This is the post about frugality I promised you, by my friend Sherri of Serene Journey.

I am in awe of what Lisis, Jeff, and Hunter are doing. I am really very happy and excited for them, and a little scared, but I truly believe this will be an amazing experience for them–an experience that will create lasting memories and fabulous stories for years to come.

When Lisis asked me for some simple tips on living frugally, I jumped at the chance for two reasons: First, I love the concept of frugality and the simplicity that comes with being frugal. Second, I’m thrilled to be able to contribute to their amazing, epic journey. Here are my top five frugal tips for living on less.

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Today we are on the road again, for day 2 of our adventure, and super excited because we’ll be meeting Nadia and Jacob this evening!! We are taking pictures as we go along, and I hope to be able to upload a bunch of them when I get the right combination of internet access and time.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share this picture from Jeff’s farewell lunch with his team from work… the work he’s not going back to! Here he is “riding off into the sunset” on a statue of a donkey at the Mexican restaurant. I thought it made a nice addition to my post about my horseback riding misadventures, as it makes me look like the dignified one!

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Dear Lisis,

I have to admit that reading your blog post today, about the start of your adventure, was very emotional for me.

On one hand, I admire the fact that you and your family are leaving the rat race and making the commitment to live simply and in the moment. On the other hand, I have to admit that, as a planner myself, I wonder if you guys could have gone about it differently?

Perhaps you could have saved enough money, and sold your house and car, and all your other belongings? Then you could have bought a small plot of land where you can farm and live on the land. I can only speak for Oregon, but there are quite a few families out in this state who have made themselves self sufficient (plant veggies, have a goat, and chop wood to keep fires going in house during winter).

Posted in choices, family, happiness, Letters From Readers, Life 25 Comments »