We gave up TV (owning a set and all!) over 6 years ago! Our entertainment has changed from all TV to reading, watching DVDs on our computer and hanging out as a family and with friends!
Has been a wonderful time ever since. We play more and do more outdoor activities with out 4 yr old like playgrounds, hiking, picnicing and to top it all he is not exposed to all the commercial selling aimed at kids, the violence in the shows etc etc!!
We also, gave up all other media coming into the house in the form of newspapers, magazines and other paper related products that we controlled. Stopped buying “new” books and now request all and any we need from the library! Also, switched to audiobooks for lifestyle reasons!
This has made our lives healthier emotionally too since we are not bombarded by constant “bad” news and when the news is big enough for us to be concerned …. we hear about it, since it is important enough for people we know and interact with to be discussing!
This season, I did not put on the AC at all. Opened the windows, draped the over sunny windows and used the ceiling fans when it got HOT… I got my husband to install one in all rooms that we use regularly. Life is much cooler now than with the AC and it means a lot more money in my pocket than last year!!!!!!
Overall, “going simple” has made our lives as a family more fulfilling and meaningful.
This post was submitted by Ashita.
Hang washed clothes outdoors whenever possible, mainly summer in our neck of the woods. In winter, hang them on wooden clothes’ horses in front of our wood stove or in front of our little Eden Pure heater (which saves us money too). Only use the dryer to fluff wrinkles out of “permanent press”, 20 minutes on low setting, but take out before “cooling” which can reset some wrinkles. Ironing in our little house with many animals is an impossibly complicated affair, so I’ve worked out the above formula for as little impact as possible on the environment while still looking presentable (at least in our rural community!).
This post was submitted by Kathy Butler.
Successful local eating starts with seeing what’s at the market or in your CSA box then finding a recipe for it. We have to let go of the tendency to pick a recipe and buy according to that. Keep a library of cookbooks or just find recipes online when you have a pile of local meat and veggies waiting to be eaten.
This post was submitted by Kim.
Instead of going out to dinner, we try to use up ingredients and leftovers and cook up something new with friends. We save money, prevent food from hitting the trash, enjoy good company, and it\’s almost always healthier than eating out anyway!
This post was submitted by Becky.
My friends and I “loosely” formed a book club. We no longer purchase books solely for our own pleasure. One person purchases the book, reads it first, then passes to the other friends. We rotate the purchasing and when we are finished we then donate the book to a library or organization. This is fun, gives us plenty to talk about and what a way to open your world to an author you might have otherwise missed. We sign the inside of the book to keep an ongoing record for the world to know where it’s been.
This post was submitted by debbie.
A daily commute doesn’t feel like a slog when you travel with friends. Carpooling, for example, lets you socialize on your way to work and saves you money.
Power down the electronic entertainment and invite friends over instead. Try playing charades, Scrabble, or another non-electronic game.
Make grocery shopping a treat rather than a chore. Research shows that people who shop at farmer’s markets have 10 times as many conversations than at supermarkets.