We really, really tried that for a couple of generations, and it didn’t work,” said Duane Elgin, author of “ Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life that Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich.” Elgin is a former social scientist who also holds an MBA and has been preaching the sustainable-living gospel since the 1970s. “We bought into the media notion that money buys happiness. Instead, it’s about “voluntary downscaling” or learning to live joyfully with less “stuff.” And to some, it isn’t what they own or what they can buy. The ongoing global recession and the accompanying hit to our pockets, bank accounts and retirement funds, not to mention environmental and ecological concerns, have prompted many folks to reconsider what’s important. Dunbar’s real goal is to spend Chicago’s colder months elsewhere – with her mom in Atlanta, visiting a younger sibling in her native Jamaica – and downsizing her expenses will give her the freedom to do it.
A need is electricity a want is cable.”īecause she does most of her coaching work with entrepreneurs and professionals remotely with clients across the country, she’s not tied to one physical location.
“People don’t know what they actually need. I could never have come to this place without living simply and not listening to the ‘shoulds.’ “
When first launching Congruency Inc., she “decided to take contract or part-time assignments that would allow me to build my business while generating another income to cover my living expenses. It may not be sexy, but a $55 prepaid phone has taken its place. Said Dunbar: “I went out to the (nearby Chicago) lakefront, and that was my gym.” That $150-a-month cell phone bill? Gone. Her athletic club membership? It’s history. She totes sales flyers when shopping the supermarket, eats more seasonally and cooks at home more. She subscribes to utility companies’ budget plans so she’s no longer surprised by fluctuating bills. Even though she’s now back in Hyde Park, she’s got a six-month sublet arrangement that keeps her rent low and keeps her mobile. She first downsized her apartment, moving to a smaller place in a less expensive and less trendy ‘hood, saving $300. Pricey dinners out with friends didn’t give her much pause. Dunbar has learned to live with less, and love it.īefore launching her own coaching and motivational speaking business last year, Dunbar had a “day job” in academic fundraising and lived in affluent Hyde Park, a neighborhood adjacent to President Barack Obama’s Chicago home. Chicago life and business coach Nicole A.
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