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Thread: How are you similar to the Average Simple Liver, and how are you different?

  1. #11
    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    Simple wishes make for a simple life. I do enjoy flowers, theatre etc. as a treat and good food especially from my garden. I feel like a simple liver and average in that I balance my wants, wishes, finances and energy level to a comfort point that gives peace of mind.

  2. #12
    Senior Member cdttmm's Avatar
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    Wow, great question, although I'm not entirely sure what "average" means when it comes to Simple Livers -- we seem to have a very large spectrum both in breadth and depth of our simple living choices. Nonetheless, I will try to give an answer to the question.

    Similar: We were debt free for years and now have only a mortgage for debt (for our rental property, not our primary residence). We cook most of our meals -- which are very simple in nature -- at home from scratch. We don't have cable television. We think about the environmental impact of some of our actions, but not all. We are continually trying to simplify our lives by minimizing obligations (in whatever form). We practice preventative health care by eating in a (relatively) healthy fashion, we don't smoke, we don't drink alcohol in excess, we exercise regularly, and we try to minimize the stress in our lives.

    Different: We have no qualms about paying for comfort. We have a large house by most anyone's standards, yet it is just the two of us (plus three dogs and two cats). I have to travel by plane frequently for work. When I feel the need (meaning: I feel the need to keep my sanity!), I will upgrade to first class, at my own expense, with little concern about the cost. We will pay for things that enrich our lives (meditation classes, multiple gym memberships, expenses surrounding running ultra marathons, anything concerning our pets' health). We will pay out-of-network fees to get the best medical care. We complicate our lives by having three dogs and two cats and we go to great lengths to insure that they have fantastic lives (they are never boarded or left in the long-term care of pet sitters). We both work when we could be retired. We both work jobs that involve regular super commutes (MA--NYC for my partner; MA--TX for me).

  3. #13
    Senior Member kitten's Avatar
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    The differences I think I find between my lifestyle and many here, is that I can't relate to living in a house - and I'm super envious of people who've got one! BEYOND envious, too, of those who've paid off their mortgages.

    We actually have a condo - bought at the peak (oops) and our property has depreciated drastically, but we did it on a small scale - paid $110k for a place that's now worth about $50k. I can't decide whether we're in a better or worse position than our friends who paid $400k for their place, and have lost about $100k, but that's only a quarter of the original value. (sigh)

    So we're chipping away at the mortgage on a place we're not living in or renting out, which sucks. (My MIL needs to live there, and we're glad she seems to happy in the tiny condo.)

    And we're renting a place to live. It's TINY, so we only have our clothes and bedding there - no tables or sofa. And then we rent offices in a building downtown, so we can get out of our dark little hole and work on our projects.

    So, not very simple in that we have a condo, an apartment, and offsite offices. We feel a bit frantic and spread-out. But we needed a place to retreat to away from the litter fest that our cat has made of the floor of our studio apartment. Anyone who saw our living space would think we were simple livers in terms of not having much, but we've got all our books and figurines and art and other crap in our offices. So we're kind of cheating.

    Yes, simple in our bones - in that we'll never have a mansion that we'll be trying to fill with possessions. Not our style. But we're in debt, we hate how we live, and we hate our jobs. Hubby looked at me the other day and said, "Why are we so bad at life?" lol

    My answer was, "We haven't saved any money," and that's probably at the root of what's getting us down. Hubby has wanted to have "a pile of money in the corner" ever since we met. Instead of saving, we did some expensive moves and job switches, and now have family members to support. But we're slowly getting out of the woods.

    I wouldn't mind having to live in a tiny studio, which often feels like a giant kitty condo (she thinks it's HER bed we're inexplicably sleeping on every night, lol) if we had a big fund stash behind us. And it would free us from resentment about our jobs, if we knew one of us could leave full-time work. So - working on that.

    Sorry for the autobiography

  4. #14
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    Probably I'm most similar to Spartana in that my mindset is whether it's worth my life energy. In other words, I don't spend hours trying to get the absolute best deals on smaller expenditures - if it's reasonable, I'll get it and move on. It simplifies your life when you don't get emails or unsolicited ads about things like haircuts that are $5 off this weekend only - the $5 savings is nice, but I'd rather avoid that brain clutter.

    Like many others here, I also don't have lots of "wants" (vs. needs) but I will treat myself when I feel like it and can afford it.

    I think the best thing learned from this forum is the spectrum of what's considered Simple Living, and that posters here are basically agreed that it's something you get to define for yourself.

  5. #15
    Senior Member Dhiana's Avatar
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    As cttmm asked, "What is average?" and I wonder also.

    I see Simple Living more as a philosophy of staying focused what is most important in our lives and having the courage to say 'No' to things that are not. Especially when it seems 'Everyone Else' is doing it

    How we each accomplish that is what adds the variety

  6. #16
    Low Tech grunt iris lily's Avatar
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    I spend more money than many people here. BUT. For decades I didn't and I can tighten my belt with the rest of youse guys 'cause I've got the skills! so there.

    Like most here, the basic exchange of work-for-the-man for life energy is an equation I completely understand. Money buys freedom. Things and stuff CAN weigh you down. I like my stuff until--I don't like it. Then I want to throw off the shackles of that stuff.

  7. #17
    Senior Member awakenedsoul's Avatar
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    I agree that living simply is an individual thing. Like a lot of people here, I've worked at cutting my expenses, and living debt free. I struggled financially for 15 years, (scraping by and feeling lousy about it,) so that, for me, is huge. Having food, shelter, clothing, and savings frees me up to be my true self. I feel like an artist again. It's such a shift. I also don't like to have a lot of stuff or clutter, but I love quality. I have very nice things, many of them inherited or bought second hand. I love baking and cooking everything from scratch, exercising at home and in my neighborhood, and using less electricity, water, and gas. I'm an avid bike rider, too. I also love growing my own food and having a nice garden. I've become an enthusiastic knitter, and that's really inspiring me. I have a fantastic teacher and just started a class that I love.

    Ways I'm different: I'm not interested in guns or ammunition. I don't like to discuss politics in an angry way or argue about controversial subjects. I avoid watching other people's misfortunes on television or the Internet, and discussing their decisions and consequences. I'd rather focus on my goals and work at achieving my full potential.
    Last edited by awakenedsoul; 1-19-13 at 2:17pm.

  8. #18
    Low Tech grunt iris lily's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by awakenedsoul View Post
    I agree that living simply is an individual thing. Like a lot of people here, I've worked at cutting my expenses, and living debt free. I struggled financially for 15 years, (scraping by and feeling lousy about it,) so that, for me, is huge. Having food, shelter, clothing, and savings frees me up to be my true self. I feel like an artist again. It's such a shift. I also don't like to have a lot of stuff or clutter, but I love quality. I have very nice things, many of them inherited or bought second hand. I love baking and cooking everything from scratch, exercising at home and in my neighborhood, and using less electricity, water, and gas. I'm an avid bike rider, too. I also love growing my own food and having a nice garden. I've become an avid knitter, and that's really inspiring me. I have a fantastic teacher and just started a class that I love.

    Ways I'm different: I'm not interested in guns or ammunition. I don't like to discuss politics in an angry way or argue about controversial subjects. I avoid watching other people's misfortunes on television or the Internet, and discussing their decisions and consequences. I'd rather focus on my goals and work at achieving my full potential.
    Sigh. You are living my alternate life.

  9. #19
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    SAME: The common denominator is probably attitude. I don't see Simple Living as a sacrifice, which is how I think Non-Simplers see it.

    DIFFERENT: I'm a renter in a big city. I envision most Simple Livers as homeowners with a garden, and I have neither.

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bootsie View Post
    SAME:
    DIFFERENT: I'm a renter in a big city. I envision most Simple Livers as homeowners with a garden, and I have neither.
    I rent too. Maybe we should start a renter's thread in the Housing sub-forum

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