For me, a simple life is a life that removes many of the stressors brought on by our modern society’s standards, including the expectation that in order to be “successful” one needs to spend long hours working, even to the detriment of other parts of one’s life and health.
As an autoimmune disease survivor, a decision I made over a decade ago was that, in order to remain focused on my health, I would not return to a full-time job. This was to ensure that I was limiting the stress and demand on my body that a full-time job would require. This decision would also give me more time to do life-giving things like spend extra time with my daughter as she grows up, volunteer, exercise, pursue interests, and of course, rest.
I have been very fortunate to find fulfilling work over the last decade that is part-time, flexible, and relatively low-stress. Obviously, this means my income is greatly reduced from if I were to have a full-time salary, but I am consciously choosing quality of life over quantity of dollars.
My husband owns his own business and can make his own schedule and take time off whenever he wants for the most part. Of course if he doesn’t work he doesn’t get paid, so he does work enough and often a lot, but he sets limits in order to make family time a greater priority than excessive work time. So, he also is choosing quality of life over more income.
To help make up for this significant loss of income between the two of us, we try to live in a financially simplified way so that we can comfortably enjoy a simplified life.
Here are 6 of my favorite Simple Life hacks, meaning all of the below leads to a more simple life AND a less expensive life -
Buy/Own less stuff - besides saving the money you would have spent on the stuff in the first place, less stuff means less money spent on maintenance, repairs, parts, things to organize and/or store the stuff, etc.
Consider making a rule for yourself that you will not impulse buy. Online shopping is both a blessing and a curse because it makes it so dang easy to buy anything and everything. If you are enticed to buy something that pops up on your screen, wait a few days and see if you still want to buy it. Chances are you will have forgotten about it by then, and then you will have saved yourself the unnecessary expense.
Bucking the style trends - the best way to stop spending money unnecessarily is to stop trying to impress people. Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally fine to want to look attractive and be dressed nicely and appropriately of course, but I’m referring to the fads that have us throwing our money at trendy clothes or other accoutrement just so we can be stylin’ for a hot minute before the next trend arrives. Our continuous thirst for cheap fashion (also known as “throw-away fashion”) is not only hurting our bank accounts, it’s destroying our planet.
Instead of just buying cheap clothes that likely won’t even last more than a season, invest in nicer quality clothes that fit well, are flattering, are classic styles, and will last for years to come. This may cost a little more up front but you will save a ton over time. Also, remember that you don’t need a closet full of clothes. Most people never wear half of what’s in their closets anyway.
Small space living - I know this isn’t practical for everyone (i.e. large families) but for the rest of us, consider the many benefits of small space living --- reduced carbon footprint, reduced utilities costs, reduced repairs and maintenance, less upkeep expenses, less to furnish, less time spent cleaning/doing yard work, more time to become closer as a family.
Keep transportation practical - I don’t ever want a luxury car. I’m not trying to impress anyone by what kind of metal box on wheels I sit down in to go places. We live in the city, and in a brand new car it will be about a whole 5 minutes before a bumper scratch or door ding happens, so this is just another reason why I’d rather have an inexpensive car than an expensive one anyway. I walk and take public transportation whenever possible to limit driving. DC traffic is no joke and I’d much rather have less stress and free exercise by walking places.
Not using our one car a whole lot saves on gas, repairs/maintenance, and wear and tear costs, and ensures that it will (hopefully) be a long time before we need to consider replacing it.
D.I.Y.! - do it yourself has become all the rage thanks to pandemic conditions. You can save so much money just by having the courage to try new things.
Haircuts: I cut my husband’s hair (and my daughter’s when she lets me). Investing in a $50 clipper set and nice scissors will save a whole lot over time, plus we save the time it takes to go to the hairdresser/barber.
Gardens: We grow what we can on our balcony garden - it’s not a whole lot but for things like herbs for example, it’s way cheaper to buy one basil plant than to be continuously buying fresh basil at the grocery store. The more outdoor space you have the more you can grow and thus, the more you can save.
Entertainment: We are fortunate to live in the Washington, DC area which is chock full of free activities. From the Smithsonian museums, to the outdoor entertainment spaces, to the endless lists of festivals, much of what we find to do is free. I belong to numerous Facebook groups/local listservs so I can be aware of what opportunities are happening when and where.
YouTube it!: If something breaks or is acting up, my go-to resource is YouTube. No matter your issue undoubtedly someone out there has recorded a “here’s how you fix it” tutorial. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to fix something yourself without having to call in an expensive repairman.
Healthy food choices - While truly healthy food can appear to be more expensive in the short term, by investing in your health with the food purchases you make, the idea is that the money you will save on doctors visits, prescriptions, surgeries, etc. will more than make up for the food costs in the long term. There are many tricks of the trade when it comes to buying healthy food without spending your whole paycheck. Stay tuned for a blog post on this coming soon!
There are obviously a million more ways to be thrifty and live a more simplified life.
If you want to spend less time working and more time living, meditate on your own spending and habits and determine what you can change/reduce/eliminate.
If your desire is to simplify your life, then simplifying your financial burden is priority #1, and if your desire to simplify your financial burden, then simplifying your life is priority #1! It works both ways. The results = less stress, more health.
For other savvy and hilarious financial advice, check out one of my favorite blogs, Mr. Money Mustache.
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