1. If you cannot afford it, do not get it.
- If you have to charge it to your credit card, then most likely you cannot afford it.
- If you have to rob Tom to pay Peter, then you definitely cannot afford it.
- If after buying it, you have to worry about how you are going to pay your bills, then you cannot afford it.
- Be brutally honest with yourself. We all know what we can and cannot afford.
2. If you cannot afford it, do not upgrade.
- This needs its own section because many people do not consider upgrades as purchases. If you are paying money for something new, it is a purchase. Here is the thing about upgrades: companies have to make money and one of the ways to do so is to continuously offer you a better package or a newer toy. Otherwise why would you change what you already own or pay more for a similar service? Do not fall for these manipulations. Ask yourself questions like: Do you really need that upgrade or can you hang on to that old phone for another year?
3. If you cannot afford your lifestyle, do not continue to afford it. Downsize.
- If you have to work 24/7 to pay for your lifestyle (the house, car, restaurant meals, designer clothes or vacations around the world), then you cannot afford your lifestyle. So downsize to a smaller house and car. If you have two cars, sell one. Cook your own meals. Shop bargains. Travel to a city in your state or country instead of going somewhere far and expensive. The point is to free up your financial resources so that you can remove yourself from the 24/7 rat race.
4. Do a passion or favorite hobby at least once a week.
- Passions can change over time. When you were a child you probably loved doing something totally different from what you love to do today. Change is good. Now it is time to adopt that change and do what you enjoy to do. Simple living is about enjoying life. So, enjoy life by doing the things you love to do.
5. Reduce the amount of time you spend in front of the TV.
- The point of simple living is not to free your time in order to become a couch potato. Instead, the point is for you to enjoy life and to be a part of it. The time you free up should be spent meditating on enlightening concepts, doing your passions, meeting with loved ones, frolicking in nature and experiencing new things.
6. Acknowledge and spend more time with nature.
- Simple living is also about enjoying the simple things in life. And you cannot get simpler than nature. Unfortunately, many of us in the West have become detached from Mother Earth. Well, this is your time to get re-acquainted with her. You have the time now, use it. Go to the beach, take a ride out to sea, walk through a forest, climb a mountain, picnic on a hilltop, surf down a sand dune, dance in the rain, ride a horse through a field of sunflowers, lay on a bed of lavender, star gaze in your backyard, raise your blinds to allow the sun to shine through, or just open your windows to allow the wind to blow through. It does not matter what you do, just do it with ideas of peace, love and happiness in your mind.
7. Be happy, at peace and in love.
- That is the most important part to simple living. It is the reason for all of this. So, try to smile more often. Think about love with everything you do and say. Finally, end the struggle. As long as you are at war, there can be no peace.
