tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30532543.post8564750871471436099..comments2023-09-27T00:59:40.334-07:00Comments on Simple Home Living: the simple home - how to cut your spending by $500 a monthLylah Lednerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04436702227303638509noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30532543.post-38971598853477017642008-12-03T17:02:00.000-08:002008-12-03T17:02:00.000-08:00Hi Lylah! I am becoming a better steward of what I...Hi Lylah! I am becoming a better steward of what I have been given, and am now working on becoming much better at it in a lot of different ways. We've gone down to 25watt bulbs all energy saving ones. Our water heater is at the lowest, and when we take showers we turn the water off between shampooing/conditioning, sudding up, and rinsing off. I use the water to wash my hands and brush my teeth or rinse from mouthwashing enter a bucket I keep in the sink. I use that to flush the toilet. I turned off the water to the toilet, and just flush it with the used water from handwashing and etc. We also don't use our dryer any longer, and hang dry our clothes in order to save more on our use of electricity plus reduce our carbon foot print. I love natural light, so we open our curtains and blinds from the early morning to dusk. Another thing we do is to not worry about food at all. We buy what we need to eat, not anymore. In my being conscious about how much we have eaten, I have really begun to understand the main purpose of why God has given food--to nourish my body not stuff down the pain or hurt. We also are up to buying the next best thing in life. The want for something more or better isn't there in our hearts any longer. What matters to me most is that I have been given this body of mine and I am using it to glorify God in a way I never had before. I also feel that way about the home we live in, the lifestyle we are adapting to, and so on. Life is no longer about having better shoes or nicer clothes. Its about being grateful for what I have been given because somewhere in this world someone walks tens or hundreds of miles on bare feet or goes without eating or even go without clean water and shelter. Its about me realizing the greater call to love than saying I need something other than Jesus and the love of my family to sustain my life. I do have to say I do relish the comforts of what I have been privileged to have, don't get me wrong, but life is so much more different than turning in the car I drive for a brand new one just because it doesn't fit the image I want to have or look like its good enough. To me, I have everything I need, and to want something material more than what I have been given is too much. Oh, another way I save is that I contribute to savings bonds instead of purchasing them after I get paid in check form. In my doing so, I get more untaxed monies from my net income. And, I like that. Its like a bonus being an American. :o)Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09053066877711294062noreply@blogger.com