More good sense from Down To Earth

thriftlady_2

Just thought folks might be interested in Rhonda Jean's post here. She talks such good sense. I particularly indentify with her remarks about not buying a bigger house.

mary43

She does make an awful lot of sense. Our house would be far too big for us if it were just the two of us (though there would be plenty of space for the grandchildren) Trouble is, its taken us a few years (more than care to mention) to get it so we feel it's 'right'...............the thought of selling it now -well I just couldn't. I want to enjoy it for a few more years yet.........then the general plan is to 'downsize' and we've both agreed on that.

carriebradshaw

I'm very happy with my small house,sometimes I think I'd like more space,but then I realise our little home is cheaper to heat and quicker/easier/cheaper to keep clean too

beemuzed

Thanks for this Thriftlady - clearly she's another OSer at heart!

rosy

I saw Rhonda Jean's post earlier tonight and thought it was so good I'd come on here to put a link to it but you beat me to it thriftlady - I really liked how she posted all the advice from others commenting too. Lots of very sensible and useful tips in that one post alone, never mind the rest of her blog.

champys

Many years ago now I read this comment in a newspaper column and I have never forgotten it. The columnist said: "Sometimes I feel that I should get very busy, and make a lot of money, and buy a bigger house. But then I think: if I had a big house, what exactly would I use it for? Thinking about it, I would probably end up sitting in a corner, reading a book. Which is exactly what I do now. So I don't really need a bigger house....."
I lived in a studio flat myself at the time, and whenever I thought that wasn't good enough, remembering those lines always brought me back 'down to earth' - with Rhonda Jean, I guess!

moanymoany

Yes, thriftlady and mary43, I think that this is good sense. We are currently selling (trying to) our house. We hope to downsize to a different area and retire. Over the past three years we have changed the way we live and eat completely, helped along the way by Martin’s site and the threads.

Even so, in a large house, we live much more cheaply than many. DH tells me how much it costs his colleagues to live – or rather how much they spend. He won’t tell them how little we live on as they wouldn’t ‘get’ it.

Thriftlady, I think that many of this lady’s ideas are very similar to Tightwad Gazette’s ideas, do you agree?

StressedSteph

One of the first things I do EVERY morning is log onto Down-to-Earth and have my dose of tranquility. I strive to have a life like Rhonda Jean, and am sure I will once my young children have flown the nest, until then I will take from her website as many bits as possible.

Our house is small, but perfect for a family of four. We are not having anymore children ,so there should be no hurry to move. The only thing I would like is, even though we live in the country, we live in a busy cul-de-sac of houses and would rather be further out into the country, so I could have a veg plot and chickens. But I would'nt want the house any bigger.

xx

donna73

thanks for posting this thread!
I feel the same way, the more I simplify my life the more I realise how wasteful we used to be. We have become more creative in our lives, finding ways to reuse and mend things, and thinking of ways to occupy the children by spending little or no money. I don't think we are missing out on things by spending less, infact I think our lives are actually richer.
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rachelleblondel_2

I love this blog and have signed up for the tote bag swap...can't wait to find out my swap buddy. I'd love to have a mum like Rhonda Jean....

rosieben

I first visited this blog from a link in another thread some weeks ago, now I read it daily and I’ve also read back through the archive; there are so many thought-provoking posts and so much really useful information - she’s a born teacher! Id have loved to join in the tote bag swap Rachel, but I'm in the midst of moving, hoping she will do another one later. Her soap making posts are very good, I'm going to try her 'recipe' after my move.