SMART Living 365

Ideas to create a more happy, peaceful and rewarding life--365!

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Why Rightsizing Is More Important Now Than Ever

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Rightsized


During the next two month Thom and I are renting a home in the mountains high above our desert valley home.  We have been fortunate to do that for a month or more for over 20+ years.  How?  The best explanation is because we rightsized our lives.  As some of you know, rightsizing is the conscious choice to design a life that focuses on what really matters to you and then work to eliminate the rest.  So instead of merely downsizing (often seen as a sacrifice) rightsizing is moving toward what is more fulfilling and beneficial.  Naturally people are different and we all face different circumstances, but when we take the time to be conscious about what really matters to us and our families, and then follow those directives, we can call our lives rightsized.  This week while taking a walk in nature, Thom and I began talking about how rightsizing really is more important now than ever before.  The more uncertainty with our health, our economy or even our social structures, the more important it is to clarify our individual requirements.  None of us can control all of the circumstances in our lives, but we can work to create a life that fits our needs and current times in any given period.  If you would like a bit more information about how we’ve done it, and hopefully get some ideas about how it could work for you, please visit the linked vlog.  Afterwards, we would love to hear your thoughts, comments or even how you’ve managed to rightsize your life in these times.

 

 

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10 SMART Ways To Live Below Your Means

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

Last week I started pulling out all the tax prep paperwork to give to our CPA. Because we both still work and are self-employed, our tax returns are complicated and far above my abilities as a do-it-yourselfer.  But as I began going through all the receipts I was relieved to see that in spite of all our expenses—the fun ones like travel, and the necessary ones like medical—we still managed to save a decent amount of money.  In other words, thankfully we once again managed to keep our income above our outgo, or “live below our means.” While I realize that isn’t always possible for everyone depending upon circumstances, I do tend to believe that we each continually make certain choices that can help make it more of a reality than a dream.  And yes, when we do that, the freedom and peace of mind it brings can far outweigh the effort.

[Read more…]

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A Rightsized Way To Travel Or Vacation

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Rightsized, Sustainable

As some of you know, my husband Thom and I took a road trip in July.  As usual, we were seeking a way to avoid the summer heat in the desert that we call home.  As planned, we figured that a road trip to the Pacific Northwest just might be a great solution for part of that time.  It was.  Not only was the weather spectacular, we also met with family in Seattle, old friends in Kelowna, B.C., as well as a planned meetup with some of my friends who blog. With a little forethought and design we had a wonderful vacation.  However, once we returned people continually questioned how it was possible to spend several months both traveling and renting out-of-town houses for over three months, while most people are stuck at home.  And remember, we aren’t retired either.  Our go-to answer is always, “Because we rightsized our life.” [Read more…]

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How Pet Owners Can Travel Without Breaking The Bank

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Meaningful, Rightsized, Sustainable

In case you haven’t noticed from my writing, I love to travel.  Fortunately, Thom does too, and we intend to do as much of it as possible while we are physically able.  Of course, it hasn’t always been easy.  When we were young our work and our finances often took priority.  Then we rightsized our lives and most of that changed for the better.  But one thing that has always been a concern is what to do with our pets.  Kloe, like each of our former dogs, is a big part of our family and adds an incredible amount of good to our lives.  But managing her needs with our travel needs can be tricky.  Fortunately, we have discovered a great solution. After three very successful experiences, I’m finally ready to recommend this service to everyone who faces a similar challenge with wanting to travel while cherishing a pet.  Not only does it cost a fraction of traditional care, I think it provides Kloe with the best attention possible. [Read more…]

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How Right-Sized Living Works For Me

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Rightsized, Sustainable

This week I’m happy to introduce you to Leanne Le Cras as my guest blogger while I am traveling.  Leanne is one of the bloggers I’ve met online who lives “down under” in Austrailia and I’ve been reading her blog Cresting The Hill for many years now.  Leanne consistently writes great blog posts about staying happy and content while going through midlife.  But I could tell that a big reason she was so happy is because she and her husband have rightsized their lives.  Thank you, Leanne, for filling in for me and sharing some of your SMART and rightsized thoughts with all of us.


 

Kathy writes a lot about Re-Sizing your life and it resonates strongly with me because that’s how my husband and I have always lived. To begin with, it was from necessity.  Then, as we became more stable financially it became a lifestyle choice. We choose every day to live as good stewards of all that we have been given, and I thought I’d share how that has looked over the years.

 

[Read more…]

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Ten SMART & Frugal Ways To Save Money And Enjoy Peace of Mind

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Rightsized, Sustainable

SMART Living 365.comA question that my husband Thom and I get every now and then is: “Are you guys independently wealthy or did your parents leave you a bunch of money?” The answer to both of them is “No!” As I’ve written before, both of us grew up in blue-collar households and we’ve been self-employed our entire lives. We’ve never once received financial assistance, unemployment benefits or won the lottery. Regardless of whether it sometimes look like we live the life of leisure, let me assure you, we’ve earned everything we have. It wasn’t always easy, and we made a bunch of mistakes early on, but fortunately, that’s changed. Along the way, we picked up some SMART and frugal practices that helped us hang on to much of the money we make. Now we use our money to do things we enjoy, and support people and projects we believe are worthy. I’m convinced we all have the potential to do the same. [Read more…]

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Five Ways To Slay The Succubus of Crippling Debt

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Rightsized, Sustainable

SMART Living 365.com

Ever feel like your Credit Card came from this bank?

Okay I’ll admit it—Thom and I enjoy tales of the supernatural.  For years we watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer on television.  Together we’ve seen all sorts of movies and shows about werewolves, vampires, aliens and all sorts of bizarre characters doing all sorts of strange things.  Most of them are pure entertainment.  However, one of the more sinister creatures is called a succubus.  While never fully fleshed out in most episodes, it needs little description.  Simply put, a succubus is something that sucks out the very essence and joy of a person in all sorts of horrifying and painful ways.  When you think about it, oppressive debt feels exactly the same.   The good news is that just like how Buffy knew ways to slay vampires, there are at least five ways any of us can rise above even the worst sort of debt succubus on the way to a happy life. [Read more…]

44 Comments

Curing Your Addiction To “More”

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

Addicted to more--SMART Living 65

“Hi, my name is Kathy and I have been addicted to more.”  What about you?  The good news is that I don’t believe that any of us are powerless against it—but we do need to admit that it is a problem to begin with and be on continuous alert to its presence.   But what exactly do I mean by being addicted to more, and why is it so important to recognize?  Plus, why is our desire for more such an important awareness for living a rightsized life?

[Read more…]

13 Comments

The SMART Living Path to Midway Simplicity

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Meaningful, Rightsized, Sustainable

Moderation and Simplicity are great Paths to SMART Living

Several months ago I had the pleasure of doing my first live interview around the subject of simple living. A website named Midway Simplicity.com made it a regular practice to talk with a number of simplicity and minimal living bloggers about his or her version of minimalism or simplicity. I was honored to be included. [Read more…]

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About

Kathy Gottberg is an author with seven published books and hundreds of articles covering dozens of topics in the last 35 years. Along with her books, her passion today is SMART Living 365 where she explores ideas and experiences that help to create a meaningful, sustainable, compassionate and rewarding life for herself and others. Beyond that, she lives with Thom, her best friend and soul mate in La Quinta, CA

To contact Kathy: click here

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