That is – too many people for one person to take care of. Our planet has about 7 billion people – all of them valuable human beings who deserve a decent life. I don’t have to listen to the news for long or simply look around my neighborhood to realize that many people need help. […]
Living Lightly
Susan Vogt on living more simply but abundantlyBrowsing Posts tagged Musings
Although we’ll just about be home by the time Easter rises in the USA, I’d like to share some reflections on the past Holy Week we’ve spent in Ranchi, India. Patience in the Land of Tech Support It takes 6 weeks of Lent to get to Easter. It seems to take almost as long for […]
We went to the parish fish fry last night (paid for out of my winnings from the raffle I won at the last fish fry). It was also our “date night.” Since our dates usually include wine, or some other spirited drink, we knew this would break our Food Stamp budget. We know that one […]
I just changed my FB, Twitter, and blog photo at the urging of several people who are more “hip” than I am. This has prompted me to ponder who I really am. My values and personality have stayed pretty consistent over the long haul, but I’m talking more about the superficial way that I present […]
In my never ending effort to both simplify my life and still keep up with the Joneses, I’ve started an open Facebook group called Living Lightly and Tweet on this theme @Vogt_Susan. On the one hand I’m still trying to give things away and unclutter my life, but on the other hand I’m trying to […]
I don’t know if I’m madder at our country (think debt ceiling, politics, greed), our Church (think scandals, reneging on Vatican II), or the world (think environmental degradation, abuse of power, wars, poverty). I could go on, but that just makes me madder. So how do I let go of my anger? Lately I’ve been […]
About 10 years ago we offered a friend a place to live during the week while he commuted from his home in Louisville to teach classes at a local university in northern Kentucky. Isaac was an easy guest. He often cooked, brought international friends to visit through the exchange programs he organized, and even bought […]
As my friends and family can attest, I am frugal and thrifty – to say the least. (Our kids often have less flattering terms for it.) So, when a fellow rang the doorbell and offered to do some yard work for us, my first impulse was to say, “Thank you, but No, we would do […]
Aarrgh! I just got a new computer and that should be good because my old one was dying, but – the adjustments to upgraded software are a headache. I’ve also been walking with my parents lately as they try to make decisions about possibly moving to a retirement center – also a good thing that […]
I’ve been saving this give-away for last because of weather, I couldn’t get anyone to take it, and I had moral qualms about giving it away anyway. You may recognize that the object in the photo was once a baby crib. I have now re-purposed it as a couch. Here’s the story. All four of […]
…When you’re too good at hiding things. I store things so well and compactly that when I found and extracted the 300 National Geographics from their nest in an unused stairwell, I also found old history books, children’s Bible stories, children’s record albums, a cutting board, tailor’s board, kites, campaign signs, and a slide presentation […]
I suppose that a pruning purist would challenge every box, space, and piece of paper in the house, but I have to draw the line somewhere. For me, I’ve decided that I simply don’t have the time or will to go through four crates (40 years) of photo albums and five file cabinets of folders. […]
I’d like to discuss the finer points of getting rid of vs. saving boxes. Recently my husband retired from serving 12 years on the Covington School Board. That meant we could finally turn in 10 large “banker boxes” (equivalent to three file cabinets) of School Board files for shredding then recycling. This left several glorious […]
In my never ending effort to save money, I discovered that our family was probably paying more than we needed for our cell phone. After consulting the internet and various young adults – who are the experts in this realm – I decided to go with a different cell phone provider. Over a year I […]
I recently lost a job. This is good! It was a volunteer position that I had held for six years and my term was up. Many people who read this blog are probably like me in that not only do you have paid employment, but also you are generous volunteers. (I now only have 5 […]
I just learned that our married son’s house was broken into. Two computers and other electronics were taken along with some jewelry. Having survived several burglaries when Jim and I were newly marrieds, I know how upsetting this can be. Even if you have insurance, it’s a hassle to replace things and some items are […]
As I focus on giving my extra stuff away, it seems like others keep giving to me. At first I felt frustrated, like the giving was going in the wrong direction. Then, I decided that receiving and being grateful was also a gift. In a sense, when I give, I am in control. It’s good […]
Can returning stuff count? Yes! Some times it takes more effort to return stuff to its rightful owner than to just give a bunch of stuff away. Returning several library books was easy because there’s a time limit and the library is on my way to many places. Returning the car seat we had borrowed […]
Airlines have lost enough of my luggage over the years that I’ve learned to pack with just a carry-on and a large purse. (Although I’ve always eventually gotten my stuff back, I once went almost two weeks without my suitcase in a 3rd world country.) Last week Jim and I were returning from a working […]
First you should know that by temperament and choice I am very frugal. (My kids have a less flattering word for it.) Next you should know that I got my first manicure about several months ago (at age 62) when my daughter “treated” me to it during our mother/daughter rendezvous in Egypt. I have never […]
