Choosing Voluntary Simplicity » Simple Living

Our Absolutely Amazing Fall

Shirley — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:32:04 +0000

It was a strange summer. This was the year when New England gardeners learned that no amount of expertise or hard work could overcome the weeks of constant rain and too cool temperatures that began in early June and continued on until the end of August.

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Playing at Frugality… or Really Living It?

Shirley — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:33:01 +0000

Readers often tell me that they would like to be more frugal but that they don't want a lifestyle of "living poor" and "doing without." What they don't realize is that there IS another way. Actually, I have serious objections to much of the frugal advice out there because it offers only quick-fix extreme measures that... like a crash diet... can't be lived with for very long. Extreme frugality sets up feelings of deprivation that almost always lead to bouts of spending... the money that you gave up so much to save gets spent impulsively and you're back to square one. To me, that yo-yo cycle of deprivation/splurging, deprivation/splurging is playing at frugality, not living it. Oddly, finding a level of frugality you CAN live with for the rest of your life is much, much easier.

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7 Grocery Shopping Strategies That Work For Me

Shirley — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:05:02 +0000

I keep a well-stocked pantry and an accurate ongoing pantry inventory. A small notebook hanging out of sight on the inside door of a pantry cabinet allows me to quickly update the list as inventory is added or used. This inventory list allows me to see at a glance exactly what is in the pantry and how much there is of each item.

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Hulled Corn or Samp — What It Is and How To Make It

Shirley — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:21:23 +0000

Reader question... "My husband wants me to make something called 'hulled corn.' He remembers his mother making it but I have never even heard of it and can't find a recipe. Do you have any idea of what hulled corn is or how it is made?" --Bethany W.

Yes to both questions!

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Wolf Spiders — Natural Pest Control in the Garden

Shirley — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:45:39 +0000

I was trying to photograph a tiny, tiny toad that was hidden in some very dense ground cover. Imagine my surprise when suddenly this large spider darted out of the vegetation and paused obligingly for a moment on my open hand. I already had the camera focused so I took advantage of the opportunity to take this picture!

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The Final Cut and Summer Memories

Shirley — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:40:11 +0000

This was such a beautiful sight... to have ninety logs "done" and to see only one log still left to be cut. And there's the little "brook" that formed under this log during one of our last torrential rains... and the thick layer of sawdust that is so wet and packed down, we're having to rake it up in stages as it dries.

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