for my health too.

I grab a box of pasta when I don't feel like making it myself too. I really need to get a pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid. That would simplify things.

You must have grown up in the country because I love that kind of stuff too.

[ParisApril]

I was raised a city girl! Well city Tom Boy to be honest. I live in a small town now but would love to live in the country someday.

[Sweetmama26]

I grew up in a town of less then 1000 but my grandparents owned a farm and we were there 3-5 times a week bus sometimes even picked us up for school there, and so I got real used to country living. Now I live in a really small city but really love country living and I aim for that someday. With horses, cows, chickens and a really big garden... oh and piggies!

[enfpintj]

Originally Posted by Delicateflower

I make everything from scratch for the same reasons as many have said, but I maintain it's not more simple. It may be more desirable, but it's not simpler.

Voluntary simplicity or simple living doesn't mean that everything you do is simpler than the alternative. The terms really are misleading. Yes, lots of activities do take time and effort, but if you are consciously choosing to do them and consciously choosing not to do other things that's the key, I think.

[Amys1st]

Originally Posted by enfpintj

Voluntary simplicity or simple living doesn't mean that everything you do is simpler than the alternative. The terms really are misleading. Yes, lots of activities do take time and effort, but if you are consciously choosing to do them and consciously choosing not to do other things that's the key, I think.

I have to agree with this statement.

Also, my personal IME and IMO defination of simple for me is:

We have a veggie garden. I have had many many people say- I dont have the time, know how, energy whatever to do it. FIne, they usually take my overloaded harvest and enjoy. But, for us the turning of the soil, setting up the space, caring for of the plants is enjoyable. When we turn the soil, its exciting because it means summer is right in front of you and old man winter went to sleep for several months. When we pick a veggie off the vine and eat with our meal its very rewarding. When its canning time, it means summer is in full swing.

I love raking leaves. The sound, the crunch, the kids flying into the leaves etc.

[BarefootScientist]

Subbing.

I think I posted on the thread last year a time or two. We are looking to move out of our house (hopefully!) this year and most likely into a small apartment. I cannot wait. I have already decluttered a LOT. I still feel like we have too much stuff but other people seem to think we live like monks so I guess we are getting there. We are still going to have to get rid of lots of stuff in order to fit into an apartment though. It might end up being a cross-country move so if that's the case we'll probably get rid of lots of our furniture, kitchen stuff, etc. and start over in a way. We are also considering moving in with my parents and possibly grandpa someday so I'm sure between all the households we will have MUCH MORE than enough stuff. Good grief I shudder to think about cleaning out any of our grandparents' houses or DH's parents'.

Besides that physical simplifying, I am working on organization this year, and on remembering my priorities. I'm tweaking the "systems" and routines I have in this house for how I do things, and obviously when we move I will need to come up with whole new systems. I actually like doing that so I am looking forward to it. And I'm trying to go easier on myself for not necessarily getting things done off my "to-do list" every day - as long as I get the basic household chores done and spend lots of time with my DS and a little with DH after he's in bed - then I am good.

Everyone here is an inspiration.

[marimara]

Originally Posted by BarefootScientist

Subbing.

I think I posted on the thread last year a time or two. We are looking to move out of our house (hopefully!) this year and most likely into a small apartment. I cannot wait. I have already decluttered a LOT. I still feel like we have too much stuff but other people seem to think we live like monks so I guess we are getting there. We are still going to have to get rid of lots of stuff in order to fit into an apartment though. It might end up being a cross-country move so if that's the case we'll probably get rid of lots of our furniture, kitchen stuff, etc. and start over in a way. We are also considering moving in with my parents and possibly grandpa someday so I'm sure between all the households we will have MUCH MORE than enough stuff. Good grief I shudder to think about cleaning out any of our grandparents' houses or DH's parents'.

Besides that physical simplifying, I am working on organization this year, and on remembering my priorities. I'm tweaking the "systems" and routines I have in this house for how I do things, and obviously when we move I will need to come up with whole new systems. I actually like doing that so I am looking forward to it. And I'm trying to go easier on myself for not necessarily getting things done off my "to-do list" every day - as long as I get the basic household chores done and spend lots of time with my DS and a little with DH after he's in bed - then I am good.

Everyone here is an inspiration.

Us too! Our house is up for sale and we are looking at downsizing to an apartment. Can't wait, we have people look at our house yesterday and then they came back for ANOTHER look a couple of hours later and said they loved our house, so hopefully they will write an offer! I can't wait, I"m so excited to downsize and be debt-free 100%.

[enfpintj]

Originally Posted by marimara

Us too! Our house is up for sale and we are looking at downsizing to an apartment. Can't wait, we have people look at our house yesterday and then they came back for ANOTHER look a couple of hours later and said they loved our house, so hopefully they will write an offer! I can't wait, I"m so excited to downsize and be debt-free 100%.

Good luck! I hope it comes through. we are waiting for the market to improve, so we're here a while longer, but I can't wait. Being debt free really is an exciting and comforting feeling. Enjoy it.

[starling&diesel]

Hi everyone ... I have a question. I posted about it elsewhere, but am wondering about the 'simlicity' aspect of it.

We live in a condo in a high COL area. Our mortgage is $2400 a month and will take 30 years to pay off, to the tune of over $360,000 interest on a $540,000 home ... so in essence, we will be paying $900,000 for this home, in the long run. Our mortgage payment is about 50% of our income, but that is average here (Vancouver).

We have an opportunity to apply to a few housing co-operatives in our area. If accepted, we would be paying about $700 for a two bedroom apartment, freeing up a considerable amount of money per month. We would invest the difference. We would be out of the housing market, though, and so much of the financial wisdom out there says that real estate is the best investment.

Does one of those scenarios speak more to living simply?

[Sweetmama26]

Originally Posted by starling&diesel

Hi everyone ... I have a question. I posted about it elsewhere, but am wondering about the 'simlicity' aspect of it.

We live in a condo in a high COL area. Our mortgage is $2400 a month and will take 30 years to pay off, to the tune of over $360,000 interest on a $540,000 home ... so in essence, we will be paying $900,000 for this home, in the long run. Our mortgage payment is about 50% of our income, but that is average here (Vancouver).

We have an opportunity to apply to a few housing co-operatives in our area. If accepted, we would be paying about $700 for a two bedroom apartment, freeing up a considerable amount of money per month. We would invest the difference. We would be out of the housing market, though, and so much of the financial wisdom out there says that real estate is the best investment.

Does one of those scenarios speak more to living simply?

I was told straight from a realtor's mouth in this economy housing is not a great investment as you are losing more money to interest rates then your house is probably worth. I'd say the housing co-operative is probably your best and most simple choice.

As For me- I registered my boy for pre-school for the 2011-2012 year and my gosh, I'm so sad

[enfpintj]

I was just reading an article in the detroit paper saying that in the US "gen Y" will rent longer and are less likely to own a house than their parents and will want a walkable area when they do buy. As the market recovers the trend will be very different than it was before the recession. And home appreciation will slow considerably in the decade ahead and homeownership rates will drop from 69% to 62 % the disillusionment with homeownership as a way to build wealth could persist for decades. It also mentioned viewing homes as shelter only not as investment. According to Housing in America:The Next Decade by John K. McIlwain Urban Land Institute.

so according to this, the old financial wisdom is dying or dead anyway. There are many ways to live simply. For us it involves living with independence and freedom. What way makes you feel more free, paying alot for your own home or renting and socking away the money?

[smeisnotapirate]

We are absolutely home buyers. We are in this house until one of us dies here. That being said, we explicitly bought a fixer-upper that was $100k less than what we were approved for, so we know we can pay it off and OWN the house. We also have it at such a low rate that the house itself costs less than renting a place. It was a purposeful decision, and I truly believe that if you're smart about it, you can save SO much money by buying.

[accountclosed3]

our last house was definitely an investment for us and we bought in a very savvy way. the COL was high and the amount for a mortgage was less than the amount for rent. the equity jumped up a lot, and doubled in the decade that we lived there, and we were able to sell the house in one day (having only lost $11k in value due to the recession), and use that money to move to NZ.

we are currently renting in a walkable area (10 mins to work, 20 mins to our fav hang outs, great bus/train system, etc). the rent is high, but comparable to our mortgage payment--which was our goal. we do want to buy, when we figure out where and such. but again, that's because i do see housing as an investment and like buying on the stock market or choosing CDs or what have you, you have to know what you are investing in and how it will function to give you the return on investment that you *want.* It takes a lot of self understanding and understanding of the investment itself.

----

onto stuff about me because i love to talk about me. LOL

we do have our apartment now and i have a table (picking it up this next week) that i got for $80 second hand. perfect fit for our bay window seat in the "lounge." we organized our shelves so the toys, books, office-y stuff and all of that is organized. we also have the bed coming, but have already recieved the single highboy that fits *all* of our clothing except our hanging clothes, of course.

we have joined the library--totally enjoyable experience. they have mothering magazine! so, i checked that out this week, finished it in two days, and returned it this morning when we took hawk to story time. picked up a DVD to enjoy tonight, too, along with some awesome cookbooks, and gardening books.

i've started working on the garden--first with clean up, and then making a list of "repairs." the landlord said he would be happy to pay for the re-terracing of the garden space since it is collapsing, to fix the fence at one point, extend it at another, and add a gate so that hawk will be safely enclosed while we are gardening. I also told him that i was going to start the soil amending with cardboard, composting veg, manure, and top soil. I also told the neighbors for whom this is right outside their door. It doesn't look pretty at all, but they are keen to see the garden grow too, and so they are ok with it. I got the manure for free, the carboard from the neighbors and different stuff that we had to buy, and of course compost veggies are easy.

i also made connections with the local community garden. our first "working bee" is sunday. i'm really excited to join this group and one of the ladies is sub-dividing her herbs and "english style cottage garden" and will help me with fall plantings once the soil is ammended!

so, it's looking up around here! we love wellington!

[starling&diesel]

Originally Posted by enfpintj

I was just reading an article in the detroit paper saying that in the US "gen Y" will rent longer and are less likely to own a house than their parents and will want a walkable area when they do buy. As the market recovers the trend will be very different than it was before the recession. And home appreciation will slow considerably in the decade ahead and homeownership rates will drop from 69% to 62 % the disillusionment with homeownership as a way to build wealth could persist for decades. It also mentioned viewing homes as shelter only not as investment. According to Housing in America:The Next Decade by John K. McIlwain Urban Land Institute.

so according to this, the old financial wisdom is dying or dead anyway. There are many ways to live simply. For us it involves living with independence and freedom. What way makes you feel more free, paying alot for your own home or renting and socking away the money?

Interesting post, thank you. I'll be looking that McIlwain info up.

I'm thinking about your question. Not sure what the answer is yet.

[starling&diesel]

Thanks for your feedback, people. Other perspectives help! This is our sixth property, so we've been around the block a few times when it comes to real estate. I find it a fascinating thing ... and always will, even if we end up in the co-op!

[Amys1st]

I am also of the school of thought (but have been for several years) that home ownership is not an asset but a shelter (more than a roof over your head).

Once upon a time in the mid 90s, a young couple (earlt mid 20s) got engaged. They both lived at their parents' home and saved for a 10% down payment. Before their wedding, they found out what rent was for a smaller apt that would be literally thrown away every month. The mortgage on a smaller 3 bedroom house was much less incl property taxes, insurance etc. They qualified for a larger mortgage, but bought under that for 150K with a 15K down payment. They tore down wallpaper, pulled up carpet, painted, tore down and after 10 years had a perfect home. This home in 2007 is now selling for 300K. After crunching numbers, they figure out how much they spent at home depot, mortgage etc and divided out, they got back each and every dollar they put into the house. Bought another house that needed new owners for 30K more than the house they sold. The profit on the house selling after realtor fees etc, was more than they paid for the house so they put it on the next house. Now we are in a bigger house, again tearing it all out and putting it back together. But since we love doing this, we are happy! We also have a smaller mortgage than most people we know who have homes half the size. So yes, this worked out as a great investment.

Fast forward, its a new decade. If we sold this home today, it would only fetch what we paid for it, may be a bit more. Of course our morgage though is less than 40% of what someone would pay for it.

But, the story ends with- someone bought this couple's first home and had 100% finacing on it and it was approved. Their home is now worth less than what they paid us for it. Not a great investment IMHO and IME.