Why Change?

I hate to admit it, but I am an American stereotype: I'm squarely middle class; I live in the suburbs;

At least I don't live here.

I have two cars, 2 cats, one child; my husband is a white-collar professional and I work part-time from home while caring for my daughter full-time. All of my basic needs are met. Below the surface, things are more complicated. While I've always been good at managing money and avoiding excess, we still have more expenses than we can comfortably handle (yet we feel entitled to luxuries like eating out). I know my life is privileged relative to the majority of the people living on this planet, yet I must confess to comparing my lifestyle and possessions to those of my peers and question whether I measure up. I feel like I'm conscious enough to avoid media messages to spend and acquire, smart enough to avoid catching "affluenza"....but consumption seems so normal that I still consume without full awareness.

I'm looking for a change. To quote one of my favorite books, "I am discontented. I want something I do not have. There must be more to life than having everything!"

The "something I do not have" is a contended life where I worry less about money, about the stuff I don't have (and the stuff I do), about the values I'm modeling for my children, and about my contributions (positive and negative) to the world around me.

The Experiment: I want to simplify my life by reducing expenses, reducing the clutter and unnecessary "stuff" in my life, taking pleasure in what I have rather than coveting what I don't, and feeling more connected to my community and the planet. It's an ambitious goal, so I'm just trying to take a few small steps at a time as I conduct my Simple Experiment. This blog is part "voluntary simplicity" (which I've only begun to learn about), part frugality, part home organization, part green living, plus a little parenting and cooking thrown in for good measure (because living simply does NOT mean giving up cookies).