Simple Living

A few years ago, right after my divorce, I started taking steps towards living more simply. I even bought the book The Simple Living Guide and started trying to form the life that I really wanted to have: a simple one. When I moved into my own place (post-divorce) I was fully focused on the effort. I was purging things left and right, thinking through my purchases, focusing on quality vs. quantity, cleaning up my eating act, and overall living more green. This last year I lost my focus. I haven't done well on the eating, the purching, the organizing... I've let a lot of what I accomplished go. And I want to get it back. I'm going to retrieve my Simple Living book (from the clutter of books I've got) and work back towards the way that I truly want to live. I know that this is going to be a challenge with Josh and two girls living with me now, but I also know we are building a life the way we want it to be and there is no better time to start than now. I wish we were moving into a home of our own, it would make it feel like we were starting out fresh together. But I'll take what I have and make the best of it. And I suppose that part of the idea around simple living is actually saving money, not spending it. I have a few areas that I am going to be focusing on:
1) Eating: I want to step away from prepackaged foods/convienance foods/ eating out. I want to cook healthy meals with food that is more fresh and natural.
2) Exercise: I want to reclaim an exercise routine. This will include the gym but also the simple pleasures of going for walks and such.
3) Home: I want to minimize the need for stuff, gadgets, mostly junk. I think the kitchen is a fine place to start.
4) Purchases: I want to be more thoughtful in my purchases. Not just buy something on a whim because it gives me instant gratification.
5) Pleasure: This is the place I want to focus the most. Right now, I'm not finding a lot of pleasure in life. I'm too stressed, tired, or moody to enjoy myself. Simple pleasures should bring me more joy, like sewing, cooking, reading, playing with the girls, or just watching a movie with Josh. So I'm going to work on this as well. And I'm going to try to take a much needed vacation.

So that's my plan. Simple Living.