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Learning to Live on Less

The homesteading movement is taking shape in communities across the country. Many people are being inspired to live a simpler life while learning to be more self-sufficient. Many families are tired of the fast-paced lifestyle and are choosing to slow down and living on less.

Learning to Live on Less

We are one of those families!

For us, it’s all about making do with the resources we have and finding joy in being able to take care of ourselves.   We’ve trimmed our budget, gone down to one income, consume less and are healthier and happier than we’ve ever been.

Here are a few things we did when we made the transition from a consumer-driven lifestyle to building a homestead where we learned to live on less:

Feed your family for $200 a month.We adopted a DIY lifestyle.
Learning to live on less is figuring out the difference between a want and a need. Before getting into the habit of running to a big box store to buy what we think we need we take a good look at what we have and how we can reuse or recycle what we already own.

We looked for ways to cut our grocery bill.
This was our biggest source of savings! Once we stopped buying processed food and started cooking from scratch, learned to can and grew our own food our health improved. We build our menus around what’s growing in the garden and what we have canned, preserved, frozen, brewed or fermented. I’ve gone from going grocery shopping once a week, to once a month, and only buy the few staples we need when they’re on sale.

We are no longer house poor.
Choosing to downsize from 2500 sq. ft. to 1200 sq. ft. house has saved us thousands of dollars each year. Gone are the huge energy bills, taxes, and insurance payments. Before we were living way beyond our means and now we live in a home, we can afford on just one income.

We use alternative energy.
Our homes heating and cooling costs were one of our major expenses. We have a heating unit, but the programmable thermostat is kept very low in the winter and high in the summer. We heat with wood in the winter to stay warm and close the blinds in the summer to keep the heat out. Just those couple changes in the way we heat and cool our home keep our energy bills low.

How to Live on Less

I was amazed at how just these few changes helped us live on less. I can’t imagine what our life would look like if we still lived in that huge house, struggling every month to make ends meet.

How would your life look if you made a few of the changes above?



Thanks for stopping by!

Tracy Lynn

P.S. Do you like what you are reading?

5 Steps to Simple Living

Are you looking to slow down and live a simpler life?

I am so happy you’ve landed here and I can share some of the simple living principles that have made a huge difference in our lives. 

To give you a place to start I have created a 5 Steps to Simple Living Guide that I am offering to you free.  

Along with this free download, is included a complimentary subscription to our weekly Our Simple Homestead Newsletter. Each week you’ll receive simple living tips, homesteading ideas, old-fashion recipes and every once in awhile a touch of the Amish lifestyle.
 
Click here to receive your free download of 5 Steps to Simple Living today!

DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation from affiliate and sponsored posts on this blog.

 

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