A blog about finding balance in your life, connecting with who you are, and creating a lifestyle where you wake up each morning eagerly anticipating the day ahead.
How do your living expenses compare with these government guidelines? The Allowable Living Expense National Standards come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey and are used by the IRS to help figure affordable repayment structures for delinquent t
How much does it cost to feed YOUR family compared to these 2015 government guidelines? The guidelines are given for four levels of spending… thrifty, low-cost, moderate, and liberal.
Several emails have come in over the last many days asking how we’re managing here with this winter’s extreme cold temperatures and excessive snow storms. Apparently the New England storms and subzero temperatures have become worldwide news.
I am fairly certain that we have never dug a hole of any size here on this property without encountering at least one boulder-sized rock. It’s a given… we dig a hole, we dig up rocks. Except for those two times when we dug up something else…
It’s as easy to make chili powder as it is to make the other spice mixes I have written about previously. Most of the commercial chili powders contain anti-caking agents or perhaps fillers… most of them also contain unnecessary salt.
Our waking hours have been filled to the brim these last several months. There has been the usual garden and yard work, the usual housework and meals, and the usual number of hours spent on the work that brings in our income…
We lost several of our beautiful big pine trees during an ice storm when the weight of two days of freezing rain literally broke off the tops of the trees.
There are apple trees in our meadow… fourteen large trees spaced out in a long uneven row that runs almost the entire length of the meadow. There were apple trees here when we bought this land, and I can remember picking apples from these trees when I was a child…
There are indeed many good reasons to purge. It makes sense to purge when an item breaks and repairing it isn’t possible or feasible. It makes sense to purge when clothing becomes too worn or faded or no longer fits.
Grocery shopping is one area where big savings are possible, but I don’t think that frugality should ever be the only consideration.
The photos are my own. Some illustrate the post... others show our surroundings and the things we love about our version of simple living and voluntary simplicity. I welcome links to my blog or to any of my articles, but please do not copy my photos or content. —Shirley
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