Simple Living: Can You Dig It?

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about money, budgeting, and lifestyle choices. In a few months, I am in line for a big raise that will dramatically increase the amount of disposable income I have available. If I don't start to plan for how that money should be saved and allocated, I know that I am going to piss it away.

So it was with great interest that I read this article in the New York Times this morning. The article presents a brief profile of families preparing for big changes in their lives through an embrace of simple living habits. While I have no intention of giving away all my stuff and moving to Vermont to live in a house without electricity, I do think that there is plenty of room to make positive changes in my life.

At an earlier time in my life, I was very fond of the personal debt-reduction philosophy advocated by Dave Ramsey and others. This philosophy was packaged in conservative Christian ideology, but it has the same fundamental elements as the Simple Living Movement. Both philosophies believe that happiness and success in life can not be found through the pursuit of material goods financed through increasing amounts of personal debt. Therefore, the first thing to do is to get on a budget and devote any extra money to debt reduction.

That is a clear and achievable battle plan if ever there was one. For too long, I've been traveling without a plan. So it's time to get back on a budget and kick the crap out of my credit card debt.