Originally published on December 1, 2006 at Onward & Upward

I’m certainly not the person to write a post about simplicity! I must confess, in the past few years I have departed from my missionary kid upbringing to embrace the consumerism of Americans. I have always been an impulse buyer, but it’s become even more dangerous now that I bring home a substantial paycheck (substantial meaning more than my baby-sitting wages of high school). I have fallen into the trap of wanting things.

Then I got married. My husband is one of the most non-materialistic people you could meet. As we start our journey together, he is constantly pulling me back to earth, reminding me to place my values into heavenly treasures that will last forever. He’s very good for me in that respect. As we look at our life and where we will be aiming to be in the next few years, I realize that a simple lifestyle will be better for us all the way around. But the challenge of getting over that first hump! Of letting go my desire for things, and focusing completely on God’s desires! Oh, easier said than done.

As I said, I am definitely not the person to write a post on simplicity. I am the person to write a post on American materialism, its negative impact on my life and…. that’s where I am right now. In between. Heading the right direction, but certainly not there yet! Perhaps in a year I’ll be able to reflect more on simplicity, but for now this is where I am.

These thoughts are not out of the blue, but prompted by an excellent post by my friend Joanna, entitled Simple?. She links to some good websites, and talks about different areas to pursue simplicity.

Other bloggers have touched on this subject as well. One of my favorite blogs, Amy’s Humble Musings, wrote about it recently in a post from this summer called Reduction Production. An excerpt:

One detail I’ve learned along the way is that a penny saved is much more than a penny earned. But what’s even better is to reduce your need for pennies in the first place. While working to produce a supplemental income is wise (especially if the plan is entrepreneurial in nature), one shouldn’t overlook the value of reducing expenses as a wise contribution as well.

Amy also talks about how children fit into our desire for a simpler life (not applicable to us right now, I know, but definitely fitting into our plan for the future) in her post Good Things.

Another of my favorite blogs, A Gracious Home, has also addressed this topic numerous times. I can tell it is near and dear to Sallie’s heart as she and her husband try to seek simplicity in their own lives. Here are a few of her posts that I liked:

• The Road to Simplicity (Does it have a destination?) – a list of ways Sallie and her husband have simplified their lives over the years
• Simplicity and Frugality – The books that impacted me the most – a review of 4 different books
• Simplifying Choices – questions to ask when making decisions
• Freedom from clutter – “I believe getting rid of the clutter in my home is a key part of living peacefully.” Ah she must be a friend of FLYLady! :-)

I hope these links will help you in your own life as you strive toward simplicity. I plan on sitting down with Paul sometime and talking about this seriously… after the holidays, though. ;-)