My mother, who lived until age 99, once said, "Give me a good book to read and I am happy." I'm thankful that she instilled in me a lifelong love of books, libraries, and reading. One of the first things I do if moving to a new place is get a library card. Libraries are wonderful resources not only for books, but many also have book clubs, classes, and even volunteer tech help provided by students. Friends of the library groups provide book sales and volunteer opportunities. Books bring people together and take us to unexpected places, all for the price of a few hours of time.
My mother started us going to the library very young, and my brother and I still love to read. Libraries are wonderful, and most of what they offer is free. Can't beat that.
I supported myself my entire life. When I was young I did everything from bar tending to waitressing to house cleaning. When I was in my thirties a volunteer job turned into a paying job and thus began my career in the nonprofit sector. I still didn’t make a big salary and didn’t have medical benefits until I was approaching 40 but I managed. Affording to live alone - some of us have no other choice - depends a lot where you live. At 50ish I moved to a small town in the Midwest and eventually could buy a house with no deposit through help from a community bank and a very long mortgage. The plan was to have a mortgage I could afford when I stopped working and lived on social security. The bank could have it when I died. All to say, women make do. I’ve had an enriching life. There is much entertainment that is free if you look - books, movies, music. I never felt deprived. I felt fortunate to have satisfying work and a roof over my head. I still do.
I totally agree with what you're saying, but living a simple life can be challenging when you're a born collector of things. In my defence, they're mostly books which are always a good investment. Many of them are second hand. Libraries are great, but wouldn't stock most of the books I'm interested in. I must curb my addiction to kindle and Amazon. After my husband passed away, I cancelled our subscription to Sky TV which saves a lot of money. I rarely buy clothes or shoes, don't have a car and shower only every other day, unless it's very hot. In between I do a quick wash which is perfectly adequate. I also don't change my clothes every day (underwear excepted) unless it's very hot outside. I only wash my clothes whenl the machine is full and don't have a dish washer. In winter I wear warm clothes and use a blanket rather than crank up the heating. I buy a lot of food that's in the sales. I gave up using my bread maker as it takes 3 hours worth of gas for a cycle. Other than that I only travel long distances or abroad when necessary.
I read two books about living minimally that seem relevant here: one was Ken Ilgunas's book about living in his van ("Walden on Wheels"), and the other was Dee Williams's book, "The Big Tiny," about living in a tiny house. What struck me about both of them was that they needed their small footprint to be part of a larger community. Ilgunas lived in his school parking lot, and he used the university buildings for computer access, exercise, and showering. Williams parked her tiny house on a lot owned by friends, and provided care in exchange for the use of some of their bigger-house amenities.
It's possible to not have home internet if we have access to a library or coffee shop with free wifi. It's possible to not have a car if we have public transportation or a walkable/bikeable community. And so on. I think the US emphasizes this idea that we have to do everything ourselves and depend on nobody else, when the reality is that we are all interconnected and interdependent.
Oh Sue, there will always be the "yeah but" people playing in the "my life is worse than yours" and "you don't understand" victim hood olympics. I think about late life a lot since my dad died. I've always worried. One thing that is helping us watching my mum's helplessness. She can't do things on her own, which is horrifying but it's a terrific lesson for me. I don't want to be like her, isolated, unable to work her remote let alone a mobile phone. And I know so many lonely widows like her, who have everything to their families and now have nothing for themselves. It doesn't have to be that way. You're doing great, Sue. You're truly inspiring.
Thanks for the additional reading links. I'm probably going to be just fine, but there is a part of me that chooses to live below my means rather than above as I've seen so many of my contemporaries do. With Depression era parents, I was raised very aware of money and lack of. I also had no idea how little they had until I was out of the house and looked back at my mother's wardrobe of two pair of pants, three blouses, three jackets and a handful of scarves - each red, white and/or blue - and she made them look like she had an endless closet. The cars were always ready to die, but they were beautiful: Impalas, Bonnevilles. Vacations were always camping and it never occurred to me that sleeping outdoors was all we could afford. -- As I get older I get more Buddhisty, if that would be a word, and want less attachment to things. I like my streaming, but don't need more than one service at a time. I'm 67 and still, 90 % of my clothes come from Old Navy, on sale. The one luxury I allow myself is someone to come in an clean every two weeks...because time means more to me than things. I'm looking forward to living and traveling in a converted Transit van one day when Mom passes (assuming she passes when that is still an option!). Less is freedom.🩵💙
Less IS freedom. I totally agree. I think we would all be healthier with less attachment to things. My mom got around the budget by sewing and knitting a lot of our clothes. Bravo for your mom making it look easy. BTW, don't bother with the book I listed at the end. It's terrible. The other links are quite helpful.
I adopted a minimalist lifestyle to safe money and live small. My condo was 500 square feet and on a transit line - so I gave up my car. Such a small space meant I didn’t need much furniture - and I kept minimal knick knacks and decorations (bonus - less cleaning and dusting!). I walked as many places as I could when I was healthy enough.
I adopted a whole food vegan lifestyle and found a local CSA (community supported agriculture) to get the bulk of my produce. Saved a ton of money! You can eat well and cheaply on things like rice, beans, tofu and veggies!
I also didn’t eat out, do delivery services or any sort of hair or nail services - though that was partly due to my severe allergies. Big savings in cutting my own hair and not doing my nails though!
I’ve saved about a half million $ to date by not owning a car -- $10,000/yr avge, according to the stats. And that is just car expenses, not including the cost of the car! Using my body for day to day transport has kept me healthy, I’ve had so many interesting journeys, and met wonderful people in shared spaces. I have put that extra half mil towards lots of excellent ongoing adventures, as well as rent on my tiny apartment. I have never not gotten where i wanted to go. Being car-free is freedom, not sacrifice.
Well it depends how many miles, and what constitutes civilization ;). If you have a well-fitted bike in good condition, with some kind of cargo capacity (a basket or rack), you can do almost anything within 10km of home. Then there are car-shares, transit, trailers, and of course e-bikes. The options are myriad and you adapt to the options. It requires a bit of creativity but is eminently possible, I’ve lived quite remotely and managed it … and I’m not a hermit, I require a decent coffee shop experience on the regular.
I’ve had more than one chunk of time in my life where I held two full time jobs to make ends meet. Right now, it’s been ‘cut back, cut back’. My challenging health stuff has made it so I’m not driving (Vision is not clear now) and I cannot work like i used to due to the brain fog. So the internet is my one must have expense. I haven’t been buying books,just listening to them on audible (and I love my books!). I cook simple yummy meals twice a week and then live off that. There are no trips, no restaurants, no lattes with friends (no lattes at all!). My condo is smallish, and will be paid off in a few more years, thank goodness. My state has a senior exemption to cut back on property taxes for low income seniors (thank goodness!) home association dues are expensive, but I don’t have to mow a lawn, nor take care of pests, nor the roof, nor anything outside.
I love the concept where: if something new comes into the house, something old must go out.
I like that concept, too. I admire your courage carrying on with your health challenges. I save a lot on lattes because I don't drink coffee at all. :-)
My mother, who lived until age 99, once said, "Give me a good book to read and I am happy." I'm thankful that she instilled in me a lifelong love of books, libraries, and reading. One of the first things I do if moving to a new place is get a library card. Libraries are wonderful resources not only for books, but many also have book clubs, classes, and even volunteer tech help provided by students. Friends of the library groups provide book sales and volunteer opportunities. Books bring people together and take us to unexpected places, all for the price of a few hours of time.
My mother started us going to the library very young, and my brother and I still love to read. Libraries are wonderful, and most of what they offer is free. Can't beat that.
I supported myself my entire life. When I was young I did everything from bar tending to waitressing to house cleaning. When I was in my thirties a volunteer job turned into a paying job and thus began my career in the nonprofit sector. I still didn’t make a big salary and didn’t have medical benefits until I was approaching 40 but I managed. Affording to live alone - some of us have no other choice - depends a lot where you live. At 50ish I moved to a small town in the Midwest and eventually could buy a house with no deposit through help from a community bank and a very long mortgage. The plan was to have a mortgage I could afford when I stopped working and lived on social security. The bank could have it when I died. All to say, women make do. I’ve had an enriching life. There is much entertainment that is free if you look - books, movies, music. I never felt deprived. I felt fortunate to have satisfying work and a roof over my head. I still do.
I totally agree with what you're saying, but living a simple life can be challenging when you're a born collector of things. In my defence, they're mostly books which are always a good investment. Many of them are second hand. Libraries are great, but wouldn't stock most of the books I'm interested in. I must curb my addiction to kindle and Amazon. After my husband passed away, I cancelled our subscription to Sky TV which saves a lot of money. I rarely buy clothes or shoes, don't have a car and shower only every other day, unless it's very hot. In between I do a quick wash which is perfectly adequate. I also don't change my clothes every day (underwear excepted) unless it's very hot outside. I only wash my clothes whenl the machine is full and don't have a dish washer. In winter I wear warm clothes and use a blanket rather than crank up the heating. I buy a lot of food that's in the sales. I gave up using my bread maker as it takes 3 hours worth of gas for a cycle. Other than that I only travel long distances or abroad when necessary.
I read two books about living minimally that seem relevant here: one was Ken Ilgunas's book about living in his van ("Walden on Wheels"), and the other was Dee Williams's book, "The Big Tiny," about living in a tiny house. What struck me about both of them was that they needed their small footprint to be part of a larger community. Ilgunas lived in his school parking lot, and he used the university buildings for computer access, exercise, and showering. Williams parked her tiny house on a lot owned by friends, and provided care in exchange for the use of some of their bigger-house amenities.
It's possible to not have home internet if we have access to a library or coffee shop with free wifi. It's possible to not have a car if we have public transportation or a walkable/bikeable community. And so on. I think the US emphasizes this idea that we have to do everything ourselves and depend on nobody else, when the reality is that we are all interconnected and interdependent.
love this! such a good point
Oh Sue, there will always be the "yeah but" people playing in the "my life is worse than yours" and "you don't understand" victim hood olympics. I think about late life a lot since my dad died. I've always worried. One thing that is helping us watching my mum's helplessness. She can't do things on her own, which is horrifying but it's a terrific lesson for me. I don't want to be like her, isolated, unable to work her remote let alone a mobile phone. And I know so many lonely widows like her, who have everything to their families and now have nothing for themselves. It doesn't have to be that way. You're doing great, Sue. You're truly inspiring.
Thank you so much, Jo. I'm sorry about your mother. That's so hard to watch. But it is a lesson.
Thanks for the additional reading links. I'm probably going to be just fine, but there is a part of me that chooses to live below my means rather than above as I've seen so many of my contemporaries do. With Depression era parents, I was raised very aware of money and lack of. I also had no idea how little they had until I was out of the house and looked back at my mother's wardrobe of two pair of pants, three blouses, three jackets and a handful of scarves - each red, white and/or blue - and she made them look like she had an endless closet. The cars were always ready to die, but they were beautiful: Impalas, Bonnevilles. Vacations were always camping and it never occurred to me that sleeping outdoors was all we could afford. -- As I get older I get more Buddhisty, if that would be a word, and want less attachment to things. I like my streaming, but don't need more than one service at a time. I'm 67 and still, 90 % of my clothes come from Old Navy, on sale. The one luxury I allow myself is someone to come in an clean every two weeks...because time means more to me than things. I'm looking forward to living and traveling in a converted Transit van one day when Mom passes (assuming she passes when that is still an option!). Less is freedom.🩵💙
Less IS freedom. I totally agree. I think we would all be healthier with less attachment to things. My mom got around the budget by sewing and knitting a lot of our clothes. Bravo for your mom making it look easy. BTW, don't bother with the book I listed at the end. It's terrible. The other links are quite helpful.
I adopted a minimalist lifestyle to safe money and live small. My condo was 500 square feet and on a transit line - so I gave up my car. Such a small space meant I didn’t need much furniture - and I kept minimal knick knacks and decorations (bonus - less cleaning and dusting!). I walked as many places as I could when I was healthy enough.
I adopted a whole food vegan lifestyle and found a local CSA (community supported agriculture) to get the bulk of my produce. Saved a ton of money! You can eat well and cheaply on things like rice, beans, tofu and veggies!
I also didn’t eat out, do delivery services or any sort of hair or nail services - though that was partly due to my severe allergies. Big savings in cutting my own hair and not doing my nails though!
Now that's what I'm talking about. Bravo for living the simple life.
I’ve saved about a half million $ to date by not owning a car -- $10,000/yr avge, according to the stats. And that is just car expenses, not including the cost of the car! Using my body for day to day transport has kept me healthy, I’ve had so many interesting journeys, and met wonderful people in shared spaces. I have put that extra half mil towards lots of excellent ongoing adventures, as well as rent on my tiny apartment. I have never not gotten where i wanted to go. Being car-free is freedom, not sacrifice.
That's fantastic. How do you do it when you live miles from civilization?
Well it depends how many miles, and what constitutes civilization ;). If you have a well-fitted bike in good condition, with some kind of cargo capacity (a basket or rack), you can do almost anything within 10km of home. Then there are car-shares, transit, trailers, and of course e-bikes. The options are myriad and you adapt to the options. It requires a bit of creativity but is eminently possible, I’ve lived quite remotely and managed it … and I’m not a hermit, I require a decent coffee shop experience on the regular.
I’ve had more than one chunk of time in my life where I held two full time jobs to make ends meet. Right now, it’s been ‘cut back, cut back’. My challenging health stuff has made it so I’m not driving (Vision is not clear now) and I cannot work like i used to due to the brain fog. So the internet is my one must have expense. I haven’t been buying books,just listening to them on audible (and I love my books!). I cook simple yummy meals twice a week and then live off that. There are no trips, no restaurants, no lattes with friends (no lattes at all!). My condo is smallish, and will be paid off in a few more years, thank goodness. My state has a senior exemption to cut back on property taxes for low income seniors (thank goodness!) home association dues are expensive, but I don’t have to mow a lawn, nor take care of pests, nor the roof, nor anything outside.
I love the concept where: if something new comes into the house, something old must go out.
I like that concept, too. I admire your courage carrying on with your health challenges. I save a lot on lattes because I don't drink coffee at all. :-)