Living more simply...

Well, my year-long experiment of living on a shoestring is coming to a close today.  I have learnt so much this year: so much more than simply learning not to spend!  I became more in tune with my home, my family, creative arts, and with the seasons, and focussed more on the important things in life.  We probably all say that the important things in life are our family and the friends around us, but I think it is all too easy to take them for granted - to assume that they will always be there and sometimes to let them fade into the background while we focus on more superficial things (such as buying new clothes, shopping for convenience and filling every minute with something).

What I found most interesting were the unexpected things I learnt from this year.  The simple action of not spending made me think more; I became more thoughtful and philosophical about what we need.  Not buying things meant that my focus turned to making things and enjoying nature - using things around me instead of always buying them.  As a result, I have found new hobbies such as knitting and mending clothes. I am much more aware of the money that can be spent so easily, without thinking, and instead of convenience being the top priority, I've slowed down and spent time at home with my family. Enjoying the river and the woods on our door-step was a much more satisfying way of living.

This was never meant to be a year of struggling by taking things to extremes, but rather of taking time out to think a little bit more about how we live - to step back from the whirlwind of this modern, commercial world that we live in.  Changing shopping habits is easy and I have kept up my mantra of "do I really need it?" before parting with the cash.  The richness that I feel from fixing things myself, passing things on to others who need them more than me, cooking more and finding fun for free: that is what I hope to keep and nurture.  As this year went on, life did take over again and the blog did not get updated religiously once a week as I had hoped. But the sentiments carried on within my daily life and I still recorded my thoughts when I could.  I wouldn't want to stop writing in this format, and so am currently thinking of what I could move on to in another blog next year.  We will be moving house next year, so perhaps renovating a house will be the focus; or perhaps I'll do some more research into "slow living", pagan celebrations and the simple life - I will keep you posted.  I have really appreciated having some dedicated followers and passers-by who would read the posts from time to time - thank you, and Happy New Year.