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.
Don’t buy produce that has been marked down because it is past its sell-by date. Produce that has been bruised or has been sitting around is much more prone to bacteria contamination. The few cents you save are not worth the risk.
I sometimes think that Choosing Voluntary Simplicity started itself… beginning with the drastic lifestyle change my husband and I made nearly twenty years ago.
Reader question… “I was wondering if you make your own laundry detergent.”
Because I make bread every day, I have found I can save a lot of money by buying yeast in the one-pound packages.
Downshifting means working towards simple living by making conscious choices to leave materialism behind and move on to a more sustainable lifestyle. It does not mean simply cutting back and trying to live the same life only with less money.
I think the most wonderful thing about voluntary simplicity is that it means different things to different people. There is no one way to do simple living right.
Frugality comes naturally to native New Englanders, I think, and most of us already have a strong streak of individuality and an inclination to do things just a little bit differently than the rest of the world.
We had been living a simple life for many years before I discovered there was a name… voluntary simplicity… for the way we have chosen to live. Obviously, our version of voluntary simplicity…
We recently purchased a countertop oven. It has turned out to be one of the best decisions we have ever made. A countertop oven is NOT a toaster oven. They might look somewhat similar, but a countertop oven is more powerful and has a much larger cooking capacity.
Reader question… “Can you tell me the difference between ‘simple living’ and ‘voluntary simplicity’? I see these terms used all the time and I can’t seem to find a definitive answer about what each one means.”
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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