contentment • conserving • creativity
I’ve decided that I am a nature gardener. I’m getting older yet still want to grow as much of our food as possible. Don’t want to overthink or overwork. Hence my new code words for using strategies from nature to simplify my gardening for ease, efficiency and economy.
Extravagant living is the norm for our society if you believe the advertising. Let’s not believe it. The race to excessive consumption is not the path to good money management or contentment. These five principles can make a big difference to your wellbeing, both when you are tightening the belt and for the rest of your life.
Herbs are a valuable resource for the urban homestead. Most are easy to grow, and need very little attention once they are established. They offer a myriad of benefits, both in flavour and in health-giving properties. Learn how to conserve them for use all year round.
Conserver principles are well worth learning. As you become a skilled conserver, fear and panic decrease. A sense of personal power increases. When there isn’t enough money, getting a grip on your outgo helps you feel more in control. It’s surprisingly effective and satisfying to learn how to use other resources to solve your needs.
When we are faced with tightening the belt, finding ways to reduce outgo is of huge importance. Instead of reacting to any perceived need by throwing money at it, first take a step back and examine the situation. These six questions can dramatically help to choke off the freeflowing outgo of your hard earned income.
Staying too long on the treadmill of getting ahead can make us lose sight of the life we actually want to live. But once we learn to separate wants from needs, we begin to notice choices we didn’t realize we had. With our eyes opened, we examine each decision with intention. When we start to deliberately choose our own choices, our money stretches farther and we won’t feel the pinch so much, even though the belt is tighter.
Chives are one of the easiest herbs to grow and one of the earliest you can harvest. It’s satisfying to pick a few leaves from your chive plant and snip them up for a garnish. When the chives are in bloom, my favourite thing is to make Chive Flower Apple Cider Vinegar.
We live in a consumer society, bombarded with artificial standards created by those trying to sell us their products. Advertising strives to make us equate material goods with quality of life. If all the stuff money will buy equals happiness, then we’re not happy yet because we don’t have all the stuff. The good news is that we can break away. Tightening the Belt will help you escape from the consumerism machine.
If you think earning more money is the ONLY way to have a satisfying life, sooner or later you’ll be disillusioned. Welcome to the Conserver Lifestyle, which is surprisingly fun, exciting and creative. The best time to learn the principles of Tightening the Belt is before you hit a hard place. But even if you’re in the midst of one,these principles will help you navigate the tough times.
This is a series of posts that look back to the early days of my Tightening the Belt seminars, and explore how those principles have stood the test of time over the four decades since I first started teaching those workshops.
As a urban homesteader, I rely on my grow lights to get a head start on the growing season. Space is at a premium and every plant is precious. My indoor lights and trays are hard at work all spring. And so, it seems, are the little flying insects. Every year.
The thrift shop concept resonates with my personal philosophy. I hate to waste anything. I consider recycling an essential service. I love to see people pay less than retail for products they need. Then there’s the good that’s done with the money collected.
