October 08, 2009

What is necessary?

I've been thinking a lot about this question.  However if I were honest I would find that there is very little in my life that is necessary.  I could live in a 1 bedroom home with a wood stove for heat; I could eat a simpler diet of rice and beans.  Is it necessary to own more than 1 vehicle, have cablevision, have a cell phone?  Well you get the idea.  I want to live in the house that I have lived in for the past 12 years and I want to eat simple, frugal meals but not a diet of only rice and beans. 

So, in this path I am traveling I am constantly asking myself what is a want and what is a need.  What areas of my life can I cut back on in order to save money?  How low can I go in my quest for living a frugal lifestyle before I feel deprived?  One fact that I am sure of:  the pennies add up.  I can no longer say that I don't have the time to do something.  I have the time to bake whole grain breads, make noodles, walk instead of driving somewhere, make my own cleaners and so on.  Since I am no longer earning a paycheck, my new role is to find ways to save money and stretch my husband's paycheck. 

So what is necessary?  Hmmm.....

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