Tips to Simplify Your Life (results of brainstorm session, January 03)

Vacation/Travel

• Explore your own city for vacation
• Stay with friends near home
• Home exchange (information available)
• Take the train
• Get on B&B lists (especially UU list)
• Take time off to enjoy San Diego
• Stay in college dorms in the summer
• UU-sponsored trips at low cost
• Frequent Flyer miles from credit cards.
  • Pay bills via credit card to accumulate miles
  • Even buy a car via credit card
• Stay in hostels
• Buy plane tickets via internet
• Ride your bike
• Home stay
  • Teacher home stay
  • Over 55 home stay
• Last minute air/cruise travel at deep discount
• Work-travel trips. Help Sierra Club build trail
• Voluntours
• Amtrak tours (15% discount on hotels with AARP membership)
• Ecotravel
• Invite people to stay at your house (play host locally)
• Visit friend for weekend from local area
• Have sleepover with friends from same neighborhood.
• Servas
• Home vacation/Home Retreat options: gardening, learn instrument, declutter/spring
• cleaning, watch videos from library, get to know neighbors
• Visit family
• Get AARP membership

Transportation

• Concatenate errands
  • Snake home using stores along route to eliminate extra trips out
• Carpool/share resources
• Use public transport
• Use local retailers instead of driving miles to save 10% (and use the savings on gas)
• Use super retailers (Wal-Mart, Costco, Ikea)
• Telecommute/email
• Remain within a certain mile radius
• Use the phone instead of driving
• 4/10 workweek or off peak hours
• Bike, walk, Vespa
• Subsidized van-pooling
• Self-sustaining living within immediate home area/community to
  • minimize reliance on foreign areas
• Use surface streets instead of freeway
• Live closer to your job
• Find a job closer to home
• No cell phones while driving (reduce stress for everyone)
• Allow extra time/Plan ahead for delays
• Use relaxing audio/books on tape
• Avoid rush hour travel (minimizes pollution, stress, travel time)
• Stay home, entertain yourself, increase own creativity
• Home business marketed to people within three miles of home

Housing

• Barter
• Roommates
• Rent spaces with fewer features
• Exchange chores, errands, cooking with neighbor
• Help a disabled person
• Buy a duplex or large home and rent part
• Co-housing, Cooperative housing, Co-Family living
• Live in a mobile home, maybe rent.
• Dorm style living
• Live in a tent
• Purchase home with no money down
• Take home-office deduction
• Don't buy new home unless absolutely necessary
• 15-year loan or pay off 30 year with extra payments (go directly to principle)
• Manage a property, live for discounted rent or free
• Xeriscape/rock garden
• Live in camper or RV
• Habitat for Humanity
• Live on a boat
• Housesitting/treesitting for extended periods
• Join political action group for affordable housing
• Trade homes
• Let the Universe know what you want
• Think green when building

Household Management/Items

• Trade/junk/donate unused stuff to others or Thrift Stores
• Shop at thrift stores
• Habitat for Humanity Lemon Grove Thrift Store
• Shop for best price, research/Consumer Reports for best prices/value
• Dollar/99c stores
• Organize and label what you have to reduce stress
  Have/participate in yard and garage sales (ignore if you already have either or both)
• Use biodegradable cleansers
• Use full spectrum fluorescent lights
• Free and swap section of Ad-visor
• Walk 'round neighborhood and scrounge for "take me" items
• Offer "take me" items
• Use items for more than one thing
• Get rid of microwave
• Chula Vista Household/Hazardous Waste Recycling - use it. Also, get free stuff there
• Share items with neighbors, split Warehouse Club-sized quantities
• Do I want to dust this thing one more time?
• Do I really love this item?
• Adopt philosophy: One thing into the home, one thing out of the home.
• Don't shop and buy as entertainment
• Do worst/most unpleasant chores first
• Do easiest chores first
• Make a list
• Put essential oil on dust cloth
• Make chore phone dates or do chores with friends (ironing, a la 1950 TV ads)
• Use hairdryer on highest setting to clean silk flowers
• Sweep/wash all hard floors at least once
• Rotate display items
• Listen to books on tape while doing chores
• Listen to music, create better frame of mind
• Set timer to make chores fun, create challenge and limit time spent on them
• Invite people to help you clean/paint/chuck stuff away. Group cleaning/yard work
• Don't overbuy at Wal-Mart. Consume reasonably
• Have a NO chore day
• Buy knee pads
• Relax your standards
• Laser Saver - for recycled ink for printers www.ordertoner.com 
• Get rid of things no longer in use
• Standardize dishes instead of having multiple sets
• Have only one vacuum
• Buy quality items that will last
• Buy second hand items
• Buy paint at "oops" section at Home Depot
• Recycle
• Shop at clarity in Golden Hills
  • Buy recycled candles
  • Bring candle butts
  • Use natural soap and all natural cleansers
• Save soap remnants

Clothing

• Go Nude!
• Thrift store sneakers and shoe polish
• Hand me ups from kids and friends
• Ask for clothes from friends who have lost/gained weight or had Lipo.
• Buy at thrift stores
• Suzy's Deals
• Mix-n-match, watch for sales, buy right after Xmas
• Buy pesticide-free items
• Use second hand stores
• Watch the catalogs for best deals
• Shop intentionally
• Amvets store off Washington and Pacific Highway
• Make own clothes
• Learn new skills at Skill Center at Universities and colleges
• Go to Hedonism in Jamaica
• Take clothes right out of dryer to eliminate need for ironing
• Relax washing requirements
• Wear an apron in the kitchen, protect other clothes
• Dry items on low or use clothes line/rack
• Buy wash and wear
• Buy excellent quality for longer wear
• Avoid the malls
• Shop online
• Give up being a fashion statement
• Never buy on impulse or items that cannot be returned
• Learn to sew, mend, darn it!
• Keep weight stable
• GTM General Trade Merchandizers: There are 3 locations in S.D. County.  Downtown, Lemon Grove, and Santee. They have slightly bruised and outdated items from different sources like costco.  they have specials upon specials upon specials.  items are office supplies, clothes, food, vitamins, cleaning supplies, plastics, kitchen ware, bath towels.

Chores and Errands

• Keep organized. A place for everything and keep it there.
• Designate a cleaning day. Do all at once.
• Group chores, share the experience with friends
• Enlist help
• Learn how to speed clean/use books as resources (borrow from library)
• Use priority list and focus!
• Hire help
• Speed ironing - collar and front of sleeves.
• Fun/Entertainment
• Walking/Hiking in canyons
• Walkabouts International
• Going to the beach
• Reading library books
• Library - borrow DVDs and videos
• See free movies and concerts at SD Public Library
• Free movies at Carlsbad library
• Writing
• Playing/Listening to music
• Yoga/meditation
• Gardening
• Tennis
• Biking
• Summer free concerts
• Playing cards with friends
• Half price tickets
• Volunteer to usher at a show
• Have potlucks
• YMCA - inexpensive gym membership
• Volunteering
• Martial Arts
• Church
• Cruising Internet/Chat rooms
• Community tables at coffeehouses and bakeries
• Hiking
• Walking clubs
• Enjoy local lakes/bay
• Self historical tours
• Do nothing, spend time with self
• Movies using discount tickets
• Using entertainment book coupons - other coupons
• Rollerblading around the lake/bay
• Surfing and swimming
• Join a chorus
• Join a craft group
• Go to book readings and poetry readings
• Pannikin on Friday's for free entertainment
• Join a playreading group
• Bookstore readings and book signings
• Enter drawings
• Low cost dance lessons - zydeco, contra, salsa, hip hop
• Identify plants (by name)
• Free Tuesday museums at Balboa Park
• Not so silent Silent Movie Festival (UCSD)
• Start or participate in discussion group

Food

• Make gifts of home cooking
• Buy in bulk - share or freeze overage
• Make a grocery list
• Plan meals ahead
• Don't shop while hungry
• Farmer's markets
• Pack a lunch/breakfast/dinner
• Make coffee at home
• Shop strategically
• Buy only on-sale items
• Coupons
• Buy generic
• Cook - no prepared foods
• Make your own nutritious snacks
• Grow food - give to pals
• Make friends with a farmer
• Frequent fresh produce sellers
• Grow your own herbs
• Henry's/Trader Joe's/People's
• Limit eating out
• Eat beans/legumes/rice
• When you go out - share or use coupons
• Barter your cooking (e.g., trade for massage)
• Internet resources
• Potlucks while entertaining
• Be Wise Ranch
• Eat raw foods
• Plan ahead
• Cook multiple items at once - be efficient
• Microwave
• Entertainment book
• Make a lot and eat leftovers
• Appliances
• Ethnic grocery store for low cost spices
• Eat less
• Crock pot cooking
• Trade great recipes with friends
• Learn to bake bread/make yogurt, etc.
• Carry homemade snacks in car, etc.