Less Stuff, More Life

Living well with less noise, less stuff, less stress

When Working Less Means Living More

When we moved into a smaller home off the grid, we relinquished most of our major bills— water, sewer, and electric. Each year we grow a little bit more of our own food, but food is still a necessary expense. Other than that, all our bills come down to lifestyle choices. This means that we can work less and live more.

If you are collapse aware, then you are probably considering ways to become more independent from unreliable centralized systems. You may also be evaluating what is more important to you right now, making a ton of money or living a peaceful, unharried, calm life.

The reality of living on one salary and having enough left over to save, or even have fun, is entirely unrealistic for most people. With the state of our economy, reducing the amount you work is only possible if you reduce the amount you spend.

The Myth of “More”

It seems obvious but, in our culture, we are constantly marketed to, and we are programmed to believe that more is better. Everywhere we look, we see excess. Fashion, cars, houses, food, beauty products, décor—everything is newer, bigger, fancier, more.

Some of our programming is so innate that we don’t even think twice about it. For example, it’s taboo to wear the same outfit two days in a row in most circles. Why not? We assume bigger homes with new furnishings equate to more success. Why? We believe that the more expensive something is, the better it is. Why?

It’s time to look around and see that there have been movements as far back as Thoreau’s Transcendentalism that are saying quite the opposite. Movements such as slow living, minimalism, zero-waste and tiny homes have been growing more in popularity in the last five years, signaling that our population is growing tired of constant consumption.

Multiple studies have shown that more happiness is gained from spending money on experiences or having experiences than on accumulating material goods and yet people continue to shop.

Shopping as a Substitute for Soul Work

I was raised shopping at thrift stores. I even had a vintage clothing store for 10 years that allowed me to make money thrifting. But when I made a conscious effort to minimize my belongings, I discovered that thrifting was more than just the thrill of the hunt, it was retail therapy. Anytime I felt dysregulated in my nervous system, I would feel the urge to visit the local Habitat ReStore. If boredom set in and I had time to kill, I could feel the intense draw towards Goodwill. I believed that finding a good score, even if it was something I totally didn’t need, would make me feel better. And it did. It gave me a nice dopamine hit but, in the end, I would end up with something I didn’t really need, use or wear and that would gather dust in my house.

Spending money to make us feel more fulfilled is toxic behavior. Instead, we can do something for free that would make us feel better for the long-term and create healthy habits. Now, when I feel the urge to shop, I like to go for a walk instead. Or if I really feel like I want to browse and acquire something new, I go to the library. Shopping is meant to be for when we need something not as a means to fill a void.

What We Choose to Spend On—And Why

Some financial advisors suggest that we only spend discretionary money on things that are important to us. These may be areas in our lives where we can splurge a little, so we don’t feel deprived. But I think we need to be honest with ourselves and not look for an excuse to continue unhealthy consumerist behaviors.

For me. I love travel and organic food. Though I have decided that it is okay to splurge on organic food, I do look for organic food that is generic and on sale and I grow my own organic garden in the summer.

Fortunately for me, I love to travel for cheap. I have been backpacking around the world since I was a teenager and it’s my favorite mode of travel. It’s a little fancier these days than it used to be. I’ll get a private room at the hostel instead of staying in a dorm, but I’ll still stay at a hostel. Even at the age of 50, I’m more than happy to sleep in a tent if given a chance. For me, this is about seeing the world from the people’s perspective instead of being in an exclusive resort, detached from the reality of the place I am visiting. But still, travel is expensive.

Ultimately those are things that I have decided are worth spending money on that aren’t essential but are important to me.

So, decide what is important to you? And then look around and notice what you’re spending money on that is not important. For example, maybe you love stylish or creative clothes as a form of self-expression. That’s great, but do you need to buy more clothes? Or can you have a capsule wardrobe with fun and creative accessories?

Maybe you love to eat out at restaurants. I do for sure. But are you eating out because you don’t enjoy cooking or you don’t have time? Or are you eating out because it’s quicker and easier? If that’s the case, you could swap out your take-out for buying pre-made food at the grocery store or coming up with easier meals to make at home that only take 20 minutes. Brew coffee at home, pack lunches, and dine out only for special occasions. Then when you do go out and have a true dining experience with friends, that experience is going to be even more special because you are doing it less often. At the same time, you’re saving money.

A Month Without Buying Anything

If the idea of cutting back on your lifestyle habits intimidates you, try a no-spend challenge for a set period. For one month, avoid spending on unnecessary items. See how it feels and maybe you can reset some of your less desirable spending habits.

Lifestyle Choices for Saving Money

Here are some more ways that I have discovered to save money. This is not about clipping coupons either, this is about making big lifestyle changes. Some of it is common sense, some of it you may not have thought of before, but hopefully all of it is inspiring to you.

• Rent/Mortgage. This is the very first thing I would look at in evaluating where you can begin saving money. Do you have to own a home? If your monthly mortgage is so high that you must stay in a job you don’t like, or you’re struggling to pay for fun things or to save money then why own home? If you are carrying a mortgage, consider if it is worth it. Could you sell your home and pay for a smaller home or a home in a less expensive location without a mortgage? The best thing to do is to buy raw land and build on it slowly within your means. This is going to give you the best value in your living space because building a home is cheaper than buying a home. You can learn useful skills while you do it. You could even live on the land in a temporary house like a camper or Weather King shed. If you are renting, could you find a lower rent by moving to another location? Could you live farther out from town or in a smaller space or in a space that needs a little loving care that you can provide?

• Go off grid. If you do own your home, consider investing in off grid utilities, such as solar, water catchment and grey water systems that can reduce your utility costs and give you independence from unreliable centralized grids.

• Grow your own food. My garden saves me a lot of money because I eat a lot of vegetables and I don’t have to buy them in the summertime. Canning, drying and freezing helps me to prolong my homegrown produce when my garden is no longer active. We recently built a greenhouse too so we can grow year-round. Even a small garden will save you money. Consider what you buy a lot of and what is costly and start growing those.

• Consignment shops. Get free video games, music, books and clothes. By shopping at consignment shops, you can literally get things for free. You trade in your old stuff, and you get new stuff. This gives you the dopamine rush I referenced earlier regarding shopping, and it gives you satisfaction of getting new things or things that you now need while getting rid of things that you outgrew or no longer like without spending any money. Consignment shops have the balancing effect of you ridding yourself of more things than you get in exchange. It decreases accumulation.

• Library. Get free books from the library. A great way to spend a gloomy afternoon is perusing your local library, which also offers free internet. If you use the library app, Libby, you can also get free eBooks and audio books.

• Health. Depending on how good your insurance is, if you have health insurance at all, doctor bills, prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs are expensive. The best thing to do is to be healthy. Eat whole foods, mostly plants, and get plenty of exercise. Learning about how to use plants for medicine is also a great way to save money. I recently had a cold and instead of buying cough drops, nasal decongestants, cough suppressants, throat spray or whatever, I used wild plants that I had harvested and stored. Mullein was my savior for lung relief, which I got from a weed that sprouted mysteriously in my yard two years ago. As were rose hips for boosting my immunity, which I harvested last fall while walking along the river. Both were free.

• Outdoor recreation. Speaking of health, you don’t need to pay for a gym membership. You can get plenty of exercise in the great outdoors. Bonus, green spaces decrease cortisol, relieving stress and inflammation in your body. Embrace being rustic. It’s free. I love hiking, camping, backpacking, snowshoeing and paddle sports. But even going for a walk and chopping wood is great exercise.

• Unsubscribe (not from us!). Subscription plans are economically dangerous for many people because they create unnoticed, recurring expenses that accumulate far more than you realize. Automatic billing makes it easy to lose track of what you’re paying for, especially with multiple renewals on different dates. Studies have shown that a significant percentage of people forget about at least one active subscription, essentially wasting money on things they don’t use. Make sure to review your subscriptions every few months to make sure you are only paying for what you really need or value. If you really want to watch a show, get the one-month free trial, binge it and then set a reminder to cancel your subscription before you are charged. Unsubscribe from promotional emails to avoid impulse buys. And if you are a paid subscriber to Our Uncertain Future, we are grateful that your values align with ours. Thanks for believing in our mission and deciding it’s worth your hard-earned cash. It means a lot that you find our work worth backing.

• Freecycle. Freecycle is a community resource that allows people to get things they need for free. It’s a great place to give away what you no longer need and ask for something from the community that you do need. It’s regenerative sustainable economics at its best.

• Community spaces. In my town, the museum offers locals the opportunity to go for free on Sundays. My yoga studio offers free or donation-based classes sometimes. There are lots of free events being offered in your community all the time. These are great opportunities to meet neighbors, learn about your community, engage with the people around you and open your mind to something new.

Money Equals Values

I hope some of these ideas inspired you to consider new ways you can spend less and be a conscientious consumer. Our money is our power and where we put our money says what our values are and what we are willing to support. Instead of glorifying Gucci, let’s glorify simplicity, creativity, nature and community.

What did I miss? What are other ways we can save money?

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