Benefits of the Credit Crunch?
Top 10 Ideas for How to Spend Less Money and Live a More Simple Life
Oct 28, 2008
In these times of the credit crunch and financial difficulties, could it be that western society has an opportunity to reconsider the average way of life? Broadly speaking, the reason that society faces this present credit crunch and the attendant money worries is because people have taken on more debt than they can afford. Unfortunately, overspending has been encouraged and authorised by the banks. In general people borrow money to buy a bigger house, a better car, a longer holiday, believing that these things will bring happiness. Perhaps they do, for a fleeting moment, but the end result is debt. Credit crunch.
Shopping Addiction
Alongside the major purchases, people in the west often have an addiction to shopping. This is the result of years of media conditioning. To be surrounded by “stuff” that is hardly ever used or worn, in a house that contains more bedrooms than people is unnatural and yet in the West, it is the rule rather than the exception. If all these “things” bring happiness, how is it that depression is one of the fastest growing illnesses in the world? According to The World Health Organisation, depression affects about 121 million people worldwide. And that was before the credit crunch.
How to Spend Less Money
How could things be different? Living a simple life would mean reducing the levels of stress that are associated with striving to earn more, do more, achieve more, and have more. For a start, living a simple life would mean recognising the addiction to shopping and learning how to spend less money. It is possible to change a spending lifestyle in many ways and they could all start today.
10 Ideas for spending less :
- Creating a vegetable garden. Gardening can reduce stress and if the kids get involved and they will learn a useful skill that could encourage them to live a more simple life as adults.
- Growing enough vegetables to share with an elderly neighbour and making time to visit once a week with the garden produce. Take the kids and teach them to be good neighbours. Living a simple life means remembering what is important.
- Cooking a meal from scratch once a week using the fresh vegetables from the garden. Less processed foods with less additives results in better health. Healthy eating is an important part of simple living and it is cheaper.
- Making yogurt – it is easy and cheap.
- Taking a bus instead of the car. The environment will benefit and the cost of petrol and parking will be saved. Doing this on just one trip a week will make a difference.
- Cancelling the gym membership and start walking regularly with a friend – or the dog. Exercise can reduce stress levels and the improved fitness levels are free.
- If walking turns out to be enjoyable, consider a hiking holiday closer to home for the next vacation. Discover the wonder of nature and feel more grounded and connected as the simple life evolves.
- Energy consumerism can be cut. Wise up to how much energy is used in the home. Only use the washing machine when there is a full load. Hang clothes to dry outside whenever possible.
- Freezers and fridges are on all the time and consume most energy, but things like the computer, TV and DVD player do not need to be on standby. Turn them off and save electricity.
- Exploring new ways of living simply. Check out the books at the library.
Living a more simple life would mean learning to appreciate the natural world more. Children would learn about life by observing it directly rather than watching someone else’s fictional life on TV. Adults would learn to relax, reduce stress, and to be more present. Living a more simple life means living more fully, and more joyfully.
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