Part of our process of simplifying our life is to make an effort toward purchasing items locally and/or handmade when possible.  I suppose it's not truly part of a simplification process but rather geared toward sustainability.  We, however, chose to include this in our process as one of our goals.

Why buy local?  There are a number of reasons, but the most important to us is that making this decision benefits both the environment and the local economy.

Regarding the environmental impact, local items travel less distance to get to the consumer which cuts out much of the transportation and, in turn, reduces the use of valuable resources {namely gas} and pollution that come with it.  As far as the impact on the local economy, when you purchase something directly from the artist or farmer they typically benefit from a larger percentage of the profit as there is not a third party person/organization to pay.  Also, you are putting money back into your community.  An added bonus is you are supporting their dream or passion by supporting them with your purchase.

The purchase of locally grown fruits and vegetables typically means fresher items.  The purchase of locally raised meats means the items are traceable.  You can also visit the farm to see how the animals are raised, what they are fed, and choose to support those businesses you respect or agree with.

The purchase of handmade, regardless of locale, is to support an artist or designer who is making a living doing what they love to do.  Someone who has used their talents to create something you enjoy.  It's also possible to create a relationship with the artist or designer of the product and purchase one-of-a-kind items for yourself or for gift giving.  If you find an artist who uses recycled products, even better!

Although the reality is it's not always possible, whether financially or otherwise, to purchase locally made, grown and/or handmade, any effort to do so will make a difference.  It's the little things we do collectively that make big changes.

A lot of people think of frugality when they think of voluntary simplicity. Although frugality can be an important step, it doesn’t mean living poor or in poverty. It also doesn’t mean living with extreme deprivation. Frugality can be developed with both money and time. The goal is to have more of both and to be able to spend them where you want.

It’s easy to go thru life thinking “if only I made more money then I could ...” What would you do? Can you find a way to do that now? The reality is, when most of us receive an increase in wages we also increase our spending. You have to figure out how to live within your means right now. The next challenge is to see if you can live below your means slightly. This means you’ll have much more time to spend as you choose as well as extra money to sock away.

It’s a common thought that when you start a process such as this the first thing you feel it’s necessary to do is purge. I’m not in agreement. I think in time you may do this as a natural part of the simplification process, but the last thing anyone wants to do is be told they have to part with things. Instead, start working on changing your thought process. For example:

• Limit unnecessary purchases. Think about a purchase before you make it. Do you need it? Do you want it? If you need it, is there anything you already own that could be used instead? If you want it, do you love it? Will you still treasure it 5 years later? Are you shopping out of boredom or out of habit?
• Find less expensive ways to get the same things, i.e. buying in bulk, making from scratch, etc.
• Be deliberate about how you spend your time. Don’t participate in a full day of events of things that are meaningless to you or you’re doing because you feel you have to. Start doing things you want to do, that bring you joy and make you happy.
• Spend time (and money) learning skills that will help you to become more self-reliant. Next time something breaks or a pipe is leaking, you could fix it yourself.
• How do you grocery shop and how do you eat? Are you eating certain foods because you think you should? Could you eat things you enjoy in moderation? Could you grow many of the vegetables and fruit you shop for? Spend where it makes sense and save where it makes sense for you.
• Find a balance between work and personal time. This is important for emotional and physical well-being.

One of the best places to start is to track your spending. Track everything. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate system, but if you spend $5.00 on a magazine and $3.00 on a coffee this needs to be written down along with your bills, groceries, etc. This will help you understand what discretionary money you have.

I’m a big fan of the envelope system at least initially. Each payday you put money into envelopes labeled for “groceries,” “gas,” etc. Keep money in your checking account only for those items you are writing a check for or have automatically deducted. The remaining money either goes in an envelope titled “savings” or in a separate savings account. If you’ve never tracked your spending before you will probably be shocked how much you spend on little things here or there.

I found that our spending happened on Friday nights. We got in the habit of going out to dinner and running “errands” on Friday nights. The amount of money we could spend in one evening was amazing. Dinner ($50), bookstore ($35), Home Improvement stores ($30 – $130), Target ($45), etc. So although we weren’t spending much throughout the week we were spending most of our extra income in one evening. Debit cards make it very easy to mindlessly spend and not even realize the amount.

I switched to the envelope method to get it under control and show him how much we were spending because he didn’t realize it either. Then, I opened an account as a dedicated “debit” account and I continue to keep a very low balance in it for discretionary spending and gas for the vehicles. I deposit the same amount every week into the account.

It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway. Pay cash. Don't use credit cards, they aren't worth it. Pay cash for everything you can, and if you take out a car loan or a mortgage, make sure you are budgeted to make extra payments. Just because you can get a loan for a certain amount doesn't mean it's the right decision to make. I'm sure there are plenty of people who have lost their homes during the hard economic times who wish they had spent below their means.

I’m not sure where I read this, but I liked it and wrote it down: You want to have more time, stop trading it for dollars. You want to have more space, stop trading it for clutter. You want to have more dollars, stop trading them for things that don’t matter. As I’ve written in previous articles, you have to determine for yourself what your frugality looks like. Determine your own priorities and set your own goals.

When you do decide to start purging or de-cluttering, take it one room at a time. Decide with each item if you need it, want it, or are hanging onto it for other reasons. Don’t hang onto things that you may “someday” need. If you’re having trouble parting with those items including clothing, box them up (seal the box) and put them in the garage. Label each box with the date 6 months from the day you box them. If, on the six month date you haven’t gone into any of the boxes to look for items, take the boxes to a local charity. Don’t open them back up, just take them. You don’t need them.

Voluntary simplicity is about deliberately choosing the way you want to live, not just living day to day. It’s being excited about every day and savoring each moment.

What is “voluntary simplicity”?  My definition is quite short: the lifelong process of choosing to live a simple life.  The next part would be to define “simple.”  I personally believe we all have to define that for ourselves.  My choices may not match anyone else’s lifestyle choices, and that’s ok.  You have to look at your values and base your choices in life on what’s right for you.  One thing that could be consistent for everyone is voluntary simplicity should be about living life with purpose, not just existing from day to day.

A “simple” life is not necessarily an easier life, but should be working toward a less stressful life.   It’s a lifelong journey of consciously choosing the way in which you live including how you react to and interact with others, consume products, participate in relationships or end relationships, activities you participate in, and how you determine what brings you joy.

It’s so easy to just exist day to day.  It’s also easy to long for material things and work so hard to achieve them.  Once you’ve achieved the thing you’ve worked so hard for, then what?  Typically, there’s another material thing you set to work toward.  When does it end?  When does it become enough?

Have you ever felt you couldn’t invite people over until you purchased new glasses, or cleaned the living room?  I’ve known a few people who, when it was there turn to host the family Christmas party, felt the need to purchase new living room or dining room furniture.  Why?  Why isn’t what you are and who you are good enough?

I’ve thought a lot the past 3 years about making the most of my time while I’m here.  Nothing is guaranteed and none of us knows how long we’ve got.  What do I want to do?  Who do I want to be?  How do I want others to remember me?  In all my thought processing, there hasn’t been a material item that jumped to the front of my mind other than the property and home I’d like to live in.  The reason that’s important is because we know we want to be surrounded by more animals which means we need a larger piece of property.  Animals and homesteading bring us joy.

I determined for myself what my “simple” looks like and outlined steps that were important to me.  For example, I’ve ended unhealthy relationships with family members and friends who were bringing me more stress than happiness.  I am paying more attention to things I purchase or want to purchase and ask myself if I need it and if not do I really love or cherish it?  Although I am unable to work part-time at my job, I have encouraged my husband to do so at least for the winter months.  He is able to enjoy his week at a different pace than when he was full-time and to focus on things that bring him happiness.

The process of voluntary simplicity is much easier once you’ve defined what your “simple” means.  What types of things do you see as a “simple” life?

To find out more about us, please visit us at www.lifeatcobblehillfarm.blogspot.com.

I’ve recently received a couple of emails from people who don’t like the fact that we’ve deemed our backyard farm a “farm.” It’s funny because the word “farm” most often conjures up images of cattle grazing in a large field with a large red and white barn in the background. But in all honesty, the word “farm” can define any number of descriptions of property.

• WSDA defines a small farm as one where the farmer or farm family participates in the day-to-day labor and management of the farm, and owns or leases its productive assets.
• Merriam-Webster defines a farm as: a plot of land devoted to the raising of animals and especially domestic livestock.

We are definitely participating in the day-to-day labor and management, we own the assets and our land is, in fact, devoted to the raising of animals. So, we will keep our property defined as a “backyard farm.”

I understand the confusion. There’s confusion about terms in all aspects of life. One day I was having a conversation with 2 acquaintances about voluntary simplicity. Person A was asking me what voluntary simplicity was. I answered that I believe everyone has to define it for themselves as my idea certainly may not be yours, but the general idea is:

1. Living within our means
2. Making our money work for us rather than working for money to support our lifestyle
3. Supporting local farmers, crafters, etc.
4. Being kind to others and the planet
5. Consuming less
6. Doing it ourselves when we can
7. Making do with what we've got
8. Being ourselves
9. Living consciously and savoring moments
10. Living healthy (food, excercise, relationships)
11. Making time (prioritization)
12. Practicing gratitude

I do believe that each person should set their own definition, or at least what each of these means to them.

After I answered, person A commented she is thinking of setting her own goal of striving toward simplicity. This upset person B since person A lives in what is best described as a “mcmansion” and lives an indulgent life, from the perception of others. After person A left, person B exclaimed “phony.” I understood the thought, but, as I explained to her, if she sets her own vision for “simplicity” how can we determine it as phony? It’s not up to us to judge others and their lifestyle choices.

In all honesty, some people could say the same about us. Jay and I are digging our hands into the homesteading lifestyle, however, we don’t intend to, for instance, ever live fully off grid or slaughter our own animals. To some people, you could not define our lifestyle as homesteading.

We still "indulge," as perceived by us – we have the wonderful Miss Sarah, our petsitter, during the week for our boys, we go out for meals from time to time, buy a latte or two at Starbucks, own 2 new vehicles (although we keep them until they stop running), spend money on hobbies we enjoy, and go on vacation when we want.

The whole point is to become consciously aware of how you live your life and make choices for yourself and your family.  Let's face it, tomorrow is no guarantee so enjoy every moment of today.

I'm enjoying my today, right now, drinking a wonderful cup of hot cocoa as the snow continues to fall all around me on my farm.