r/simpleliving

Hi everyone!

I moved to Chicago hoping to experience what living in a big city would be like. Chicago has a lot to offer, but I've slowly realized that big-city living might not be the best fit for my personality or the kind of life I want to build.

A few weeks ago, one of my dogs passed away, and losing him has made me reflect even more on what I want my future to look like.

I'm single, in my late 30s, and increasingly drawn to the idea of a quieter, simpler life. My dream would be to own a small cottage or modest house with some land, where my dogs could enjoy the outdoors and where I might eventually start a small animal rescue or sanctuary.

I'm not looking for anything luxurious. Just a comfortable home, a little space, some peace, and a sense of belonging.

Of course, there's also the practical side of things. I'm supporting myself on a single income, and homeownership sometimes feels completely out of reach. I also need to consider employment opportunities, ideally remote or hybrid work. I have over 10 years of experience in higher education, program management, operations, and event planning, but I'm absolutely open to transitioning into a different industry. I enjoy nature, hiking, and having access to activities and a sense of community, so I wouldn't necessarily want to live somewhere completely isolated. A smaller town with a reasonable cost of living, within driving distance of a larger city and its job opportunities, sounds like an ideal balance.

I'm open to different parts of the country, including smaller communities that might not immediately come to mind. I'm also not necessarily looking to pack up and move tomorrow. I want to make a thoughtful decision and hopefully build a more sustainable life, both financially and personally.

I guess I'm at a point where I know what kind of life I want, but I'm not quite sure how to get there.

I'd love to hear from people who have made a similar change, especially single people who moved somewhere more affordable and managed to buy a home on one income.

Where did you end up? How did you make it work financially? Did you find the community and quality of life you were hoping for? And if you were in my position, where would you consider moving?

Any advice, personal experiences, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I feel like this sub has become almost pornographic to me, I visit it daily and hunger for simple living so much. Working all week and raising a 3 and 4 year old feels anything but simple and then I'm so frazzled at the end of the day I just play on my phone or watch Netflix with my spouse until I fall asleep and then repeat the next day.

Im not grinding or hustling, i'm just working a normal job with normal hours and I come on here to see the life I crave to live, I write down all the things I think I need to do to start my journey and then on that day my 4 year old will decide to stay awake until 2130 or I realise I forgot to do something or prep for a work event tomorrow and need to log back in. I just want a modest house, a moderate to big garden and excessive time for my kids where I don't feel drained and half-present. Gosh I wish I could fix this cycle... the less time I have for working out, the less energy I have. I feel like i'm snuffing out and i'm not even 40 yet, almost tho. My screen time while the kids are awake is almost zero now - one thing I have fixed.

My dream life would to be a teaching assistant so all my spare time was with my kids and the demands of my job weren't high but then I wouldn't even be able to afford the house I have now, let alone a house big enough for some 2 goats and some chickens. What do I do? Quiet quitting? Impossible for my pride. Lock my kids in their room at bed time so the evening becomes mine again? Child abuse lol! Please someone, tell me the magic solution...

I just use my computer or phone if I watch something

When you get home after a long day and finally settle in to watch your favorite show, what's the one thing you do first to get comfortable? What's the thing you keep having to get up for?

Hello, I'm preparing for dropping from full time wage to part time wage in my current work place due to the toll it's taking on me and would love to get any advice i can get on how you budget monthly for everything to be affordable and reasonable while still enjoying life.

Granted most things i like are video games and i play on pc so i tend to wait for the sales that launch every season on steam, think my main go to spends are fast food and trading cards/manga, the trading cards is main way to socialise and meet new peeps and manga i can do without physical for a while and read online i suppose.

But i really want to know how to manage the budget system, do you use it in cash send to a separate bank? And food wise do you use fresh ingredients or mainly freeze veggies ect?

Many thanks

I am a parent and recently I noticed other moms talking to me would make subtle comments about the fact I am wearing the same clothes or am not fashionable. I usually wear jeans and a black t shirt, I have several of the same shirts. It’s simple and easy and I don’t care but now I’m feeling a bit self conscious. I will say though that I am involved in my community and (not to brag) but I have been called “popular” by many people because I love talking to everyone but now I feel like…do people think I’m tacky or something because I don’t wear nice clothes??? I even started to look into buying some nice clothes today but then it’s just so much work and honestly I don’t care for it! I don’t care what people think and obviously it hasn’t seem to affect me much because I still have tons of people to connect with but as I age, maybe it’s important to look more presentable?? But then again, why?

Edit to add: my clothes are always clean and I do laundry 2-3 times a week. They are very neat and ironed. I am friends with a lot of the moms and dads in my son’s school and my clothes have never been an issue for me. I will say the moms who have commented on my clothes do seem to be more
Materialistic and will comment too on my family’s lack of travel. We are very minimalist, enjoy local hikes and stuff like going to the library and being together as a family. Well writing this all out just made me realize I’m alright and I’m happy with how we live. I guess different people have different priorities.

Been paying attention to the things lately and for me it’s

• Coffee
• Matcha
• Going for a walk
• People watching at a cafe (just sitting near the window, bring book to read, and just watch people) idk why this is my fav, and listening to some groove
• making art while listening to podcast or music
• Just driving out my wife to whichever she needd to go, like couple days ago she got invited to some kind of club of students with high gpa and there’s test there to, and i dropped her there, and after, while waiting i can just go for a bit of side quest or walk whatever without knowing where im going to go, idk why it really makes me happy for some reason exploring places and once she’s done, went to cafe and went home

I love all of those small things, i think those are the things that actually matter to me and brings me joy to live more, instead of buying material things

What about you? I keen to hear yours so that maybe i can copy it to my life too!

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on a strange paradox that many of us face in adulthood.

On paper, things are going well—I'm managing my routines, taking care of my health, financially stable, and even recently received a pay raise.

By most external standards, life is thriving. Yet internally, I’ve been navigating a persistent feeling of emptiness and burnout.

Living on my own recently has highlighted how easy it is for life to turn into a quiet loop of work, routine, and survival, leaving very little space for the imagination, excitement, and big dreams we used to have when we were younger.

It makes you pause and question what the real purpose behind all the saving, working, and daily hustle actually is when the joy feels missing.

I’m sharing this candidly because I know I’m likely not the only one feeling this disconnect between external stability and internal quiet. How do you navigate phases where life feels grey, even when everything is technically "fine"?

This is honestly my absolute favorite subreddit. I don’t really speak English very well, but I still love coming here and reading about all the different people, their thoughts and their ways of living.

It often feels a little bit like finding people who think about life in a similar way to me. And it made me wonder: Are there maybe people here who live in Germany (or even Berlin) and would like to connect in real life?

I would love to meet people who enjoy the simple things in life – going for a walk, spending time outside, talking about life, or just doing something simple together. Nothing fancy. 😊

I’m a woman, and just to be clear, I’m not looking for dating. I’d simply love to find some people who share this kind of mindset, because I sometimes feel like these topics aren’t really something I can talk about much with people in my everyday life.

Maybe there are some of you here who feel the same way and would like to exchange messages or even meet sometime. :)

And finally, I just wanted to say: To everyone who contributes here – you are often a real enrichment to my everyday life. I really enjoy reading your posts and comments.

Greetings from Germany! :)

There’s something nice about an evening where the food is already in the kitchen and nobody needs to decide where to go or what to buy.

You make something familiar. Talk for a while. Maybe watch a film you’ve already seen. Nothing you’d think to take a picture of.

I like that version of a good life. Having people you’re comfortable around and enough time to enjoy their company without needing an occasion.

It’s easy to overlook because “nothing much happened” sounds like a disappointing answer when someone asks about your weekend. But sometimes that means you had a bit of peace.

What’s an ordinary part of your day or week that you’d really miss if it disappeared?

Like changing your perspective or the way you think about things or even the things you do to be able to tolerate the world today.

Something like, every Monday I go on a bike ride to reset. Tuesday-Wednesday I expect misery because I go to work so if the day is average it already exceeded my expectations. Etc. but looking for deeper more insightful life rhythms.

I remember when the Marie Kondo series first came out on Netflix a while back, and I felt both so enlightened and motivated after watching it. I think it’s the combination of listening to concepts being taught while watching them being modelled, and all while being presented in a peaceful and lovely way—which is the atmosphere we are all working towards with slow living.

I’d love to discover more docs or shows in a similar vein, not necessarily just about simplifying your possessions, but about embracing and savouring each day. Recommendations welcome! 🤗

Not sure if this is OK to post, but I've been thinking about this for a while.

I've started by cancelling all my streaming services (except one music stream, found one that isn't pure evil) and going to be more mindful of what I do watch.

I'll be removing my social media as well (I'm torn on whether Reddit counts here, but I do intend on cutting back here as well).

Also going to make a more concerted effort to consume less, and get rid of/donate as many un-needed things as I can.

Hoping to also focus more on my hobbies and not being as mindless in what I do as I've been in the past. There are a lot of times where I just mindlessly get on my phone and wonder where the time went.

Big thanks to everyone here for inspiring me. :)

It doesn’t have to be anything exciting. Maybe a certain meal, a TV show, your day off, seeing a friend, going for a walk, or just having some time to yourself.

I think having one small thing to look forward to makes the week feel a little better.

What’s yours?

I no longer pay for streaming subscriptions as of the last couple years and im very happy about it. I listen to the small collection of records i have and am willing to put up with the occasional ad if i want to search a specific song on youtube…

I appreciate reddit because i find that people here are genuinely curious and willing to connect, whereas other social media platforms feel like a hamster wheel dopamine trap.

I am wanting to be more in touch with my values and seeing them reflected in my day to day routine. It’s happening slowly as I make the small changes. Anyone else care to chime in and discuss what they’re noticing or how they’re taking action?