beginners guide to somple living - our inspired roots · 2018-10-20 · more money & less...
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The Beginner’s Guide to Simple Living - Mindy Wood !1
The Beginner’s Guide to Simple Living Start a more fulfilling and abundant life today
by
Mindy Wood
PurposefullySimple.com
© 2016 All Rights Reserved
The Beginner’s Guide to Simple Living - Mindy Wood !2
Hi Friends!
The question I get asked most often is “How can I get started living more simply?” and it’s a tough
question because starting a simple living journey can seem…anything but simple. Luckily you don’t
have to do it all at once and, in fact, I recommend you start small instead. Slow and steady wins the
race, so they say.
This book is not just practical tips for beginning your journey (though there are plenty of those!). It
will, more importantly, help you sort through what simple living means to YOU, and how you can
achieve that kind of life.
All the best in your simple living journey,
Mindy
Some of the links contained in this eBook are affiliate links. That means if you click on the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission that goes to supporting this eBook and free content on PurposefullySimple.com. Thank you!
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What is simple living? As Duane Elgrin, Author of Voluntary Simplicity,
wrote, simple living is:
“Living in a way that is outwardly simple
and inwardly rich.”
Many of us have discovered that, not only can
overconsumption and materialism not provide
happiness, but it’s actively deteriorating our
quality of life, our planet, and our economy. So
what will afford us happiness, contentment, and
abundance? Simple living is the answer.
Often times when people start simplifying they
realize that some commitments, choices, and
possessions are getting in the way of happy,
healthy relationships. Too much stuff makes us
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want more and more—the stuff is never enough.
When superficial things like possessions and social
status become our vision of happiness we can
easily become dissatisfied with life and what we
do have. If you only get one thing out of this eBook
it should be this: Get rid of the excess so that you
have time and energy to nurture your
relationships. Once you change your mindset you
begin to be free to chase more important goals
and dreams.
My favorite thing about simple living is that it can
(and should be) different for everyone. Simple
living is about figuring out what your priorities are
and which things are just cluttering up your life.
For me, simple living is:
Treading lightly upon the earth
Doing my best to use fewer resources and make
greener choices.
Taking care of myself
I try my best to take care of my body because my
health is my wealth and without it no amount of
money will matter. Lately I’ve realized I also need
to take care of myself emotionally/mentally/
spiritually as well, which is usually tied to physical
health.
Being frugal
To save money where we can so that we can put
that money towards a greater purpose (paying
debt, saving for retirement, building a business,
donating or otherwise helping others, reaching
goals and dreams etc).
Living with a purpose
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Reaching out to others and doing good in the
world.
Living with the essentials…
…and not much more. Having an organized and
minimal space to live in.
Being as self sufficient as I can
Growing and raising my own food, learning skills
and doing things myself, etc.
What is simple living to you?
Your idea of simple living might include traveling,
staying home with your children, homeschooling,
private schooling, moving to the country, moving
to the city, having time for crafts, etc. If you already
have some ideas, go ahead and jot them down.
We’ll get to more brainstorming a little later in this
book.
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Benefits of Simple Living Why bother trying to live simply? What’s the point?
Well, the benefits of a simple life are far reaching
and can impact every area of your life. Once you
get going you’ll see a tremendous change in your
quality of life.
Less stress
Stress is such a big part of our lives it’s almost
fashionable. The truth is though, that stress can
cause a cumulative affect on your health, wellness
and overall life. Simplifying can have an amazing
ripple effect. Simplifying reduces stress because
there’s just so much less to do, clean, and worry
about.
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More money & less financial stress
When we spend less money because we are
choosing to live with less, we can save more or pay
down debt. Financial freedom leads to personal
freedom and increased happiness!
Less time cleaning
With less stuff and a smaller home you have much
less to clean up, even on the worst days.
Less time working (traditionally)
Needing less money to live on means you can
potentially work less at a job you don’t love. You
can also find more time to work on building new
skills for a job you do love. You'll have more time
to work on what you see as your life’s purpose.
Healthier
Reducing stress, needing less money to live, and
otherwise being less busy gives us more time and
money to investigate illnesses and heal naturally.
Being less dependent on pharmaceuticals means
more freedom.
Reduce waste and impact on the earth
The rate we are consuming materials on this
planet is unsustainable. Learning to live (and live
well!) with less can ensure that our children and
grandchildren can also live, and live well, on this
planet.
Better relationships
Not only will you have more time for cultivating
relationships, but you can be more mindful of your
words and actions and less reactionary. This is
especially important with kids (most of those truly
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frustrating times happen when we’re running late,
right?)
Greater spiritual connection
Many spiritual and religious groups promote
simple living as a way to gain true happiness and
spiritual enlightenment. Hindu, Buddhist, Quaker,
Amish, and Catholic are some of the groups that
focus on simplicity. At the very least, spending less
time working, cleaning, worrying, etc. will give you
more time to connect spiritually.
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But where do I start? Where you start is going to depend on your own
priorities and what’s going on in your life right
now. Remember, you don’t have to do them all
and you can choose what order you do them in.
Go with what works for you and benefits your life
most right now. The other things can come later.
Keep jotting down anything that strikes a cord as
being important to you.
Time
There never seems to be enough of it! Being busy
is almost a status symbol in our culture so we all,
consciously or not, create busyness. To regain
some sanity and simplify your schedule you have
to be ok with saying “NO”.
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What commitments and obligations can you give
up without detracting from your quality of life? Of
course, doing things for other people can and
should be part of our lives, but many of us do too
much out of obligation. Choose the activities that
do the most good, or serve your future life goals.
Doing something because you “should” and being
resentful about it isn’t good for anyone.
• Cut back on commitments. You don’t have to go
to every social event you’re invited to. You don’t
even have to go to most of them. Choose ones
that are meaningful to you (or to someone you
love) and skip the others if you want. Likewise,
it’s great to help friends with projects but make
sure the amount you are doing doesn’t stretch
you too thin.
• Find ways to improve the way you use your time
(like combining errands, grocery shopping once a
week/month, etc).
• Make relaxation a priority in your schedule. Find
time to meditate, read, garden, etc. Whatever
makes you feel at peace, make sure you have
time for it. Without it everything else can
become overwhelming.
• Consider hiring out some tasks. Have your taxes
done professionally, get take-out once in a while,
hire a sitter (or grandma) so you can have an
evening free.
Money
Finances are one of the biggest reasons for
fighting and stress in relationships. It makes sense,
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we all need money and, for most of us, there isn’t
too much of it. Financial freedom is attainable
though, even if you are living on one income or
low income. With financial freedom comes more
personal freedom.
• Get a better appreciation for what your money is
worth and how much of your time it took to earn
it. Once I realized how much time I had to work
to pay for that new shirt or extra trip to the
store, I started to rethink my purchases.
• Cut out unnecessary expenses. Subscriptions
and memberships should be the first to be
evaluated. If you use and love them, then keep
them, if they just cause stress and cost money
(like an unused gym membership) get rid of it.
• Get out of debt. Debt is often what holds us back
from reaching our dreams. It’s not easy, and I’m
not fully there yet either. Chipping away at debt
can be fun though. Once you see your balances
going down and have fewer accounts to pay
you’ll start to feel the freedom.
• Decrease your need for money. We all need to
eat but we don’t all need to pay someone to
raise and grow our food. A simple garden is a
first step towards needing less money to live.
Also consider a smaller home, fewer cars, etc.
Health & wellness
Without health we have nothing. Keep yourself
healthy and avoid illness naturally. Conventional
medicine has it’s place, but prevention is always
best.
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• Eat a real food diet. Avoid processed foods, too
much sugar (even natural!), and conventional
meat and produce when you can. It’s not an all
or nothing journey. Start small and move
forward.
• Deal with underlying health issues that are
making you feel sick, tired, and crabby. If your
doctor can’t or won’t help you find a new one.
• Avoid toxic chemicals in cleaning supplies,
personal care products, and the environment.
One way to do this is to make them yourself.
• Practice self care. You are more than your to-do
list.
Work
Many people feel overwhelmed and frustrated
having to go to work at a job that is not great, just
for a paycheck? It doesn’t have to be that way.
Getting out of debt, downsizing, etc., can help you
get to a place where you can wait and search for
the right job or spend time volunteering or going
back to school to gain new skills. No. this isn’t for
everyone. Most of us have debt and lack of savings
that hold us back from these options, but if having
a job you love sounds appealing you can make it
happen.
• Focus on financial freedom first.
• Choose work that feeds your soul.
• Work a day job and a “side hustle” and make
your side hustle your real job when you can. Yes,
this is more time consuming but it may feel
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better to know your day job is funding your
“dream job”.
Family Life
Ultimately, love, family, and friends are what
simplifying is all about. Getting rid of the excess so
there’s time and energy for our relationships.
• Choose to reduce screen time. Too much screen
time can make us passive, unfocused, and
unimaginative. Find other things to do for
relaxation and fun and you’ll notice a change in
everyone for the better.
• Begin a family tradition or ritual. Do you eat
breakfast together every morning? Do you play
games together every weekend?
• Get outside more. There is a profound
connection between nature and happiness. Just
getting outside can turn a bad day around
instantly. Make it a regular part of your routine.
• Buy a Smaller home. Our homes take up a lot of
our time, money and energy. Choosing to live in
a smaller home can free them up to be used on
more important things. Also, living in a smaller
space will force you and your kids to learn to
work together, cooperate, communicate, and
enjoy each other (and recognize when you need
alone time!).
Possessions
Sometimes our stuff owns us instead of the other
way around. Downsizing is a great way to clear out
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the clutter and focus on the things that truly
matter.
• Learn the basics of decluttering. I follow the
mantra, “Have nothing in your houses that you do
not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
• Build a capsule wardrobe. They’re all the rage
these days but minimalists have been doing it
for a long time. Choose your very favorite
clothing items to keep and get rid of anything
that you don’t love, is stained or ripped, or
doesn’t fit well. Ideally you want each item to go
with at least 2 or 3 other items.
• Become a 1 car family. Giving up a second car, if
possible, can save money on registration and
maintenance.
• Par down to just what you can fit in your car (or
on your back). Many people have found this to
be incredibly liberating!
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Realizing your goals There are a million ways to begin living more
simply but you will get overwhelmed and burnt
out if you try to do them all. You have to decide
what is most important to you.
Be honest with yourself. Don’t worry about what
other people prioritize, they do what works for
them. Be true to yourself and don’t waste your
time pursuing something that you don’t really
want. If you hate cooking, don’t put homemade
food on your list.
Maybe some day that will become something you
want to do (and maybe it won’t) but let’s stick with
what is true right now.
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Though your path to simple living will be unique,
many people have two important places that they
need or want to simplify first before anything else
can be simplified. They are: getting out of debt/
living within your means and downsizing
possessions. If you don’t know where to start, pick
one of these two and go for it.
Exercise
Grab a piece of paper and a pen (or a computer)
and write down all of the things that are important
to you. Think about people, places, possessions,
lifestyle choices, and activities.
If you’re stuck, here are some questions that can
help you begin focusing on what is a priority for
you and what isn’t.
• What makes you happy?
• What makes you feel confident?
• What causes the most stress in your day?
• What are your long term life goals? What is your
purpose?
• What are your hobbies?
• What are some things you wish you had more
time to do?
• What are some things you wish you had enough
money to do?
• What do your finances look like? Are you
struggling?
• What is your eating style? take out most nights,
organic home cooked meals, special diet like
Paleo, AIP, GAPS, etc.
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• How do you grocery shop? How often?
• Do you like your job? What’s your dream job?
• How does your family vacation? Often/never, far
away places/in state attractions, etc.
• What do you do to care for your health?
(physical, emotional, and spiritual).
• If you had 5 minutes to pack and leave your
home, what would you take?
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How to live more simply Now that you know what your priorities are how
can you turn them into actionable steps? Here is a
guide for getting started on your simple living
adventure!
Prioritize
Take a look at your list of most important things
and narrow it down to 3. Some may become top
priority as a default (getting out of debt may need
to come before pursuing a different career, for
example).
Choose one thing
Give yourself permission to start small. I know.
Now that you’ve committed to living a simple life
you want to jump in head first, but this is not the
best way to do it. Choosing to change too many
things in your life will inevitably make it more
complicated. What one thing can you simplify in
your life that will make the most impact on your
happiness and quality of life? Alternately, What
change can you make most easily?
Make it part of you
Do that thing until it is second nature. Make it part
of your daily routine. Own it.
Move onto another thing
Choose your next adventure. Make it part of you.
Keep going.
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Become a student of simple living
Realize that it’s a journey and that even the most
seasoned simple living enthusiasts are learning
new things. There will always be more to do and
learn so make it part of your life’s journey.
It’s simple…
…but not always easy. And it can feel very
overwhelming at first. Take it one step at a time
and remember to breathe.
Conclusion Pursuing simplicity has changed my life. I am
more ok with what I have, where I am, and what’s
going on right now, than I have ever been. I hope
this eBook has inspired you on your journey to
simple living. I’d love to hear how this eBook has
helped you. If you have any comments or
questions just email me or leave a comment on
my blog.
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About the Author
I’m Mindy Wood, simple living enthusiast, writer, wife, mother, and
homesteader-in-the-making. When modern living made me exhausted and
unhappy I began exploring a simpler way to live. From home cooked food to
raising chickens to DIY everything, I’m passionate about helping others achieve
their most authentic and happy life.
PurposefullySimple.com
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Purposefully Simple
© 2016 All Rights Reserved
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