Thriving on Bare Bones

AARP ran an excellent article entitled 15 Tips to Save Hundreds. Some of the replies ragged the author as not being creative; saying the tips were common sense things they have been doing for years. These tips may not be new but possibly a reframing.

Limits can be empowering. Remember the old adage, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Allow scarcity to stimulate ingenuity and embrace challenges. Make it fun. As newlyweds on bare bones I gave myself the challenge to see how many different and creative meals I could make from ground meat.

Transcend sacrifice. Maybe life is fairer than we want to acknowledge. To thrive is to refuse to dwell on what is not a reality. This frees your creativity to non-grudgingly adopt the Shaker philosophy of “use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”. Adjust your spirit to your forced lifestyle. When scarcity is embraced as meaningful, it transforms the current situation into having an important effect.

Remember the Holocaust. It did happen. It is a sad reality of history. Read stories of survivors and how they ate rotting potatoes, managed on discards from trash, and cooked “rock” soup. Allow it not only to inspire you but also to kick up your gratitude meter for your current situation, meager though it may be.

One plant, many potatoes. Gardening experts report that the return on dollars invested in seeds is upwards of 1 to 10. Try your hand at growing veggies in a small plot of earth, in bags of potting soil split open or in pots on the windowsill. It’s therapeutic.

If the old one still works, appreciate it. Anything that appreciates goes up in value. It is a mystery why empty houses deteriorate faster than unimproved lived-in homes. Perhaps it is the spirit of the inhabitants that has an uncanny effect on inanimate objects. I suggest that thankfulness toward the clunker would inspire you to treat it with tender loving care and thus extend its fragile life.

Adopt the homeless mentality. Prolonged life on the street lends itself to the mindset of “How little can I live on.” Even to the sever point of refusing charity. I am not suggesting that one snub the kind generosity of family and friends. Discover what really matters and see how little one needs to be content. The best things in life are free; open up and enjoy.

Surviving in difficult times is possible, although stressful. Thriving in those difficult times is a decision of the heart. When struggles are seen as meaningful the situation is transformed.

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