Yes they can, as long as we begin to realize the difference between the two and yet how they go hand in hand.
The question was on couponing and how much time it took. It does take time to coupon but if you aren't enjoying it, why do it??? If baking bread takes time that you could spend elsewhere and you aren't really liking it, why do it? If gardening is driving you insane with all the work, then why do it?
Thats what simplicity is about - if you enjoy doing some of the frugal things we all do, then do it with gusto. BUT if it is causing you to feel stress or taking away from that inner simplicity your wanting, then put it aside. At a later time, it might be something you begin to thoroughly enjoy.
I've come to the place in my life right now where my thoughts on gardening are changing BIG time. I love gardens, but the work of weeding and watering and picking the bugs causes me major stress and is very time consuming, whereas I could purchase most of my products from the local farmer and give him some income. In doing this, I could focus on something I thoroughly enjoy doing, kwim. So I'm not sure if I'll garden this coming year or not, I'm thinking hard on it. And if I do, I'll garden veggies that take little time and don't cause me so much stress.
We can save when it comes to couponing, just look at Alyasmommy and how much she saves. But for me, I don't get many coupons, in fact probably about 12 a year UNLESS I really work at going through Canadian magazines, walking the isles of SOME grocery stores, getting on a Canadian coupon train, etc., etc., so I never use them unless they come right to my mail box. I don't stress out about it but look at other ways to save ways, by watching how much I spend on clothing and how much clothing we have or by not going out as often as we use to (4x a week), that don't cause me stress and that I enjoy doing.
I love baking bread so that is something I do. I enjoy hanging my clothes outside and inside during winter months, so that is something I do with gusto. I love reading but I no longer purchase books that add to our monthly budget, but instead go to the local library which I enjoy doing and get my reading from there.
So what you need to do is to begin to look at what you enjoy doing frugally and (if possible) forget the rest until such time as you can do it and enjoy doing it. To me, inner simplicity is far more important. It brings contentment and a peace that makes your life so much better. Its being able to walk the journey of living with far less stress and to enjoy it, no matter what is thrown your way. Please understand, I'm not saying everything is going to be peachy-que here or that you'll handle everything well. But when you begin to have inner simplicity reining in your thoughts and it has begun to sink deep into your soul, you'll find living much much easier than you ever did.
I wish I could take the journey that Henry David Thoreau did and go to a special place and begin to learn to live has he truly was able to live. He really is someone that through his writings and quotes, has given me so much food for thought.
Here are a couple of his quotes:
"to so love wisdom as to live according to its dictates a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity and trust."
"I went to the woods because I weished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I wanted to live deep and suck all of the marrow of life."
The last quote is my all time favorite. I want to learn how to live like that, don't you?
The question was on couponing and how much time it took. It does take time to coupon but if you aren't enjoying it, why do it??? If baking bread takes time that you could spend elsewhere and you aren't really liking it, why do it? If gardening is driving you insane with all the work, then why do it?
Thats what simplicity is about - if you enjoy doing some of the frugal things we all do, then do it with gusto. BUT if it is causing you to feel stress or taking away from that inner simplicity your wanting, then put it aside. At a later time, it might be something you begin to thoroughly enjoy.
I've come to the place in my life right now where my thoughts on gardening are changing BIG time. I love gardens, but the work of weeding and watering and picking the bugs causes me major stress and is very time consuming, whereas I could purchase most of my products from the local farmer and give him some income. In doing this, I could focus on something I thoroughly enjoy doing, kwim. So I'm not sure if I'll garden this coming year or not, I'm thinking hard on it. And if I do, I'll garden veggies that take little time and don't cause me so much stress.
We can save when it comes to couponing, just look at Alyasmommy and how much she saves. But for me, I don't get many coupons, in fact probably about 12 a year UNLESS I really work at going through Canadian magazines, walking the isles of SOME grocery stores, getting on a Canadian coupon train, etc., etc., so I never use them unless they come right to my mail box. I don't stress out about it but look at other ways to save ways, by watching how much I spend on clothing and how much clothing we have or by not going out as often as we use to (4x a week), that don't cause me stress and that I enjoy doing.
I love baking bread so that is something I do. I enjoy hanging my clothes outside and inside during winter months, so that is something I do with gusto. I love reading but I no longer purchase books that add to our monthly budget, but instead go to the local library which I enjoy doing and get my reading from there.
So what you need to do is to begin to look at what you enjoy doing frugally and (if possible) forget the rest until such time as you can do it and enjoy doing it. To me, inner simplicity is far more important. It brings contentment and a peace that makes your life so much better. Its being able to walk the journey of living with far less stress and to enjoy it, no matter what is thrown your way. Please understand, I'm not saying everything is going to be peachy-que here or that you'll handle everything well. But when you begin to have inner simplicity reining in your thoughts and it has begun to sink deep into your soul, you'll find living much much easier than you ever did.
I wish I could take the journey that Henry David Thoreau did and go to a special place and begin to learn to live has he truly was able to live. He really is someone that through his writings and quotes, has given me so much food for thought.
Here are a couple of his quotes:
"to so love wisdom as to live according to its dictates a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity and trust."
"I went to the woods because I weished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I wanted to live deep and suck all of the marrow of life."
The last quote is my all time favorite. I want to learn how to live like that, don't you?