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KEEPING IT SIMPLE Whether it's called voluntary simplicity, frugal living, or down-sizing, it's a lifestyle that is catching on
chriscam@observer-reporter.com
When Jeff and Laura Delach decided that Laura would stay home to raise their four children, it meant the family would have to get by on one paycheck.
One of a family of eight, Laura was used to economizing. Her mother taught her how to can fruits and vegetables. Now in charge of the Penn State Cooperative Extension's master gardeners of Washington County, Laura grows most of the family's produce in the back yard of their Canonsburg home.
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They do have a computer and Internet access, but they live with one television - without cable.
A teacher at Fort Cherry High School, Jeff started carpooling when the price of fuel increased, a move that saved the family even more money.
"We just had to choose to live cheaply and simply," Laura said.
Whether called voluntary simplicity, frugal living or downsizing, the lifestyle is catching on as people begin to question their spending habits. Such inner searching often reveals out-of-control spending that requires people to work long hours, resulting in rewarding themselves with even more purchases, often on credit.
A whole network of books, Web sites and simple living groups have sprung up in recent years, offering advice ranging from de-cluttering one's home, to paying off credit cards and living debt-free. At the heart of the movement is the recognition that time is the most valuable commodity of all.
Simplicity, says Cecile Andrews of Seattle, "is about asking yourself: 'Is this really what I want to be doing?'"
The author of the books "Slow is Beautiful" and "Circle of Simplicity," Andrews said statistics show Americans work more now than they did 50 years ago. Yet happiness is on the decline, and Americans are lonelier than ever before, she notes.
The point of voluntary simplicity is for people to enjoy their lives more, and one way to do that is by working less, said Andrews. A great motivator to less time at the office is learning to save money by spending less.
Creating a sense of community, Andrews said, is at the heart of the movement, and taking time to be with other human beings. For example, shop at a farmer's market where there is an average of 10 conversations compared to a single brief one with the check-out clerk at a large supermarket.
The movement even has its own day, Oct. 24, which is known as "Take Back Your Time" day. Its Web site advocates for a minimum paid leave law.
The average vacation time for Americans is two weeks, and 40 percent don't even take that much time off. Those who do often take their computers, fax machines or cell phones with them.
Andrews recommends people start simplicity circles to support each other and keep track of what it is that brings them pleasure.
"What we want to do is shift our time from shopping or working to the things that bring us energy," she said.
Next, pay attention to what you buy. Before making a purchase, Andrews questions whether she can find it used, or if she can rent or borrow it. Today, she enjoys shopping at consignment stores and learning how to get by without spending money.
Trent Hamm shares ideas for living within one's means at his Web site thesimpledollar.com. He began the site after he and his wife overspent their two incomes and found themselves in credit card debt at the same time their first child was born.
Hamm gets about one million page views a month, mostly from people in their late 20s and early 30s who read his tips on everything from cooking cost-saving slow-cooking meals to scouring Web lists like Freecycle and Craigslist to find materials for cheap garage shelving. Today Hamm's finances have turned around, but he continues to make his own laundry detergent and wine, not just to save money but because he enjoys it.
Finding that enjoyment, said Andrews, is what life is about.
"It's not about self-deprivation; it's really figuring out what will make you happier, and all the research shows it's not more money and stuff: It's people and relationships," she said.
The Delachs would agree. Every evening they sit down to family dinner, a custom that is fast disappearing in many homes.
Christmas and birthday gifts are often homemade containers of apple butter or applesauce that Laura cans this time of year.
Their agreement with their children is to pay half of their college education with the kids picking up the other half. One child just graduated with a masters degree and another is a college sophomore.
"I think the kids understand the value of a dollar better and know how to manage a bit better in that sense; they don't expect all the fluff," Jeff said.
What money is left is being saved for an Alaskan cruise to celebrate the couple's 25th anniversary.
