Slow life Movement

My wife and I have been part of the slow life movement for about a year now. Over that period of time we have discovered a lot of gems. Here are some of them.......

1. Eating at home.

This is quit amazing if you think about it. You would think that you don't have time to eat at home. Let me take some time to make an argument for this. The average american eats out 3-4 times a week. 25% of americans eat fast food 200 times a year. The average cost per person to eat out at a restaurant is $12 and the average cost per person to eat out at fast food is 4-6 dollars. With that said, considering that you might not be a coupon cutter, the average cost per person to eat at home is a little under $2! That number is a little conservative considering some of the sites I looked at said under $1. Ok, so here we go............

The 25% of americans who eat at fast food (family size of 3) spend $3000 a year on fast food when if they ate at home they would have spent 1,800, which would have saved them 1,200 dollars!

The average family who eats out other then fast food spend an average of $5184 a year when if they ate at home spent 1800, which would have saved them $3384!

These numbers don't even include the gas prices for driving to these places, wear and tear on your vehicle or the health risks from eating all the greasy and fried foods.

Although these numbers don't justify one of the family members going from Full time to part time, they make a good argument for what we are spending our money on. The idea that going to a fast food restaurant is fast and cheap is totally bogus. Who gives us that idea anyways. I will tell you, the fast food joints! It's like believing a certain uncle is your favorite because he told you so. Eating at home allow time because you don't have to make so much money and besides, it is a great time to get to know the ones you love better!

2. Minimize......

If you look at my wife's blog (www.letthefreedomcontinue.blogspot.com) you will see photo's of our house and some of the steps that we have taken to minimize. So what does minimizing have to do with the slow life movement. Clutter = Chaos! the Phrase "cleanliness is next to godliness" did not come from scripture but relates to a tried and true belief that when things are where they are suppose to be, there is peace. Besides it literally slows you down to have a clean house because when my mother (who works in the same town we live) calls and says she is coming over for a cup of coffee, instead of freaking out and busting a move for over an hour in a frantic mode, you can just say yes and maybe just do some light vacuming or a load of dishes before she gets there.

those are just some examples of the slow life movement. Hope you enjoyed and find ways of your own to slow your life down.