One step, then another

When I first gave up working for a living I did that hoping that if we were thrifty, if we cut back, if we gave up a couple of the things we used but didn't really want - like pay TV and a second car, that we would be able to live on much less that we were at that point. The key to this of course was that we had no debt. We'd already put in the hard work to pay off our mortgage - which took eight years instead of 20, we didn't have any other debt and I hoped that by shopping more carefully for groceries, watching our waste and buying needs instead of wants would stand us in good stead. I was right, my idea worked. We reduced our grocery bill substantially, we got rid of the second car and pay TV and our expenses started to look like something we could easily handle. Hanno was still working in our Montville shop at that point (after retiring earlier from work in the mining industry) and when he sold the shop, he went on a pension. Still, we not only managed, we put money in our savings account every month and with the bits and pieces I earn from my writing and bartering, we still do.

I believe the one thing that helped us the most was to track how we spent our money. That was a real eye opener, we couldn't dispute it; we knew how much we were spending and what we were spending it on. That gave us the ability to stop spending in certain areas so we had money for what we really needed. Things like buying lunch when we were out, bottles of water, coffee, magazines, we stopped them all. We just used a pen and paper and wrote down everything we purchased - everything. When those items were added up, they looked more serious than they did as single purchases and seeing the larger amounts helped us make more prudent buying decisions. Everyone has their own achilles heel, tracking your money will help you find yours.

But money is only one part of the equation. Thrift made it possible for me to stop working at a regular job, but if I was going to spend more time at home I wanted joy and enrichment to be part of every day and I wanted to enjoy the day-to-day tasks I set myself. I would have short-changed myself with anything less. When I was working for a living, I wondered why I didn't feel "at home" here. Now I know that to get that feeling of comfort with one's surroundings, to live in a nurturing home, you have to give it time and you have to customise your home to suit you, your family and how you work. That doesn't come over night and it doesn't come with buying a house full of furniture. I have found that it starts to happen when you home-produce what you love having around you and when you cook and bake and fluff up your nest. You have to put time and love into a home. Cooking a meal every night and having a family gather at the table to eat together, strengthens family ties every day and helps form the feeling, for every one in the family, that home is a safe harbour and that you can be your true self there. Now more than ever we all need a place where we can relax and recover from the stresses most of us face in everyday life. My home is that place for me; your home holds that potential for you too.

We have done a number of the things we do now for many years. We've kept chooks and had an organic vegetable garden for over 30 years, we've stockpiled for many years, cleaned with vinegar and paid off our debts fast. But it was only when we did these things with a purpose and in a loosely organised fashion that it made sense and worked the way we wanted it to. Home needs to be the focal point, you need to rely on your abilities and yourself and move away from buying convenience. When you get that, it starts making sense.  If you came to our home you would think it is like any other home. We are average people. There is nothing special about us and if we can do this, you can do it too. We won't all do it in the same way - we all have our own values, family circumstances, income levels, abilities and goals, but that is the beauty of this - there is no "right" way.

So where are you along the road to a more simple life? It only takes one thing, then another, and before you know it, you'll be on the same journey Hanno and I are on. I wonder how you started, I wonder what your next step will be. There is always a next step, there is no final destination, the journey itself is the prize.