Life should be Simple

Every since my husband made this statement, "All a person needs to live is a place to get in out of the rain , & enough food to eat, every thing else is just extra. Thats when I decided to go simple. I immediately bought a piece of land, we built ourselves a house, & I started a garden. Anything else is just extra, & I found out I can live just as well without all the extras we thought we had to have to exist. Life is grand now. No worries.

Yeppers!

Way to go!

Good for you! I am jealous! In an ideal world, life should be simple but for me there are just too many things I am not willing to live without.

Your husbands' statement reminds me of what I frequently tell my husband. 'If it weren't for women, men would still be living in caves' ... and he responds 'yes, and men would be perfectly happy'. LOL

I need water which means a well which means electricity which means a light bill or investing a whole lot more in a solar system. Even running a generator takes fuel and maintenance.

And thinking of the past month of August with 100° to 106° temps all month, I want a/c!

We still want the luxuries of computers, internet service and access to the news/entertainment.

For food year around, I want a freezer and that also takes electricity.

And I like my pets and animals that don't seem to be free to keep either.

And as we have aged over the past 30+ years that we have been on our property, one of the most important things we have needed was healthcare and now medicines. Lord knows that's not cheap!

And although we only have a 14 acre tract of land, it still takes maintenance and land taxes. As my husband says just don't pay your land taxes and you'll see who owns the land.

So I guess for me, the bottom line has been to spend my life in a career that we can make a living while doing what we enjoy the most.
Yes, we've cut things back to basic but I'm not willing to do without here.

Good luck on your endeavor. It is an ideal to strive for.

Well what's old must be new again. I made your husband's statement in the sixties, bought land in the eighties and have made a few adjustments since then. When exactly did your husband make this statement? I spend many months each year planting, cultivating and preserving food, shower outdoors with spring water, haul water when the power is out, heat with wood in the stove and fireplace, do without AC though we have a central system and cook over open fire when it's not dead of summer. Still, I agree with Podster. I'm envious that you've found a path to happiness that is as simple as making due with staying dry and enough food to keep you both going. I don't need Prada or Gucci (though I like it) but I confess we turned on the AC twice this summer. Okay, granted I used the excuse we had company both times. lol I've had the option of living between both worlds for many years; the off the grid one and the citified, indulged one. I can't continue to do both forever and need to make up my mind. We will probably go more simple but with adjustments as Pod mentioned.

We had the same idea a few years back also. We are trying to down size and do without some of the extras but there is a limit. Time has advanced and things have changed a great deal since our grandparents lived the simple life and we of the present don’t have that luxury. There are just some things that will have to stay. As others have mentioned, I’m not going to do without electricity, a freezer, the internet, or AC. We got a taste of the simple life a few years ago when Rita took the extras away for almost four weeks. We managed and I think we could have managed for much longer if we had to. But it wasn’t fun.

Our idea of the simple life is to do away with a lot of the junk that we really don’t need to live. It’s too much to go into fully but you get the idea. I garden because I like to do it and don’t have to worry about it killing me. After this egg recall, I will have chickens after I retire in five months. Rabbits will also be on the menu since they are small and easily kept.

Your husband has the right idea but we have tweaked it just a little as follows: “All a person needs is a comfortable place to get in out of the rain and enough to eat.” There is no right or wrong to it. Just what works for you.

Lizards_Keep ~ congrats on the impending retirement. I still would love more chickens again but have resisted the effort. They have been a snake magnet when I had them and I am not too crazy about that. I'll take my e coli chances. Actually we know the local egg farm people and their eggs are marketed thru our local chain. Maybe if and when retired.

I will concur, when our power is out, there is self satisfaction to know that we are capable of survival without it. But is doesn't take long for it to get old.

I will hope that my comments haven't discouraged Behillman from posting again. I will be curious to follow their efforts. Please share your trials and tribulations?

Thank you, I can’t wait … or maybe I can and just don’t know it yet. lol. The chickens are going to be one of those see what happens kind of projects. The people across the road kept us supplied with yard eggs while they were there and now we’re hooked. It was hard going back to store bought.

Going on a fixed income I figure we will quickly learn how to pare down and do without all to soon. lol. Especially with the way our present overlords are running things.

Well, I've always thought one could make do with less when we don't work. Like two vehicles, better clothing, etc. On the other hand, there's lots I could easily do without.

That fixed income term.... if you think about it, you were on fixed income while working too. And, I don't know your age but if you choose to earn on the side you can and after 66, you can earn as much as you want without affecting your SS income. That is providing the laws won't be changed. 8 /

59 and have been wondering how much the nursery is going to effect the social security when I start drawing it. That is if it’s still there when the time comes.

59 ?!? And retiring? Wow! you must have done something right. I am happy for you.

Always thought life was backward. We should be retired when young so we can party and travel and enjoy the things we are physically able to and then when old and we can't do anything else, we could work the rest of our lives.

I am 60 but no retiring any time soon as I don't buy lottery tickets. We are self employed but DH took retirement a few years ago. He still goes to work. I call him the brains and I'm the brawn. lol We transitioned the shares of partnership so it wouldn't affect his ss. When he turned 66, he could earn all he wanted. Still has to pay taxes on it of course. No need to change the partnership back though as our income all goes into the same pocket or back into the business. Perhaps you could reflect the nursery income on your wife at that time.

I think we all share that thought. It doesn't take a genius to realize we are the bulk of the population and there is a smaller portion of worker bees that will be supporting the system. It will be top heavy and we never have felt it was something we could count on. As long as physically and mentally able we will continue to work and support the system. Now I know that makes us sound money hungry but being in a small retail business has its' own rewards that are not necessarily financial.

Hope that makes sense, I'm not sure how coherent these thoughts are this morning.

It’s a tad early I know but I’m getting too old for what I do and I work in Harris Co. (Houston), which is two hours away. Told DW that I planed on enjoying some of it before I check out even if it meant being just a poor old red neck.

Its just time to pull the plug and go for it.

Know what you mean about the small business rewards. Wouldn’t trade my customer/friends for anything. Well maybe a couple.

There seems to be no single 'real definition' of extras in this thread. What may be a luxury to some may be essential to another. My own definition of essential has changed over my years on a fixed income; what used to be my list of essentials has split, and now some of them really are luxuries.

Essential for me is shelter, heat, running water, electricity, and minimal food. Telephone has become a luxury, as is running the AC, which I finally did for nearly 2 weeks.

I consider internet an essential, as otherwise I'd be totally isolated, which would not be good for my mental health (which can affect physical health). A Sunday ride out in the surrounding country, or a visit to family and friends in another county or another state is now only a luxury I can no longer afford. (I still have a cat, can't decide if that's a luxury or essential... probably a bit of both.) I can't even remember when I last ate a meal in a restaurant but it wasn't 2009 or 2010. The library book selection here is poor, but just 3 years ago I took for granted the "both-ways" postage for an inter-library loan, which ran $4-$5. Now that is simply a very occasional luxury.

The gubbmint played a dirty trick on those of us who paid into ss for many years. I'm now 70; when I was 45, the estimated ss income was based on one's highest 5 years' earnings (might have been 7 years, I forget). By the time I was 59 and working only part-time, it had changed to the last 5 years' earnings. My first ss check was less than 1/3 of what had been est. based on income in earlier years.

3 years ago, I could make ends meet and maybe put away a few $ towards a big ticket item like a freezer or garden improvements. 2 years ago it became "barely make ends meet", and this year, it's impossible. SS has seen no cost-of-living increase for 2 years, and it didn't match the real cost-of-living when it was in place anyway.

Don't get me wrong... I have few complaints; I suppose I have 'adapted', LOL. The basic thing is that I have few worries, either. No monthly bills except utilities, and house/car insurance. I sleep inside out of the rain, have plenty of extra blankets, and I am not reduced to eating canned dog food! I suspect things will continue to get worse economically, but I'm better prepared for it than most. My vegetable and fruit garden is a life-saver... both physically and equally as important: emotionally.

I agree on things getting worse and would have a hard time separating essentials from extras right now. We will just play it as it comes and make the necessary adjustments to make it work. Lady Lizard and I make a good team and are low maintenance so it shouldn’t be too difficult to accomplish.

Same here, trying to figure out the essential and luxury thing. :(

LOL... some things on my lists span both columns, like coffee. It's essential but still a luxury since I cannot grow it!

There is a very thin line between essentials and luxuries.. I think it also depends on the people involved.. If we only had what we need to live, we would all have a lot, lot less. I love to save and be frugal, but not that frugal.. lol..

Larkie

Yep, coffee will stay on the essential side I do believe.

A splash of unheated, cold water on the face won't do the trick? So spoiled. lol I do know those that recycle their grounds several times around. That's a compromising option.

Yes, keep the old grinds in the filter and just add a little new to it each time you make coffee that day. Can’t be fussy about taste if you choose to go that route. }=0P

Add one more folk to those I know who recycle grounds. Guess cold water doesn't do it for you? I'm thinking if you have a good herb garden you could forage and come up with a hot brew that might make you think you're waking up.

No, we don’t recycle grounds. We have coffee in the morning and green tea in the evening. What’s hard to do is give up diet coke. lol

Gave up soda years ago when our kids started coming out with three eyes (just kidding). Actually my obstetrician told me not to drink it in the eighties. I switched to huge amounts of caffeinated iced tea which I later modified. Tea is to soda drinkers what the nicotine patch is to smokers. Aside from the possible health issues and cost of soda, just think of all that metal you rack up for a bit of liquid refreshment, even if you recycle. This is a HUGE "IMO" but if life is to be simple it means making a small print and trying to leave this world no worse than we found it but hopefully better. For that reason I avoid bottled water as well. Luckily Maypop is spring fed but when in Atlanta we drink the city crud.
Laurel

I've never had an addiction to sodas and the only type of teas I like are herbal (homegrown and otherwise) but I drink two cups of coffee a day.

I want it fresh brewed and strong with nothing added (including darn little water). Reusing coffee grounds here would be a killing offense!

We like it strong and found buying a darker strength allows us to use less grounds, making it more efficient. I want it strong but mellow and I don't want to be disturbed while I savor my cup of coffee.

If I had to cut back, I'd give up my a.m. cup and settle for the afternoon coffee break. We have friends that know that and will join us at work for a fresh cup. In fact, we keep a coffee kitty for volunteer donations for coffee, soda and water. I find it amazing that their donations will more than cover the cost of all including our own consumption, even our home coffee.

So I guess, good coffee, good friends, good conversations ~ Life is good!