MSOS Blog - Help Needed.

redcherry_girl

Hi,

I hope you don't mind me posting this here because I don't think it belongs anywhere else really.

After reading the "How to live on $12,000" post I've decided to start a blog about living frugally in an OS way. I'm fairly confident that I can do it, I have a lot of time on my hands at the moment and the initial set up has been fine... The main thing I would love some help with is what people would want to see on it.

It will be blog format but I've started putting links on and things like that. I'd like to turn in into an actual website but I don't have the skills for that just yet. So for now it'll be a blog.

I'll be updating it on a near daily basis and am hoping having this (and knowing people'll read this will help me keep on with it). I've been useless at saving money so far so some support (and pressure too I guess) would be good. Anyway... does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,

redcherrygirl

P.S I'll be linking my blog on my profile.

Hardup_Hester

Good luck with your blog, I really am going to have to give up work if I find any more blogsto read.
Hester

redcherry_girl

Thanks very much for the encouragement. It's very much appreciated.

salster

Good luck.

I've fairly new to this money saving business but I've set big targets for next year. I like to read others thoughts and situations for inspiration.

ceridwen

redcherry_girl wrote: »

Hi,

I hope you don't mind me posting this here because I don't think it belongs anywhere else really.

After reading the "How to live on $12,000" post I've decided to start a blog about living frugally in an OS way. I'm fairly confident that I can do it, I have a lot of time on my hands at the moment and the initial set up has been fine... The main thing I would love some help with is what people would want to see on it.

It will be blog format but I've started putting links on and things like that. I'd like to turn in into an actual website but I don't have the skills for that just yet. So for now it'll be a blog.

I'll be updating it on a near daily basis and am hoping having this (and knowing people'll read this will help me keep on with it). I've been useless at saving money so far so some support (and pressure too I guess) would be good. Anyway... does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,

redcherrygirl

P.S The blog will be under www.frugalfelix.blogspot.com (but there's nowt there right now)

Pleased to be of service so to say. Various people on my $12,000 thread have made comments that they would like to see more British blogs - so I shall follow your endeavours with interest myself.

Obviously there are going to be more USA blogs - its just so much bigger a country - but Britain is VERY under-represented on this front and there are cultural differences - what was that phrase "two countries divided by a common language" or something like that anyway.

I would be interested personally to know what viewpoint you are coming from on being frugal. There are various different reasons for being frugal - the first and most obvious is sheer pure lack of money (a common "affliction" - which I myself suffered from for years). There are other reasons too - like not wanting to consume more than ones "share" of the worlds resources. There is also the one I tend to relate to most personally - an ideological one - as in, in my case, the less money I need for basically "getting by" then the less dependent I am on employers/the Government supplying me with income. To me personally - the less income I physically need to "get by" - the freer I am not to have to do a job that is too ideologically unsound/unsafe/poorly-paid/inconvenient to myself/whatever.

The originator of the $12,000 per year idea was an American woman who figured that if she deliberately kept her income below the U.S.A. personal tax allowance level then she wouldnt have to pay income tax - thus none of her income tax would fund wars (ie Iraq). I can certainly see her reasoning on that one - though, I dont know how U.S. society functions - but in Britain it is the case that one pays tax no matter how low ones income is. In Britain one even pays tax on benefit money (as in VAT on goods and services) - so it is darn nigh literally impossible to avoid some of ones income going in tax in a way one would not approve of. But - that is my personal viewpoint and I am not after a debate on that one - as I am well aware just how many people would disagree with me on that one.

My main point I wish to make is that - whatever the reason or reasons why someone is going in for frugal living - I am right behind them on that and interested to see how they do. We do all (okay - most of us) consume too much in this country and I am not perfect in this respect I am well aware - work in progress Chapter 10.

At a practical suggestion level - you could try googling for other past/present advocates of frugal living. I know there is a UK Yahoo frugal living group (though I am not in contact with). There are religious belief systems/churches that make a point of simple living - try Amish or Quakers. Hippies made a point of cutting loose from conventional consumerism. Theres a whole battery of U.S.A. frugal living websites (many of a "fundamentalist Christian" nature - but with loads of useful tips nevertheless). Also try googling "voluntary simplicity". There is a voluntary simplicity movement in part of the Catholic Church I know.
Not forgetting many British people of the (late) Pension age group - who will have memories of coping in a much more financially restricted climate than we have right at present.

I personally believe it is very useful for people to share whatever tips we have on this one - from whatever viewpoint we come - as my personal take on things right now is that we are (as a society) sliding downhill now from a pretty affluent position we have had for a while now and come to regard as the norm - but then a lot of people will regard that as my own personal viewpoint - and it could be, I could be wrong.

Well - thats the suggestions that come to mind right now. I might think of more later.

I would be doing this myself if I had the time - but unfortunately I have a full-time job to hold down at present - hence my probably (pretty obvious) longing to do something like this - and my encouragement to others to do so.

I shall be watching with interest.

Best wishes

ceridwen

redcherry_girl

Hi ceridwen.

Thanks very much for the interesting post. The most immediate reason I've decided to do this is because I've got some debt I'd love to be rid of. I'm getting through it at a slow pace right now, but I'd like to speed it up. Mostly it's because (like you) I'm very aware of the rampant consumerism that's going on in the world at the moment. I want to be independent of that. I'm going to try to do my best... I'll be taking it one day (and one change) at a time.

It's also a lot to do with living more healthily for me. I've grown increasingly suspicious of mass produced snacks/ready meals and other "processed" food. I want to cook from scratch but not let it take over my life. Anyway, I guess it'll be a learning curve. I'm also just about to move in with my OH, so it'll be interesting living in a "family unit". Before I've lived with strangers which doesn't provide an environment which encourages this sort of lifestyle. At least I'll be able to recycle and cook without getting funny looks.

I hope that gives you more of an idea as to why I've started this. I think the other thing is that I have no kids so I've got more spare time than the other people who post regularly on this board. And I like to help

redcherrygirl aka felix

ceridwen

okay .... learning curve as you say. One step at a time. The longest journey starts with the smallest step - or something like that anyway.

Keep at it.

ceridwen

moanymoany

I think the reason there are so many sites for frugal living in the US is because most of them are religious based. The extremist Christian groups that homeschool their children and live frugally or self sufficiently are quite scattered and these sites are a way for them to maintain contact and community. Much like we frugalists and old stylers on MSE use these forums as support for the way we live. If you have watched programmes about the Duggars you know they use their home to have services on Sundays - presumably their type of Christianity doesn't have a church within travelling distance.

The $12,000 dollars would be £5,435 a year or $10,870 here as that is the threshhold to pay tax. I bet there are people who have this as their income, but they would have the support of benefits.

ceridwen

Red_Cherry Girl

Another quick thought - try googling as well for Buddhist blogs. There quite specifically is a list of them that will come up under that heading (or wording very akin to). As Buddhism as a religion favours simple living. Talking of Quakers, as I did earlier, one can also google specifically for Quaker blogs (I seem to remember that a list of them will come up as well).

?Mennonite blogs might also be possibility - not sure on that one?

rosieben

I agree with Ceridwen, there is a shortage of uk based sites so I will be following your blog with interest as I'm working through my own voluntary simplicity challenge. Good luck!