Simplify

Stuart and Vicki Sharkey reflect on their Simplify experience

When you finish something it is good to reflect on how you felt about it and ask yourself the question, ‘would I do it again, taking into account all the things I have experienced?’

The answer for us regarding Simplify is a resounding ‘YES!’ In fact we are considering making it an annual event for ourselves. So why are we so positive? 

• It is good to do something outside your comfort zone.
• It gives you an insight into how it must be for folk who have to live on a minimal income.
• It confirms that people and relationships are more important than material possessions and makes you so grateful for what you have.
• It makes you appreciate the ‘treats’ rather than taking them for granted.
• On a small budget every penny counts and it is so easy to fall into debt.
• As you bless others you too are blessed.

Proverbs 11 verse 25 A generous man will prosper;

he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. 

WE HAVE FINISHED OUR THIRD WEEK – 1 TO GO.

We have had a really busy time since our last blog, which has included travelling up to South East London twice. The first trip was a two night visit to see our daughters, which had been planned for some time, while the second trip was an unplanned day visit to view some properties in the Crystal Palace area. The petrol costs have been taken out of the contingency fund we budgeted for at the beginning of the month and we managed to keep any other costs within our daily budget of £5 each / £35 a week each.

On the journeys up we took our packed lunches and when we have had no option but to eat out we have limited ourselves to one of the daily specials on offer. Rather than going out for a meal on the Friday night with our daughters, as would normally be the case, we took up with us a Thai meal Vicki had already prepared at home. So we had a chilled out evening at home rather than braving the crowds of downtown Clapham.

When we have been at home we have cycled down to town when necessary rather than use the car, making the best of the lovely sunny days.

Stuart – This morning (Thursday) I read the newsletter we have just received from a great charity organisation called Rope. The Chief Executive of Rope, Graham Fairbairn, mentions Simplify in his column and I repeat below a paragraph from these comments, which puts into perspective what we are doing compared to how so many across the world have to live:

To take part in ‘Simplify’ for most of us would give us a passing notion of the difficulty and challenges of poverty in this country, but at least we have the safety net of the welfare state. In the poorest countries the daily grind of poverty has no safety net. 1.5 billion people survive on $1 or 75p per day. Just imagine if your budget was £5.25 per week! What difference would that make to your lifestyle?

Come on I challenge you to sign up to Simplify for the month of October and make a difference to some of the people who are living on £5.25 a week. 

Vicki – We are far from the poverty line even on the £5 per day. We are eating well though maybe with less variety. The biggest difference is in leisure activities: Not going to the cinema, shows or eating out. The truly important things have not been affected: spending time with friends and family, enjoying this beautiful county of Dorset. It’s in blessing others that we are blest. Simplify is a good opportunity to do just that……Bless others!

TIP OF THE WEEK – if you are eating out during your ‘Simplify’ period, go for one of the specially priced daily specials.

Stuart and Vicki Sharkey finish their second week of Simplify – 2 to go

We have had a fairly normal week although Stuart had a day out last Saturday when he travelled up to Watford to meet our daughter and watch his beloved football team beat Barnsley 1-0. This was a birthday present held over from last month and had been planed before we decided to pilot Simplify but he did take a flask of coffee on his trip and had the £5 special when they had lunch!

 

Stuart - They say as you bless others you are blessed and we had a wonderful answer to prayer on Sunday when we prayed with a couple whose son had disappeared. Our prayer was that he would make contact with his parents today – he phoned his Mum just before midnight. Praise God.

 

Vicki – Bonus – no muffins and no cakes = 3lb in weight lost over the last two weeks. Suddenly I have a few items of clothing to wear that do up around my middle again. It feels like having new clothes! Had a bit of a fright this week when the freezer stopped functioning. A neighbour kindly let me store some of its contents in her freezer (thanks Sally). Meanwhile I am wondering “how do I get a new freezer on this budget?” The nice people on the product help line gave some useful advice and the freezer is up and running again. Phew! Finally, my car runs out of petrol this week – again no money in the budget to do a refill. Then – wow – I got a check for £25 through the post from the premium bonds and was able to get some petrol. Our God provides.

 

TIP OF THE WEEK – if you have any money left over from your budget at the end of the week – buy yourselves a treat even if it is just a bar of chocolate or save it up and have an even bigger treat at the end of the month.

WE HAVE FINISHED OUR FIRST WEEK – 3 TO GO.

Last weekend we travelled up to Northampton from our home in Weymouth, Dorset to provide training sessions on Prayer and Healing to a local Church. The visit also coincided with a party given by some friends.

 

The journey up took just over 3 hours so we took a flask of tea rather than stop at a Service Station that would probably have blown our daily budget of £5 each. At the party which was in a village hall we restricted ourselves to soft drinks to keep the cost down.

 

Vicki - So far the limitations of budget have not affected our enjoyment of life. We decided early on to use cash and not the credit card for the supermarket shop. With a credit card it is too easy to go a few pounds over budget and think it does not matter. With cash when it is gone it is gone!

 

Stuart – Living on £5 a day makes you realise how extravagantly we live and that when your income falls significantly you have to think about every purchase and expense, small or large. On my Hope FM programme this afternoon (Thursday) I spoke today to Daniel Webster the Political Officer of the EA  and the thought came to me that MP’s should sign-up for Simplify so that they can experience what it’s like to live on Income Support. It may well dispel some misconceptions and would certainly make them more understanding of what pressures people on benefits are living with. Any volunteers? 

 

TIP OF THE WEEK – if you are a ‘doing’ Simplify as a couple, one person has to be in charge of the money and budget.

WE HAVE STARTED

As a result of talking to Ann Clifford on Hope FM a couple of weeks ago we find ourselves piloting Simplify for the month of September. We’ve sat down and gone through our budgets and have come up with a daily spend of £5 each. We like to think we live fairly modestly but after going through our latest credit card bill we are surprised how much we spend on eating out and non-essentials.

 

The main complication for us is that we both avoid eating wheat and dairy based products; the good news is that we have a vegetable patch and some fruit trees which should help in keeping our food bills down. This month is fairly hectic for us with two visits to London already arranged plus a teaching engagement in Northampton.

Stuart – Initially I thought that a daily budget of £10 for the two of us seemed a quite a lot but then you realise that this has to cover any travel and sundries costs as well. Looks like we will be doing a lot of cycling plus there will be no stopping off for a Costa Coffee!

 

Vicki – I’m a bit worried about the trip to Northamptonthis weekend. Not sure I can cycle that far……

Steve and Ann reflect on Simplify so far for Premier Radio

Steve and Ann Clifford speak for the second time to Premier Radio about their experiences.

Download Premier 2 Steve and Ann Simplify the challenges they have faced and how they adapted their life so they could be more generous. Hear their story so far as they encounter some of the challenges that many face as a daily reality.