Starting your simple life

I've written about this subject in the past but I'm doing it again because I've had a few requests for it. Let me start by saying, there is not just one true way to live a simple life. It will all depend on how old you are, what your ambitions are, whether you have children, if you go out to work for a living, and possibly a hundred other things. This way of life is possible for every one and it's not limited by location or income. 

My preferred method of watering along the front verandah.

You do not buy a simple life, it is created and added to minute by minute, one day at a time. You can't tell if a person is living simply by the look of them. I know people who live on farms and grow their own food who do not living simply. I know people who live in the city and work in large corporations who do. Simple life is not so much about where you live but more about your mindset, your commitment and your values.

I picked some of these blueberries yesterday morning along with a few late strawberries. 

If you're at a crossroad in your life and you're not sure of your direction, I encourage you to take some time and think about what you value in your life. Write it down and create a long or short list that you can think about. If you're married or living in a partnership, you should share your list with your partner. They may or may not agree with your list, they may have a list of their own. Share your ideas about your future and try to come up with a combined plan for the next few years. Be prepared to go it alone too. Your partner may not agree with any of your plans. If that is the case, depending on what your plan is, you can probably do it anyway. That's what happened here. Hanno wasn't interested at first, I continued on and didn't say anything about what I was doing. A few months down the track, we spoke again and he was coming around to my way of thinking. Eventually he agreed fully and we're been on this journey together since then.

Taken yesterday morning, our native hibiscus is in full flower.

We are retired folk and have time to produce a lot of what we use at home. Home production gives us healthier products and food, saves us money and gives structure and meaning to our days. I decided very early on that I'd like to simplify my shopping, cleaning and cooking and starting with baking bread most days. I found that one simple task lead me to 20 others. The simple act of doing one thing opened up the possibility of so many things. The same happened with growing food in the back yard. Although I'd been a gardener for many years and didn't have to learn about that, I did have to learn about when to harvest, preserving, freezing, blanching and stockpiling. I think you'll find the same, that taking that first step will drive you forward to what waits beyond.

Fresh herby breadcrumbed chicken tender loin.

Although there is no set menu for this, the one thing many people do is to live on less than they earn, and pay off debt. The liberation from debt is life-changing and living simply can help you get there a long time before mainstream life will. In fact, mainstream life will take you in the opposite direction because there will always be the temptation and encouragement to buy, whether you can afford it or not.

Maybe it will be helpful to list a few things that are common in simple life, maybe that will give you a framework, and you can go on from there. I have written about all these things in the past so follow the links to find out more.
Paying off debt and tracking your spending
Living on less than you earn
Cooking from scratch
Keeping a stockpile
Green cleaning and Making your own laundry liquid
Making soap
Bread in the bread maching and Five minute bread
Decluttering
Lists and Routines
Finding happiness

You'll start your simple life immediately just by starting any of these things, and hopefully they'll lead you to the next step and the next. But please don't limit yourself to this list because as you mature and your circumstances change, so will your values and your aspirations. Simple life is a changeable feast, it might start as one thing and be totally another in a few years time. That's good. Life is dynamic and should be full of energetic and gentle change.

Four bags of strawberry jam about to go into the freezer.

I hope that by thinking carefully about your own life, deciding what you want to do with your ordinary days and being prepared to change, you'll find the same sort of peace and happiness I have in my ordinary days. It's not easy, change never is, but the rewards are there if you move closer to a more engaged and self-reliant life.

If there is a question you want to ask, or something you want me to write about, please ask and I'll try to do it this week.