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"We have come to a place now where our
search must be in our living a life."
Lessons In Truth, H. Emilie Cady, 1896

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Jill, Gerry, Colin, Sue, Roberto, Don, Laura, Jenni, Luella, Diane, Laura, Terry, Ross, Vicki, Mike, Celia, Linda and Nancy, welcomed Steve and Linda to their first meeting.

Art - Only by "Artists"? Not necessarily so...
Colin hosted this topic on exploring the use of art as a means of establishing community. Groups have been forming to do "bad art" sessions. It's basically art of any kind -- the idea is to get folks together to break the bounds of our typical spectator culture, by creating any kind of art in a non-threathing environment. With no scrutiny and no pressure/need to sell anything, folks are truly free to express themselves. They then get to know one another on a more realistic and true level. Discussion included elitism often associated with "art", what happens when a hobby becomes an art, and the impacts of "group creation" (when inspiration is shared).

Is it human nature to want more than enough?
Heightened anxiety leads to more consumption. The recent rise in our nation's security level, seems to make folks think they have to go out and prepare for an uncertain future. Insecurity makes us want more. So does an over abundance of things. The 90's were a great example of this. So many things were available -- they confronted us continually throughout the day. This created a demand for things we didn't know we needed.

Discussion also included how some folks feel comfortable when things are around them, while others find more things around them make them feel less comfortable. It may have to do with where you are in your life. At one point, you may only need whatever you can pack in your car. Another time, you may need the house, cars, the yard, gadgets by the dozens... Group discussion cautioned about being aware at some point your possessions can own you (maintaining, storing, insuring... them). Try to find logical enoughnessness => enough + margin. The margin is dependent on your comfort level at the time.

Latest happenings with "Take Back Your Time Day", Center for New American Dream, New Road Map Foundation...
So what's been going on in the "Simplicity World"? Severty-five simplicity leaders gathered this past August in Ohio to begin formulating a focused/group approach to promoting the message of simplicity. One outcome of this gathering has been the "Tack Back Your Time Day" (TBYTD) initiative.

Led by "Affluenza" creator John de Graaf, TBYTD will be an event on October 24th, to call attention to the plight of many Americans -- we've run out of time in our lives. The October 24th date is significant. Our European counterparts have much more time off then we do -- in fact it's equal to the amount of time from October 24th to the end of the year. The goal of TBYTD is to begin a dialogue on ways we can recapture our time, and thus our lives. Many organizations are joining John on this event -- The American Cancer and Heart societies, Unions, several US House Representatives, health care groups... Check out the TBYTD web site at http://www.timeday.org for more details and how you can become involved.

The New Road Map (NRM) Foundation has redefined and reorganized the FIA (Financial Integrity Associates) Network. FIA will now be known as the YMOYL Speaker's Bureau Network (YMOYL => Your Money Or Your Life).

And The Center For A New American Dream continues it's fine work, helping families, singles and groups, make more conscious decisions about using their time and resources (including our Planet's resources). See http://www.newdream.org/ for the latest happenings...

The War and National Security Issues
Ross convened this topic to explore the many thoughts, fears, and ideas surfacing as our great nation prepares to go to war. Many people will be killed -- are there other solutions to resolving National Security issues? With many connections to the oil industry, it's hard for many folks to trust the reasons so far stated for going to war.

Financial Independence -- practical issues...
Gerry hosted discussion on finding practical ways to reach a level of financial self-sustanibility. Many ideas surfaced including writing down expenses and continuing to do so all the time, even when at fi. Physical aspects can become a concern too - does one stay in a high stress job that pays well in order to get fi, or does one delay the process by taking a less paying/less stressful position? Again, it's a matter of personal choices. Other ideas included if you're doing what makes you happy, the money will follow. One also needs a good emotional understanding of money and the role in plays in your life. The group also discussed concepts from the book, "Power of Now" => is fi a destination, or just a part of the journey? The horizon is always uncertain, the journey (now) is what's important. Key to reaching fi is personal choice - reground you vision of what you want (it can change).

Frugality -- Fruitful, Fatal and Famous Stories...
Roberto's intriguing topic netted a good discussion, and landed on mind sets and how they affect stories of frugality. Two main (and opposite) mind sets emerged => scarcity and abundance. Jack Benny made fun of the scarcity mentality => there was always a feeling of not having enough. Martha Steward is almost a parody of frugality and abundance => look how you can make this simple item, but you need to buy all this stuff to do so. Everybody has their fun, funny and famous stories about frugality with money, stuff, spirituality... Sometimes it pays to be frugal, sometimes it doesn't (one can be "dangerously" frugal with electrical items). The trick is to take a look at how frugality applies to you personally.

"Your Money or Your Life" (YMOYL) Workshop Updates...
Last November, Linda and Mike attended a YMOYL workshop in Boston hosted by the FIA-MA group. The Boston approach is simple and very direct => "Align personal finances with your values by: (1) Tracking your expenses for one month (2) FIA-MA providing a mentor to help and encourage you (3) gathering afterwards at a workshop to discuss questions and attend specific topic presentations." Seventy-five folks attended the day-long, highly successful workshop (successful => folks are tracking, gaining many insights/changing their lives accordingly, and moving on to next YMOYL Steps).

Inspired, Linda and Mike brought the Boston approach back home, and led their first workshop at the Unity Church of Christ in Hammond, Indiana in January. "Workshop 1" was an introduction to basic YMOYL concepts. For those interested in pursing YMOYL, Linda and Mike offered to mentor them through 20 days of tracking and hold another workshop. "Workshop 2" was held in February, to discuss tracking questions/insights, and to add (1) questions to ask while tracking, and (2) look at a month's worth of tracking. Both workshops went very well, with 30-40 folks actively tracking and moving ahead ("Workshop 3" will be held in March). Linda and Mike will be doing another series of workshops at Unity In the Dunes (Valporaiso, Indiana) beginning March 2nd.

Car Maintenance (Cost Saving Tips)
Laura is tackling the many questions of car ownership and hosted this topic to gain insights into better (and cost saving) maintenance tips. Tips included oil and gas => stick with the same brand of oil. Additatives differ from brand to brand. By sticking with the same brand, buildups of grime and sludge tend to be less. Same applies to gasoline -- brands differ. Generally, name brands (BP, Shell...) burn cleaner and tend to leave far less engine deposits. They also tend to give better mileage, offsetting their "higher" price. Better mileage means the engine burns and processes less fuel. Mike noted the cleanliness of his engine's 50,000 miles cylinder heads during maintenance => the mechanic asked him what kind of gas he was using - "... the intakes and valves are so clean. So is the block -- what kind of oil have you been using?" Why do gas prices vary so much -- why is an off brand "cheaper"? Off brands get their gas from "runoffs" => it's gas in the pipeline left over from switching brands. Example: when a pipeline company supplies BP gas, then switches to supply Shell, the two brands mix in the pipeline -- neither BP nor Shell accepts this runoff, so it gets sold at a discount, to discount gas outlets. Does it make a difference? Check your car's mileage for a few tanks of discount gas, then use a few tanks of brand gas => see if the mileage is better. If it is, the extra cost might be off set by better mileage -- and your engine will process less fuel (ie, need less maintenance) and create less pollution.

Other money saving tips included [1] shopping around for insurance during renewal periods. Laura saved a bundle by doing so this year [2] Gas prices update on Tuesday/Wednesday. If prices tend to be going up (as they are today), buy your gas on Monday. If prices are going down, buy on Thursday [3] Do you really save money by doing ALL the recommended maintenance items suggested by the dealer? In most cases, especially for items like "head gasket" and "timing belt" replacements -- not doing so runs the risk of major engine damage, plus the cost of unscheduled downtime (towing expenses too) and surprise repair expense [4] If you like your vehicle the way it was when it was new, try to maintain the integrity of it's original design by using brand parts and services whenever you can.

Computer "Stuff"
With e-mail and internet becoming daily routines for many of us, Colin hosted a discussion to gather ideas and insights about "computer stuff". Maintenance, ad "protection", PC purchase/recycling were some of the topics the group discussed. AdAware and AdShield are two products that eliminate cookies => those marvelous notations that pump your browsing tracks to sellers, thus prompting spam. There are some free virus and firewall software products available via the net. Use "Clean disk" and defrag'ing programs to keep your PC running at full and optimal speed. PC's have become dirt cheap -- for many reasons, it is often better to buy a new PC than upgrade your old unit (better processing speed, compatibility, features...). Watch Aldi's -- they have had some tremendous PC bargains, and still have machines left to move. Should one buy a laptop or a desktop? Portability is nice, but comes at a higher price.

We adjourned and closed the meeting space at noon.
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(Recorded by Mike Lenich)