Another step

And now we are a bike-commuting family. We were proud of ourselves a few years ago when we sold the second car. We've been managing pretty much without issue ever since, having just a single motor vehicle. Every once in a while the logistics get a little hairy, but generally we do ok and don't miss that second car. Since our move closer to work last year I've been suggesting that we could now eliminate the remaining automobile. My partner has been pretty resistant to that idea, and the car has remained. But today the car left the state and now I get to make good on my assertion that we don't need a car in the city.

This morning was day one. I attached the new-to-us Burley double bike trailer to the back of my bike, affixed helmets on both munchkins and myself, and we were off. My poor bike has been locked up for over a year, so the muscles that move it forward were a bit surprised to be called out of retirement, but that's a change for the better. It was pretty much a non-event to be commuting to school and then work on the bike. I was pretty delighted to discover the "trunk" behind the seats in the Burley - plenty of room for my purse, book bag, and the kids stuff. Too cool.

In addition to the simplified, human powered transportation, we simplified the cable TV subscription this week - eliminating a pretty hefty chunk of that monthly bill (and the premium channels that went with it). We'd considered quitting completely, cold turkey, but ended up taking a less drastic first step in that area. Ah well, the good news is we're headed in the right direction.

Downsizing - step one

The first thing we did as we committed ourselves to a smaller footprint was to start looking at all the stuff we had accumulated. We began sorting it into one of four categories:

1. need it and want it
2. need it but don't want it
3. don't need it but want it
4. don't need it and don't want it

We immediately started posting things in that last category on Craigslist and preparing for a yard sale. The things in the first category - those things we both needed and wanted (clothing, beds, our bicycles) we prepared to take with us when we moved. We went through every drawer, every closet, every shelf and with each thing we encountered we asked ourselves if we needed it. In the kitchen we decided we did not need service for 12, and reduced the number of dishes and glasses to less than half. In our new house we have no more than four of anything. Four large plates, four lunch plates, three cereal bowls (the fourth broke!), four juice glasses....you get the picture. The four of us are living in 825 square feet. There's not alot of room to store things we aren't using every day. (And no, we aren't doing alot of entertaining at the moment. But since I have four of three different sizes, my total plate quantity is 12...entertaining would still be possible. )

If you are not quite ready to start deaccessioning your belongings, there are some great resources available to help you start thinking about the benefits of less stuff. The Northwest Earth Institute has put together a fabulous workbook for their Voluntary Simplicity course. Designed to be used in a discussion group, it is also a great way for individuals to learn more about being intentional about simplifying your lifestyle. The workbook is a collection of essays and questions to promote thoughtful consideration of the ideas presented. I'll be assembling a resource list shortly. This one is at the top of my list.

How?

In April, 2009, DH left his job to stay home with our newly adopted daughter (details about that at And Baby Makes Eight). We brought her home in September, 2008 and I was on leave until December. DH was on leave until March. We put her in daycare for a month. But we both wanted her home with us. We did the math and acknowledged that the second income wasn't doing much more than paying for childcare. It just didn't make sense.

But before it started paying for childcare, the second income was paying the mortgage. So something had to change. We decided we needed to sell our house and commit ourselves to a more frugal life. One that our single income could support. We moved closer to my office, into a small two-bedroom rental. To get there we had to downsize in a BIG way. We were leaving a fabulous 4-bedroom house in the suburbs, complete with double car garage, swimming pool, and gardens and fruit trees out back. It was a dream house. And we loved it. But we didn't love the monthly housing expense, which had always consumed a greater portion of our income than housing ever should have.

Summer of 2009 was spent freeing ourselves from the house and the things we had filled it with. We held multiple yard sales. Craigslist became my new best friend. And things went to the Goodwill. Some days it felt like we were never going to be finished giving things away. We started by selling and giving away all those things that we no longer wanted. That part was easy. The second yardsale was a little bit harder. It included things I really liked having - power tools, garden equipment, canning jars. But they were also things I knew I wasn't going to be needing at our new (tiny, urban) place. And my resolve was still strong. So I said goodbye to these things with a 'fare thee well', knowing I would miss them but happy they were off to a new and happy home. Then we were down to the things I didn't want to part with. They were still things we didn't need, but things I wanted none the less. The last yard sale included things that hurt to give up. Intellectually, I knew they were just things and it was still just stuff. But emotionally it felt like pieces of me being pushed out the door. It was hard. I grieved, but I let them go. I knew I wouldn't miss them in the long run. (And honestly, I can't tell you today what those things were!) It was hard, but we did it.

By September our new life was in full swing. I was (and still am) walking to work and back each day. DH and our littlest blessing were home together all day, and #2 son was settled in to a new Montessori school. We had a roof over our head and a new adventure in simplified urban living ahead of us. And the best part? We were finally truly living within our means.

Why?

Simplified living has been a part of my vocabulary for three decades, from the time I was the young mother of a rapidly growing family working to make ends meet as a stay-at-home mom. My first introduction to the concept was the classic, Living More with Less. I paged through that book over and over, seeking ways to stretch the dollars we had, without ever considering the philosophical aspects of 'the simple life.'

Now I find myself not quite so young, but still mothering young children, and once again seeking to live more with less. Not just for the economic benefits that simplified living offers, but also as my contribution to sustainability.

Herein I hope to share the struggles and successes my family and I are having with intentionally opting-out of a consumer-based culture. The writing will be therapeutic for me. Maybe it'll inspire others.