You've sold the three-bedroom home where you raised your family. And you're comfortably settled into a smaller place, hoping to get back to the simple life you'd always dreamed about. It's a great start, say members of the growing simplicity movement, but you've got a long way to go to realize your dream.
That's what boomers are discovering as they enter their 50's and 60's. Especially with an "empty nest" in sight, they find themselves at a more contemplative stage in life, revisiting past decisions and rethinking options for the future. Many are taking concrete steps to realign their lifestyles with the values that give real meaning to their lives.
Determining what's 'enough'
As founder of The Simple Living Network, Dave Wampler has been providing his online community with the resources necessary for "conscious, simple, healthy and restorative living" since 1996. While simple living may start with an external change like downsizing a residence, it quickly enters the internal realm.
"It is about living an examined life," explains Wampler, in which "you have determined what is important or 'enough' for you, discarding the rest." Instead of a Spartan or deprived lifestyle, an examined life is fashioned to result in personal satisfaction at the deepest level.
Deep roots rediscovered
The long and respected tradition of voluntary simplicity in America can be traced back to early 18th century philosophers like Henry David Thoreau and to religious communities such as the Quakers, Mennonites, and Amish, among others. It was made popular by authors such as Duane Elgin whose Voluntary Simplicity (1977) promoted "living in a way that is outwardly simple and inwardly rich."
Today, simple living is no longer the domain of intentional communities, as the concept is being adapted to individual lifestyles. Turn to the public broadcasting system to find "Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska" on nearly 70 percent of PBS stations nationwide. Now into its third season, this series features 26 half-hour episodes on Urbanska's journey with her husband, Frank Levering, as they learn "how to budget time and money (and) how to lessen the environmental impact of our lifestyle on the planet."
Proclaimed "a spokeswoman for the simplicity movement" by The New York Times, Urbanska promotes environmental stewardship, thoughtful consumption, community involvement, and financial responsibility.
Getting more with less
How is the over-50 crowd getting back to basics today? Here are a few examples.
Where and how to live. Downsizing is alive and well among those over 50. However, the allure of the Sun Belt no longer reigns supreme as boomers are considering a diversity of alternative living arrangements such as:
In an article called "Where will all the boomers go?" Kerry Tremain, a research fellow with Civic Ventures, says future housing designs will need "to enhance civic engagement and a sense of community that many Americans feel is lacking among different generations and groups of citizens."
What and where to eat. Eating well -- for nutritional and social value -- also remains important to people as they grow older. Savvy boomers are discovering ways to stretch their food-purchasing dollars.
That's what Emily Van Cleve, a freelance writer, has been doing since she moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, after graduating from college in 1977. She and her husband enjoy the festive setting of a gallery openings, with complementary wine and hors d'oeuvres and the chance to meet to meet interesting, up-and-coming artists. They dine at some of Santa Fe's best restaurants at lunchtime, enjoying "the same exquisite meals --but at much less cost -- that others enjoy at night."
As health conscious consumers, boomers are a driving force in the growth of the organics food market in the United States, according to a 2001 study co-sponsored by the Food Marketing Institute.
How to cut back on spending. Trying to get the best value for the dollar has also changed the consumption habits of people like Carol Rykin, a 57-year-old resident of a Boston suburb.
"I used to have my hair colored by a professional every three weeks," she says. "Instead of paying $40 (plus tip) every three weeks for a color job, I purchase an off-the-shelf product for $7 to $8 (with coupons) and do it myself every other time." She calculates this saves her $325 annually -- a whopping $2,600 over the past eight years.
Van Cleve also realizes savings in her leisure activities in the Southwest, attending free concerts at alternative venues such as churches and colleges, visiting museums at night when admission is free, and spending time hiking in the mountains near their home.
Ways to save natural resources. A simpler life also requires a conscious approach to the consumption of natural resources. Rykin increasingly looks for ways to save money on fossil fuels. She plans her errands to minimize drive time and save gasoline, lowers the thermostat and wears a wooly sweater, takes shorter showers, and turns off lights when she leaves a room.
She has also discovered significant cost savings by holding on to cars longer and then passing them on to family members. And after driving her Nissan wagon for more than 130,000 miles, she welcomed a hand-me-down Toyota sedan from her mother.
You can do it!
The Eons generation is ripe for embracing a simplified lifestyle. Why? Because, by the age of 50, most of us are at a stage in life when we are able to focus on what really gives us meaning in life. Here's a few tips on how you can get started:
- List three things in life that you consider "essential".
- List three areas of your life you would like to simplify.
- Identify where and how much you are spending on each item or area of life.
- Determine what you might do to trim the associated costs without sacrificing what is important or "enough" for you.
