A Little Life: a short-short story

In Search of Simpler Times: How to make modern life less frenzied

Today, when you ask someone, “How are you?” you may hear a perfunctory "fine." But you may well hear: "Hangin' in." "Tired." “Slammed.” "Overwhelmed." Indeed, like many of my clients and friends, I find our modern times challenging.

In the supermarket, I saw a can of Simpler Times beer and thought, “Hmm, that's appealing.” My Psychology Today article today offers some thoughts on how to create a simpler time for ourselves in today’s far-from simple world.

Finding Contentment in a So-Called Improving Economy

If you're a computer geek, a brilliant entrepreneur, or have a cush government job, you may be doing fine. 

But not withstanding the rosy government reports on how the economy is recovering, I'm seeing lots of people just trying to keep their heads above water.

If you or someone you know is like that, you might want to read my PsychologyToday.com article today.

I teach a 3-hour class this Sat. at Berkeley Adult School: How to Do Life

Berkeley Adult School has asked me back to teach another three-hour class this Saturday, Oct. 5 from 10 AM to 1 PM.

This one will be based on my book, How to Do Life: What They Didn't Teach You in School.

I'll discuss such topics as how to find and make the most of a mentor, how to negotiate well without having to be too aggressive, how to succeed in difficult conversations, and yes, my thoughts on the meaning of life.

It is free although you're asked to make a $10 to $15 donation to Berkeley Adult School's scholarship fund. No one, however, will be turned away because of lack of funds.

HERE is the info for signing up.

I'll Be Speaking Again at Grace Cathedral: Replacing Procrastination with Motivation and Willpower

I'll be speaking again at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco on Oct 17 from 9:00 am to 10:15.

The topic: Potent Ways to Replace Procrastination with Motivation and Willpower.

Plus I'll take questions. Bring your most challenging ones.

It is a free event.

It will be at the Wilsey Conference Center at Grace Cathedral, 1100 California St. San Francisco. HERE are directions by car and mass transit.

How I Could Live Decently on $20,000 a Year

Update 6/27/14: HERE is a little video I created that I believe both drives the point home and is quite entertaining--if I say so myself.

This article in The Atlantic, and this one in the New York Times, suggest that ever more formerly middle-class Americans will have to work for $10 an hour. That's $20,000 a year.

I honestly believe I could live and live decently on $20,000 a year. Here's how.

Core to learning to live well on little is recognizing that status is the enemy of contentment. Status costs a fortune (e.g., tony vs. okay neighborhood) and yields little real benefit. Making the decision to forgo status purchases and instead follow the practices below has enabled me to live far better than I otherwise could: for example, to pursue careers that are personally rewarding that I otherwise could never afford to have pursued: hosting a radio show on NPR-San Francisco for 24 years, being a writer, indeed, blogging as much as I do, while never promoting myself nor taking any advertising.

Here's what I'd do to live well on $20,000 a year. (I do most of these things now.)

Rent a small backyard cottage or a home's basement or attic apartment in a modest but safe neighborhood. Depending on where you live, it may take a little initiative and persistence to find such a place but they do exist, even in high-cost areas like the San Francisco Bay Area.

Drive an old, small, reliable car--e.g., 1995 Corolla. I drive cars 'til they drop. My previous car was a 1982 Toyota that I bought new for $8,000, drove for 23 years and 273,000 miles and only sold because my wife begged me to--it was running perfectly and looked fine. Buying long-term reliable cars and keeping them forever has, in itself, saved me a fortune over my lifetime without significantly hurting my lifestyle .Because car insurance rates vary so widely, I'd compare the best I could find on insweb.com with well-reviewed providers such as Amica.

Get a high-deductible Kaiser Permanente health plan. If I weren't insured under my wife's employer's health plan, here's what I'd do. I'm healthy so I have low health care expenses but need to insure against a catastrophic event. A 59-year-old male in good health can get a high-deductible Kaiser plan for about $300 a month, and these days, Kaiser is attracting some of the best physicians so I feel I'd get reasonably good care. Here's a link to Kaiser Permanente's instant-quote website. 

Or if I worked for a corporation, even as a Wal-Mart greeter for at least 24 hours a week, my kids and I would get $1500-deductible health care coverage for just a dollar a day. And Wal-Mart kicks in another $500 a year for uncovered expenses.

Just being smart about those three--digs, heals, and wheels--should enable you to live decently on $20,000. These will also help:

Eat out only at places like Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes. At home: fruits, veggies, canned tuna, oatmeal, nonfat milk, ground turkey, whole grain bread, are, ironically, the cheapest and the healthiest.

Buy clothes and furniture at consignment and thrift shops (Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc) , flea markets, and CraigsList. My wife always dresses beautifully and has never been averse to buying at consignment shops in upscale neighborhoods where, for example, she has bought designer dresses such as a $1,000 designer gown for under $100, usually well under.

Enjoy low-cost recreations: Forgo expensive recreations such as live concerts, clubbing ($8 drinks?!) and frou-frou restaurants (they're more expensive for smaller portions and often taste worse) in favor of taking books and videos from the library, taking hikes or walks, playing a low-cost sport (for example, basketball rather than skiing or golf) watching good TV shows, phoning or getting together w. friends--for example, inviting them over for dessert and to watch a video, or just hanging out with a romantic partner--Or find love by, for example, volunteering at a nonprofit, taking a local adult school class, or hanging out at a bookstore/coffee shop.

Save wisely. On $20,000 a year I would have little or nothing to save but if I did, I'd get a no-interest, no-fee checking account at a convenient bank and put my savings in one of Vanguard's All-in-One Funds.

This plan for living decently on little may sound simplistic but for most people, it really is as simple as that.