Comments on: Making the Most of Those Lifestyle Challenges http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/making-the-most-of-those-lifestyle-challenges/ 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. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:41:58 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Kim http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/making-the-most-of-those-lifestyle-challenges/comment-page-1/#comment-11181 Kim Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:51:38 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/making-the-most-of-those-lifestyle-challenges/#comment-11181 Challenges are good for building a group of supporters for those who have a hard time sticking to lifestyle changes. But if one doesn't stick to the ideals they've decided to follow after the challenge, the challenge was for naught. I've been challenging myself versus following a challenge. It seems to me that setting ongoing goals for yourself is much more beneficial than jumping on someone else's bandwagon. My personal challenge is to build up and maintain a 72 hour kit and a three month supply of food. This is an open ended project, as food and supplies must be rotated to keep them in date. Challenges are good for building a group of supporters for those who have a hard time sticking to lifestyle changes. But if one doesn’t stick to the ideals they’ve decided to follow after the challenge, the challenge was for naught.

I’ve been challenging myself versus following a challenge. It seems to me that setting ongoing goals for yourself is much more beneficial than jumping on someone else’s bandwagon. My personal challenge is to build up and maintain a 72 hour kit and a three month supply of food. This is an open ended project, as food and supplies must be rotated to keep them in date.

]]> By: Faith http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/making-the-most-of-those-lifestyle-challenges/comment-page-1/#comment-11084 Faith Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:48:35 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/making-the-most-of-those-lifestyle-challenges/#comment-11084 I tend to agree with all of you....steady as she goes...this is a day in/out sort of thing....while these contests can be fun...and connects us together for a while....when it is over...then what....? I have the urge to participate also...but I need to make it personal for me and my family in order for it work... These type of contests and things are good that they get people thinking, and make the suggestion to begin something....but it is up to the individual to make the commitment, and make it personal to themselves... I tend to agree with all of you….steady as she goes…this is a day in/out
sort of thing….while these contests can be fun…and connects us together for a while….when it is over…then what….? I have the urge to participate
also…but I need to make it personal for me and my family in order for it work… These type of contests and things are good that they get people
thinking, and make the suggestion to begin something….but it is up to the
individual to make the commitment, and make it personal to themselves…

]]> By: TechSamaritan http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/making-the-most-of-those-lifestyle-challenges/comment-page-1/#comment-11047 TechSamaritan Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:55:02 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/making-the-most-of-those-lifestyle-challenges/#comment-11047 We have actually taken a slower, and incremental approach. Instead of doing buy-nothing/x-mile/etc. challenges, we just pick one thing that we are going to change permanently, and do it. One of the recent ones was this: stop buying cheap cheese from the supermarket, and instead buy artisan local organic cheese. In order to do this in a way that is actually simplifying, we reduced out cheese intake, bought in bulk (13+ lb. wheel), determined to stretch the one purchase for a year, and used the stronger cheese as a condiment, not as a central part of the dish. It meant that cheese dishes (quesadillas, grilled cheese, mac + cheese) became rare, and special, and tasted so much better. Since we only had one variety of cheese, if we wanted to have soft/fresh cheese, we will have to make it ourselves. So far the mozzarella is good, but not the ricotta. The change was not drastic, but it did have a lasting impact on the quality of life (much tastier), the cost (use less, buy in bulk), the health value (grass-fed, organic, raw), and the local economy. Is it simplifying? Yes! We only buy cheese once a year, from the same farm, in the same variety. Cheese is no longer on our shopping list, and we never need to compare $/oz. We have actually taken a slower, and incremental approach. Instead of doing buy-nothing/x-mile/etc. challenges, we just pick one thing that we are going to change permanently, and do it. One of the recent ones was this: stop buying cheap cheese from the supermarket, and instead buy artisan local organic cheese. In order to do this in a way that is actually simplifying, we reduced out cheese intake, bought in bulk (13+ lb. wheel), determined to stretch the one purchase for a year, and used the stronger cheese as a condiment, not as a central part of the dish. It meant that cheese dishes (quesadillas, grilled cheese, mac + cheese) became rare, and special, and tasted so much better. Since we only had one variety of cheese, if we wanted to have soft/fresh cheese, we will have to make it ourselves. So far the mozzarella is good, but not the ricotta.

The change was not drastic, but it did have a lasting impact on the quality of life (much tastier), the cost (use less, buy in bulk), the health value (grass-fed, organic, raw), and the local economy. Is it simplifying? Yes! We only buy cheese once a year, from the same farm, in the same variety. Cheese is no longer on our shopping list, and we never need to compare $/oz.

]]> By: Sandy http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/making-the-most-of-those-lifestyle-challenges/comment-page-1/#comment-11023 Sandy Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:26:13 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/making-the-most-of-those-lifestyle-challenges/#comment-11023 EXACTLY! I've been thinking this for a long time. There was one challenge I saw once, where you weren't supposed to buy groceries for some period of time, close to a month I think. I kept reading the entries for that one because I wondered how people were going to do it. What happened was that people stocked up on groceries before the challenge and then really stocked up again after the challenge. I bet they spent a lot more money before and after than they would have if they had just been shopping normally, I don't see what was accomplished by the whole thing except for entertainment. Steady and longterm, that's the only way to do it with anything worth doing. EXACTLY! I’ve been thinking this for a long time. There was one challenge I saw once, where you weren’t supposed to buy groceries for some period of time, close to a month I think. I kept reading the entries for that one because I wondered how people were going to do it. What happened was that people stocked up on groceries before the challenge and then really stocked up again after the challenge. I bet they spent a lot more money before and after than they would have if they had just been shopping normally, I don’t see what was accomplished by the whole thing except for entertainment.

Steady and longterm, that’s the only way to do it with anything worth doing.

]]> By: Tom G. http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/making-the-most-of-those-lifestyle-challenges/comment-page-1/#comment-11021 Tom G. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:20:22 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/making-the-most-of-those-lifestyle-challenges/#comment-11021 The thing that concerns me about some of these challenges is that the way they're set up, the method is more important than the goal. Like the ones where you don't spend any money for a week or ten days, that makes the money more important than it really ought to be. Money is a tool that you use wisely to make a good life for your family, it's not some mysterious force that you have to subdue before it gets the better of you. It's much better to learn some money managing techniques that will serve you well for the rest of your life than to keep trying to go 'cold turkey' for a week at a time. The thing that concerns me about some of these challenges is that the way they’re set up, the method is more important than the goal. Like the ones where you don’t spend any money for a week or ten days, that makes the money more important than it really ought to be. Money is a tool that you use wisely to make a good life for your family, it’s not some mysterious force that you have to subdue before it gets the better of you. It’s much better to learn some money managing techniques that will serve you well for the rest of your life than to keep trying to go ‘cold turkey’ for a week at a time.

]]> By: Axel http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/making-the-most-of-those-lifestyle-challenges/comment-page-1/#comment-11019 Axel Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:15:54 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/making-the-most-of-those-lifestyle-challenges/#comment-11019 How true. When we put the emphasis on the process rather than the result, we rob ourselves of the value of real change. How sad when people focus on the challenge itself rather than the big picture that is truly important. How true. When we put the emphasis on the process rather than the result, we rob ourselves of the value of real change. How sad when people focus on the challenge itself rather than the big picture that is truly important.

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