Doing more with less

 

Downward arrows, shop window and reflection of Oxford Street, London.

What could you do with less? These days, many of us are asking ourselves that question.

While the family that sold their house and moved to a smaller one, using proceeds to help fight hunger in Ghana is laudable, one doesn't have to travel to Africa to find poverty. Vast pockets of impoverished people live in the United States and in most countries. Shockingly, in the developed world, the only place where poverty is worse than the USA is Mexico!

As a child growing up in the Southern United States, I saw plenty of poverty, particularly in Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee. In all these states, many families didn't have enough to eat, much less adequate health care. They sent their children to school with ill-fitting hand-me-down clothes and often lived in squalid or substandard conditions, as that's all they could afford.

Poverty, ignorance and oppression are at the root of most of the world's ills. Education, in particular, is often unavailable to the poor and this, perhaps more than any other factor, matters. Without education, people are unable to think for themselves or rise above their humble beginnings. They're unable to better their environment or make wise choices that will inform their future.

In the West, we are spoiled. We have too many material things and we keep accumulating more.  We're besieged with endless advertising and marketing, suggesting we're not good enough. So we scramble to purchase a particular dress, a designer handbag, a luxurious mansion that we've been persuaded might make a difference in our lives. But the truth is, none of it matters.

We are enough. Without the designer clothes, the flash sportscar, the expensive jewelry, the fancy address, we are enough. If we have been educated to think for ourselves, be kind to others and use our talents to benefit not only ourselves, but others, we can move mountains. There's nothing stronger than sheer will and determination as a powerful force for good.

Living with less so that others have more doesn't suggest we must surrender all our comforts. It means that we deliberate more, when making decisions about how to spend our hard-earned money. In my case, I've started selling some of the antique furniture and collectibles I've accumulated over more than ten years in Europe. I'm donating clothing, furniture and money to charity. I'm discarding many beautiful pieces of decorative art in favour of useful tools, i.e. camera and computer gear that will help me generate income.

I'm reconsidering the clothes and shoes in my wardrobe and giving away items that no longer suit. Instead of purchasing hardback books (I consider books a necessity), I'm saving money by buying ebooks for my Kindle (unless the books are MacMillan's, who insist on charging considerably more than other publishers, even though ebooks cost them very little).

While still frequenting brocantes and flea markets, I'm thinking twice before buying. Am only scooping up rare things that I know I can re-sell for a profit. But I allow myself the occasional purchase, if something  tugs at my heartstrings. After all, no reason to be fanatical about living with less! But for every item that comes into the apartment, something else goes out. I've adhered to this rule for over two years and it's proved surprisingly effective.

I also donate my writing and photography skills to human rights work and political causes. Sometimes time and energy can be more effective than money.

Do you see signs of poverty in your city?  Have you made any major changes in your lifestyle and spending habits?

Comments

[julochka]

as you know, we're working on this as well. it isn't easy, but it is surprisingly satisfying. and i totally agree with you that books are a necessity! :-) and camera equipment. :-)

[Marsha Shaw]

I loved your post "doing more with less." I am also in the process of getting rid of my years of collecting and over buying. I have already given away mountains of clothes and shoes, Now, I am in the process of selling things that I have collected over the years. My husband and I are divorcing after 32 years and I have moved from a house to a small apartment. I am taking only those things that I absolutely need or love too much to give away. If it does not fit somewhere, it goes! My stuff has been such a weight around my neck, I am glad to let it go. I still love going to vintage ships and fairs but I am much more careful about what I purchase. If I buy something, two things must go.... I am also beginning to volunteer my time to non-profits.

[Chris]

Well, here I am, with another comment.

I was raised modestly, but my brothers were raised in poverty. And they tell me stories of living in Kansas City and Arkansas and Memphis, and show me pictures of the conditions they lived in. It makes my heart ache. I was spared most of that.

I have cancelled three workshops that I had signed up for this year. That is a major change. I've let magazine subscriptions lapse, even though I know they are hurting right now. I'm wearing clothes longer before replacing them. We've cut a lot of corners in entertainments like meals out and movies. We are doing all our saving for travels together. That's where our priorities have to be at this time in our lives, and I feel continually thankful that I can do that. Something that sounds like frivolity but which we promised ourselves and sacrificed for so that we could see what the rest of this world looks like before we are unable to walk it or enjoy it. But now we know that in a moment that can be taken away. Travel is so inflated, like everything else. The U.S. dollar is not faring as well. I won't have a lot of crisp new clothes to travel in, but I will be seeing life first-hand.

We give as much money as we can, and even more time. It has to be done. The corporation execs and the insurance execs are not going to take up the slack. They want to keep their houses and cars and free meals because perhaps that's all they have. We have to invest in our people's futures. Thinking of the weaker and less powerful people and animals it can feel overwhelming.

How sexism is institutionalized in a country is usually a direct connection with how backward, impoverished and imprisoned their citizens are. The more women are objects to be used for breeding, the less hopeful are the people. That's just what I've come to learn. Others may feel that's too simplistic. Religion is used to enforce that sexism.

Thanks for your thoughtful post.

[Leslee]

Great and honest post. Tightening one's belt is a very empowering
way to realize just what is important and how easily we can do
without.I have found that now that I am in the habit, it really feels great!

[my castle in spain]

Great powerful post Tara !
this is a great lesson to learn, doing more with less.
You're right we are enough but we barely know it.

ps: so sorry to have disappeared...but i'll be back more often ! :-)

[gemma]

Hi Tara...
I work in an inner city school with a lot of at risk students.
It amazes me how they step up to the plate and donate what little they have to help others.

[pam aries]

WEll..I kinda am already on that path... Can you believe it has been almost 2 years since I got rid of pretty much all I owned and went West!! then South.... Woo. I am getting along just fine on less and do not intend to get more.

[tinker]

"Doing more with less" has become a way of life for many, ourselves included. If someone had told me a couple of years ago that we would need to get by on half of our (then) income - and even get by for a few months with only half of that already-halved income, I wouldn't have believed it to be possible. But somehow we did - and do - continue to not only get through, but be well-fed and happy. Even if there are moments of worry, I realize we are blessed to have what we do, especially compared with so many others in the world. There is enough and we are enough. Blessings to you, dear Tara~xox

[Theresa Milstein]

This is an important post.

I live in Cambridge, MA, which is home to rich and poor alike. I've had a student whose family's beds got infested with bed bugs. They threw them out, and, unable to afford new mattresses, were sleeping directly on the floor. In the same city, we have mansions which are well into the millions.

For almost three years, my husband has had a new job, so we've gone from being just over the poverty line to comfortable. I've tried to hold onto many of my frugal ways.

[Diogenes]

Wonderful post. Phoenix, AZ is filled to the brim with poverty and AZ had the lowest matriculation rate in the US. These people never travel, and many have hardly been outside the state lines. But they will gladly tell you they live in the richest country in the world and that the US is #1 in healthcare, as if they were keeping score in a football game. Yes, education is a huge problem - its lack allows people to be manipulated.

[MAWB]

I interviewed to tutor primary children today. A little extra money and helping children learn to read at the same time. This economy has caused me to dust off my teaching certificate! Thank goodness I kept it!

[amber]

What a GREAT POST, Tara. :)

As you know, I often didn't get enough to eat. Most of the time school lunch at school, was all I ate all day. I did not have health care to speak of. Dental... I did not have a real bed for most of my childhood. I-- and many of the kids I knew-- slept on blankets on the floor.

Too many people just don't know that this is true in America. Maybe because of this, I often get a little sick and nervous when faced with all the "stuff" we have, now. As a mom, I am ALWAYS being faced with all the stupid "stuff" the other parents buy their kids, that I do not, simply because it all feels like "too much". Just the other day Wyatt cried to me that two of his (8 yea old) friends have ipods, and he does not... I told him right out I thought that was bad parenting. lol! I said if he wanted one, we could talk about how he could earn and save money to buy it. Because I just can't do that. Not with the way I grew up. I think of how that could buy six new coats for some little kid somewhere... I can't help it.

Thank you for being you, and speaking truth to power.

:)

[Di Overton]

So sorry for not being around much lately, manic busy with new Ghost stuff.
Am taking some time today to do the rounds of the blogs and catch up - refreshing the soul
Much Love
Di
x
PS Love the new look to your blog. You already know how much I changed my lifestyle :)

[sheris white]

The title of your post, Doing More with Less, fits with the Saints winning the Super Bowl yesterday.

"So Much More: It was a glorious moment for a people battered by the heartbreak of so much death and destruction from one of the worst natural disasters in history. A moment that will be cherished by a team and a city so deserving of something this meaningful. Sure, it's only a game, but for the people of New Orleans, this is a cause."

[Theresa Cheek]

I saw the piece on the family as well...Tara, .this is a powerful post.
Last week, I did some deep cleaning in my pantry and kitchen and ended up with two large trash bags full of old birthday candles, tired baskets, metal tins, etc. (don't get me wrong, the usable stuff went to charity!) As I looked out the window on trash day and saw the bags, I told my husband we were throwing away more "stuff" than people in Haiti even own......so, since then, I have been paring down and looking at my lifestyle closer...
Thank you for posting this today. Good to see the change beginning that many Americans need to make.

[Stephanie]

Wonderful post Tara...we have so much need in our community. We have an event coming up to help one of the agencies that does so much. It's called empty bowls. People make bowls to donate to a huge event, we buy tickets, get a bowl, fill them with soup and good intentions. Fun is had by all and it raises much needed funds.

we ALL do with less...

x..x

[Marianne]

Amen to that sister. We need so little and have so much that we can share.

[Crafty Green poet]

I've always bought relatively little stuff and most of it is second hand. There has always been poverty in Edinburgh, I used to live in one of the poorer estates here and so I have seen it at close hand.

[Gillian]

Out of necessity in order to facilitate owning a building to house our businesses we have indeed cut down on extraneous spending. Once on that path we realized just how much wastage was occuring in our household. We were buying unnecessarily, wasting food and groceries absent-mindedly, and spoiling the children too often. Now in an effort to teach them something, and to gain a firmer financial footing ourselves, we MUST discuss purchases over a certain amount...we ask ourselves if it is a need or a want...the want's must wait. Living this way is addictive, and it has enabled me to help and give back to the community as well. Like you, I continue to weed out the wardrobe and donate that to various community charities who resell the items and make profits themselves. I haven't replaced much of what has been given away, as it seems fruitless and wasteful when I have enough clothes to last a long time.
I agree with what you said, "we are enough". I don't judge myself like that anymore, I also try to pass on this mentality to others by leading through example. Money spent on things like cameras and equipment is also perfectly acceptable, as yes these things can generate money but also bring great pleasure through a worthy hobby. "We are enough" feels so good once you recognize it's inherent truth. All of us are good enough.
xoxoxo

[georgie]

"Your Money or Your Life" by Dominguez and Robin. Read it five years ago and reread it often. Great suggestions re how to live more simply with less money and more happiness.

[kristen]

i really love this and it relates so much to where we are in our life right now. there's something really liberating in lightening the load and having less.

[Marilyn]

Well spoken here! You again give me much to think about.

[Colette]

Good post, Tara!

I tightened my belt years ago because I had to. Now it's become second nature. Where I used to give dollars, I now give my time and/or services.

xoxo