Brilliant piece! And so relatable too. It's going to look different for everyone and that's absolutely fine! Sometimes simplifying means letting go of certain expectations. I have a chronic illness so my husband and I have had to simply so much! Sometimes the hoovering doesn't get done, sometimes a takeaway is ordered and ironing... nope!
Yes exactly, it is different for each of us and it changes depending on the season of life we are in. Though not the ironing! That is always on my “not happening” list. 😂
I agree that some iterations of “simple, slow” living can be over complicated. I’ve done it all- the garden, the canning, the chickens, the bread baking. I loved that busy, productive life, but life has changed and things look different now. I still work to simplify my life, but that means letting someone else do some of the things I once did myself.
However, I must weigh in on ironing. I find ironing to be a very meditative task. I don’t iron often, but when I do I find it very Zen. It helps me be in the moment and pay attention. There’s nothing better than laying my head on a freshly sun-dried, then ironed pillowcase at night. I guess I’m the weird one here- I love to iron.
I love that you enjoy it, Beth. I actually feel that way about weeding! I know most people hate weeding but I find it very meditative and satisfying. I especially enjoy weeding while listening to an audiobook… We’re all different and thank goodness for that! The world would be so boring if we all liked all the same things. (And a freshly ironed pillowcase does sound lovely and luxurious!) ❤️
This really hits the nail on the head. As our financial planner often tells us, "The best plan is the one you'll actually follow" AKA: all the lofty ideals in the world won't matter if you can't actually execute them (and keep your sanity, too). We all make concessions in certain places and anyone who says they don't is either lying or has a LOT more free time than me.
I don’t have a big veggie garden or chooks anymore. I did for many, many years & I loved them until I didn’t.
I don’t iron either. No time or f@cks to give for that.
I don’t make everything from scratch anymore. At one stage i was baking sourdough, making butter & yogurt, jam, cheese, biscuits & crackers. I think about that now & have no idea where I found the time or energy. I still bake sourdough, biscuits, cakes & occasionally crackers but that’s it.
I don’t feel sad or guilty about any of that. I’m content with my choices these days.
Yes, the “simple” life being “sold” by so many right now is so far from simple. And for many of us in the throes of parenting downright unrealistic. For me personally I have to work with the crazy schedule we have to find pockets of rest and simplicity. In our current season my kids have activities outside the house every weekday and sometimes on weekends as well. Some days they have multiple activities. Carpooling and utilizing the time we are out well is key for me/us in this season. I listen to podcast, walk while my kids swim, shop while one is at theatre, etc. I also discovered instant pot freezer meals which allow me to spend an afternoon prepping meals and then have super quick easy delicious meals for busy days. We also have staples that take 30 minutes or less and everyone likes and I cook extra whenever I can so there are leftovers. Here’s to finding simplicity in our own unique ways!
Yes, exactly. Simple/slow living looks so different at different ages and stages of life. I wrote about surviving unslow seasons recently. It is tricky, but all any of us can do is our best. It’s sounds like you’ve got some great little strategies for coping. ❤️
For context, I have the luxury of living life in Mexico, where our money and time go much further. That said, we didn't get this life without sacrifices. Now that we're in it, slowing down is much easier than life was in Los Angeles.
When we left the States for Costa Rica in 2012, I let go of my trusty commuter mug with the promise I would not drink coffee and commute ever again. I've ket that promise, but I think it would be harder if I was still enmeshed in the hustle culture of the US.
Simplicity is a privilege, I know. I'm grateful for this life. It's not for everyone, though.
Exactly! ✨ the last thing you want to do when battling burnout is add a long list of extra things to do in the name of 'slow and simple living'!! I think you offer an interesting perspective on cooking too - it struck me when you said 'no one wants to cook 365 days a year' because I don't really see easy meals (not ready meals, but easy homecooked meals) as "cooking". Recently a couple of nights a week I do a hash meal - that is, all sorts of leftover veg chopped up with salad & a fried egg on top. My husband saw a noodle-making workshop the other day and I said "Who wants to make noodles, you can buy them from the shop!" 😂
I love sourdough too!! Never made my own but again, store-bought stuff can be the bomb so why bother?? (not to offend anyone who wants to do all this stuff!)
Yes, there is big cooking and little cooking. 😂 Big cooking is for weekends at my house. Your veg and eggs meal sounds lovely, simple and nourishing. An ideal little cooking meal!
I use a roomba and a laundry service! And grocery pickup. And I try to batch cook whenever I’m cooking something that freezes well. It’s a lot less work to make a triple batch of curry than to cook it three times. Work smarter, not harder, right? 😊
A big fat YES to never making elaborate dinners on weeknights. My husband and I will eat the same, simple iterations of food week in and week out because neither of us can be assed during the week to spend three hours cooking something fancy. So much spag bol, pasta bake, and sausage baps! 😂 One thing I have found super helpful though is a slow cooker, I'm far happier to mindfully chopping everything up at lunchtime and then let the cooker do its thang so by 7pm I can literally sit down and stuff my face without having to think about it. Also we are very partial to a takeaway on the weekend...🐷
I love a Friday night takeaway for a treat! A couple of years ago we replaced our old slow cooker with an InstantPot and I love and use it so much. It can be used as a slow cooker or cook things super fast as a pressure cooker. Amazing!
Lovely, thoughtful piece, Katie! My crumpled state attests to the fact I’ve not touched an iron for years and my sourdough starter, after many years of happy service (and fridge neglect) finally gave up the ghost a few months ago and much as I enjoy baking my own bread, the space created by ‘not’ has left me feeling both slightly guilty and also 'lighter' with one less thing to do. Growing my own fruit and veg has also been something that has lost a lot of joy for me in the doing and become a chore, so I've been trying to pare back (rather than cut out altogether) to see if I can come back to this being something I like to spend my limited time on...
When it comes to growing fruit and veg I think the trick to keeping up with it is keeping it as simple as humanly possible. I am honestly the world’s laziest veggie gardener 😂 but I still manage to grow lots of good stuff to eat. I’m actually working on a post about that at the moment!
Oh I feel this so much! I recently made the decision to switch to online grocery shopping and it has been amazing, no more wasting hours driving and walking the aisles! I also make sure my kids aren't in after-school activities everyday (partly because it gets so dam expensive, but also so we can have that down time too). There are so many ways we can live simply but we can't do it all.
Online grocery shopping is seriously life changing! And the added bonus is it gives me time to think and properly check my pantry to make sure I don’t miss anything. Which has virtually eliminated those little trips I needed to do in between big shops because I’d forgotten something. 🙌🏻
I recently learned anew how to make sourdough bread and received a starter. However, in reality, this fall has been far too full (I'm taking a coaching certification course among other things) to give sourdough the time and attention it requires. I figure I'll just need to get another starter next year if life has calmed down.) Great ideas here. Simplifying life sometimes takes energy but it does pay off.
I have neglected and killed a few starters in my time. 😭 But I know there will be more time for sourdough down the track. Every season is different. ❤️
So interesting to read this. I think mine would be completely different 😂 But definitely yes to cutting out those things which we don’t really need to do.
I don’t iron either 😊 Simple and slow living is different for everyone and everyone is in a different season of life, so I definitely relate to what you wrote here about what you do not do in your day to day. I also save the more intricate of meals for the weekend! The more simple meals are Monday - Friday 👩🏻🍳💗
Life is too short for ironing! 😂 And yes, exactly. It changes for all of us many times over throughout our lives. I know this list would likely look completely different if I rewrote it in 5 years time.
This is so very relatable. Once upon a time I quit my job to have time the time to do ALL the things. (This includes homeschooling 2 kiddos-which I don’t regret at all!) My leisurely hobbies became a full time+ job that not only did I not get paid for, but actually costed me quite a bit of a money too! I had to slowly let go of doing it all, and not let myself feel guilty about leaning into convenience.
Once upon a time I did all the “right” simple and slow living things, and I naively thought I had it all figured out. But then of course life changed! And I learned to compromise and prioritise. Simple and slow living will look different for each of us in different seasons of life, and that’s ok. We’re all just doing our best. ❤️
I also think that simple, slow living is unique to each person. I remember reading many a book on this topic and also thinking the same, especially about the making your own food/gardening etc.
Yes, totally unique to each person! It can also look different at different ages and stages of your own life. My current “simple and slow living” looks totally different to my “simple and slow living” from 10 years ago. I wrote about that recently…
Brilliant piece! And so relatable too. It's going to look different for everyone and that's absolutely fine! Sometimes simplifying means letting go of certain expectations. I have a chronic illness so my husband and I have had to simply so much! Sometimes the hoovering doesn't get done, sometimes a takeaway is ordered and ironing... nope!
Yes exactly, it is different for each of us and it changes depending on the season of life we are in. Though not the ironing! That is always on my “not happening” list. 😂
Mine too! 🤣
I agree that some iterations of “simple, slow” living can be over complicated. I’ve done it all- the garden, the canning, the chickens, the bread baking. I loved that busy, productive life, but life has changed and things look different now. I still work to simplify my life, but that means letting someone else do some of the things I once did myself.
However, I must weigh in on ironing. I find ironing to be a very meditative task. I don’t iron often, but when I do I find it very Zen. It helps me be in the moment and pay attention. There’s nothing better than laying my head on a freshly sun-dried, then ironed pillowcase at night. I guess I’m the weird one here- I love to iron.
I love that you enjoy it, Beth. I actually feel that way about weeding! I know most people hate weeding but I find it very meditative and satisfying. I especially enjoy weeding while listening to an audiobook… We’re all different and thank goodness for that! The world would be so boring if we all liked all the same things. (And a freshly ironed pillowcase does sound lovely and luxurious!) ❤️
I feel the same about weeding, Katie. And freshly ironed pillowcases make me feel like I’m at a luxurious B&B. 😊
This really hits the nail on the head. As our financial planner often tells us, "The best plan is the one you'll actually follow" AKA: all the lofty ideals in the world won't matter if you can't actually execute them (and keep your sanity, too). We all make concessions in certain places and anyone who says they don't is either lying or has a LOT more free time than me.
Exactly this! Yes! 🙌🏻
I don’t have a big veggie garden or chooks anymore. I did for many, many years & I loved them until I didn’t.
I don’t iron either. No time or f@cks to give for that.
I don’t make everything from scratch anymore. At one stage i was baking sourdough, making butter & yogurt, jam, cheese, biscuits & crackers. I think about that now & have no idea where I found the time or energy. I still bake sourdough, biscuits, cakes & occasionally crackers but that’s it.
I don’t feel sad or guilty about any of that. I’m content with my choices these days.
hahaha I love this: "I don't iron either. No time or fucks to give for that." RIGHT THERE WITH YOU SISTER.
Same here! Life is way too short for ironing!
Yes, the “simple” life being “sold” by so many right now is so far from simple. And for many of us in the throes of parenting downright unrealistic. For me personally I have to work with the crazy schedule we have to find pockets of rest and simplicity. In our current season my kids have activities outside the house every weekday and sometimes on weekends as well. Some days they have multiple activities. Carpooling and utilizing the time we are out well is key for me/us in this season. I listen to podcast, walk while my kids swim, shop while one is at theatre, etc. I also discovered instant pot freezer meals which allow me to spend an afternoon prepping meals and then have super quick easy delicious meals for busy days. We also have staples that take 30 minutes or less and everyone likes and I cook extra whenever I can so there are leftovers. Here’s to finding simplicity in our own unique ways!
Yes, exactly. Simple/slow living looks so different at different ages and stages of life. I wrote about surviving unslow seasons recently. It is tricky, but all any of us can do is our best. It’s sounds like you’ve got some great little strategies for coping. ❤️
Instant pot freezer meals! This could potentially be life changing
It is. My favorite recipes come from InstaFresh Meals. They have seasonal cookbooks that are great.
Thank you for the rec! I will check them out.
For context, I have the luxury of living life in Mexico, where our money and time go much further. That said, we didn't get this life without sacrifices. Now that we're in it, slowing down is much easier than life was in Los Angeles.
When we left the States for Costa Rica in 2012, I let go of my trusty commuter mug with the promise I would not drink coffee and commute ever again. I've ket that promise, but I think it would be harder if I was still enmeshed in the hustle culture of the US.
Simplicity is a privilege, I know. I'm grateful for this life. It's not for everyone, though.
It sounds like you are living the dream, Damon. 😊
I do sell it a little, don’t I?
Exactly! ✨ the last thing you want to do when battling burnout is add a long list of extra things to do in the name of 'slow and simple living'!! I think you offer an interesting perspective on cooking too - it struck me when you said 'no one wants to cook 365 days a year' because I don't really see easy meals (not ready meals, but easy homecooked meals) as "cooking". Recently a couple of nights a week I do a hash meal - that is, all sorts of leftover veg chopped up with salad & a fried egg on top. My husband saw a noodle-making workshop the other day and I said "Who wants to make noodles, you can buy them from the shop!" 😂
I love sourdough too!! Never made my own but again, store-bought stuff can be the bomb so why bother?? (not to offend anyone who wants to do all this stuff!)
Yes, there is big cooking and little cooking. 😂 Big cooking is for weekends at my house. Your veg and eggs meal sounds lovely, simple and nourishing. An ideal little cooking meal!
I use a roomba and a laundry service! And grocery pickup. And I try to batch cook whenever I’m cooking something that freezes well. It’s a lot less work to make a triple batch of curry than to cook it three times. Work smarter, not harder, right? 😊
I keep thinking about getting a roomba… We have 2 cats and 2 dogs so I have to vacuum every day. A roomba might just be life changing!
Do it! It’s not perfect - I have a roomba and a cheap handheld battery vac for stairs and spot cleaning - but it sure saves time!!
A big fat YES to never making elaborate dinners on weeknights. My husband and I will eat the same, simple iterations of food week in and week out because neither of us can be assed during the week to spend three hours cooking something fancy. So much spag bol, pasta bake, and sausage baps! 😂 One thing I have found super helpful though is a slow cooker, I'm far happier to mindfully chopping everything up at lunchtime and then let the cooker do its thang so by 7pm I can literally sit down and stuff my face without having to think about it. Also we are very partial to a takeaway on the weekend...🐷
I love a Friday night takeaway for a treat! A couple of years ago we replaced our old slow cooker with an InstantPot and I love and use it so much. It can be used as a slow cooker or cook things super fast as a pressure cooker. Amazing!
Lovely, thoughtful piece, Katie! My crumpled state attests to the fact I’ve not touched an iron for years and my sourdough starter, after many years of happy service (and fridge neglect) finally gave up the ghost a few months ago and much as I enjoy baking my own bread, the space created by ‘not’ has left me feeling both slightly guilty and also 'lighter' with one less thing to do. Growing my own fruit and veg has also been something that has lost a lot of joy for me in the doing and become a chore, so I've been trying to pare back (rather than cut out altogether) to see if I can come back to this being something I like to spend my limited time on...
When it comes to growing fruit and veg I think the trick to keeping up with it is keeping it as simple as humanly possible. I am honestly the world’s laziest veggie gardener 😂 but I still manage to grow lots of good stuff to eat. I’m actually working on a post about that at the moment!
Oh I feel this so much! I recently made the decision to switch to online grocery shopping and it has been amazing, no more wasting hours driving and walking the aisles! I also make sure my kids aren't in after-school activities everyday (partly because it gets so dam expensive, but also so we can have that down time too). There are so many ways we can live simply but we can't do it all.
Online grocery shopping is seriously life changing! And the added bonus is it gives me time to think and properly check my pantry to make sure I don’t miss anything. Which has virtually eliminated those little trips I needed to do in between big shops because I’d forgotten something. 🙌🏻
Agree! Except yesterday I was halfway through making a quiche when I realised they didn't deliver the eggs I ordered 😕
Same thing actually happened to me this week! Was going to make creamy pasta but they had refunded the cream. 🤦♀️
I recently learned anew how to make sourdough bread and received a starter. However, in reality, this fall has been far too full (I'm taking a coaching certification course among other things) to give sourdough the time and attention it requires. I figure I'll just need to get another starter next year if life has calmed down.) Great ideas here. Simplifying life sometimes takes energy but it does pay off.
I have neglected and killed a few starters in my time. 😭 But I know there will be more time for sourdough down the track. Every season is different. ❤️
I can relate! We need to be realistic, don’t we?
So interesting to read this. I think mine would be completely different 😂 But definitely yes to cutting out those things which we don’t really need to do.
My own list changes depending on the season of life I am in too. Though not the ironing! That is always a not. 😂
By coincidence, this Sunday’s post is about seasons of life! 🌿
I don’t iron either 😊 Simple and slow living is different for everyone and everyone is in a different season of life, so I definitely relate to what you wrote here about what you do not do in your day to day. I also save the more intricate of meals for the weekend! The more simple meals are Monday - Friday 👩🏻🍳💗
Life is too short for ironing! 😂 And yes, exactly. It changes for all of us many times over throughout our lives. I know this list would likely look completely different if I rewrote it in 5 years time.
This is so very relatable. Once upon a time I quit my job to have time the time to do ALL the things. (This includes homeschooling 2 kiddos-which I don’t regret at all!) My leisurely hobbies became a full time+ job that not only did I not get paid for, but actually costed me quite a bit of a money too! I had to slowly let go of doing it all, and not let myself feel guilty about leaning into convenience.
Once upon a time I did all the “right” simple and slow living things, and I naively thought I had it all figured out. But then of course life changed! And I learned to compromise and prioritise. Simple and slow living will look different for each of us in different seasons of life, and that’s ok. We’re all just doing our best. ❤️
I also think that simple, slow living is unique to each person. I remember reading many a book on this topic and also thinking the same, especially about the making your own food/gardening etc.
Yes, totally unique to each person! It can also look different at different ages and stages of your own life. My current “simple and slow living” looks totally different to my “simple and slow living” from 10 years ago. I wrote about that recently…