Raising goats, sheep, chickens and even cows? Making your own butter, soap, and growing your own vegetables and herbs? Going off Grid? Like seriously off grid… no electricty, phones, internet, etc?

Ok.. So, most of us aren’t going to go quite that far! We like our modern conveniences, don’t we? Sure, we think we are going to die if we leave the house without our cell phone. We go into a panic when we can’t locate it. We stress out if the internet is down. How will we get anything done? Are they really conveniences? Or have we just invented multiple additional ways to “stress” ourselves out? Do we even realize the impact of stress on our bodies and minds?

So, maybe we won’t be going as far as truely living “off grid” but, I think many people are looking at ways to simplify. With the downturn of the economy and people making less money or even out of jobs completely, it forces us to look at living more frugaly, more simple. In all honesty, I often think this may turn out to be good for our country. We have gotten so used to having. Having WAY more than we ever needed. We have also come accustom to spending. Just charge it! You’ve worked hard and you deserve it. You want it now! Who want’s to wait and save up for that new TV or cell phone or car! Many American’s are in debt up to their ears and beyond and have absolutely nothing to show for it. So many “kids” get married and think they should have all the neat “stuff” that our parents have… not giving it a thought that they have spent 30 or 40 years obtaining that neat “stuff”.

I’m one of those Gen X people who probably could be considered a computer “geek.” I love computers and I often turn to the internet for everything. Well, low and behold the overwhelming supply of “Back to Basics” or “Simple Living” websites! You can read stories of people who chose Voluntary Simplicity lives on Oprah.com. Here you can get 10 great tips for living more frugal. There are tips here on how to grow your own food. Tips on creating your own energy. There are books on how to live simply. I know even Dave Ramsey speaks of getting rid of credit and living within your means.

Even businesses are getting Back to Basics! Here is a great article about Real Estate getting back to basics.

So, here is to living more simply. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to forget your cell phone at home for a day, (we did use to survive without them!) or learning how to grow a garden, cooking at home instead of eating out. There are several ways to simplify. Pick just a few and try them! You may be pleasantly surprised!

Posted by:  Jody Stahly

At a recent seminar on energy savings, I had an opportunity to learn more about the Green Movement and the work that is being done to educate consumers. One statistic that I learned about Nashville homes is that 20% of new construction in Nashville in 2009 were Energy Star certified. The added energy systems in this type construction equates to 15% more energy efficiency. Over 1000 Energy Rated homes are currently available for sale in Nashville. More than 800 of these homes sold in 2009.

Austin, Texas has been a leading example of energy conservation. Through their efforts, they have been able to save energy of an amount to exceed the output that would have been gained by building a new power plant. TVA has a goal of saving by efficiency an amount equal to the output of a new Nuclear Plant by 2012.

As conservation and Green thinking grows in importance, resale value will be positively impacted by Energy Certifications in residential homes.

One thing I learned that I brought home and began immediately was to lower the thermostat. For every degree the thermostat is lowered there is a 6 to 8% cost savings. While I thought 65 was a good night time temperature, I found that I’m just as comfortable sleeping at 63 degrees. I’m also being more conscious of turning the thermostat down when I’m going to be away from home for several hours.

One further piece of information I gained was that coming to Tennessee in late April is a “Cash for Clunkers” program for Appliances. No details at this time.

Posted By: Frances Garner

Go Green by paying bills electronically instead of paper statements and other bills. A coalition of several financial service companies have found this method could assist in protecting the environment. The study revealed the average American household recieves 19 bills and a statement in the mail monthly and seven payments are made in paper form. If 2% more households would switch to electronic payments, 15 miillion pounds of paper would be saved, thereby saving more than 181,000 trees. Green house gases would be reduced by more than 390 milliion pounds and 143 milliion gallons of wastewater would not enter the environment.

Posted by:Bob Cunningham

Go green by paying bills and statements electronically instead of paper. A coalition of several financial service companies have found this method could assist in protecting the environment. The study revealed, that the average American household receives 19 bills and statements in the mail monthly and seven payments are made in paper form. If 2% more households would switch to electronic payments, more than 15 million pounds of paper would be saved, thereby saving more than 181,000 trees.Greenhouse gases would be reduced by more than 390 million pounds and 143 million gallons of wastewater would not enter the environment.

Posted by:Bob Cunningham

In the 1970’s American’s became aware of the fact we were becoming too dependent on foreign oil. Energy efficient homes were being built and as the price of oil dropped so did energy efficient home construction. The 21st century finds the cost of foreign oil is too prohibitive along with drilling for oil in the U.S. Other fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas have increased in price and are also to expensive to burn. Of the 100 million plus homes in the U.S. only approximately 1% are energy efficient. This calls for action by many Americans to retrofit there home’s without a large outlay of money. When this is done the use cost of energy is reduced by 50% , thereby reducing the monthly cost of living.

Posted By: Bob Cunningham