Happy Simple Living

8 Thoughts About Simplicity and Money

By eliza_cross, on March 27th, 2012%

Photo by Chris Reed

“Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand. Instead of a million, count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

What does financial simplicity mean to you? For me, it’s the feeling that we are in control of our money, rather than having our financial situation control us. It’s the peace that comes from living within our means. It’s a good night’s sleep, with a minimum of money worries.

Here are some of the ways we try to simplify the finances in our household:

Specific, achievable goals for retirement, college, vacations and other large purchases.
A minimum of bills, delivered and paid electronically to reduce paper.
Bills paid on time. Because my income fluctuates as a writer, at the beginning of each month I make a list of bills, in order of the due date, and a monthly budget. This system has virtually eliminated late payments and fees.
Money set aside regularly for annual bills like taxes and insurance. I have a special savings account to save for large annual expenses, and figure out how much to contribute each month so the big bills are usually covered.
A neat, orderly system. Okay, I’m still working on better organization. But I do keep up with filing papers on a fairly consistent basis, and I’m moving on converting more paperwork to digital files and online billing.
Meaningful sharing of our abundance with those less fortunate. Giving is a priority, and it gets budgeted along with our other expenses.
Savings set aside each month and added to regularly. Savings is another line item on the budget.
Discipline. At the end of each month I calculate our net worth, which is the only way I’ve found to truly stay honest about the state of our finances.

Have you found additional ways to simplify how you manage money? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Simple Living and 7 Ways to Add More Balance to Your Life

By eliza_cross, on February 2nd, 2012%

Photo by Milne Dam

“I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life.” ~ Zig Ziglar

As some of you know, I was formerly a magazine publishing executive before I took the leap in 2001 to become a full-time writer. I helped launch several new magazines during my career, one of which was a now-defunct magazine called Balance. Written for busy women doctors, Balance was all about how to juggle an ultra-demanding job with family and friends and still have time for a life. The docs loved Balance, but some of the pharmaceutical companies that we relied on for advertising–not so much. Women doctors don’t prescribe as many drugs as male doctors, so drug companies at that time were less enthusiastic about reaching the market and the magazine eventually folded.

Creating Balance

I still treasure the conversations I had with women doctors, and the generous insights they shared about their own efforts to live well-rounded, meaningful, fulfilling lives. If you’re still seeking the perfect formula (like I always am!), 2012 is still a relatively new year. By honoring your hopes and goals, you can greatly influence many aspects of the coming months. Take a few minutes now to consider whether your day-to-day life is aligned with the things you care about most—and to make adjustments if needed. Your list may contain different priorities, but here are some areas to consider:

Your Primary Relationship

“Get away often with the one you love,” suggests Gail Riley, co-owner of the award-winning luxury inn Highland Haven and author of the new book Colorado Romance. “Break the day-in, day-out doldrums and remember why you fell in love.” Consider specific plans you could make in the months to come, to support and nurture your relationship with your significant other. Get a jump on Valentine’s Day and make a reservation at a romantic restaurant or order your partner a special treat now.

Family

Are you having fun and making good memories? Do you feel connected as a family? What could you do to encourage family togetherness and connectedness? You may want to plan more family dinners, take a special vacation, or choose a weekly family night to enjoy more quality time together.

Spirituality

Is this an area of your life in which you’d like to experience growth? If you want to give spirituality greater priority in your life, you may wish to attend your church or synagogue more regularly. Perhaps you could add a daily practice of praying or meditating to begin each day feeling grounded. Or perhaps you can make plans to go deeper by attending a class or going on a spiritual retreat.

Work

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition,” the late Steve Jobs said. Do you feel like you’re doing what you were put on this earth to do? Do you feel secure and hopeful about the future in your chosen career? Is your work bearing fruit? If not, consider what specific steps you might take in the coming year to explore new options, network and learn new skills.

Friends

Few relationships enhance our lives like supportive, positive friendships. Are you generally satisfied with your circle of friends and the opportunities you have to connect? If not, perhaps you would like to reach out to some new friends this year. Alternately, you may decide to spend less time with someone whose negative energy or demands are bringing you down.

Community

William James said, “The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.” Happy people generally derive deep satisfaction from giving back in a personally meaningful way. Do you have a heart for a particular cause or group of people? Are there specific steps you could take in the coming months to contribute in some way to the greater good?

Self Care

“We need to cultivate an overall lifestyle that supports our ability to maintain our energy from the inside out,” recommends Denver life coach and yoga teacher Diane Sieg. Busy people sometimes put everyone else’s needs first, but taking care of ourselves, relaxing and recharging are all essential elements of a balanced life. How might you carve out a little more time for yourself this year?

Whether you’re still striving to find the perfect balance or you’ve discovered the secrets to living a more harmonious life, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

P.S. This post was adapted from my article that originally appeared in Out of Denver magazine, and I’m grateful to the publisher for giving me permission to share it with you here.

Day 30 of the January Money Diet – Declutter One Place

By eliza_cross, on January 30th, 2012%

By PotteryBarn.com

Organizing has many benefits. Along with the inner peace that comes from working and living in a calm space, organized living means less time looking for lost items and a visually pleasing, harmonious environment.

Clearing space is a gift you give yourself.

Today’s challenge is to organize one area. It can be a small or big project, depending on how much time you want to devote to it. You could simply take ten minutes to straighten up your desk and get rid of unnecessary papers. Or spend thirty minutes organizing the medicine cabinet. You could clean out your refrigerator. Unclutter the coat closet. Tackle one wall of the garage. Spend a day straightening up the basement. It’s up to you. Just organize a space, and bask in the rewards.

For inspiration, you might enjoy these websites — with tons of tips and information:

If you clear a space and like the result, be sure to let us know about it!

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P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. Even though January is winding down, you can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!

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Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket

In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2012 (that’s tomorrow!), I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.

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Day 28 of the January Money Diet – Reduce Food Waste

By eliza_cross, on January 28th, 2012%

“The remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served us nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.” ~Calvin Trillin

It just kills me to discard spoiled food that we didn’t eat. One of my goals this year is to make better use of leftovers. The whole concept of “zero waste” appeals to me on so many levels, and utilizing food efficiently is so important.

If you feel the same way, you might enjoy the Leftover Chef site where you can input whatever strange ingredients are lurking in your refrigerator for recipe ideas. Enter ‘turkey, ‘cranberries,’ and ‘onions,’ for instance, and you’ll find an appealing recipe for Turkey Cutlets with Cranberry – Pear Relish.

Do you have stale crackers and chips lurking in the pantry? Refresh them by spreading them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and baking at 300 degrees F for about 5 minutes. Allow to cool and then seal in an airtight container.

What about those stray veggies in the vegetable crisper? Use them in salads or on pizza, or freeze them for your next batch of soup.

Leftover tortillas can be used to make homemade tortilla chips, like this healthy baked version from Savory Sweet Life.

What’s your favorite way to use leftovers? We’d love to hear your ideas!

P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!

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Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket

In honor of the January Money Diet, I’ll be giving away a gift basket chock-full of home and garden goodies plus several books at the end of the month. On January 31, 2012, I’ll draw one random name from everyone who commented during the month and that lucky person will win the gift basket. I hope you’ll stop by often this month and share your own ideas, thoughts and experiences about taking a 31-day break from nonessential spending.

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Day 25 of the January Money Diet – Go for Zero Waste

By eliza_cross, on January 25th, 2012%

Canned pears at Happy Simple Living blog

Glass canning jars can be used again and again - photo by GoodNCrazy

“In a recession, people are inclined to keep things, but I feel the opposite. The less I have, the richer I feel. Stuff weighs you down.” ~Béa Johnson

Last year I read the most inspiring article in Sunset Magazine, about the Johnson family in Mill Valley, California. The Johnsons have pared down their possessions and live a wonderfully simple life. The family members are so careful about not consuming wasteful packaging, they generate almost zero garbage.

The Johnsons are big on composting, and this is one way we love to reduce waste. I just love the idea of reusing the kitchen scraps in a way that benefits the garden and keeps stuff out of landfill.

What about recycling? Homeowner Béa Johnson says, “So much recycling really goes to waste, so you need to try to reduce that, too.” They are diligent about taking reusable containers to the store for food and eliminating junk mail, and their tidy pantry and closets would inspire anyone to minimize and simplify!

How much trash does your family generate in an average week? If you got everyone in the household on board, could you reduce it by 50 or 75 per cent? Or 80 or 90 per cent? We’re down to about half a can per week, but the recycling bin is full every two weeks when it gets picked up — so we have a long way to go. The Johnsons have motivated me to try harder to reduce our recycling and trash. If they can do it, why can’t we?

For more inspiration, you might enjoy the Johnson family’s blog, The Zero Waste Home.

P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!

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Win a Deluxe Happy Simple Living Gift Basket

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Day 11 of the January Money Diet – Push the Conservation Envelope

By eliza_cross, on January 11th, 2012%

Get out your utility bills for the past year, and make a simple spreadsheet showing how much water, gas/heating oil and electricity you used each month during 2011. Try to beat last year’s totals each month during 2012.

Start by trying to save water. Take a quicker shower. Hang your clothes up to dry. Turn off the water while you’re brushing your teeth. Research drip lines, rain barrels and xeriscape landscaping plants to save money in the garden.

See if you can be creative and save some electricity this month. Cook dinner in the slow cooker instead of the stove. Try wearing a sweater and turning down the heat; see how that feels and adjust accordingly. Be vigilant about turning out lights when you leave the room, and unplug appliances so they don’t use power while sitting idle. Try eating dinner by candlelight once or twice this month (my son loves it when we do this). Throw an extra blanket on the bed at night and try turning down the heater by one degree. Okay? Try another degree. How low can you go?

Turn down your hot water heater a degree or two and see how you like it. Maybe it’s fine, maybe another degree or two down wouldn’t hurt — either way, it’s just an experiment.

Let January be the month you dabble in conservation, and let us know how it goes.

P.S. In case you’ve just joined us, the January Money Diet is a challenge to take a 31-day break from nonessential spending. You can learn more about the money diet here — and jump right in!

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