What is it?
For us in the 2020’s Chicago suburbs it’s not getting up with the sun to tend our herds, winnow the grain or fix that old leak in the root cellar (although we hope it may be one day).
It’s being satisfied with and empowered by a simple existence free of too many adornments. It’s having a bar of soap instead of a cheap plastic pump. It’s growing your own herbs for evening tea. It’s plugging in that old DVD player with movies from your local library instead of paying for another streaming service. It’s using a single cast iron pan for dang near everything you cook. It’s feeling rich through owning a few good things and using them well.
Your grandma knew all about it, and we believe it’s time you discovered the same feeling is alive and well in the modern era.
On this blog, it’s not intended as a synonym for “old-fashioned”, but rather one for “uncomplicated”. It describes the swap of a few impending imperfections for the feeling of space and satisfaction that comes with doing something all by yourself in the simplest practical way.
Our goal here is to help those who wish it to keep their lives as whole and enjoyable as possible by living simply where able and not consuming mindlessly.
Some ways we keep things uncomplicated for ourselves:
-Owning very few clothes. Have a handful of well made, well loved items that get worn and washed with care. This results in:
- less spending!
- less laundry
- fewer choices = less stressful decision making
-Having very few toys and gadgets for our kids. This helps to:
- teach self-entertainment instead of relying on others
- use their damn imaginations and get creative
- create minimal clutter at home
- less things to break/go missing/fight over etc
-Utilizing resources efficiently
- public library first for books and entertainment
- produce sharing (CSA, within family/neighborhood)
- homemade whenever reasonable
And a whole bunch of other things we look forward to discussing <3
Thanks for reading & Happy Living
