View Full Version : How are you similar to the Average Simple Liver, and how are you different?
Life_is_Simple
1-18-13, 12:59pm
Similar: I work 30 hours per week in self-employment. I could work 40 if I wanted, but 30 is ENOUGH! I encountered a non-simple-liver recently, who asked: "Is there enough work in your self-employment for 40 hours?" I said, "I prefer 30." She looked perplexed, like she really didn't get the concept at all
Different: I feel that a lot of Simple Livers on this forum focus more on saving money and being frugal. I focus first on making my life easy, even if I spend more money to get it that way. So I sometimes have a guilty feeling like I am spending too much money, compared to some of the Frugalistas here ;)
Tussiemussies
1-18-13, 1:47pm
Similar: very frugal, trying to save in all areas of my life while keeping quality, always take stay-cation since we cannot afford a vacation. Stay-at-home wife due to medical issues. Constantly reading about how to save more money. Have kept most of my furniture from 25 years ago, it is very sentimental to us. We are going to update it in the near future. Am vegetarian due to ethical reasons but bot sure that it really saves us money since we only eat fresh fruits and veggies.
Different: the only way I see mysel as different is that some take vacations when they can and a lot more people have more money saved!
I am trying to strike the balance in between the 2 you described. I am focused on money, but not in a take it my grave HAHAHAHAHA evil laugh kind way. Just trying to build a nice life for my family. I live simple because I honestly hate stuff. I see no sense in spending $200 of a vase when I can bank $175 and take my son to soccer. :) That's just me.
I've said here--ad nauseum--that my idea of simple living involves a hotel. I'm interested in minimizing obligations and external demands. Money doesn't mean much to me, or I'd have a lot more of it. I'm frugal in some areas so I can be less so in others. I try to keep my end up environmentally, with endless (it seems) recycling, etc.
I doubt if I am compareable to anyone else. My husband and I do not even come close on simple living, he does not venture to the simple side. I do what I can to make my life less stressed, smaller footprint and so when doing those things less spending seems to happen along with feeling content.
I make a lot of those $200+ vases. :)
And I have no problem spending money on something I really want but I make choices. I may choose to spend $150 on a pair of earrings but I only have 4 pair of earrings (not a drawer full of cheap stuff). I drive my cars/trucks into the ground. We find great clothes at thrift or consignment. We like great restaurants - we've got a dinner out planned that we know is going to cost the 2 of us over $200. But I consider myself very frugal---back to the word 'choices' again.
Float On- I bet they are pretty!!!! I have to agree with your assessment too. I am similiar. :)
We are frugal in that we don't eat out as often as most people, we don't have smartphones or cable TV, and we look for sales when we are planning to purchase something. We have a small house, which is both frugal (in both monthly costs and in irregular repair costs) and simple (I choose not to spend more than 2 hours/week on housecleaning). We made choices 10-15 years ago to leave the corporate world (choosing more time and less stress - at least in theory) that put us on DH's current career path in academia; I left my engineering career to raise our daughter. So our current lifestyle reflects those simple living choices.
I guess to answer your question - I don't see that the frugal and the simple are in opposition to each other. I see both as necessities in leading to our goals.
Similar: I work 30 hours per week in self-employment. I could work 40 if I wanted, but 30 is ENOUGH! I encountered a non-simple-liver recently, who asked: "Is there enough work in your self-employment for 40 hours?" I said, "I prefer 30." She looked perplexed, like she really didn't get the concept at all
Different: I feel that a lot of Simple Livers on this forum focus more on saving money and being frugal. I focus first on making my life easy, even if I spend more money to get it that way. So I sometimes have a guilty feeling like I am spending too much money, compared to some of the Frugalistas here ;)
I'm pretty much in the same catagory as you. I don't do many of the things that a lot of simple livers here do that would save me money, because they cost me too much in "time" (or headache, hassle, etc...) - a much more precious commodity IMHO. I would rather pay for for products that make my life easier, and pay to have someone do something for me that I dislike to do, or is too time consuming, and use my life energy on things I enjoy.
From what I can gather of the various simple living forum members over the years I probably fall close to average or a little more simple in most aspects. I left wage earning work at the age of 56 and was debt free.
My simple living inspirations were Scott and Helen Nearing and the Your Money or Your Life book. Relative to those guys I'm definitely a simple living wimp.
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.
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).
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 ;)
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.
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 :)
iris lily
1-18-13, 10:15pm
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.
awakenedsoul
1-18-13, 11:07pm
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.
iris lily
1-19-13, 12:09am
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.
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.
Life_is_Simple
1-19-13, 11:19am
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
I rent too. Maybe we should start a renter's thread in the Housing sub-forumWhile I currently own a house somewhere in one of Dante's 9 circles of the Inferno (about 40 miles south of LA in the suburban/urban sprawl - OK it's a nice area so just joking) my dream verison of the "simple life" would be renting a tiny apt, condo or townhouse in the center of a small city. I love renting and the whole freedoms involved compared to home ownership and the often drugery and expense of maintaining a house and yard. But with dogs owning a house is easier for now.
I make a lot of those $200+ vases. :)
And I have no problem spending money on something I really want but I make choices. I may choose to spend $150 on a pair of earrings but I only have 4 pair of earrings (not a drawer full of cheap stuff). I drive my cars/trucks into the ground. We find great clothes at thrift or consignment. We like great restaurants - we've got a dinner out planned that we know is going to cost the 2 of us over $200. But I consider myself very frugal---back to the word 'choices' again.
On the other hand, I stow my valuables--the really valuable ones--in a safe deposit box and enjoy the "cheap stuff"--CZs (My latest is a too-large cushion cut; I love it), paper beads (thrifted, from Uganda, lovely!), a nifty (thrifted) black dog pin handmade by some other Jane from an inner tube. I like quality and quantity, I guess.
Fun thread! Fun question!
Similar/Same: We live in an average sized home (smaller than most though), practice single income living, garden, recycle, reuse, and are content to just be ourselves, i.e. food on the table, good health, happiness, closeness/love/care.
Different: I take simple/frugal living to a whole new level! I'm stuck in a time-warp (if you will), where I still think the only way to dry clothing is on an old-fashioned outdoor clothesline/wooden drying rack, where (reusing) line-drying plastic bags/baggies, is all in a days work, where preparing home-cooked/homemade meals, isn't an option, but rather, a necessity, where the best diapers come by way of old-fashioned/old-school flats (with pins/pull-on waterproof pants), where using an item or thing, means using it right to the bitter-end, and then some, and then some more, on top of... and then some more on top of that! As in... it's not done until it's done! Done-done... LOL! You can say I take simple/frugal living to the extreme.
If I were to publish a book, it would be called, "Life without a Wringer Washing Machine"! ROTFLMAO!
awakenedsoul
1-19-13, 2:21pm
Sigh. You are living my alternate life.
Really? What would be different in your life now to make it your alternate life? Oh, and just so you know, the dogs just peed on my bed for the third time this week. (They are jealous of my knitting.) So, I'm using more homemade laundry powder, hot water, electricity, and time because they are acting out. I've decided they are going to start spending a lot more time outside. I think I might bring the crates back in, too.
... where using an item or thing, means using it right to the bitter-end, and then some, and then some more, on top of... and then some more on top of that! As in... it's not done until it's done! Done-done... LOL! You can say I take simple/frugal living to the extreme.
I might have to show this to my teen daughter as yesterday she pointed out to me how many of the things I use are "broken." I tried to point out that if it still works, it sure ain't broke, but she remained skeptical. She might like knowing that it's not just her mom that practices this "use it until the end and then use it some more" approach. If I replaced everything that had a nick or tear, I couldn't afford all her activities, after all. :) Plus, it's just not in me to replace something I can keep using. I like this part of simple living!
Love it, Bootsie! This is exactly why I love this forum and all the members SO MUCH! We think alike (and do alike for the most part), and I find comfort in that, knowing I'm in good company. :)
P.S. Good on you for being the way you are! Good on everyone here for being the way they are!
iris lily
1-20-13, 11:35pm
Really? What would be different in your life now to make it your alternate life? Oh, and just so you know, the dogs just peed on my bed for the third time this week. (They are jealous of my knitting.) So, I'm using more homemade laundry powder, hot water, electricity, and time because they are acting out. I've decided they are going to start spending a lot more time outside. I think I might bring the crates back in, too.
Here is my Victorian cottage (only 4 rooms!) where I reside in my imagination, unencumbered by peeing dogs, a bigger house to clean, etc to care for, etc. It's just a pleasant alternate life. I like my life, but I like my alternate imaginative life, too. I own this cute cottage but it is a wreck inside and is not habitable. I grow lilies and iris in the back yard.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb111/kprp/sept262010036_zpse44bea5e.jpg
Oh Iris Lily---drooooolllllll.....:) <3 <3 <3 <3 and <3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
awakenedsoul
1-21-13, 11:17am
Ooh! That's beautiful. Do you think you'll clean it out and do the repairs? I bet it's really pretty when all of your irises and lilies are in bloom.
iris lily
1-21-13, 11:49am
Ooh! That's beautiful. Do you think you'll clean it out and do the repairs? I bet it's really pretty when all of your irises and lilies are in bloom.
We probably won't renovate it in my lifetime. We've cleaned up the front (tuckpointed, new window and door, removed dangerous trees and tree roots) and have planted the front in no-maintenance plants, but that's all that we'll be doing.
It is basically my private lily growing place. See my avatar, that's a photo of high lily season there.
I'll rent your very cute little cottage IR. Perfect for simple me and even simpler little Rat Dog. I'll even clean it up and make minor repairs, and I'll walk the Frenchies everyday so that they are pee-free (an exhausted) in exchange for reduced rent. You can even grow all your iris's and lillies too. I'll just sit on a lawn chair with a big glass of wine under the shade of a big umbrella and watch you work!
iris lily
1-21-13, 12:10pm
I'll rent your very cute little cottage IR. Perfect for simple me and even simpler little Rat Dog. I'll even clean it up and make minor repairs, and I'll walk the Frenchies everyday so that they are pee-free (an exhausted) in exchange for reduced rent. You can even grow all your iris's and lillies too. I'll just sit on a lawn chair with a big glass of wine under the shade of a big umbrella and watch you work!
Sweetie, it doesn't have plumbing. The gas is shut off due to leaks. It's it basically a big shed. BUt I would SO take you up on it were it habitable.
Sweetie, it doesn't have plumbing. The gas is shut off due to leaks. It's it basically a big shed. BUt I would SO take you up on it were it habitable.
OK - no plumbing is where I draw the line. Me likes me flushing toilets and hot showers :-)! But it is so cute. I always look at vacation rental cottages like yours online and they can fetc a pretty penny. Something to think about if you ever do decide to fix the place up!
Can I join in and attend to your gardens? I just need a small bed and dresser. :)
LOL....I have had the same thing happen to me. I was telling a friend of mine that I would love to have more people to hang out with during the day since I have so much down time. She suggested that I get a job at Michael's! I just looked at her and said that I don't need another job, I make more than enough working part time to meet all my goals :)....I just wanted some more company during the day!
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