Ready Blog

How, in the digital age do we simplify? Janet Luhrs wrote a book years ago… LOTS of years ago and I have my copy that I still tote out once a year. It is called, The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs. Hmmm. Easy read? It really is, except for the fact it challenges most of the messages we receive from society and even our loving family on a daily basis.

Each time I read it, which is typically at least once a year from cover to cover, I have to ask myself to value the choices I make in my house, at the grocery store, in vacations and more. I am in no means advocating the giving up of travel, family, and those things that make life so enjoyable. But, you are challenged to value the cost of a, say… new shiny pasta maker for example. Pasta maker, that you probably use once every few months if you stretch it. I remember this example from the book, but please insert your favourite, had to have it so I rationalized it, gadget that was going to save you time and make dinner with you family more enjoyable. Don’t smirk at me… you know we all have something equivalent.

You paid somewhere around $50 for the “pasta maker”, how long did you have to work? and the time to research and go pick one out, have it shipped or go to the store and purchase said new shiny kitchen coolness machine. Great! It is a blast and the family loves it. Now you have to clean it, find cabinet space to store it with the other cool machines. How many hours do you have to work to pay for that larger kitchen? and store all the devices in that larger kitchen and clean them so you will see them and use them more often? See where this is heading. The initial cash outlay compounds terribly over the years as you hump the pasta machine to each new kitchen, work longer hours to pay for the larger kitchen, work longer hours for someone else to clean the newer bigger kitchen full of stuff, so now you have no time to use the kitchen devices and just go out to dinner with family or worse, go out for work and networking events to keep you on the right track to keep paying for the cool device. WHoof.. I don’t know about you, but I am sucking it up and putting that baby on Freecycle.

This is just one example of how we often get caught up in shiny gadgets and their external and variable costs compile to make our lives more complicated. Less stuff, more valuable stuff, then we become happier. Value might be that one really well made item that IS worth it. Maybe a really good cutting board and set of really nice knives would have served better than above gadget. You can still make pasta the old fashioned way on a flour dusted board and the family can still help. The value of the knives can make the entire process a culinary event. Love it!

The book includes sections on Travel, Lifestyle, Food, Home, Gardening, Finances and Career and a great chapter on Health and caring for family. Stories of real people are interspersed just enough to make me see the reality of living in a more “rich and valuable” manner. Unclutter your house, your office, and your brain. Simple living leaves you room to be more productive.

After talking to my “dahling and brilliant” colleague today, Happy Katie, I pulled my book out of my shelf for a new look see. My household is on a continued mission to simplify and build relationships with friends and family we care about. Time to dust off the cover!