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I would like to stay in the 30s personally.  I feel like this year/study has been going by so fast and I'm just beginning to feel 1932 if that makes sense.

I look forward to everyone's comments in November. 

Grandma Donna, the little desk is beautiful, and I enjoyed seeing all the Backyard Treasures!

It's very generous of you to share your thoughts, wisdom and photos, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels you're doing important work that's valued by many.

Would it feel less draining for you to handwrite in a journal or letter format (possibly over many days), then take a photo of that to post? I'm not familiar with the process of making a post; this idea may be no help at all. But at least it might mean a little less time at the computer. It doesn't  solve the problem of formatting photos. Maybe someone could help with that?

Your spelling seems fine! We have an actual paper dictionary to look up spelling when playing Scrabble; does anyone else still have one?!

I started watching a particular TV show while preparing dinner.  I sometimes feel lonely in my own household, so I look to TV or radio of the illusion of company, and I realise this doesn't help people feel that I'm approachable or keen to chat. But if for example I invite someone to cook with me, mostly they're too absorbed in what's on their screen. It's not good and I try to avoid it by listening to music. Again, though, we're now in a time where people don't  have to agree and compromise on which program to watch or listen to, because there's the option to listen to your own selection on your phone.

I don't feel entitled to have an opinion about which decade we're in as I'm not going to as much trouble as some folk. I suspect, though, that the 1940s might be much similar technology to the 30s but with an even greater emphasis on thrift due to rationing.  This might be helpful in today's  situation?

I think staying in the 1930's would be interesting.  I just finished re-reading The Dirty Thirties and it is mostly memories from 1935-36 which were two of the worst weather years of the 30's.  The pictures of dust storms rolling in are terrifying and I can't comprehend the fear they must have caused.

I am going to limit my computer time during October.  I don't watch much TV mainly shows on PBS on Saturday and Thursday so maybe five shows weekly.  I don't have a smart phone just a landline.  I don't have or want constant background noise so seldom turn on the radio.  

My project for this week is clearing off my garden.  Then my plan is to get my house back in order and return to sewing projects and mending.  Maybe plan a quilt to make this winter. 

I was so happy to see a new post as I know October is just around the corner. I'm going to do the no technology undertaking too. I'm looking forward to it actually. ( The only caveat is that we have a lawncare business and I have to do the invoicing etc on the computer, but will limit my computer use to that only). I've been thinking of keeping a journal for October also to help me focus on each day since I know I'll need to write about my experience. 

Your comment in the post about losing your creativity made me realize that the same thing has happened to me too. Always looking stuff up on the computer and scrolling to see what others are doing was just draining my energy and time that I could use on actually doing my own creative things! 

In addition to the no technology for October, the other major change  is getting back to cooking all our meals. When living with limited income, I cooked every meal at home, made my work lunch to take with me etc. Somewhere along the line we got busier and we started eating out more. But I'm not happy with this, so I'm going back to basics. :)

As for the next study, I love the 1930s. My favorite time period is 1935 - 1945, so doing 1938/39 would be great.

And yes Kelly O, I still have my grandmother's school dictionary from 1938 I use to look up words. :) 

I'm including a photograph I took on Thursday when we went to one of my favorite places; an older order Mennonite community in Delano, Tennessee. It's about an hour's drive from us. We have friends in the community we visit and I love to buy produce from their market. It's such a peaceful place. 

Thanks for your wonderful post! I appreciate all of the time and effort you put into doing this. If you worry about your spelling, I found Grammarly to be a big help. First, I had the paid version, but when I quit paying, it still corrects my spelling and punctuation.

I had to smile when you mentioned watching something while washing dishes. That is what I was doing before I popped on here. I don't use a cellphone for talking on, though, and I'm not likely to scroll on it. I scroll on my desktop computer. I bought the phone and minutes for it when I made a long trip, and never used it as a phone again. I just watch YouTube on it when I wash dishes.  ChatGPT says it was common for women to have a radio in the kitchen in 1932 so they could enjoy music and soap operas while attending to household duties. A decent tabletop radio in 1932 might cost $20–$40 (roughly $400–$800 in today’s money). That was an investment, but with radio being the family’s main source of news and entertainment, many households made room in their budgets for one. I bought an antenna off eBay to see if I can get better reception from my old radios.

I've noticed that some people feel like they can't participate in the study because they need the internet for work. What occurred to me, though, is that even in 1932, when people went to work, they used different machines and things than they used at home, so using a computer for work doesn't mean you're not doing the study. I would say it is the same with banking, too. When you go to a bank, they use equipment we don't have at home, so to me, using the internet for banking doesn't mean you're not doing the study. The computer or phone is just new banking equipment that they didn't have back then. I hope everyone enjoys participating in this experiment to the extent possible.

It would be nice to stay in the 1930s or 1940s. I think the Depression era study that we are doing now is working out well. It seems like almost everyone is getting a lot out of it. There appears to be a lot of participation in the chat. The 1940s would be o.k., too, but then we might be into rationing. I know when we did the 1940s, before you put a LOT of research and time into getting everything just right and as authentic as you could. I think sometimes you were posting several times a week. I wonder if maybe that is too much for you now. Maybe you would be more satisfied with living and enjoying your simple life instead of committing to something like that. I think you should do whichever study you and Charles want to do and will enjoy. Also, whatever is less stressful for you. I wouldn't want you to find the whole thing too stressful or time-consuming and decide to just quit posting. I'm sure all of us enjoy whatever time period you decide to be in. It sort of seems not to matter too much what year you choose because basically, we are focusing on learning to live a simpler life, being more present, and making do with less, which is relevant to any year we are likely to study.

I am really going to miss seeing your posts in October! Almost every day, it has been my habit to see if you've posted anything new or if anyone else has posted a comment. It will be hard to get over that. I hope you enjoy the month off and find it truly restful and refreshing. Maybe you should try to make another pin cushion like Ruth, since you obviously sorely miss having her.

Everyone, have a good month off! I hope people will write down their experiences with this so we can all learn from each other.

Becky Sue

Tandi, We’re lovers of Delano too. Your post reminded us that we haven’t been there this year (2025 has really gotten away from us), so we’re planning a visit in October.

Thank you for the reminder, and have a good October

I have a different attitude towards my  iPhone as I keep it on me everywhere I go.  I use it as an emergency safety device.  I don’t have an apple wrist watch, so I carry the charged phone in a small bag, especially when I garden as I had an injury to my Achilles and had to use a tomato stake for support to hop inside my home. But for the study I will not scroll or watch you tube for October.  

Yes I have and still use a paper dictionary for word games.  I get the grandkids to look up words

I am limiting technology when I care for my grandkids.  They can take a charged phone with them to call me if they are at a friend’s house or fishing, but I will confiscate it when they are inside my home.  Wish me luck on that one... they will probably decide not to visit!!!

My grandson (12) had a conversation about a “Karen” (an older woman with attitude) hitting a boy on an ebike after a verbal altercation.  The boy (on the you tube video) hit the woman back....my grandson and his friend thought it was hilarious.  I then had the opportunity to explain about how violence against women and young children is never okay in our home, how I didn’t think the video was funny and how every child should be allowed to grow up in a home without physical violence...that every child should feel safe and be loved.  And that he should never hit a female.  It was a very thought provoking conversation...he got the message.  Phew!!! (He admitted he felt loved and safe in his own home)

I too am not as creative as I used to be, except in my garden and with my cooking.  I don’t crochet, knit, make pottery, or do macrame any more.  I do doom scroll a far bit... I won’t go into detail about how flabbergasted I am by USA events and am so glad I live in Australia with our healthcare system which is free for all (in hospitals) and does charge a fee for some people if seeing your doctor.  I get a free visit because I’m a pensioner. I see the burden that your health care costs put on you lovely people.it makes me weep.  Ours is funded via our income tax system...it’s a 1.5% levy on your gross income  But Australians earn a living wage (due to strong union influence historically).  We never are made to tip.  It’s optional, and you may leave a tip if  you get excellent service. No pressure.

 So our tax payments are higher than yours...but I’m happy to pay higher taxes if it means a fairer system for all.

Thank you for all that you do Donna....it’s a lovely place to visit and remember the old ways and the old days.  I’m 76.  Warren Buffet said if we reach 60 we are “beating the house” (think poker) ....so I feel very grateful to have enjoyed 16 years past my previous generations’ use by date. 

Happy Retirement Charles!!! Prayers for many happy years together enjoying the time together. I will miss you and enjoy the 30’s but I would enjoy the late 40’s to mid 50’s. I was born during this time and I guess I can relate to it better. The last years before television and credit cards took over. Stay well

At first I thought I wouldn’t be able to do the tech-free October. Then I thought perhaps I could do it partially.   Now the more I think about it, the more I am looking forward to it. There will be a couple things I will have to do but will try to keep them to the computer rather than letting the phone interrupt what I’m doing. 
I actually like the 30s.  Recovering from the strike of the depression took time and time moved a bit slower back then. 
I agree with the others about your desk. What a wonderful transformation.   Also congratulations to Charles. 
Many blessings 

Hello friends:

I have not posted for awhile and am in agreement that anywhere between the 1930s and 1945 would be good (and has been). Although we live in a much more modern time, there are things to be learned from each era. The important thing is to be mindful of living without a lot of clutter and technological interference. I have a cell phone now, and did not have one until two years ago. The fun people made of me; but I was not needing one. Then I thought that we have no payphones anymore or anywhere;  and with the advent of many more fires here in California I should be able to get in touch with someone if needed. The fire alert systems are both on the internet and by telephone or radio. So, I have one. I never get calls from anyone  so am not on the phone that much. I also refuse to keep it with me at all times; in fact I sometimes forget it when going grocery shopping for instance. But it is here when I need it. Television offers such poor choices (other than PBS) and I don't watch the news regularly anymore since it is too dense and too depressing for me. I do want to stay informed: I do not want to ruin my mental health. It is a fine balance in my opinion nowadays. 

Lately I have renovated a bit of the garden, am putting in a new daffodil bed (I love daffs!), had some troublesome trees trimmed up (fire danger again) and planning the winter garden for cool crops like radishes, lettuces, bok choy, and of course my inedible but stunningly beautiful beloved flowers: sweet peas.

The quilt I started for a friend is almost finished. Someone posted that they would like to see it and I have not forgotten. I will post some snaps of it even not quite finished, but the idea still gets across. It is only a simple nine patch, but one of my favoured patterns. The outer borders go on today; and then it will be sandwiched together. I am also starting hand embroidery again. 

Gdonna: your bobbin lace and crochet; two skills I never learned (along with knitting) look fabulous! You must get back to it; I know of none who does that anymore and it is simply impressive. 

I look forward to November but hope everyone has a great October and comes back with some really great experiences.

I also thought that I would not be able to participate in tech-free October. I work full-time as an office administrator and am in front of a computer 8 hours a day. I also scroll Facebook during breaks, watch videos on my phone during my treadmill walk at lunch, listen to audiobooks during my commute and then turn on the TV as soon as I get home from work. That is A LOT of stimulation. 

I think I will take small steps. I can start with deleting Facebook off of my phone, at least for the month. I will also limit my TV use to 1 episode of a show an evening. I am ashamed to say I have been know to veg and watch 3-4 episodes between work and bedtime to 'shut down' my brain for the day. I will go back to reading more and puttering around the house.  I have some cooking and baking to do. I also have a neighbor I keep meaning to visit with but just haven't found the time. 

I think that is a good start for me. I also plan on implementing more of the make do and mend mentality. I plan on no new purchases this month with the exception of fresh produce. I have plenty staples in my pantry and basement freezer. 

I want to try to take at least some of my walks outside when the weather permits. I do garden, but only in little spurts.  I want to feel connected to nature. 

I think connection is my main goal this month. Connection to nature, to people, and to myself. All the modern conveniences and distractions are so good at keeping us disconnected. 

I will miss reading the posts and comments.  It is really something I look forward to daily. I'll miss all of you!  Wishing us all luck and peace:)

I love the 1930's and have learned from your posts. I grew up with my grandparents living with us and the other set across the street. My grandparents, across the street, had a four story Victorian home. To this day, a room looks drab, to me, without wallpaper. Regardless of paint color, the room appears unfinished.

We had a house built in the 1970's and had all the walls flat finished and we wallpapered every one of them. It was cozy, warm and welcoming. We moved cities eleven years ago and this house has all painted walls. I have never felt at home here. Perhaps, that seems silly to some, but, I think, what we grew up with is what we are most comfortable with having around us.

The world is full of new things that make life look easier, but many of those things add burden, stress and destroy who we originally were created to be. When younger, our gifts were more likely to shine and bring us joy. I, too, have thought quite a lot about what got lost along the way living in the new technology age. It seems people rarely write letters by hand, make phone calls or visit in person these days. It is faster and easier to text or e-mail and our society and souls have lost so much.

I plan on spending the next month eliminating items, clarifying boundaries and taking care of our home like I did years ago. I love organization and I used to organize everything until my husband retired. We have different ideas of organization (smile). 

I feel the same about technology and business; it is ridiculous to rely solely on technology. I grew up working in my grandparents grocery store. A cash register, an adding machine that produced a receipt and a cash drawer for change and to accept checks. Bad weather, electrical outages, etc did not stop the flow of business.

Enjoy October and I will be looking forward to what this wonderful group reports back.

Grandma Donna, i wil try to write in Englisch. Vorig my mistakes please.

Sorry to read about your illness. It is not easy to live with it.

What a difference wil it make when your husband is at home all day. The days wil fill itself i can say. 

Not using computer or laptop is no problem for me because i dont have them. My husband still don't have a mobile phone. He is from 1940. When the hospital asks for our email adress we say that we don't use them. They sending us a letter instead.

Dus ik dacht dat ik in oktober zou koken zoals mijn oma kookte vóór de Tweede Wereldoorlog . Simpel en simpel. Geen specialiteiten, ik at seizoensgroenten en -fruit. Appels en  peren. Sinaasappels waren heel bijzonder.  Geen macaroni. Geen rijst, alleen aardappelen . Ik ga een dagboek bijhouden. En blijf alsjeblieft in de jaren 30! Er was niet veel verschil tussen 32 en 37. Alleen de angst voor de naderende Tweede Wereldoorlog. 

Greetings from Holland (the Netherlands)

Johanna,  thanks for the Dutch paragraph! I'm Afrikaans from South Africa but have lived in the USA for the past 30 years. I love that I understood your post :) 

Chrunchycon, yes Delano is my happy place. They live without all the modern trappings and as a result when you go there it's quieter and more serene than our modern cities. No Electricity wires to obscure the scenery and no machine making noise. I've noticed when we come back from there that there is always a dull sound around us from traffic, planes overhead, and appliances working. 

We tried some of their Muscadine juice this time which we haven't seen before and we loved it.

 Zal ik je posts missen!

????????

Grandma Donna,

I was born decades after the '30s (1970). My mother has called me an old soul from the time I was little. I love the old things. I have several antique pieces including one of my great grandmother's cupboards where she kept her chamber pot. I am feeling like there is just too much material things and not enough personal interactions. We fill our days with so much nonsense. I am trying to slow down and feel my experiences. 

I so love this blog. The thing I look forward to is what you have to say! If there was never another picture included I would be okay. You need to enjoy your time with Charles! Your caring "voice" in these posts give me the determination to make more of myself and my children's lives. Thank you so much for all that you do! Deanna in Michigan

I wouldn't be disappointed to stay in the 30's, but the fifties is a time I'd really like to visit.  I was born in '56 so I was too young to remember the world going on around me, but I remember people's homes and the one telephone and tiny television screen on one black and white television.  We listened to the radio in the mornings and the television stayed off most of the day.  My mother never watched soap operas; she judged them a waste of time.

I have a long work commute through woodlands and pastures.  I live in a very rural area.  There are no call boxes on most of the roads, no pay phones, and there is only one small town I pass on my way to work.  I carry my phone with me and will continue to do that.  In the past, with no cell phones, we couldn't have a phone on us, of course, but in the past, people here were really in a bad way if they hit a deer or other animal, had a flat, mechanical trouble, whatever. I am a small woman traveling alone.  So I will keep my phone handy.  As soon as bag phones came out, my husband insisted on getting one for me, in fact, for that reason.  However, I already took Facebook off of my phone and have committed to no scrolling in October.  I don't have a computer at home right now, so that's not a temptation.  I will get one later, however, I have too many things that have to be done online, from my doctors to Social Security to my banking, and I hate squinting at a phone. 

I have a long list of projects for when I retire next year.  Those will keep me busy for some time!  I have purchased a few things that are non-electric, mainly for hurricanes, but I plan to use them more after I retire.  These 11 to 12 hours away from home five days a week keeps me so busy.  

May everyone have a blessed October!

First, Amen and amen to this post!!!!   I think it could be kinda fun to slowly increase the years to see how we were affected by the changes and stopping short perhaps before all the computers and such.  Second, Congratulations to Charles!!!   

Grandma Donna, did Charles make something to hold the receiver you purchased?  I was thinking of how to put my cell phone on the wall that would also keep the receiver there.

I plan to journal my month - my feelings and issues.  I'm not doing 30's, but I am doing pre-techy stuff. I just asked my dh yesterday what his favorite years were as an adult pre-phone/computer.  So I may try to recreate my happy place of years. Pre anxiety and anxiousness - all the yucky that the phones and social media create. 

I have a paper dictionary and thesaurus.  I also ordered the Epoch Times newspaper.  I'm making a list of things to do, because when I'm in that difficult mode of ridding myself of a bad habit, I need the list.  I spend time thinking last night of all the things I did prior to phones and computers. I remember being so much calmer.   I am jazzed to begin this, but also will miss the posts.  This blog is my one main that is a constant source of peace for me. I treat it as a magazine I can wait to read.    I remember when we got a computer and was so happy I could finally type things on it, complete with fun fonts, but if I look back, how much time that actually took, rather than just writing it out!  That's like those who tell you to dump the files and put it all on the Cloud.  It may work for many  but not me and I don't dare trust it.  It takes me 30 seconds to find the paper I filed.  It takes less time to just "do it manually" than to fire up the computer and go online to do whatever I used to prior to computer use.  I will add that sending something via email rather than mail is easier and cheaper.  Either way there are pluses and minuses and I think we get afraid of find out what works for us because we have habits we're afraid we'll go back to.  Some need cold-turkey, some can just utilize the basic necessity, if that makes sense.   Unfortunately though in this era you must go online as some places just won't accept any other way.  It'll be interesting for sure.

I hope we can all use this October to sand the awful pink paint off our lives to reveal the beautiful real wood underneath, with our technology break! I feel like technology can be like the pink paint that hides what is real. And real is better and more beautiful! :) 

I rarely look at news at all anymore and instead read books about the past. In the early 1900s, there were those who took pictures to preserve the history of that time, and we can look at those pictures and read about that time today because of what those people took the time to record. I think of Grandma Donna as a historian trying to record. She gives us her memories, sometimes with pictures, and shows us how we can capture the good things of the past. Those who recorded the history of the past used the technology of their day to do it. It was their job, the work they did, but it wasn't their life. I see Grandma Donna doing her blog like this: Grandma Donna could put on her thirties' clothes and give herself a thirties' hairstyle, and go to work for a few hours now and again for her history recording. Or stay home in her farm dress like Sarah when she worked on her newspaper articles at home as she recorded in her diary. :) I don't think that would be out of character for the time period. 

I would like to stay in the 1930s too. I feel like margaret p. I feel like I'm just getting the hang of things. Someone was asking me about my study yesterday, and I said it takes time. It's one thing to set your food budget to a certain number, but it's a completely different matter when you have to try and learn new ways to shop and cook to stay within that budget! That takes time and practice, at least for me it does. So I would welcome a chance to have more time to practice. :) 

Johanna L I love the simple way you are going cook, like your grandmother. It's something I'm trying to do too, eating simply. If you ever want to share a recipe, I'd love to read about it! :)

I think it won’t matter to me what year or decade is visited next.  I’ve come to realize it’s time for me to bring it all together, set my priorities, and live exactly the way I want to live.  I’m always going to have to buy new things, like a sofa or mattress, and I’m always going to choose to buy old things and make what I need.  I do think I prefer the 1930s to any other decade, and take a lot of inspiration from them.  The 1930s is the right kind of old for me, not as high flying and affluent as the 1920s, not as booming as post WWII and the 1950s, and not as terrifying as the WWII years.  Sometimes I feel like living in this country feels like war right now, and I don’t want to add more war to that.

Grandma Donna, I hope you get a taste of what you want your life to be while you are away from technology in October.  I feel like you already have so much in place and that the final pieces will fall into place during your break.  You might miss the blog terribly and decide you want the connection you get with those who post comment on your posts.  You might find you don’t miss it because what you gain in the real world makes up for it and then some.  You might decide you need more time — a longer break — to really sink into your new old way of living before you make a decision.  Whatever you decide, we will all be fine.  Even if you decide to give up blogging, you have created a lovely legacy here on the blog.  Thank you

Hi Donna,

I remember my father-in-law saying in the 1970s that people are not connected any more.

So perhaps this situation has been building up for a long time even before technology came

around.  I will do what I can!  Staying off the computer is a big one!  I will have to give myself

5 to 10 minutes a day because of the weather reports.  I did not know that newspaper stands

went the way of the phone booths! Gone!  When did that happen?!

Nancy

Nancy, your father-in-law was right, even in the 1970s people were less connected than they had been in the past.  I think it really starts with radio programs in the evenings, and then the television.  People start staying home, gathered around a device.  At least back then, they were all watching or listening to the same thing and could talk about it!  But in good weather before radio and television, I imagine that people who lived in proximity to others would walk in the evenings and on the weekends, sit on their porches, go to community dances and gatherings, etc.  And of course before the post-WWII baby boom people were more likely to live in multigenerational households, too!

Even as a child in the 1970s, while sure the television brought people inside, there were times of year this wasn’t true.  When the TV shows went into reruns people weren’t all that likely to just start watching something else, as you coudln’t get the entire season of a new show over the summer.  Plus it was hot in the house and being outside in the evening was nicer.  We would sit out front or go for short walks.  Neighbors would come over to play games.  My husband had fewer channels than we did and the programming was finished earlier in the evening.  He was just talking about when he moved to California and there were shows children would be interested in playing on Sunday mornings and afternoons.  I knew just what he meant, there were Popeye cartoons in the morning and then old family films in the afternoon.  Sometimes we kids would watch Popeye as our parents were getting ready for church, and then after church we might watch an old movie on the “Family Film Festival” while my dad napped, such as Pippi Longstocking.  I remember how long Sundays felt

I would agree.  Television came and no one talked. I know as a family we ate, did the dishes usually together, at least until the dishwasher then that went away too, then sat in front of that darn tv from 7pm -10:00pm, parents till 10:30 (after news).  

I also believe the homes they build now (at least for sure in AZ) is the garage out front and not condusive to talking. Moving to AZ from WI, Tucson has to be the most unfriendly, transitive neighbor types ever. They come and go like the wind and no one talks to anyone else.  No more front porches and saying hi to the walker bys.  Nancy, your father in law was right. And newsstands - I don't live in the city, but I will say that I realized I used to buy a newspaper when I got gas going home.  I haven't stepped foot in a gas place (Circle K, AM/PM, whatever it is by y'all) in YEARS! 

We live in a neighborhood with front porches, and with small detached garages at the rear of the properties.  Most people park in their driveways, not their garages.  There is no HOA and people park extra cars on the street.  We walk out our front doors to get to our cars in the driveways and on the street, so we see each other coming and going.  We all have front picture windows in our dining rooms and living room, and can see our neighbors walking by, with or without dogs and children.  We know if a neighbor comes home in a cast and needs help.  We see when the ambulances come.  Crime is lower in a neighborhood like ours because people can easily watch out for each other.  We have friends who live in an affluent area with a big garage fronted house and they were robbed of a huge amount of stuff without anyone on the street even noticing.  A pickup truck, SUV, or minivan can park outside and no one even knows if it belongs to the house!

When I visit people in the houses with big attached garages at the front, we’re disconnected from what happens in front of the house.  People drive into the garage to park and then enter their homes.  Sometimes the small front living rooms have windows, but no one looks out them because everyone gathers in the family rooms — another thing houses in our neighborhood don’t have.  And that’s a television related change as well, because houses are built with a bigger room to center the television in and then a small formal living room they can decorate and mostly leave unused.  My aunt’s formal living room is smaller than a bedroom, and I’ve never seen it sat in.  The houses prioritize the open concept area of the kitchen and family room, which usually opens to the backyard.  I really like that part of it, but not at the expense of being disconnected from the happenings on the street.  Most of the people I know who have these houses prefer them to a house like mine because they say they are quieter and more private.  But around here, I know if someone’s car hasn’t moved.  I know if I haven’t seen my neighbor walk her dog or come home from work.  Maybe it isn’t as private, but maybe being so private isn’t the best thing for us anyway.  I like the old houses better!  

Some houses that are newer than ours but not as new as the houses with front garages shielding them from the street have garages that are attached but off to the side — those seem to be very good for being able to park out of the weather but still have living areas that face the street.

Ann E, our Circle K has the newspaper, as does the local grocery store but not the chain supermarkets.  We could walk to get the newspaper if we wanted it.  But the walk to the library isn’t much farther, and it’s free to read there.  Like you, we don’t usually go inside at the gas station

Carolyn F wrote - I too am not as creative as I used to be, except in my garden and with my cooking.  I don’t crochet, knit, make pottery, or do macrame any more.  I do doom scroll a far bit... I won’t go into detail about how flabbergasted I am by USA events and am so glad I live in Australia with our healthcare system which is free for all (in hospitals) and does charge a fee for some people if seeing your doctor.  I get a free visit because I’m a pensioner. I see the burden that your health care costs put on you lovely people.it makes me weep.  Ours is funded via our income tax system...it’s a 1.5% levy on your gross income  But Australians earn a living wage (due to strong union influence historically).  We never are made to tip.  It’s optional, and you may leave a tip if  you get excellent service. No pressure.  So our tax payments are higher than yours...but I’m happy to pay higher taxes if it means a fairer system for all.

I have to agree with most of what you say, Carolyn.  I am also in Australia and really grateful for our health system - and won't even think of world events.  I'm about to have plastic surgery on my face for yet another skin cancer and it won't cost me a cent, so I'm very thankful for that, as I'm also a pensioner.

We don't tip, and as pensioners, we don't even pay tax - another thing I'm grateful for.  Not that we go out to restaurants anyway, years since we've done so as I find they're totally overpriced and I can cook a nice meal at home for a fraction of what is charged there.  If we do go out for a meal, and that's not often, it's either fish and chips at the beach or having a meal at a pub or club - and usually that's only for a special occasion or else if we are on one of our country drives where we stop somewhere to eat.

My kids wanted me to get a computer for years and I resisted because I know how I am and I knew I would become addicted to it real quick...and I did. I miss my life B.C. (before computer), and how much I got done in a day then. I want to go back to living like I did before I got addicted to scrolling and going down rabbit holes. October is my chance to change my way of living and see how I can use technology just a little and be present in my life again. 

How beautiful that secretary is after getting out from under all that pink paint, it's glorious! 

Congrats to Charles and I wish you both well in learning this new chapter of your lives. As for history studies...I don't think I'm done with the 30's yet, so much to learn about!

I'm going to journal, too. I think better when I'm writing it down. I am looking forward to November and seeing how everyone did. Good luck to us all~

Well I won't be doing the disconnect thing in October.  I feel that I am pretty much disconnected as it is. I don't watch TV, I have a cell phone but only have it on when I am out (mostly at the grocery store) and can't remember if something is missing from my list.  I can call home and usually someone will be there to look and see if something is low that I missed.  I don't text.  We no longer take the local newspaper as it was taken over a couple of years ago by a new publisher and they reduced the staff down to about 10 and the local news items became fewer and fewer replaced by dreck from USA Today.  I do go regularly to several blogs that I have subscribed to for a long time and feel that I know the people involved and like to keep up with their lives and thoughts.  I do use the computer to keep up on local government meetings and receive meeting information from a couple of groups that I am a member of.  I love to read, knit and do an amazing amount of gardening and yard work all of which keep me quite busy.

I will miss this blog as it chimes with my thoughts so very often and visiting Gramma Donna's home is so calming.  I think that she should stay focused on the study that she has been writing about for the last year. It would allow her to keep her house as it is and moving and changing things around must take a lot of time and effort that she could utilize some other way.  It's good to know that Charles has retired and I know that having him around will make Gramma Donna's life more interesting and easier.

I'm looking forward to hearing how all of you who do take the disconnect challenge find living that way and whether the changes you make for this will become a new way of living for you. 

Since today I wasn’t limiting myself to a 30 minute “desk time”, I decided to run our retirement numbers a different way, based on some solid information from my husband’s employer and another idea I had.  It now looks like retiring earlier than the date we had decided on is either a complete wash or works a little better in our favor!  It all has to do with payroll taxes in addition to income taxes, versus just income taxes on retirement income.

The last time I looked at this earlier time frame, I was extremely anxious because we had just started on the practice retirement budget and I wasn’t sure we could manage it.  But now a few months in we are spending less than I budget, and I know there is room to cut more if for some reason we need to.  Once again I was $130 under my allotted grocery budget (which is the maximum food EBT benefit for 3 adults in my state), even though I bought meat and did a large Azure Standard order.  I’m going to roll it over again into my “grocery savings account”, which gives me the ability to stock up if I come upon a fantastic sale.  I never thought we could eat so well spending $625 - $650 a month on groceries for 3 adults, especially when one eats the calories of 2 adults all by himself.  I’m really proud of the guys for adapting to the change in meal plans and snacks.

We cut back our spending in many areas, and haven’t felt it.  We don’t miss thrift store shopping.  We don’t think about going to restaurants or getting take out anymore — eating at home is the norm.  If we won’t be home at meal time we pack food with us and that works most of the time.  I was so worried my husband would feel deprived and he doesn’t.  He has happily been checking out books from the library, not just e-books, but physical books too, which he was more likely to buy in the past.  We’ve both changed our mindsets to using and enjoying what we already have.

Victoria, it sounds like you have a very good handle on your screen use!  I used to, but something about the pandemic and getting progressively more ill pushed me more and more into everything online instead of in the real world.  But as I get better physically, the online things don’t call to me as much.  I don’t really see this as a disconnect challenge for one month anymore — it feels more like cutting the cord and getting back to the life I want to be living.  As such, I decided today that I’m not going to go to the trouble to make all sorts of templates to do my meal planning and grocery lists on paper.  As long as what I need to do on the computer fits into my allotted desk time I’m not going to worry about it.  Becky Sue K, mentioned how in the 1930s some people would have used different technology at work than they had at home, and that resonated with me.  A secretary might have had a typewriter at work but used paper and pen at home.  I decided there is only so far I want to go.  I will let my finances app do the maths for me, and I will use my desktop,  work processing app, and printer be my typewriter or paper and pencil for the documents I already create that way.  I will carry my phone with me when I leave the house because as Carolyn F said, it is a personal safety device.  Just today I was going down the back steps with my phone still in the house on the cord, and I wondered what would I do if I fell?!  I could call out I suppose, or else I would just lie there until a family member came home from work, which could be dangerous.  So now I think I have to decide if I want to leave the phone on the cord inside and wear my smart watch, or if I want to wear a regular watch and carry my phone.  I’ll probably choose the watch at least for October as I continue to practice a very low new technology life.  Everything is technology, books were new technology at some point in time, knives were new technology, etc. so my goal is to stop at the place that makes sense for me and then use the newest technologies as tools and not entertainment or distraction.

I don’t go to many blogs anymore, most of the ones I liked have stopped publishing and either moved their lives offline or gone to Instagram.  No one creating content has an obligation to do it forever.  Grandma Donna, it sounds like the blog is a lot of work and a bit of a hardship for you, and I hope you can either find a way to look forward to and enjoy creating your blog posts, or a way to let go of it with peace.

Others here may have a better understanding of the Amish community than I do but I read something that got me to thinking a few years ago. It's not so much that the Amish automatically reject all modernity. Rather they make a conscious decision as to whether something is good or not for the way they choose to live. They will ride on trains, in cars or busses. They will use a pay phone or someone's phone. The point is they don't wholesale reject technology. They do have refrigerators that use propane. That is a modern technology. I'm guessing the women sew using a treadle machine and that's certainly modern compared to a needle &  thread. They use cash registers at their bulk stores & not pencil & paper.

But what struck me wasn't a wholesale rejection of all technology but rather the choice to use or not use something and at what level. That's something we can all do. In society there seems to be an acceptance of whatever comes down the pike as inevitable and we just have to accept that.

Of course, as we go out in the world to work, or shop or do business we are confronted with technology all the time. But that doesn't mean it has to invade our homes. And if it must be in the home it can be relegated to a small, manageable role.

Grandma Donna, that desk is amazing. Also, congrats on Charles' retirement!

My last day at the plant nursery is tomorrow, so I won't require online access as often. Only for keeping the books for my own business, which is a weekly task and not a daily one. I also write online for extra income during the winter off-season, but my plan is to disconnect my computer from the internet and treat it like a typewriter. Before opening up my "typewriter," I will do notes and prewriting longhand in a dedicated notebook - I picked up a cute one to inspire me to stick with it! I will connect briefly, once a day, to upload my work. I used to write this way back in the 90s when I was first starting out, and I was much more productive. Then the internet came into my home and I always seemed short on time. 

We depend on cell phones. We are semi-rural, but our home was built in the early 2000's and a phone line was never run out to it. I plan to use my phone, going forward, only as a phone/text device, map when absolutely necessary, and camera. I will probably also use it for music, although my partner and I have been discussing rebuilding our physical music collection (we gave it all away years ago when everything moved online). My main phone issue is scrolling Pinterest and a community chat board. I did subscribe to our independent local paper last summer. I receive  a print copy every week, which contains all the online news stories from the preceding week, along with a lovely lifestyle section and a community calendar. The calendar means I don't really need to get onto the chat board, so I blocked access to both the chat and Pinterest on my computer and phone. 

On a side note, it has become a tradition in our home for everyone to slowly work the crossword puzzle over the weekend. Someone will pick it up and puzzle over for a few moments, or we will all discuss a difficult answer. Family rule is that no one can look online for the answer, but you can look in a dictionary or other reference book. 

I've been meaning to study up more on the transcendentalists, as some of my favorite writers were part of that movement and that movement was also a great influence on my church (Unitarian Universalist). So in preparation of going offline, I have added a couple of books to my library and plan to read and study whenever I feel the itch to scroll mindlessly. 

I am going to miss reading new blog posts, as well as everyone in the forums, next month, but I am also excited!

Jenny Wren, I love how your family works the crossword puzzle together!  I am very glad to have a solid physical music collection.  When my husband uploaded all of our CDs onto the computer so he could put them on his iPod, I insisted we keep the CDs because otherwise to me it would be like stealing.  We also have hundreds of vinyls LPs, some from before we were married, some my husband bought over the years (he still buys one every now and then on National Record Store Day), and then many many from my grandfather when he passed away.  I love the intention that comes with putting on a record and sitting around the console to listen to it.  With an old house we even have to be careful about moving around the living room so we don’t bump the needle.  My husband and son are avid music fans, however, so they also use Apple Music, and I use it sometimes in the car so I don’t have to listen to commercials (but mostly just keep my radio set to the public radio classical station).

Margaret P, I have read the same things about the Amish when doing research.  It isn’t a wholesale rejection of technology, but rather a considered choice to evaluate it and decide if it has a place in their lives, with a focus on how the community will be affected and if the technology is really needed, along with how it might impact their relationship with God.

There are good questions to ask about technology.  Does it bring us closer to God, ourselves, and our loved ones (friends and family), or does it make us focus away from those things?  Does it enhance our necessary work or does it hinder it.  What does it cost us to have the technology in terms of time, money, mental and physical health, and community?

Kimberly,  

So I'm printing this out to refer to in Oct:

"It isn’t a wholesale rejection of technology, but rather a considered choice to evaluate it and decide if it has a place in their lives, with a focus on how the community will be affected and if the technology is really needed, along with how it might impact their relationship with God." 

You said much better than I did. 

Of course, I've already thought through the easy things like phone use or listening to music on the computer (YouTube) but I think I'm going to have many opportunities to evaluate things I do  (not just the big technology things) according to this observation. 

I’m really enjoying reading this blog and wish I’d found it much earlier – but better late than never.  I love to read all the differences in lifestyle and traditions from the different countries that you all live in.  It’d be interesting to see how you all cope, doing this new October study.

I won’t participate as I really don’t do too much screen time anyway, and we only watch TV for an hour each night, it’s never on during the day.  I might some days turn the radio on for the morning news but then it’s turned off and not used again unless something is going on in my part of the world that I need to follow.

I love to garden but my back doesn’t like me doing too much so I have condensed most things into pots and limited what I have – just a few favourite plants is all.  I have always had vegetable gardens but now I’m afraid I’m limited to just a tomato or capsicum plant and have to buy the rest – we do go to the farm gate as much as possible though to be locally produced food from the farmer himself.  I don’t do embroidery or any craft work these days due to arthritis in my hands so that’s out, I can’t even sit at the machine too long to sew so it’s basically mending things now and that’s all - but I do keep up with crosswords, jigsaws and reading.  I don’t use my phone for anything other than calls or texts, but I do download books from the library onto there as my e-reader died.  I still have physical books to fall back on but sometimes you can only get them on the library website.  The phone doesn’t go with me when I move, it usually stays either at home or in the car when I’m out and about.

I have several physical dictionaries, among them a huge volume of Websters that belonged to my dad, talking about how jet engines would become the future – it’s interesting to read it as it has all that section in the beginning before the actual dictionary.  I don’t do You-tube or anything like that, I don’t stream anything either on the phone or on the television, we have physical music to play which I love and would never do it any other way – all these things are natural to us.  I tossed most of my modern recipe books but I do have an old one of my mum’s that was issued in the war years with lots of depression recipes in it, and also my old school recipe book from a bygone age when we actually did domestic science in schools.  I remember when the highlight of the week would be to go window-shopping in the evening with everything closed, no late night shopping then although you may have found a small café open.  We didn’t get television in our town until 1969 so that wasn’t a drawcard at all.

Meals are always cooked from scratch here, no convenience foods apart from frozen peas – I buy most vegetables fresh and if a glut, then I blanch and freeze them.  I don’t do canning, but I do make jams, chutneys, Worcestershire sauce, onion relish and so on myself, as well as making home-made cleaning solutions.  I’ve donated most of my so-called convenience appliances, only keeping the air-fryer, a small electric skillet and a bench oven which is way better than my built-in oven.  I use the stove top for most of my cooking.

All my washing is hung on the line, I don’t own a dryer.  I work around the weather, and if it’s damp it’s hung under the back deck where I have a fold-up line.  My working budget is written by hand in a cash book, and I’ve always worked this way – there is an Xcel sheet on the computer but I prefer to do it physically in a book – and that applies to my freezer catalogue and my menu plans as well.

We live in a neighbourhood that has now been classed as “new generation” meaning houses jammed in together, on top of each other, with no yard, and no character – this place, which they will eventually demolish, suits us just fine – it’s older, 1967 model, with the standard of the time – three bedrooms, one of which we’ve turned into a utility room, one bathroom with separate toilet, small kitchen and a not so big living room – it’s a highset house and was open underneath when we moved in and over the years we’ve closed it in, and use down here as an office/rumpus room/utility space where the spare fridge and freezer reside as well as our computers.  The garage for the car is part of this area.  We can see all our neighbours but these days barely know them – one or two we are on chatting terms with but the rest don’t want to know – unlike the old days where everyone was someone you knew, and were friends with and could rely on.  Sometimes I think we’re the only ones who actually go outside and spend time in the yard.   Once and not so long ago everyone would be out enjoying the fresh air and nature.

I think I read the same thing in a book by Cal Newport called ‘Digital Minimalism’. If I remember correctly his book suggests a 30 day smartphone/tech fast and then reevaluate what you add back in. It was a good book.

I think every era had distractions. I know in my life it would be books. I would stay up too late reading or choose to binge read instead of doing what I needed to do. And reading is a solitary activity that can cut you off from others. However, these mini computers (a more accurate term than ‘phone’ really) can hijack your brain on a whole new level. And book publishers don’t hire psychologists or engineer books to be addicting. To me, that’s the more nefarious component to the smartphone and/or Internet use especially social media.  Although when blogs were first a thing I remember over indulging in those too and we all worried that we were spending too much time reading them. I think what drew me towards spending time online was the ability to communicate and connect with people who have the same interests as me. 

A few years ago my husband and I deleted our social media and it felt great at first. But because that’s how others communicate, even family, we were left out of things. His family had a private facebook page that we lost access to once we left facebook. Long story short, we missed a major family event because we didn’t know about it. It’s not quite that bad now thankfully and now there’s a family group text as well. They weren’t intentionally trying to leave us out, we were just going against the majority and got left out. As an aside, after a couple of years I did rejoin Facebook because I needed to utilize the marketplace but I handle things differently now. I literally have 17 friends on there. I’ve chosen to keep it small on purpose. 

Probably my biggest online vice is YouTube. I find a lot of inspiration and entertainment (we have no cable or streaming services) on there. But my husband brought up how strange it is that people spend so much time watching strangers live their lives. I do it too, but have to admit that he has a point there.

One tip for YouTube is to turn off your history. It keeps your homepage pretty free from the reels. 

And the other thing I did years ago was to turn off ALL notifications other than texts. Nothing dings or buzzes or numbers on my phone and I mostly keep the ringer off. I have my husband on emergency bypass in case he needs to reach me, but turning off notifications helped me immensely. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my long, rambly comment. I love this blog and forum. Great blog posts and comments that really make me think. 

Pam, your post was very interesting. Thank you for sharing. I, too, remember window shopping. 

I quit all social media a number years ago. At first people found it hard to communicate with me because I wasn't on Facebook and they were used to communicating there. But I just kept calling people, and soon they fell into the habit of phone calls. Now some of them have quit social media too. :)

Texting is different. Because you can share pictures and links, it's a more useful technology than Facebook. When you're on Facebook, you're being used for your data. You are a commodity. Your privacy is being invaded even when you leave the site because you're tracked, and you have to put up with all the junk they push on you when you're on the site. Texting, depending on the platform you use, doesn't invade your privacy, and it's convenient for people to share things. Phone calls and texts can easily take the place of Facebook if it's only used for communication. If you're using Facebook as a marketing platform, then that's different. 

My life continues to improve the more I get away from internet influence. This October break is the last push I'll need to break completely with the internet influencing me. I should be using the tool, not the tool using me. :) When we're in control of technology, it's a good thing. When technology controls us, it's a bad thing. I'm tired of technology being a bad thing in my life. I'm glad the forum is closing for the month because it gives me a chance to fully clear my head of technology control, and let me be the one in control again. But I can't wait to hear everyone's stories in November! :) 

Stephanie—all good points! The tracking and data mining is ridiculous. And you are spot-on. ANY app that we use, that is free, we are the commodity. I think people are waking up to this and are becoming tired of that as well. Plus the adds on Facebook/Instagram are awful. They stick them everywhere now.  When we moved a couple of years ago, some of the furniture we had did not work in the new house. I was able to sell what didn’t work and pretty much furnish our entire home from Facebook marketplace. And I was able to buy good quality pieces. That’s what got me back on to Facebook again.  Unfortunately, to use the marketplace you have to have a Facebook account. 

I really like the idea of turning the smartphone into a landline by using the handset that plugs into the phone. The other thing I have thought about doing is getting something called a Lite Phone. You can call and text and even listen to music, but you cannot go on the Internet and it doesn’t track you. I believe there are even maps on there to use. I believe the phone is not back lit either which is much easier on your eyes.

I've always wondered about the role that air conditioning has had in insulating us from our neighbors. After my grandmother moved into town, we would go out for a walk after dinner. Neighbors would be sitting outside in their lawn chairs where it was cooler. We'd stop and visit for a while. But air conditioning makes it hard to choose a walk over a couple of hours of TV!

in

Michele N your approach is the right one to follow. We can't get rid of technology. No one is going back to buying cameras and film and having it developed! They are going to send or post pictures from their phones. But we have to use technology in a way that benefits us, like using the marketplace or advertising your business if you have one. I think people, myself included, feel frustrated because we feel like the technology controls us! You trimmed it down to 17 people. You are using it. I think social media is the easiest one to get rid of or reduce because there are ways around it. Doomscrolling is harder because we believe we'll miss something important. I've been slowly cutting out news, and I found that I am happier without it and no harm has come to me from not knowing what the crazy world is up to every minute! When I look at the internet news now, I feel like I dipped my mind into something foul, and I ask myself why I am drinking poison, because that's what it feels like. I have my local newspaper and a quarterly paper magazine about world politics, and that's plenty for me. Everyone is different and has different needs, but I think what most of us want is feeling like we're not being run over by a truck when we look at news! :) Watching YouTube videos to me is like watching movies or television. As long as you're not neglecting your tasks, I see no harm in it. Everyone will have to set their personal limit there. 

I love my new handset. It makes me use my phone less for the internet because my mind says phone instead of internet when I see it connected to my cell phone. :) 

Carrie H:  I think you might be onto something regarding the air conditioning.

Stephanie: I didn’t even consider the mental shift that would happen by seeing the handset on the smartphone—that’s awesome.

I’m not totally disconnecting from technology, but I am definitely inspired to make some significant changes during October. And I’m really excited to hear about how it goes for everyone when we reconvene in November!

Hello!

GDonna, I love the antique shop pictures!

I am going to try to participate in the study and thinking through how to reduce my use of social media etc. It will just be me, as I would have trouble prying my husband's fingers off the keyboard of his computer!   

I won't be giving up reading the news, as I feel it's important to see how things are going both here and around the world.  It can have an impact on choices made or resources available so i just want to be prepared.  I am going to limit my online viewing both in length of time and in by what I feel is balanced news, not sensationalism. I have set a timer on some of the apps on my phone that can be a problem for me...i.e.,wasting time.  Lots of it!  The internet can be a source of good things too, like online tutorials on how to fix something, make something, find parts for old cars etc.

I look forward to seeing what lessons we've learned from the study. Continuing with the 1930's would be fine by me.  There are  parallels between that time in our history and our time, technology aside.