The Secret of Living on Less

Donna Freedman lives on $12,000 a year. And she says she’s thriving.

Donna is an adult with children, is going back to school, and is making it (somehow):

I survive on economies large and small. I bring my laundry to baby-sitting jobs (yes, I ask permission). I brown-bag my lunch every single day. I combine coupons and rebates to get items for free (I haven’t paid for toothpaste, shampoo or other toiletries for years). I drink water, not soda.

But in order to thrive, you have to hustle, too, always looking for ways to save a dime or to make one. I exchange spent ink cartridges for reams of printer paper at Office Max. Whenever I see a candy dish, I put a piece in my coat pocket; if my energy flags midday, those toffees and peppermints keep me from buying snacks. After I won a basket of specialty coffees at a college event, I immediately sold it on Craigslist.org; I sold a “free after rebate” phone that way, too.

The living on less movement is often seen as an outgrowth of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, which argued against modern consumerism. And it seems many of us at least like to think we could get by on less.

Columnist Craig Wilson started a “don’t buy anything” movement, where he bought only medicine, toiletries and food. And a group who called themselves The Compact followed Wilson’s lead by simplifying their lives.

It’s interesting in the era of bureaucratic bloat and rampant consumerism, that people can live on less. I wonder what it would mean to our pay and motivation programs if we seeded in some simplicity messages.

Photo credit: Walden.org

About the Author

Frank Roche

Frank started IFRACTAL over 7 years ago with Sarah Chambers. Together, they've created HR communications and HR software for some of the world's leading companies. Frank is also studying Flamenco guitar and origami.

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