By David A. Heitmiller

Often I’ve heard the objection, “But doesn’t living simply really take more time? Buying used, shopping for bargains, doing it yourself, researching investment options, growing a garden…they all take a lot of time that I don’t have. Simple living doesn’t sound so simple to me!” Sometimes simple living does seem harder than just opening your wallet to buy products and services. This is especially true when first beginning to simplify and why I recommend that people start with small steps. It’s also the reason I’ve come to use the term “simpler” rather than simple living.

Simplicity is relative and must be defined by each of us in our own context. A process or product that makes life simpler for some might actually make life more complicated for others depending the cost, learning curve required, space available etc. We can probably agree however that few of us want to give up modern conveniences and go back to a time dominated by tedious labor just to provide the basic necessities of life. On the other hand, we can easily question whether much of modern technology actually makes our lives easier or saves time and resources. If that were the case we wouldn’t be experiencing a time famine. Several studies have shown that we actually have significantly less leisure time than we did just 30 years ago despite technological innovations. Working longer and longer hours to own and maintain more and more stuff often eliminates any time-saving benefit. Therefore, the question is how you want to spend your time? You can work for an employer to earn the money to buy products and services or you can do it yourself, do without and only spend your hard earned cash for those items you determine provide lasting value or really do save you time.

Simpler living really begins with well thought-out choices based on knowledge, not hype and values, not whim. Such choices generate solid, long-lasting solutions that do indeed simply life. Here’s an example. A friend of mine who still works full-time but is trying to simplify his life decided that he would only shop for clothes once a year. He doesn’t want to take the time perusing thrift and consignment stores for used clothing. But as a person concerned about social justice and environmental issues, he doesn’t want to support companies or brands with questionable track records in those areas either. So each year he waits for the annual Patagonia sale and replenishes his wardrobe. He knows that Patagonia has a solid reputation for quality merchandise that not only lasts a long time, but is made under fair trade conditions and from environmentally friendly materials. My friend can now relax and ignore the din of advertising in the category of clothing for another year knowing he’s made a sound choice in alignment with his values. Similarly, last year, I spent a couple of weeks looking at and evaluating individual health care insurance options for myself and my wife. It was admittedly a grueling and tedious process but we ended up making a choice that saved us more than 50% on our monthly premium and we don’t expect to have to address this issue again for many years.

The more categories of our lives that we can handle this way, the simpler life gets. Sometimes adopting a new technology or service option does save time and make life simpler. I only write two or three checks a month anymore having put most regular bills on auto-pay which I record in my check register once-a-month then forget about them. Recently I discovered that our credit union offers electronic “billpay” service at no charge. This means that I no longer have to write checks or use envelopes and postage to pay bills that don’t offer an auto-pay option. I can even pay individuals and one-time payments this way. Once I set up the system online it now takes only a few minutes to complete my monthly financial transactions. Simpler? You bet! On the other hand, for someone without a computer with internet access the cost and learning curve to set up such a system would complicate their life. There are no pat answers on how to simplify.

Simpler living doesn’t mean always choosing the cheapest option either. We all know (don’t we?) that going cheap for something that fails or wears out quickly is no bargain. The old adage of “you get what you pay for” still has validity. It usually pays to pay a little more -- and sometimes substantially more – for a quality product that will last for years. That’s not to say you should go for all the bells and whistles. Here’s another example: Last year our dishwasher (a low-end model that came with the house) gave out. Since I’m the one who does the dishes in our house and have yet to experience the “bliss” of hand washing dishes that some simple livers have reported to me, I decided to replace the old unit after determining that I could not fix it. After spending an hour or so on the web, I discovered that Asko, a brand made in Sweden, was by far the most ecologically friendly using only half the water and electricity of most other brands. Not surprisingly, it was also one of the most expensive. After studying the various models in their line however we decided we could do just fine with the bottom of the Asko line without all the digital readouts and programmable buttons. We still spent somewhat more than we might have for a cheaper brand but the Asko comes with a 20 year guarantee and we expect to more than make up for the higher initial outlay in lower operating costs over time. And it’s something we won’t have to think about for years.

Whether you’re just starting out on the simpler living journey or have been on this path for some time, it’s worth stepping back and looking at your routine and the products and services you buy to see how you can simplify and save time. Keep the process painless by addressing one category at a time like my friend did with clothing. Think twice before springing for “time-saving” gadgets or upgrades. When’s the last time you really saved time as the result of purchasing a product? Ask yourself whether you saved time or just speeded up your life another notch. At least don’t be an early adopter of new technology. There are plenty of people out there to beta test the latest gizmo for you. If you determine over time that the product is worth owning the price will be that much lower because you waited. The “simple life” may be hard to achieve in our complex society but a simpler life is definitely possible and worth it.

© 2003 David A. Heitmiller