How do I .... simplify?

So my last post was about our trip to Bermuda and I wanted to share a bit more about what always impresses me when we're there. I mentioned in the last post that things are EXTREMELY expensive over there and many locals have a tough time making ends meet. You might think it's only millionaires living in such paradise, but that sure isn't the case.

Many of the people there were born and raised there and are far from millionaires. You might think 'why don't they just move if it's too expensive' but we all know it's not as simple as that.

What impressed me is how simple things are there. Simple, small roads - no big highways. And everyone drives with such courtesy for others. There were several times our driver would stop in the middle of the road to let another car make a turn. And they honk at each other constantly - but not in an angry way, they do it to wave and say hello to all the people they know.

We spent quite a bit of time talking to the different cab drivers {as they would drive us where we wanted to go}. We found out from them how expensive things are and how the economy is tough for them, just as it is for us. But the one thing every single cab driver said was 'we are blessed.'

Wow, that really struck me! I mean it's easy to see they're blessed to live in such a beautiful place -- but would I say I was blessed if I was living in such tough economical times?! Most of them work 2 or more jobs - and this would be both the husband and the wife of the house. And many of them cannot afford to buy even a modest home.

Now I realize Bermuda is not a third world country, and there are MANY places in the world where people are far worse off. So I'm not trying to get you to pity the Bermudians ... I just kept thinking how they were so happy to live a simple life, to work hard and just be kind to everyone they meet.

We were also told there is very little crime. It just seems like they have this happy little community who all genuinely care for one another.

One thing a lady cab driver told us was that when times get tough people just have to get creative ... she said many people plant a garden to grow their own food. Or you bake your own bread {because a loaf in the store costs $5.00!!}. I didn't get to see the inside of the grocery store, but the outside was very simple and I could tell the store was very small. I bet they don't have a hundred different varieties of Chocolate Chip Cookies and 10 different brands of milk. I think the Bermudians sort of have things in a better balance than we do ... they just keep life simple. They eat real food. They are kind and courteous to others. They look out for one another. It really was a beautiful thing to see!

Now, my point in all this is that I want to live more simply. I have a closet full of clothes and plenty of necklaces hanging in my room - yet when I planned for this trip I felt like I needed to go out and buy, buy, buy more things.

I think we're spoiled here in America ... I know I am! When my swiffer mop broke a couple weeks ago I was going to throw it out and buy a new one ... when hubby came home he said I can fix that and he duct taped it together - and guess what, it works fine! When we get a little hole in a piece of clothing we almost always toss it out ... what did the generations before us do? They sewed it! They fixed it! They couldn't afford to buy new things every time that happened so they learned to fix things.

We live in a country where the stores are everywhere! You can shop for anything you want without driving very far at all - or if you want you can even do it online! Anytime I want a book - I look it up on Amazon and almost always buy it. Books are good but this is silly. I could borrow from a friend, go to the library, or simply just WAIT until I have given it some more thought. Impulse shopping is not a good thing!

Here are a few things I want to learn to do:

*be content with what I have
*use what I have wisely and care for things I have well so they won't get damaged or need to be replaced
*get rid of clutter and stop holding on to things I don't need or use
*get back to a simple life of playing with my husband and kids - going outdoors to play ball, playing board games, talking around the table, etc.
*focus time and attention on my family and friends
*learn how to make more things from scratch - food items as well as cleaning products
*not go out to eat as much - we can make things just as yummy at home!
*learn to budget better and eliminate debt

I'm sure there are more but that's just a few things to get me started. So here's my question ... how do you simplify your life?

Any advice for getting started on this Simple Life journey?

I AM blessed! Now I just need to start living my life so that it reflects that fact!