Can you please.....

[freshstart]

..... share what your go-to websites or blogs or books, even Podcasts about the simple life, frugality, etc? Or stores you hit regularly?

[kib]

My personal direction at this point is toward minimalism - minimal environmental impact and minimal stuff. This is a focus that has a lot of landmines, because a great deal of talking about minimalism is ... well, not minimal! I find that this is more about doing than it is about reading; if you are staying at home on SSDI, this might be a great time to re-consider how your choices fill up your life, or over-fill it.

I do like Leo Babauta's Zen Habits. http://zenhabits.net/

I like his post today, it's about financial self care from a perspective of creating a peaceful and secure life. - I hear his "Sea Change" program is very good but it costs money and I'm not about that, so I just read his blog posts and archives.

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/ is another good one, a little more practical.

ETA: there are many people here with a different perspective than mine, a more ... lively approach to frugality and buying things. I just happened to answer first, so don't fear, SLN isn't all about mantra and meditation, that's just me - today. :)

[pinkytoe]

I lean towards finding practical information so I check out Mr Money Mustache, Down to Earth (Australia) and the frugal reddit forums. I am a thrift store shopper or buy used for most things, underwear excluded.

[lessisbest]

I have been reading books on the subject (mostly from our public library) since the recession in the 70's. I search on-line for information all the time because I keep adding information to classes I teach. I keep little notebooks I call my "Books of Odd Knowledge" filled with this kind of information or great web sites. I've done a lot of research from the two World Wars and on food rationing and the old "make do" motto.

Books:
-The Simplicity Reader – by Elaine St. James
-Something More – Excavating Your Authentic Self – Sarah Ban Breathnach
-The Joy of Simple Living – by Jeff Davidson
-The Tightwad Gazette, II, III – by Amy Dacyczyn (the information may be a bit dated, but I still read through all three books at least once a year)
-Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half – Steve & Annette Economides
-Miserly Meals – Jonnie McCoy
-Make Your Own Groceries – by Daphne Metaxas Hartwig
-Make-A-Mix Cookery and MORE Make-A-Mix Cookery – by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward, & Madeline Westover
-Reader’s Digest 99-cent Solutions

Sites to visit:
The Prudent Homemaker: http://theprudenthomemaker.com/

The Dollar Stretcher: http://www.stretcher.com/

Frugal Village: http://www.frugalvillage.com/

Since I teach a lot of classes at our County Extension Office, I also find a lot of information from them on-line that is useful.

Freezer Meals and Mixes:
http://extension.usu.edu/duchesne/files/uploads/FCS/Freezer%20Meals/freezermeals%20and%20mixes_Jan10.pdf

Home food storage:
Stockpiling Food for Small Spaces and Small Budgets
http://www.latah.id.us/disasterservices/Disaster_Pandemic_StockpilingFood.pdf

Everything Under the Sun (Food Storage for the Solar Oven) by Wendy DeWitt
http://www.sunoven.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/EverythingUnderTheSun.pdf

video: http://allaboutfoodstorage.com/preparedness-ideas/home-food-storage/wendy-dewitt-food-storage-presentation/

I could go on........there are just so many!

[freshstart]

I lean towards finding practical information so I check out Mr Money Mustache, Down to Earth (Australia) and the frugal reddit forums. I am a thrift store shopper or buy used for most things, underwear excluded. I've heard of money mustache, I just added him to my list and the reddit one to my list, thank you.

[freshstart]

This post is for kib: I somehow managed to mess up getting the replies in the right spots, sorry! you are right, not only do I have to figure out how to live on much less money, to suddenly stop working after 23 yrs really forces you to re-examine your life's purpose, what is most important and what can be let go. In a way, not the way I would have chosen, I have been forced to slow down and it makes sense to use the time when I'm not all that mobile to think very hard and to plan what I want my future to look like. Try to turn this from being catastrophic into an opportunity. I lived very simply in the 90s, I can do that again and I'm older and wiser now, hopefully that will work to my advantage!

[catherine]

I posted this list on another thread about recommended reading--these include most of my favorites:


Walden (A true classic)
Your Money or Your Life Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin (A modern classic)
The Good Life by Helen and Scott Nearing (Another one of my simple living bibles)
The Minimalists by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus (This is kind of a minimalism book for millenials)
Saved: How I Quit Worrying About Money and Became the Richest Man in the World by Ben Hewitt (Quick easy read, but entertaining and inspiring. I really liked this book)
Choosing Simplicity by Linda Breen Pierce (Good book, maybe not top on my list both worthwhile)
Simple Prosperity by David Wann (same: many simple living themes are repeated in this book, but it's written well)
Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin (Another classic)
Twelve by Twelve by William Powers (I really enjoyed reading this book about a female doctor who chucked everything and lives in a 12 x 12 house so that she has time and money to pursue causes that are important to her.)
Early Retirement Extreme by Jacob Lund Fiskar (Dense and philosophical. However, it's one of my favorites. He's an engineer so he takes an extremely analytical approach, talking about models and systems, but it's a good read after you've had some caffeine)
Radical Simplicity by Jim Merkel (much the same as the previous. Another engineer, and another one who uses a lot of math to break down the carbon footprint of everything we do. But I love this book--it's one of my top 10 simple living books. Merkel chucked his job a government engineer after the Exxon Valdez incident, and he lives (or lived at that time) on $5,000 a year to keep from having to pay taxes
Less is More (there are two books with this title. Cecile Andrews is one and other is an edited book of quotes--very inpsiring--by Goldian Vandenbroeck. Both are good, but I prefer the latter book. The subtitle is An Anthology of Ancient & Modern Voices Raised in Praise of Simplicity. Very inspiring to pick up and flip through--however, it is NOT available on Kindle.)
Minimalism by Peter Lawrence (I like this book--another very easy read, and inspirational. You can actually find a YouTube by him where he goes through his apartment and explains his rationale for the VERY little he has. And I mean he has VERY little).

[freshstart]

a mistake post

[freshstart]

these are great! thank you, Catherine

[freshstart]

thank you everyone, there are a lot of great resources here, time to knuckle down and get reading

[lessisbest]

In my foods and budgeting class I break down food purchases like this....

Start by budgeting $25 per person per week.
For every $25:

vegetables - $6
fruit - $5
grains - $4
protein - $4-$5
dairy - $4
Fats / other - $1-$2

My personal food budget for 2 adults is $125/month, and of that I budget $10/week for meat, so I'm well under the $25 per person per week.

[freshstart]

wow, that is impressive!

[profnot]

I like www.MrMoneyMustache.com (http://www.MrMoneyMustache.com)

The people there and on

www.Bogleheads.com (http://www.Bogleheads.com)

are very aggressive about FIRE - financially independent, retire early.

Not much
philosophy but tons of practical tips.

[Ultralight]

I like Becoming Minimalist by Joshua Becker and Miss Minimalist's Real Life Minimalists series. Give them a google!

I also like Bob Well's Cheap RV Living website and blog. There is also a movie with him in it called Without Bounds. It is free on YouTube.

Frugaling is a cool blog with some good info!

There are bazillions of great short and long videos on youtube about minimalism and the simple life.

[freshstart]

thanks all! will take a look

[crunchycon]

I subscribe to the Simple Living Works! podcast through iTunes. Bi-weekly podcasts that touch on various components of Voluntary Simplicity based on the Living More with Less (book by Doris Longacre, if you're not familiar with it) principles. They make no bones about having a spiritual/religious bent, as the people who run it are Lutheran Church (ELCA) - I am not Lutheran, and I don't find the religious part overbearing.