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I just posted a similar question in the Frugal Living forums, but it would be a fun one for this forum too. What do you do to simplify or make life easier that goes against the norm, or others find strange?
For me, I'd have to say limiting my kids' activities. Dd is only in gymnastics. Other kids her age are in Girl Scouts, dance, ice skating, gymnastics, and ten million other things. Ds is only three, but he only does preschool right now. Maybe I'm more of a homebody than other people I know, but I hate running around. Some days I don't even leave the house. I know to some people this is REALLY strange!
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I don't let my kids open up their happy meal toys until we are in the car. It prevents them from losing them or breaking them in the cesspool of playland at McDonalds.
I try to only open one boy of cereal at a time for them so I don't have 60 million boxes of stale cereal taking up my limited cupboard space.
I give away alot of my toys and clothes instead of selling them.
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My children's activities are also limited. We donate unused/unwanted toys and outgrown clothing. For the past several Christmas' gifts are only purchased for the children in the family.
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We choose family time instead of other activities. I let my kids pick one sport over the summer, if they want.
We rarely eat dinner out, and always eat together as a family.
I have never sold my kids toys, I always donate them.
My kids don't ask for things in the store, because I never got into the habit of buying them something everytime.
Sometimes I don't leave the house all week. I save tons of money by not going out. My friends call me a hermit, but I don't see the need to go to a store everyday or spend money eating lunch out when I know perfectly well how to cook.
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Originally Posted by treehugger
Sometimes I don't leave the house all week. I save tons of money by not going out. My friends call me a hermit, but I don't see the need to go to a store everyday or spend money eating lunch out when I know perfectly well how to cook.
that's funny... knowing perfectly well how to cook. When we stay home instead of running around town like nuts, I feel so much more centered, relaxed, I have time to read to my kids and do things with them other than hurry them out the door to someplace. I need to think more on this so perhaps in 2007 I can stop a lot of our needless rushing. We need to chill at home more!!!
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Well, please tell me to be quiet if I sound like a broken record, but I wear used clothing! THAT goes against the norm in my neighborhood, circle of friends and socioeconomic bracket. My *friends* and acquaintances look at me as if I have 3 heads when I tell them I bought my *cute* purse at a yard sale for $1.00. Or that my entire outfit cost me $2.50 (Shirt 50 cents, cool brand name jeans $1.00, purse $1.00)
Wait, maybe that's not simplifying.. maybe I'm posting the wrong thing here! OOPs.
How do I simplify my life... I do not go to the mall and suffer from the "wants", I have my 7 yo in only one sport plus one after-school activity, I have stopped buying "home decor" and decided I have ENOUGH. I will not buy any more pampered chef, Arbonne, or Tastefully Simple -- they clutter my cabinets and life, and I hardly use what I have bought in the past!
I need to be doing a lot more, so I'll be keeping an eye on this thread to see what others come up with. Sorry if my post is all over the place hee hee hee.
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Originally Posted by kellytime
Well, please tell me to be quiet if I sound like a broken record, but I wear used clothing! THAT goes against the norm in my neighborhood, circle of friends and socioeconomic bracket. My *friends* and acquaintances look at me as if I have 3 heads when I tell them I bought my *cute* purse at a yard sale for $1.00. Or that my entire outfit cost me $2.50 (Shirt 50 cents, cool brand name jeans $1.00, purse $1.00)
Wait, maybe that's not simplifying.. maybe I'm posting the wrong thing here! OOPs.
H
ow do I simplify my life... I do not go to the mall and suffer from the "wants", I have my 7 yo in only one sport plus one after-school activity, I have stopped buying "home decor" and decided I have ENOUGH. I will not buy any more pampered chef, Arbonne, or Tastefully Simple -- they clutter my cabinets and life, and I hardly use what I have bought in the past!
I need to be doing a lot more, so I'll be keeping an eye on this thread to see what others come up with. Sorry if my post is all over the place hee hee hee.
No need to apologize, it all sounds great to me!
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I thought of another one. I don't go to parties where people are selling things. Not any of them, ever. People look at me like I'm from the moon when I tell them that I just can't see scrimping and saving nickels and dimes just to go blow $10 on a candle that I could have bought at the dollar store. And no, I wouldn't feel right just going to hang out, there is always pressure to buy or have a party, not gonna happen.
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I answered this one in the other thread but I thought it would be more applicable here...
These are the things we do that go against the norm in our area.
1) We live in a 1000 sq foot house. When people call it a 'nice starter home' we tell them that we hope our grandkids visit us in this house one day.
2) We only drive one older used car (and seem to be the only family we know of personally that still have one car).
3) Our kids are only in one activity each instead of doing something every night.
4) We hardly ever go out for dinner but we love hosting people in our home.
5) I'm a SAHM which in our neighbourhood is really going against the norm.
6) I buy good quality but make it last. (i.e. The kids have Landsend backpacks and both are on year 4. I don't get new ones every year. )
7) We've never even thought of taking out a second mortgage on our house to re-decorate which seems to be the norm.
8) We don't drive a mini-van. With two kids we fit nicely in a smaller car but it seems that everyone we know, including families with just one child, drives a minivan.
9) We don't follow style trends. We wear good quality basic clothes that last.
I love when people say we inspire them to cut back. People seem to like to talk to us about how we live and 'admire' us for it, but no one seems to want to give it a try. :-)
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I hang dry clothes on drying racks in my basement. I'm a sahm so it's not like I don't have the time. My dh says he hates that his socks could hurt someone if used as a weapon. I have a limited wardrobe (4 jeans, 1 pr. track pants, 1 pr. sweats, 15 tshirts). Well that seems simple to me, maybe not the shirts but I only own about 3 dress shirts. My dd is in one activity that we pay for (dance) and story hr. (free). That's because we can't afford 2 activities at once, but she's only 3! I would like to live a lot simpler than what we do, but dh is so worried about what people think.