Search Results for: blog simple living

6 Steps to a Simple, Nonmaterialistic Life

Six easy steps you can take, starting today, to live a more simple and debt-free life  Live Below Your Means Did you know that the average American spends $1.25 for each dollar he or she actually earns? Scary isn’ it? We live in a culture where living above your means is so normal, so casual, that we don’t even realize it. Create a budget and aim to live below your means, not above. Value Usefulness Over Status The clothes we choose, the cars we drive, the homes we live in and the electronics we carry sometimes are often purchased for … Continue reading →

Sharing the Gospel Can Be Simple

I know that I have a few mormon friends who are worried about making friends with non-LDS people because they are afraid that they will have nothing in common with them. I find that to be not true in my own experience. However, when you branch out, and become friends with someone who is not mormon, you will most likely find yourself answering questions about your faith. That is simply because we are different, and we stand out. Hopefully, for the right reasons. The truth is, that as Elder Holland said recently, we can never check our religion at the … Continue reading →

3 Tips for Blogging Professionally

Blogs were first written by those who wanted to share their thoughts, family photos and stories with a small group of people. Most were used to chronicle the lives of person writing the blog. Blogs caught on due to the friendly nature and transparency of the authors. The popularity mounted and soon they evolved into the realm of making money. Once a blogger earns an income from her blog she becomes a professional blogger. When blogs were first conceived I am sure no one ever thought it would give rise to professional bloggers making a living reviewing products and chronicling … Continue reading →

Cleaning Your Outdoor Living Space

Patios and decks are no longer considered as such. Rather, these days they are referred to as “outdoor living spaces.” In some cases the term is warranted, especially if your patio is rocking a $25,000 built-in fire pit and a full kitchen complete with mini fridge, gas grill and marble countertops. Regardless of whether your outdoor entertaining space is filled with fancy furniture or simple white plastic patio chairs, it needs to be cleaned from time to time. With the busy summer months just a few weeks away, now is the time to clean and disinfect. While it may be … Continue reading →

Living Your Life Deliberately

I heard a talk in sacrament meeting this past Sunday that got me thinking. Actually, it was one particular aspect of this talk that really caught my attention. The speaker had been talking about how he was looking through some old journals of his from several years ago, and was not happy to see that he was still struggling today with the same problems that he was trying to overcome several years ago. This happens to so many of us. We become complacent in our spirituality. He said one thing thought that really made me think. He said “You’ve got … Continue reading →

Simple Living Resources

Many people who have a frugal lifestyle don’t do it for the lifestyle so much as for the necessity. However, frugal and simple living can also be a choice, and an empowering one at that. If you’re in a house, think about whether you can move or share your living accommodations to help you live well on less income. We have a townhouse, which is large but is hard to share. We may rent out a room in our home in some way, thereby allowing us to take in a little bit more income. Think about your consumption of material … Continue reading →

Simple Earth Day Projects for Kids

Earth Day 2010 is less than a week away. On April 22nd my daughter’s elementary school is planning a swap to celebrate U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson’s idea to inspire awareness and appreciation for the environment. The school-wide swap is designed to encourage students and faculty to reuse and recycle everyday items. The kids are being asked to bring in gently used clothing, unwanted accessories, books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, household items, toys, school supplies, and toiletries. The gym will then be turned into a swap meet where students, staff and parents can choose items they want or need and take them … Continue reading →

Better Living Through Chocolate

It’s Easter, and this means that it took my daughter an hour and a half to go to sleep last night. This is by no means due to her chocolate intake, of course. She had two Easter egg hunts and a special family dinner yesterday, and the chocolate threshold was quite high. Thank goodness for our special smoothies in the morning, or I suspect that her vegetable tally would have been close to zero yesterday. Chocolate is a vegetable, isn’t it? It comes from the cacao tree. Now, I have nothing against chocolate. It does contain sugar and it does … Continue reading →

Possum Living by Dolly Freed

As a part of my continued blogs about simple living, I want to tell you today about “Possum Living.” In 1978, an eighteen year old with a seventh grade education wrote a book titled “Possum Living” under the pseudonym Dolly Freed. In “Possum Living,” Freed chronicled her life with her father in a half-acre lot outside Philadelphia. The two only spent about $1,500 a year, so they were living very frugally while still keeping up what they called “the middle class facade.” Freed appeared on “The Merv Griffin Show” to tell people how the two ate trapped pigeons, sautéed road … Continue reading →

Simple Living

Simple living is something I long to accomplish. I sit here and look around my cluttered house, filled with mostly things I don’t need. I waste money on these items and am just creating unnecessary trash when I throw them away. I do try to recycle and donate whenever possible, but really, I’d rather just have less stuff. I know I eat way too much junk food and spend far too little quality time with my family. And that is the basis for the simple living movement. Minimize your lifestyle to what you need and love and get rid of … Continue reading →