Simplifying My Schedule

City Girl is talking to Country Girl, "When would be a good time for me to stop by to pick that up tomorrow?" Says City Girl, trying to get a feel for the Country Girl's schedule.

"Well anytime that's good for you. We'll be here." Says Country Girl.

City Girl stops for a minute. She feels the urge to tell her exactly what time she'll arrive, but she doesn't have to. She hesitates. She is realizing that she doesn't even have to call her before she comes over. She can just show up whenever she wants. Then she starts to wonder if she'll have time tomorrow to pick it up. Maybe she should pick it up two days later. Finally she says, "Well if I don't get it tomorrow, I'll be there the next day."

Country Girl laughs, but her answer is the same. "Ok, we'll be here."

A few months ago I was driving down the road in a hurry. Without noticing, I began tailgating the truck in front of me. It was an old farmer, casually cruising along. He pulled over to the shoulder and I thought maybe he was going to check under the truck's hood for something wrong, but as soon as I passed he pulled back up on the road.

The farmer didn't have a care in the world. He wasn't even flustered by my apparent rush. In fact, he seemed genuinely concerned about me. Maybe something bad had happened and I was on my way to the hospital or something. His actions seemed to communicate "Oh, you must be in a hurry, I hope everything is ok. Why don't you go in front of me?"

These situations are the result of a simple schedule and a complex schedule colliding. I prefer the simple schedule. It says something about quality of life I think. Maybe having a simple schedule is more valuable than winning an award for my efforts. Maybe it is more important than money.

Simplifying My Closet

I get excited when my closet looks like it has extra room on the hangers. I'm excited because it looks like I'm making progress. I am simplifying my life, and getting rid of waste.

One way I'm doing this is, giving away "backup" of something. Having a backup of something is my excuse to buy things I don't need yet. So nowadays, if I wait until I'm actually giving the old shirt away before buying a new one, that is a success.

Another way I'm simplifying my closet is by making things last longer. I bought insoles for several of my shoes recently. The cheapest insoles work just as good as the expensive ones, so $3 can make a pair of shoes comfortable for 6-12 months.

Another thing we've done is that we don't have a dresser in our room. So, no extra chest of drawers to fill space and collect clothes. What I'm finding is that if run out of space for our clothes, we can just get rid of clothes instead of making more space.

Don't get me wrong, there are exceptions to the rules. I'm attempting to move in the right direction, but I'm not going to the extreme. For example, I believe in dressing nicely at work. My perception at work directly impacts my income. So I replace shoes every 2-3 years and pants and shirts every 3-5 years. I'm not going to try to stretch the life on these clothes.

Also, sometimes a backup still makes sense. I churn through jeans and tennis shoes fast enough to have one backup. But I still feel good because I limit it to one backup.

How cool is it to celebrate having LESS in a culture that always desires more money?

I Like Warren Buffet

Warren Buffet raised his kids as if they weren't wealthy. In the same way most kids don't know what exactly their parents do, his kids didn't either.  It wasn't until their mid twenties that they really even knew the full reality of their father's wealth. He was the richest man in the world.

When they were kids, they thought he was a security guard because he worked in securities. When they turned 19 they were given $90,000 to get started in life, and that is all of the inheritance they would receive.

I just like that. Living below our means creates a lot of freedom. It allows us to focus on important things, and prioritize needs over wants.

What if we did the same thing? What if we set a budget that was well below our income? What if we planned to live that way for our entire lives?

Check this out. Warren Buffet still lives in the same house he raised his kids in which cost him $31,500 in 1957. What if we perminently stopped house shopping? How would that change us?

I believe this way of thinking could nearly eliminate the covetousness. It would put a kibosh on wanting something bigger and better all of the time. It would foster contentment.

Side note: I still haven't bought back into the stock market much. I'm waiting for it to drop to 10,000 on the Dow. Patience is my game still. Warren Buffet says he's back in the market (Berkshire Hathoway is buying), and that he doesn't think recession is coming. Can't argue with him really, it's going to be time to buy back soon.

Advocate For Simplicity

I am attempting to change my personal value system in a way that opposes consumerism (trendy right now, I know). In short, I am beginning to value simplicity for simplicity's sake.

Practically speaking, this means I may do some unusual things. If I have an extra item, I may just give it away. Even if the one I have might wear out in six months. I'd rather just own what I need. If I win the lottery, I might just put the money in a foundation to be given to the poor. Maybe I'll pay off debts first, but maybe not. Maybe I'll just be content with what I have.

Obviously this is easier said than done, but I think this describes the value shift that is occurring inside me right now. There is something really valuable about simplicity. It is difficult to fathom, but perhaps simplicity could be more valuable than money.

I'm not talking about time. The trade off between money and time has always been at the forefront of my consciousness, partially because of some books I read when in high school. Creating wealth gives a person freedom with time. True. The value I'm developing for simplicity draws on this concept, but is a much different value that just time.

I'm not talking about fulfillment at work. People should be able to work in an industry that they are passionate about working in. Again, I see this value as related, but simplicity is a value all by itself and is separate from fulfillment at work.

Richard Foster convinced me. He wrote this book about simplicity 20 years ago that still is very relevant today called Freedom of Simplicity. I don't buy into everything of course, but the main theme is really good. The first half of the book is very academic and boring to me, but the second half made me really think about this stuff.

I'd like to be an advocate for simplicity as well. I'd like to talk about it more because I think it really could make life more fun and fulfilling.

The Secret to Chocolate Chip Cookies

I could write a long post about chocolate chip cookies. They have been my favorite thing to make since I was a kid. Instead, I think I'll just give you the secret to making good ones in case you are having trouble making them.

1. Whip real butter into the sugar first.
2. Tweak the amount of flour at the end depending on altitude (usually add some extra four).
3. Take them out from 350 degrees between 10 and 11 minutes no matter what.

I chose my words carefully in that list. Don't go screwing this up by whipping the eggs in with the butter, cooking them too long, or anything foolish like that. Trust me on this one.