A Simple Life: the cost of consumerism and the American Dream

We are tightening our belts because it's necessary in these tough economic times, and also because it's unhealthy in my mind to become obsessed with things and the pursuit and maintenance of things, which is the American Dream.

All Americans are suppose to want MORE for their children. More what? More STUFF! Bigger and better homes and cars and more material wealth. Well, I'm not buying it.

I have worked and lived in third world countries where I helped build adequate shelter, access potable water, and provide basic medical care for people whose children die in their arms from malaria, starvation, and disease.

However, it's not just people living overseas who suffer from extreme poverty. Two of our adopted children were hospitalized for starvation and dehydration prior to joining our family, and they are American-born children.

Here in America and around the world, poverty is all many people will ever know. That's why I want to live a simpler and more thoughtful life. The fact that I believe it's good for the soul is a wonderful bonus! One doesn't need to do anything as radical as what we're doing as a family, going six months without buying anything non-consumable. It can be as simple as giving up a daily latte or eating home instead of eating out. If we make do with less we will have more to GIVE.

(The picture is of an infant we cared for in the Solomon Islands after Cyclone Namu in 1986.)

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Spending Less: A Six Month Challenge

Our oldest son and his roommate came home last night, looking for food. Normally, we would have something yummy on hand to feed them or we would order a pizza, but we just went a week without spending a cent and we went into it with our cupboards rather bare. I fed them the kidney bean soup I'd made the night before and they were grateful to have it, because they're both out of money and they were hungry.

We explained to our son that we've already embarked on our next challenge, to go six months without buying anything that's not consumable. Our goal is to spend not more than $150 a week, excluding our mortgage, medical co-pays, and regular bills.

Later this week our son will be coming home to cook with me. He wants to learn how to eat simply and make his dollars stretch. In this economy he feels lucky to have even a part time job, but he finds it hard to make ends meet and he's struggling. So I gave him a list of what he will need, things like potatoes, carrots, and dried beans. We talked about the cheapest places to buy groceries and narrowed it down to two places, one of which is WalMart.

Those of you who know me know that while I love WalMart prices, I HATE WalMart crowds. When I think of hell I think of WalMart with it's aisles packed full of people, pushing carts aggressively, and mile long lines to cash registers. But Wal Mart is the option that's closest to me, so Wal Mart it is.

Some of you may be thinking that these challenges aren't that challenging. If so, I challenge you to try it! There are so many things we take for granted. My friend, Christina, noted that she found herself stopping to buy a bottle of water for $1.25, without even thinking about it. Those little expenditures add up! For those of you who are addicted to coffee, those daily Starbucks treats aren't cheap but because it's just a few dollars at a time it doesn't feel like such a big deal, but if one spends $3.00 for a tall Starbucks latte five days a week, that's $60.00 per month! That's a pretty significant money leak.

So, what about you? What are your biggest money leaks? Also, if you have any cost saving ideas, recipes, etc. please share them!


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