Learning to Live With Less

I'm always up for a good challenge, especially when it makes me a better person. I was walking on the treadmill last week and I caught the middle of the Oprah show about Living With Less. They took three families and filmed their activities during the week with the challenge that Oprah gave them. It was so interesting to see how wasteful we as humans can be, especially children. One family went through a roll of paper towels a day! WOW - I was just blown away! After watching the show, it had me inspired to attempt this for a week and see how we do. I like to think we aren't that bad at being wasteful, but at times we certainly can be. Here is the challenge from Oprah that I got on-line:

Dear Family,

Thanks for agreeing to live with less for a week. Your challenge starts now!

This week, you will be eating at home every meal. No more eating out, no more takeout. And you have to eat your leftovers. If you throw food in the trash, you've got to 'fess up.

For one week, you're going to give up the bottled water habit. Get a water filter—time to get to know your tap.No more disposable plates, cups, napkins or paper towels. Try cloth—you might like it!

For entertainment, you'll have to rely on each other. For one week, I'm asking you to give up your iPods and video games, and your computers only get turned on for homework. TV is limited to one hour per night—one TV only.

That thermostat is going way down…to 69 degrees. If you get cold, put on a sweater.

Give your washing machine a break—try to wash only clothes that are TRULY dirty.When you leave a room, lights out. Ditto for fans. When you're done using an appliance, unplug it. Don't forget your computer and cell phone chargers too.

Showers are going to be shorter—eight minutes max. Use a kitchen timer to help you keep track.

Want to go shopping? Head to your closets. That's your wardrobe for the week. The mall is off-limits.

Your final challenge—no buying anything other than food for seven days.

Good luck,

Oprah

It seems doable right? We started this challenge "unofficially" yesterday and I'd have to say the shower time has been a challenge. Chris takes LONG showers in the morning to wake up and if I need to shave my legs or wash my hair, you can kiss that 8 minutes goodbye. My biggest challenge would probably be the no buying anything but food. I'm a HUGE couponer, so when I see a good deal on things we need like razors or detergent, I get it even if we don't really need it right away. BTW - I'm thinking the thermostat being set at 69 is for winter, not summer. We have ours set at 74 in the summer and that seems comfortable for us. I think we'll officially start Monday since Sunday is Father's Day and I've already planned a great day for Chris. I'm cheating already huh? I'll keep tabs on how we're doing for all of you to see! Try it and let me know how you do! It'll be fun!

For some extra laughs, check out this family that had to live without their cell phones because they texted too much, even when they were in the next room!

http://www.oprah.com/media/20090506-tows-live-without-experiment-haynie