Hello and Welcome!
I’m Eliza Cross, founder and publisher of Happy Simple Living. Welcome to my kitchen! It’s my happy place, and I’m glad you’re here.
Happy Simple Living is where you can explore ideas and discoveries about simplifying, cooking good food, saving money, organizing, creating a comfortable home, organic gardening, and sustainable living.
How This Blog Started
I wrote my first post on July 22, 2006. (Was it really that long ago?!)
Back then, blogs were like online diaries. So I felt completely comfortable posting about changing a lightbulb!
The original name of this blog was “Urban Homesteader,” and I hoped to turn our suburban house and yard into a sort of mini-farm.
However, some other urban homesteaders trademarked the phrase and began taking legal action against people who used it.
Fortunately, this happened at exactly the same time I realized I was too lazy to raise chickens.
New Blog Name, New Focus
In 2010, I reframed the blog’s focus to better fit my heart and goals (and avoid getting sued). I changed the name to Happy Simple Living to share recipes, ideas, and tips for simplifying everyday life.
Since then, I’ve posted about hundreds of topics ranging from Homemade Cheese Crackers and Mega Toilet Paper Rolls to Controlling Bindweed and that time I got a weird condition called Pine Mouth.
Happy Simple Living’s strategies have been featured by Forbes, Business Insider, U.S. News and World Report, CBS-4 Denver, Fox 31 Denver, and others.
If you like bacon, you’re invited to visit our sister site BENSA, the Bacon Lovers Society. BENSA is where I post all my bacon recipes as well as bacon events, funny memes and jokes, and bacon cooking guides.
I would also love to connect with you over at my professional website ElizaCross.com, where you can read about my books (I’ve written 17 so far!) and other work.
If you’re new here, you might enjoy browsing some of our most popular recipes and articles:
Top 5 Recipes
Top 5 Articles
Recent Press for Happy Simple Living
Declutter and Make Room for Joy This Holiday Season – Dec. 23, 2024 – St. George News
Woman Shares Two-Ingredient Hack for Streak-Free Windows That’ll Take 10 Minutes – Oct. 4, 2024 – MSN
Windows will be ‘Sparkling and Streak-Free’ in 10 Minutes with Natural Streak Free Solution – Oct. 1, 2024 – Express
Inspiring Simplicity. Weekend Reads – July 15, 2023 – Becoming Minimalist
The Ultimate Room by Room Decluttering List – April 27, 2023 – Redfin Blog
#7 of 100 Best Simple Living Blogs and Websites – April, 2023 – FeedSpot
Top 30 Homesteading Blogs and Websites – Pure Living for Life
I’ve never read this before. You just get more amazing the longer I know you, Eliza.
xo,
Sue
Hello Eliza! I just sent a comment to your “a letter to my 17-year old self.” I hope it reaches you. I am a fan of sensible, successful yet grounded women like you. I sincerely hope I could start and focus on living simply with myself and my family.
Your recipe posts are brilliant. Thank you for sharing :)
Blow those dandelion seeds! What is more fun then finding a bright yellow flower in the middle of the yard?! Don’t you remember the fun you had doing that as a kid? My kids love finding dandelions throughout our yard to pick. You just need to change your perspective just as you did with material things. And since they will bloom just about any time of the year they are often the only food for pollinators when nothing else is blooming.
I am 65 and have some cognitive decline, so I found your article very interesting. I am willing to try anything that might reverse or even just slow it down. My wife has little patience for my forgetfulness and I seem to be able to get myself in hot water often.