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This is a saying that I love:
“Instead of wondering when your next vacation will be, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.~ Seth Godin”
So many of us keep thinking we need more and more to be happy when in realty what we need is to live simply. Once we grasp the idea of living simply, so many other great things happen. For me, my living simple journey started in my late 40’s but how I wish I would have been introduced to this earlier in my life. Not only has my life improved by leaps and bounds, my finances continue to improve each week and I am on track to be debt free in less than 10 years including my house.
However, I think the most drastic improvement in my life from living simple has been my health. When we decided to move from living in the city in South Florida to rural North Florida, adjustments had to be made. When we lived in the city, we would swing into a fast food joint for dinner at least 3 to 4 times a week. Not only were we spending money unnecessarily, we were eating food that really wasn’t the best for our family. Too much fat, sodium, and other additives.
When we moved to where we currently live, these fast food and other restaurant visits came to a screeching halt. McDonalds, Wendy’s, Burger King and every other restaurant – fast food or not – is over 30 minutes away from our house. We are self-employed so stopping for food on the way home from work no longer happens. Do you know what? Thank goodness!!! Our health has improved dramatically since we no longer eat fast food or junk food for that matter.
I shop every two weeks and if I could cut that back to once a month I would be a happy camper. When I do go to the grocery store, 90% of my list is found on the perimeter of the store and the only aisles I go down are for staples such as coffee, laundry detergent, and dog food. The rest of my list is fresh produce, organic proteins and dairy. So much easier to get in and out of the store when you are not debating which prepackaged foods, chips, cookies and sodas you are going to buy this week.
These benefits go even further. We prepare at least 99% of our meals at home and when we do go out to dinner, it is to a nice restaurant with healthy options. My blood pressure sits at 110/70 and my blood work all came back in the good range. Vintage 1961 at 52 I am not on any medication and plan to keep it that way. Also with simple living, I am able to have a garden that I get much of my vegetables from. I love the fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. Add an onion to that and you have an amazingly fresh salad.
At the end of the day I love my life and although I love to travel, my vacations are not an escape from my lifestyle – it is a benefit of my lifestyle.
Blessings,
Denise
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