A happy Tammy and Husband
Rowdy Kittens, uncopyright by Tammy Stroebel
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Planet Green has been covering Frugal Green Living, , the idea of Living With Less, and long before it even started we wrote about how to get ready for the recession. I follow quite a few other bloggers who actually practice what they preach, like Trent and Everett. (I admit to being a complete failure.) Another that I follow but have not written about is Tammy Strobel of Rowdy Kittens, where she writes:
Somewhere along the way we start thinking we need more and more stuff to be happy. But is that really true? Do we need a bigger house, a better car, or a large salary to find happiness? Imagine what the world would look like if we pursued our dreams rather than more stuff.
Stephanie Rosenbloom of The New York Times wrote a good article about her and the new frugalism movement recently, titled But Will It Make You Happy?
The article describes how Tammy got rid of most of their excess clothing, the TV, their cars and books to try and do the 100 thing challenge, where you live with just 100 personal items. Tammy says:
“The idea that you need to go bigger to be happy is false,” she says. “I really believe that the acquisition of material goods doesn’t bring about happiness.”
The Times notes that it isn't just Tammy, but that a lot of people are changing the way they live, and it isn't just in reaction to the recession.
According to retailers and analysts, consumers have gravitated more toward experiences than possessions over the last couple of years, opting to use their extra cash for nights at home with family, watching movies and playing games — or for “staycations” in the backyard. Many retailing professionals think this is not a fad, but rather “the new normal.”“I think many of these changes are permanent changes,” says Jennifer Black, president of the retailing research company Jennifer Black & Associates and a member of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors in Oregon. “I think people are realizing they don’t need what they had. They’re more interested in creating memories.”
I noted at the beginning that I consider myself a failure at this, being a few years older than Tammy, having a house and two kids, having collected a lot of stuff racked up a bit of debt in my time. But we are trying to follow her concluding advice in the New York Times:
“My lifestyle now would not be possible if I still had a huge two-bedroom apartment filled to the gills with stuff, two cars, and 30 grand in debt,” she says.“Give away some of your stuff,” she advises. “See how it feels.”
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Get Recession-Ready ! - Planet Green
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