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The Art of Living Well on Less for a Greener Life
- less really is more - and greener too
There are many ways to downshift a bit without it hurting.
Living well on less can also be part of a greener lifestyle. This section of Greenfootsteps is all about ways to simplify life and to live more cheaply - and greenly - but not more poorly!
It is certainly possible to become thrifty but it does take practice. Below are pages about energy saving, finding inexpensive organic food, cheap healthy recipes and other cost cutting ideas.
Most of this website is devoted to frugal living and thrifty ideas (as well as some cost-effective purchases) but this section focuses on these issues. After all most of us spend 7 or eight hours a day chasing after our financial security - and perhaps a good few more hours spending what we have earned!
There is also a page of book reviews to give you more fuel for thought.
Have you noticed how every year the world seems to get faster?
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The Art of Living Well on Less for a Greener Life:
Speed, speed, speed...
Everyone is scurrying around playing catch-up. Catch-up with the shopping, catch-up with the news, catch-up with the kids, work, the neighbours...
And everyone is having to achieve ever more too.
At work there are more targets, more deadlines, more initiatives, more standards to implement. The competitive edge has to be maintained, the newest technology has to be assimilated...
Very often it seems like we work really hard to stand still and the harder we work the harder it is to keep up. It seems to be difficult to down shift to a cheaper, less stressful lifestyle. There are bills to pay, cars to maintain, must-have gadgets to buy - and holidays to take to get away from all the stress!
Cars and many consumer durables are expensive, to buy and to run. Weddings can cost an absolute fortune and some families practically bankrupt themselves to put on a good show. Running a home is a constant financial burden. And as for kids! They get more expensive with every passing year.
But there are strategies for sanity and financial security, from saving money on cooking and laundry to growing some of your own food; there are also lots of modern ways to share resources - sharing and co-operating to lower costs and work loads.
The Art of Living Well on Less for a Greener Life:
Maybe its time to take stock ...
...and see what we can do to downshift a little
This part of the site is for strategies, possibilities, methods and suggestions for slowing things down a little and making living a little cheaper - frugal living, if you like.
Perhaps we can gain a little more time - for living, sleeping, eating, enjoying, being with friends or family and contemplating - all the important things in life!
So here I have brought together some strategies and tips for anyone who really wants to work a little less hard and so have more time and energy for enjoying life. I hope that the other pages on this site will be helping towards living well on less, too. After all, green living is often about living in a way that is less stressful for people as well as the planet. Sometimes this might mean frugal living - but not always. There are plenty of ways to live well on less without feeling that you are being unduly penny-pinching.
In this section I want to focus on ways to keep down costs and so help you jump off the merry-go-round more often for a breather!
Do you have a green living tip to share?
Do you have a way to save energy or use fewer of the earth's resources? Please share your ideas!
You can also voice opinions on green living e.g the advantages of vegan diets or the benefits of wild foods. As long as it's not offensive, overly political or libellous we'll print it!
What other visitors have said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Some of these articles relate to thrifty living but also there are many common sense ways to keep the bills down while not compromising lifestyle.
See Solar Power for Homes for more articles on energy and Easy Home Improvement Projects for more articles on insulation, carbon reduction and ways to invest in your home that will save money in the long run.
Growing an Organic Garden Here's an introduction to how to convert your garden to organics - and why it's a good idea.
Food Ideas
Here are some ways to source and prepare the best foods without feeling that you are going overboard on frugal living. See also the Organic Healthy Recipes section for more ideas.
This section on living well on less and frugal living is just a small part of the site. Please explore more ideas for keeping down costs and living a greener, healthier and more eco-friendly lifestyle in other sections of the site.
Check out the Green Links section for lots of brilliant sites that could help, too.
I've just fallen into your website and wanted to say how great it is!! I've got a lot of cheap ideas and when you're on a tight budget - that's vital! - Gail, NZ
Your site has been an exceptional resource as I have sought to modify my lifestyle. - Art, US
Just a big thank you for all the info! - Estelle, US
Loved your simple, clear approach. Thanks for the many great tips.- Laura, AUS