Simplifying Life

mary43

Not sure which thread to put this on so here goes.............I've just de-cluttered six storage boxes and re-arranged the contents in some sort of order. Now I want to put labels on them so I know where stuff is. I know what I'm like when I move stuff around..............takes me forever to remember what I put where. All the free printable sites I've looked at are either a bit 'kitcheny' or for children. I just want some that will be about business card size that I can type straight on and then print them out.
Anyone help please

JoJoB

I too was disgusted by the tv pictures of the sales and all the grasping mentalists rushing in to the shops the minute they opened. It is just revolting.

I was at work from 7am in the M&S coffee shop - it was open at 6 to accomodate all the people who had been at Next which opened at 5am. 500 people were waiting for Next to open at 5am! Can you imagine??!!!!

I had planned to have a quick look at the sales for a duvet because i have a friend coming to stay for NY. However I just couldn't face the melee and instead found one through my local freecyle. Much more simple and old-style. :j

BallandChain

I love reading this forum and I'm always thinking of new ways to live life simpler. Does anyone know of any British websites of people who have downsized/live a simpler life especially about finding an unconventional home?

Somebody posted about a site called down the lane and I had a good read. I did read a thread at MSE where somebody said they will be living in a yurt. That's how much I want to simplify life! I've been looking at different ways of living that doesn't involve a mortgage or require you to have loads of capital to fund a dwelling of some sort.

Thing is I have found that if you want to live in a mud hut/yurt/caravan/etc permanently you have to have the land and even then you can get turned down for planning permission. Does anyone know of any successful communities who already have unconventional homes for sale on their land? Indeed any help will be most welcome.

Just to add I don't plan on going to the sales either!

needmoney

American but interesting.

http://www.newdream.org/holiday/index.php

http://www.december.com/simple/live/
Can you tell I'm working on it

Don't know if they've been posted if so ignore

ceridwen

BallandChain wrote: »

I love reading this forum and I'm always thinking of new ways to live life simpler. Does anyone know of any British websites of people who have downsized/live a simpler life especially about finding an unconventional home?

There is a British website somewhere re people living in?/planning to live in? yurts in a community in Wales. Dont recall details.

I have an idea (couldnt swear to it) that there is stuff off on one of the links from a blog I used to read - till she changed her style a bit. But it is American. You might like to read it anyway and search back through - she does have a lot of interesting stuff further back in her blog:

http://walkslowlylivewildly.com

Aril

Another great thread thanks Ceridwen and as ever some very thought provoking contributions.
I suppose the key with all this is that you have to decide how far you wish to take this. I have been downshifting steadily for 15 years partly so that we didn't have to increase our mortgage when we moved and then at an accelerated pace when our salary halved.
I know for me personally I wouldn't last 15 secs in a yurt nor would I ever have an allotment [yes I have romantic ideas of my growing all my own veg but in reality I hate gardening:D ] However, it's not a problem for me to only manage with one car as I've always walked everywhere.
My main aim I think will be to continue on the OS path and keep tweaking it as I read new ideas/ways of doing things. There's always a gap between what I think I should be able to do OS wise and what I actually achieve and I have learnt the hard way to slim down what my goals are. I think I achieved a better balance in 2007 but there's still room for improvement. Good luck everyone and hope to hear how you're all getting on!
Aril

JoJoB

For anyone interested in communities which have an emphasis on the simple life these links may be helpful:

http://www.diggersanddreamers.org.uk/

http://www.lowimpact.org/linkscommunitiesandcoops.htm

BallandChain, my plan is to move to a yurt in Spring 2009. It was supposed to be spring 2008 but as i will be having a baby then i think it wise to wait for a year and not try to have too much upheaval for the first year. Our plan is to move to tipi valley in wales, a village of tipis, yurts and roundhouses which has developed since the 70s. There are many other possibilities which you can find on the diggers and dreamers website, i particularly like the sound of the following:

http://www.diggersanddreamers.org.uk/index.php?fld=status&val=embryonic%20community&one=dat&two=det&sel=wlhealth

Once you start contemplating doing anything in this direction it is amazing how many ideas start occurring, and how many people you know who may have some info about it. There are problems with buyhing your own land and living in yurts etc but planning departments are starting to catch up a bit and be a bit less draconian in enforcing outdated planning policy, particularly as they now have a legal obligation to show evidence of sustainable building/settlements! still a way to go though.....

ceridwen

JoJoB

All ideas welcome - I'm keeping an eye on all these sorts of sites - wondering whether I would do any major lifestyle changing or no once I am free to.

One of the things that strikes me about this sort of portable/temporary dwelling is that if the worlds population goes into decline at some point then it will be very easy to restore land that such dwellings are on to "natural habitat" type status - unlike land that has had "permanent" type dwellings/etc built on it - which would in time become ruins, but the land they are on would still be gone for ever (bar demolition).

Caterina

Very proud of myself. In the last week I have really simplified my life. Wanted to do it for a long time. All started with chucking out all the chemical shampoos and cr*ap cosmetic bits and pieces that I have accumulated over the years - 3 large carrierbagfuls, including a whole bag full of make up from when I was a Virgin Vie consultant (some 7 years ago!).

Then I started thinking about my life. I have already recently terminated a 'friendship' with someone who was abusive to me for 18 years, and much more recently, in the last few days, another of those 'friendships' that was going very much in that direction (if you always come back from meeting a 'friend' and everytime you feel emptied, angry and de-energised instead of happy, loved and supported, it is not worth keeping this relationship going!).

And I said: why not declutter more of my life?

At present I have a lovely part time home-based admin job for a charity, 12 hours per week, which is likely to grow more in the next few months. At the same time I have been a doula for more than 5 years, which I liked but it has now run its course. But I kept taking doula jobs because I kept my details on the main doula network website (Doula UK) and really feel bad to say no to new mothers in need (whose needs I have put before mine a lot of the time).

I have also been volunteering for the same charity that I work for, which provides birth support for women in Holloway prison. But this is impractical because I live a good 1 1/2 hour away from both the prison and the hospital where they go to give birth, and volunteering so far away from home seems really a bit crazy, with so many projects around where I live that probably need some support too.

So I did the following:

I asked the doula network people to delete my details from the website and informed them that I would not be renewing my membership.

I also emailed the charity and told them that I am going to concentrate on the paid work as admin but will not continue volunteering.

Now I have created a lovely gap where, if it is good for my wellbeing, I can attract some other activity (voluntary, or even just look after myself more for a time while I decide what to do with the newly created time). I have also created a void where to attract more positive, friendly and life-enriching people!

I feel happy.

Caterina

needmoney

Well done you Caterina, and yes it's always good to be rid of people who drag us down.