My plan, the point of all this, is to downshift. Downshifting to me is a very loaded term. Some people think it means you have to move and instantly change, others manage to downshift while living in their same home and same city, for me downshifting is a lifelong journey, not a race. There are many people who downshift – leaving city finances behind, who then get into the same rat race in the country – who bring the competitiveness from the market into the village school. This isn’t true downshifting.
I’m on a journey that will eventually include moving to a smaller, rural place. A place where I’ll have hens and rabbits, grow my own fruts & veg and live as much as I can off the earth. It may take a while to reach my destination and many people ask me what I & they can do while not yet at their intended place. Here’s my list of what we can all do now:
1. Stop buying – sounds silly, but honestly one of the biggest shifts that will allow people to downshift, is to stop buying. This means you don’t need to earn as much, to buy as much, instead you can focus on living.
2. Figure out what you can do now – can you get an allotment, can you afford to work 4 days a week, can you join a book group or learn a new skill?
3. Change what & how you eat – start supporting local markets and farmers.
4. Change how you travel – can you reduce the amount of time you spend in the car? Can you walk or get a bus or train instead?
5. Imagine what people did 70 years ago and try to bring in some of those same activities and ways of living into your home. I’ve stopped buying books and joined a library – I went from going to the library 4-6x a year, to going 1-2x a week. I’m learning how to make everything from scratch and I’ve started writing letters again.
6. Look at what you’ll need to be able to reach your downshifting goal. Some people are lucky, they bought when the market was lower and have enough value in their home to downshift significantly within a short period of time. For those of us for whom that isn’t the case – do your sums, what do you need, how long will it take?
7. Think about what you want to do when you downshift and learn how to do it now. Do you want to run a small holding? Then volunteer at a farm, even a city one. Do you want to hand make all your presents and gifts? Then sign up for an arts or craft class now.
8. Don’t try to change too much too soon. I know many downshifters who moved jobs, countries etc in a very short period and ended up going back. First try to downshift without being in a different country from your friends, then do a more radical move.
9. Do what you need to do while in the city or while in your country while you can. I have a friend who downshifted after she adopted a beautiful baby girl. She needed to be in England for the adoption, but downshifted a year later.
10. See downshifting as more than moving, it’s about changes within you that you are capable of. It’s about making the changes in your life that you want to see in the world.
I live in London and I’m downshifting, right now this means I:
- don’t buy things I don’t need
- walk everywhere or take the bus
- am learning new skills
- sponsor local farms so that I can help care for animals
- have worked hard to become happy within myself
- started writing letters again
- stopped gym & swim memberships and started walking
- started making things from scratch
Eventually my downshifting plans are so much greater, but for now, I’m pretty happy with what I have achieved. I’ve gone from thinking “oh I wish I could afford that” to thinking how sickening it was at a friend’s baby’s 1st Birthday party when she was surrounded by about 40 new plastic toys that were gifts from people. All I could think about was not only the waste, but the process by which they were made – I was imagining who made them and what conditions they had to work in. I left the party feeling sick and vowing to make sure I bought fair trade, organically sourced items. I’m working hard to be the change I want to see in the world and loving it!
What about you? Do any of you have plans to live off the earth, to try to leave consumerism behind?
Well written. Thanks. We’re kindred spirits.
How sussed is this lady. For a long time I had thought about not having to work really really hard 5/6 days a week in a very stressful thankless role in retail. Yes …I was paid a fairly good salary in comparison to others, but, you dont realise how much you get wrapped up in this lifestyle, wasting money, wasting precious hours of your life and knocking years off your life through being stressed for someone elses pocket. With this money, you get sucked into consumerism thinking that you need all the trending gadgets and gizmos,twice a year holidays, expensive brand clothes, expensive food, to feel you need to be happy, so easily through the media, peer pressure and social networking. One day feeling so tired and depressed… I just gave in my notice, to leave my middle management role at work, and with that reduced my working hours to go and work for, and alongside my partner who then, had his own business working in a recycle centre. There, I met and made some friends with some of the most brilliantly minded people I had met for years, from all walks of life who had left their high flying careers to be more self sufficient in all aspects, and realise that for years they had not looked up from their feet and seen what they were really missing in life. I then realised I had to leave my retail position completely. I learned to realise I was working unecessarily long hours just to pay the tax man, waste money on convenience foods, everything had to be done faster and therefore it meant it was the most expensive option. To cut a very long story short, I am now working 25 hours a week, which for a single wage earner is quite low, and in return I am able to do things properly, and in doing so have saved money, ill health and wasted days working for someone else. My days are for me now and my family, I work for myself running a market stall in a beautiful part of North Devon. One has to stand and look up at the rainbow, instead of running fast to find the pot of gold. My life is my own now, and I feel I am very rich.
Definitely a motivating post!! I am in the process of changing my life, and my outlook on life! Thanks for sharing your ideas with us!
i love all of this,i want to do all these things…..
but my partner is not comitted……
i keep leaving the country and coming back to town ,to be normal like everyone else ….then i spend all my time sadly thinking of self sufficiency and goats and chickens.
Stopping shopping as a hobby. We used to just shop at the weekends. browse the shops and buy stuff. now I am trying to get rid of the stuff. and have stopped shopping. although we do allow a bit of boot sale action every now and again. mainly clothes for our son!!
Nice o hear that even us European are making efforts in our lives to become more frugal. I live in Bordeaux France and I have a hard time finding blogs in French concerning this subject. I really enjoy your site.
I just found this blog and it’s a pleasure to read. It’s nice to see someone focusing on the bigger picture instead of obsessing over dollars and cents. (Also thank you for speaking honestly instead of preaching at people)
The trouble I have with downshifting is all the stuff I’d like to do in the country takes money. Growing food, keeping hens, getting some land.
Ironically I too live in London but I feel it’s pretty easy to live cheaply here because I’ve lots of friends and am fairly easily pleased with my small pad etc. Whereas in the country I think I’d need an acre, and I can’t imagine living so close to people.
Probably I need to mellow a bit further or become a bit wiser I guess?
Moyra, I agree, I hate stuff unless it’s beautiful or useful as William Morris said (I don’t count myself in either category, alas!
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I really enjoy reading your blog!
My husband and I decided to leave Tokyo thinking that was not how we want to live our lives. We set goals and saved money to move out of city. We moved to an sub-tropical island of Okinawa, Japan where we have beautiful beaches. Our life on the island turned out very simple, compare to the life in Tokyo. We walk to a beach and enjoy swimming and watching sunset. We love the way we live now!
I love your blog…it is more about looking at what’s important than “giving up” what is not. The notes about the baby’s birthday really say it all. This innocent little baby did not ask for dozens of plastic toys, but we adults have been conditioned to think we must give them.
As an aside, today I received a notice at work.( I am new to my employer so I am constantly surprised by the work culture). One colleague is going shopping…so she’s bringing her old clothes to the “closet.” Apparently, everyone is encouraged to bring clothes they tire of to the closet for exchange…this seems to be quite a frugal and responsible way for people to get their shopping “buzz” without cosuming more planetary resources, exploiting underpaid workers, or threatening their own finances!
I’m sure that the “exchange” model has many possibilities for marrying fun with frugal.
What a wonderful journey you are on. We should all take this perspective regardless of where we are in life or where we live. A hectic and stressed life leads to sickness and disease. Who wants that? Living deliberately and getting the necessities of life through relationships and following a more harmonious path with the earth is insurance for your health and your life. Good for you!
Jerry
http://www.leads4insurance.com
Just love your approach to life,i too have changed over to a much simpler way of living,and have downsized to living in a tiny little unit, much cheaper than my other one, and i have a lovely little back garden,with lot’s of tree’s,with bird’s and posom’s,i grew my herbs,and some vegee’s in pott’s,bake bread, i live with my darling Cat Abby, i have gone from being a material girl, to now loving to go to the thrift stores,stretching my dollar as far as i can,have nearly stopped eating meat,and eating more vegee’s,and feeling much better for it, Carol
We sold our big home several years ago…to buy the log home with our equity. Of course we lost the log home to a fire, but our hearts are downshifting all the time. We don’t eat pre-packaged foods, we make alot of our gifts. We try to only buy used at yard sales, etc. We love living simply!!
It’s encouraging to read that there are other people who think like us and have similar ambitions. We’d like a smallholding some day, but for now are trying to make the most of the 100 square metres of land that surrounds our city home.
I love your blog – so inspirational – god bless xx
Just found your blog today through Down-to-Earth. I’m loving what I am reading. This post about the b-day party reminded me of one I went to recently for a pre-schooler. I made her a crayon and colored pencil roll combined with crayons and pencils included, it probably cost a total of $5.00. Much thought, love and time went into that little item, it has the potential to be useful for many years to come. How insignificant my little gift must have looked to the other party goers who shelled out $$ and $$$. As I watched her plow through the “mountain” of gifts many thoughts ran through my mind, but mostly how I wanted to run. I can’t help but wonder, “…will this beautiful little child grow up appreciating the little things in life or will she grow up thinking that bigger is better and if something isn’t pricey it isn’t worthy?” (sigh)
Thanks for the goodness I’ve read in your blog so far, looking for more to come.
We definitely think alike. I’ve recently started my own personal journey towards downshifting. The long-term goal of having enough resources to actually quit my job might happen eventually, but I know I can start downshifting NOW. To me downshifting means a change of focus, mainly from work and carreer to what really counts for me in life. Not easy mate. I’m learning it requires committment and discipline. It’s inspiring and reassuring learning from someone who’s facing the same challanges.
I’ll keep on visiting your blog
Best
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downshifting-now.blogspot.com
PS: I link you in my blog if you don’t mind…
I have just found this post and have found it absolutely amazing. I have been slowly developing a path to down shifting in my own life and your thoughts, inspirations are truly wonderful. I can’t wait to read more as your journey unfolds.
This is very inspiring. I think your efforts in downshifting are very sensible as it’s hard to make changes all at once when everything around us in society supports and perpetuates this ‘have more, get more’ attitude.
It’s so important that more people realise that we should be working to live and not living to work. I myself dream of gradually reducing my hours (not to mention commute) and fitting work around my lifestyle and not the other way around. Me and my partner plan to move somewhere more rural and focus on a lifestyle that includes plenty of downtime, country walks, growing our own food and being a part of our local community.
It’s time to break free of consumerism and materialism!
I’d recommend a book called ‘Enough: Breaking free from the world of more’ by John Naish.
Just found your blog. I am undertaking a very similar journey myself.
I’ve started to learn new skills, like breadmaking, growing herbs and sewing clothes for my family.
I look forward to reading more of your posts.
A note from a boomer on the US West Coast.
In racing, downshifting, in addition to slowing down, is used to get into the power band of the engine so one can accelerate. This is often associated with a change of direction.
I find that simplifying, and slowing some things down allows me to focus my energy in areas that are important to me.
Your thoughts have helped me better that focus, thanks
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Hi there – I hope you don’t mind, but I thoroughly enjoyed your piece and have reproduced the first bit on my site, linking straight back to you of course to read the rest of the piece. My readers will love your work…
All the best,
TSx
Tracey Smith
Founder of InterNational Downshifting Week
http://www.DownshiftingWeek.com
Author/Broadcaster Sustainable Living & Founder of InterNational Downshifting Week
Thanks Tracey! I’ll be sure to check out your site tomorrow!
Thank you x
It’s good to know that down-shifting isn’t a recession-based by-product but can also be the long-term goal of people who are happy to swap more life for less money, and a having-it-all lifestyle for a having-happiness one. Great blog, thank you