Buggy Talk

Jennifer Spredemann seeks to pen compelling stories that captivate readers and bring glory to GOD. She has authored over two dozen Amish fiction titles in her can't-put-down writing style, three of which have won awards. She resides in Indiana Amish Country with her family on a former Amish farm where the documentary Breaking the Silence was filmed. "...Spredemann weaves a thread of love and intrigue into a quilt of faith and values." - reader review 

The following transcript is a shortened version of the original recording.

Tracy:    Hey there. Welcome to another episode of Buggy Talk. I'm your host, Tracy Fredrychowski, where each week, I bring you the story behind the stories along with the storytellers. For this week's episode, we have Jennifer Spredemann on board to talk about her latest Amish Country Bride Series, along with her part in the Amish Christmas Miracles Collections.

Good morning, Jennifer. How are you today?

Jennifer: I'm doing well. How are you, Tracy?

Tracy: I am doing wonderful. Thank you. And thank you so much for joining us. We have lots to talk about this morning. One being your part in the Amish Christmas Miracles Collection that we're both so excited about. And what about the new series that you just launched. However, before we get started on talking about that, I have to ask you to go ahead and tell our listeners about the cool story you have about your house that you live in Indiana. 

Jennifer:   Okay. First of all, I want to say thank you, Tracy, for having me here today. And I hope our chat is a blessing to our readers. Okay. About my house. 

So, we started looking for houses in this area, and we saw this one house, and it was a white two-story house.  And it had a porch that went around the front and, Oh goodness. My dream was to have a house with a wraparound porch. You know, it's just one of those things. And anyway, I'm like, man, that looks really like a big house that would fit our family because we had six kids. And so there's eight of us all together. So a pretty large family for English. I was just, just going through all the photos and things. And I'm like, honey, I think this, this is an Amish house for sale. And, you know, I looked, I saw the clothesline and saw cows in the background and then implements and, you know, horse-drawn things and basically wheels that didn't have rubber on them. And so I was, I was certain that it was probably an Amish home, but the listing did say that it had a bathroom, which it did not, it had out outhouse. 

So anyway, it was 17 acres, and I fell in love with the place, and I'm like, Oh Lord if there's any way, this place is awesome. Actually, there were two different Amish homes that we looked at, but this was the one that I really liked. It had sold.

You know, we, we kept on going back and looking at this house because we just, we just fell in love with it, you know? Um, it reminded my husband, uh, uh, when he grew up, he grew up in Brazil, and it was like really there are trees everywhere. And it just reminded him so much of the atmosphere. We both wanted the property. I don't know; God just worked it out to where it didn't go through, the sale ended up not going through. I think it might've, might've sold like twice during that time they didn't go through, and then the price dropped again, which was a blessing for us. And we ended up buying the place. Yeah. So that's basically the story with our house.

Tracy: That is a God thing. It just has to be a God thing because you were meant to be in that house. Why else, would all those things line up like that.

Well, that is, that is really cool. And one more question about your house. I know that your house was included in a documentary about the Amish. An

A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association, Tracy Fredrychowski writes Amish fiction that emphasizes God, family, and community. Starting her writing career as a ghostwriter for some of the leading blogs and magazines across the country, her current series “Love Blooms at the Apple Blossom Inn” is just a taste of the sweet, clean and wholesome stories she enjoys writing.

The following transcript is a shortened version of the original recording.

Tracy    Hey there, welcome to another episode of Buggy Talk. I'm your host, Tracy Fredrychowski. Each week I bring you the story behind the stories, along with the storytellers. I have something different plan for this week's episode. I gave our favorite authors the week off to enjoy the fourth with their families. So, I thought I'd take this week, myself.

As many of you know, I just released Love Blooms at the Apple Blossom Inn. A sweet and I mean, yummy sweet, since it includes twenty of Maggie's recipes, straight from the kitchen of the Apple Blossom Inn.

I have to tell you, I had such fun writing Maggie story, mainly because I'm an inspiring baker myself. When I'm not writing or working in our marketing business. You'll often find me in the kitchen, trying a new recipe. Some have been showstoppers and others have gone straight into the trash, but nevertheless, I love whipping up tasty treats. 

So back to Maggie Fisher and her move to Willow Springs, if you've enjoyed any of my other books, you'll know that all of my stories take place in a small Northwestern, Pennsylvania town called Willow Springs.

I don't know about you, but when I read a story that is set in a town I've read about before, it makes me feel like I'm visiting old friends. In Love Blooms, you'll see Emma Byler from secrets of Willow Springs and her brother, Matthew, as they make a guest appearance in Maggie and Henry story,

Maggie, she's a bit sassy and a tad bit bullheaded when it comes to dealing with businessman, Henry Schrock, but to make matters worse. Mrs. Sorenson owner of the Apple blossom in is a grouchy old woman who tries Maggie's patience. In this story. Maggie is sent to live with her elderly spinster, aunts who are known best for their matchmaking skills determined not to fall for the first man. 

She's out to prove to her dad, she doesn't need any help finding a suitable husband. So if you're looking for a sweet summer story to read, you'll be sure to enjoy this book.

As a treat today, I'm going to read you the first chapter and you can decide for yourself if you'd like to read the rest of Maggie and Henry story.

So here goes, enjoy Love Blooms at the Apple Blossom Inn.

aggie Fisher stood on the porch, potholders in hand looking through the glass of the wood-fired double oven. The sheltered porch did little to stop the Central Wisconsin wind from sending clouds of powdered snow up under her skirt. The outdoor kitchen her Datt built five years ago was a welcomed relief to the summer heat but did little to warm her in the coldest months of the year.

A soft glow was starting to peek its way above the horizon, and it wouldn't be long before the first of their regular Friday customers began to make their way up the long winding driveway that led to their in-home bakery. Her oldest bruder was already clearing the snow from the driveway, and Hannah, her youngest schwester, was busy putting whipped frosting between layers of chocolate hand pies. Maggie smiled as she thought how it took the whole family to make sure the bak

RWA’s RITA Award Author, Adina Senft joins us this week to introduce us to her latest release, The Tempted Soul. Adina is a best-selling author who writes she writes steampunk and contemporary romance as Shelley Adina; and as Charlotte Henry, writes classic Regency romance. Join us as she gives us a peek into her contribution to the Amish Christmas Miracles Collection along with her other projects.

The following transcript is a shortened version of the original recording.

Tracy:  Welcome to another episode of Buggy Talk. I'm your host, Tracy Fredrychowski each week, I bring you the story behind the stories, along with the storytellers. For this week's episode, we have Adina Senft. How are you today? 

Adina: I'm very well considering I'm three hours behind you. I guess I didn't realize that. So you're just crawling out of bed right now for quite a while, but I certainly appreciate you joining us in the early morning.

Tracy: So, where are you from, Adina?

Adina: Well, I'm from Canada, but at the moment I live on the West coast

Tracy: Well, we have a lot of things to chat about today. One is your part in the Amish Christmas Miracles Collection, but more importantly, I just realized you released a book this week called the Tempted Soul. Would you like to share a little bit about that with us?

Adina: I would be delighted you, so tell us all about it. It’s part of my Whinburg Township Amish Series, which is nine books long, and this is book number three that just came out on Wednesday. 

It's about an infertile Amish couple. It's the story of how she pursues that and possibly risks her Amish beliefs and how God can control life and bring his will about even in matters such as family and love, and her best friends also help her through prompted by the Holy Spirit.

Tracy: So a nine-book series about all taking place in the same community, right.  How do you have the stamina to write a nine-book series and keep it interesting?

Adina: Well, actually, they're all, but one completed. So the only books that I have yet to write, as soon as I get the Amish Christmas miracle story finished is the final book it's called the Sweetest Song. 

Tracy: So, where is Whinburg Township?

Adina: It’s a fictitious town located in Lancaster County, around the Nickel Mines area, just because I liked the landscape there and it had things like creeks and rivers and the roads kind of went in the right direction.

Tracy: I love that. And I do the same thing. My town is Willow Springs. You get so caught up in, in the characters and the town and the surrounding, you become part of that town. I sort of feel like I live there.

So let's go on a bit about your writing career before we talk about the Amish Christmas Miracles.

What is it like as a writer, or what are the essential elements of good writing? 

Adina: Well, I think that after teaching about writing novels for 17 years, I would know the answer to this a little bit better. I think the things that a reader would look for are the things that are the central spirit of the book, the things that touch their hearts. It can be a setting. It can be characters. It can be the way the plot unfolds like a road ahead of an Amish buggy. But I think the most important thing is the way those three elements, the setting, and the characters and the plot just kind of fold together to create a very real experience in the reader's mind, at least that as a writer, that's my go

Love Inspired Suspense Author, Dana Lynn joins us this week to introduce us to her latest release, Plain Refuge. Dana is a best-selling author who writes as a way to minister to people through her stories. Join us as she gives us a peek into her contribution to the Amish Christmas Miracles Collection along with her other projects.

The following transcript is a shortened version of the original recording.

Tracy: Hey there. Welcome to another episode of Buggy Talk. I'm your host, Tracy Fredrychowski. Each week. I bring you the story behind the stories, along with the storytellers. For this week's episode, we have Publisher Weekly, Best Selling Author. Dana Lynn onboard.

Hello, Dana. How are you today?

Dana: Hi, Tracy. I am doing fantastic. Thank you for having me.

Tracy: Well, thanks for joining us. We have so many things to talk about today. One, one being your newly released book, Plain Refuge, and the other being your part in the Amish Christmas Miracles Collection. That's due out in November. But before we get started talking about those particular topics, I'd love for you to tell me more about making it to the Publisher's Weekly Bestseller List. 

Dana:  Okay? So for me, getting on the list, it has meant so much as a writer.  So to me, that is so humbling. And just so touching that people are actually enjoying my books enough that they're going to go out and they're going to buy them, and they're going to read them and pass them on to their friends. That, to me, is what my success is based on. 

Tracy: Well, I can tell you how excited I was when I saw that you had made it to the list. Is this the first time that that's happened for you,

Dana: Actually, this is the fifth or sixth time.

Tracy: Oh, congratulations. What an accomplishment.

Dana: It's been pretty amazing because it's never something that you expect. I had no idea that I'd even made it on the list. I'd actually checked a couple of days before and I didn't see anything. And I was like, Oh, well, I guess this was not making it. And then a friend said, Hey, they just put up the new list. Did you see that? You're on it? So, uh, I went and checked in my book's been on there for two weeks running now, which I still can't quite wrap my head around it. I've never made it two weeks running before 

Tracy: I can see how humbling that would be. I know that if that happened to me, I would, I would be blown away, and I can hear in your voice that you've been blown away as well.

So knowing that is that what success means to you is making it to some, to a list like that? 

Dana:  Well, I think that's part of success, but I think it's always dangerous. I think to put my success in terms of monetary things because, for me, my writing is a ministry. Uh, I truly believe that God has stories that he wants me to tell. And I always feel when I'm writing that there's a specific message or there's a specific person that he wants me to write to. And I never know who that is. So for me being successful is the sense of peace. I get at the end of a book when I feel like I have really written the story that he wants me to write. And that's, that's my goal is to reach the people that God wants me to touch. 

Tracy:   I just absolutely love interviewing Christian authors because the things that come out of your mouth or, or the authors that I interview is the exact same things that roll around in my head. Every time I write the end or when I close that book and I've said, okay, I have done what God has asked me to

If you’ve not met Molly Jebber in person, this is your chance to listen to this delightful Amish Fiction Author as she introduces us to her Amish Charm Bakery Series. She takes us behind the scenes of her writing journey and the characters that hold a special place in her heart.  

The following transcript is a shortened version of the original recording.

Your listing to Buggy Talk, where some of your favorite authors, friends, and guests explore the simpler side of life. Here's your host Amish fiction author Tracy Fredrychowski.

Tracy: Hey there. Welcome to another episode of Buggy Talk. I'm your host, Tracy Fredrychowski, and each week I bring you the story behind the stories, along with the storytellers. For this week's episode, we have award-winning author, Molly Jebber, onboard, and she's here to talk to us about her Amish Charm Bakery Series.

Good morning, Molly. How are you today?

Molly: I'm good. Thank you for having me here today.

Tracy: I am so excited to have you on board. You know, we met for the very first time last year in, Shipshewana and we've had some great conversations about being an author and the whole process. I just really look up to you and all you've accomplished so far.

Molly: Well, thank you very much, but I, it was a pleasure to meet you, and it was nice to make a new friend. I loved it. 

Tracy:  It is, and we are both on the East coast. I'm in South Carolina, and you are in Florida, right? Yes. Before we talk about the Charm Series, I have seen a lot of stuff going online about the Christian Authors Network that you're part of. Can you tell us a little bit about that organization?

Molly: I love the Christian Authors Network, and I had no idea when I joined it, just how advantageous it was going to be. The president is always up on the latest and greatest in marketing publishing, screenwriting, you name it, having to do with the world of writing. So she, you know, she introduced me to, um, the international Christian voice and media conference that I went to for the first time last year. And that's where I got to meet some of the authors in person that are on the board that works with her.  

And then what they try to do is work to collaborate and put you in front of important people. Whether you're interested in screenwriting and publishing a book, they also have great ideas to market, but most of the members, our speakers, and I think almost all of them are speakers as well as authors. So they also give you those advantages. And then, she created a website with all our names on it for readers. They can go to ChristianAuthorsNetwork.com, click on your name, and find out where you're going to be speaking. And especially it's fun. You're going to be near them or in their hometown; then, they can put it on their calendar. And sometimes we'll do speaking events together. So you may get several authors in your location and a lot of his travel that has been a lot of fun. And I am blown away by all the things that these authors try and know much like you being very technically savvy with the podcast and, you know, film. 

And some of them want to do screenwriting and all this kind of stuff. And even it just kind of opens your world up a little bit for you to question some things are, for me, some things are not, you know, but I love learning about that. Anything that's going to help. And of course, we're all out for new marketing ways and also to help our readers,

Meet new Amish Fiction Author, Laurie Stroup Smith as she introduces us to her Pocket Quilt Series, Pocket of Promise. Laurie takes us behind the scenes of getting her very first book published and lets us in on some new projects she has in the works.

The following transcript is a shortened version of the original recording.

Your listing to Buggy Talk, where some of your favorite authors, friends, and guests explore the simpler side of life. Here's your host Amish fiction on Tracy Fredrychowski. 

Tracy: Hey there. Welcome to another episode of Buggy Talk. I'm your host, Tracy Fredrychowski. Each week. I'll bring you the story behind the stories, along with the storytellers. For this week's episode, we have a new author to the Amish genre, and that is Laurie Stroub Smith

Hello, Laurie.

Laurie: Hi, Tracy. How are you today? I'm doing great. Thank you for this invitation. I'm excited to be here and have this opportunity to talk with you. 

Tracy: Well, thank you for joining us. We have so many things to chat about, one being your new book, Pockets of Promise. And this is a new book for you, and a whole new venture in your world as an author. So I'm very excited to have you onboard today.

I have to ask you what inspired you to start writing? 

Laurie: Well, writing has always been fun for me, and when we have two daughters, and when they were in grade school, I served as a girl scout troop leader for about six years. And I started a blog, Capers Cookies, and Campfires with the intention that it would serve as an additional resource for other leaders. And a couple of years later, I wrote a story for our girls who were grieving the loss of two grandparents, and nothing was working to help them through that time. And I thought maybe if I write a story, maybe that will work. And an author friend of mine knew I was writing it and asked to take a peak. And so I was brave, and I shared it with her, and she admitted it was rough, but she saw potential and encouraged me to pursue writing. And soon after that, I just felt God was calling me to make writing a priority in my life. And so I did. And here we are. 

Tracy: Oh my goodness. That is wonderful. I know that you, you, um, work pretty closely with that author friend. Do you, do you want to mention her name or not? 

Laurie: It's Shelley Shepard Gray. I've been working with her since the fall of 2013, and she has a great friend and, um, just a genuine person. And um, yeah, 

Tracy: I have not had the pleasure of meeting Shelly yet, but hopefully somebody in our rounds, I will meet up with her, but yeah, I have read a lot of Shelley's books, and she is a fantastic writer. So what a great person to have, um, as your little cheerleader. So that is awesome. 

Laurie: Exactly, exactly. Yeah. She's an excellent mentor. 

Tracy: I bet she is. You know, as an author, I know the challenges that we all go through for one, to find the time, to write, two, to make sure our stories are interesting and three having faith in ourselves that people want to write what we read or read what we write.

So tell me as an author. What is the most challenging part of writing for you? 

Laurie: Oh my goodness. I have found that I'm most productive when I have a significant block of time to write, and I work best when it's silent. So finding chunks of time and quiet space has been a huge obstacle for me during this pandemic. As I said, we have two teenagers, and they've been home since mid-March doing remote learning and are now on summer break. And my husband

Your listing to “Buggy Talk” where some of your favorite authors, friends, and guests explore the simpler side of life. Here's your host Amish fiction on Tracy Fredrychowski 

The following transcript is a shortened version of the original recording.

Tracy:    Hey there. Welcome to another episode of Buggy Talk. I'm your host, Tracy Fredrychowski, and each week. I'll bring you the story behind the stories along with the storytellers. For this week's episode, we have an award-winning author, Murray Pura. Hello Murray.

Murray: Hey, how are you doing, Tracy?

Tracy:  I am good. Thank you so much for joining us today. We have so many great things to chat about, one being The Amish Menorah and Other Stories, along with some of your other projects. I am so excited to hear about this new collection that you've written with the Men of Amish Fiction. It's only been probably a couple of months since I heard that term. And I don't know why I hadn't heard it before.

How did the Men have Amish Fiction come about? 

Murray:  Well, the term isn't even that old anyway. Tracy, I think, well, you know, the publishing industry and you will understand in certain genres, 75% of the readership female. In terms of the writing in the genre of Amish or Amish romance, it’s probably about 99.9% female authors, right? So, who are these guys? And the interesting thing is over the years, I haven't always written Amish, but it was the only way I could get into the American market. 

So, I think with this, then it was kind of like the genre was so dominated by female authors, and there was almost a sense, so, well, what are you guys doing here? What do you know about Amish romance? How can you, even though none of them are Amish. Anyway, it was more; I think like what can you possibly know about writing a book where boy meets girl, and you know, they fall in love and an Amish setting. So, we said, you know what, two things, first of all, we can write it. And most all of us have, and we've had good sales, but here's the other thing, some of the stuff being written is just not really truthful to what we know of the Amish experience. 

It can be a very hard life. They have to do with issues. They have drama. Um, they have sin, and they need, you know, recovery, they need redemption, they need restoration just like the rest of us too. Like the rest of the world. That's because there can be an attitude like, well, you know, there's nothing really goes wrong in those communities. So we decided to say, well, first of all, we can write this stuff we have and we will. So we said, okay, we're going to put an anthology together, and we're going to write. We want it to be a little bit different just in the sense that maybe being a little bit more honest about the struggle of living your Amish life within a world that isn't, and, and the concerns that can happen within the community. 

So that was how that started. The six of us got together.

Tracy:  Can you name the six men again?

You know, Patrick Craig, who now lives in Idaho and he's a, been a friend for years and we've collaborated and other projects as well, that aren't Amish. Then there is Thomas Nye, and he farms in an area where there's a lot of Amish. There's Jerry Eicher. He's written lots of books over the years about the Amish. There's Amos Wyse, he's written on the Amish on his own, and there's Willard Carpenter. So there are five other guys besides me

We still want to see the beauty of the Amish life, but we'd like to know how they deal with the hard things, you know, rebellious teenagers, or, you know, um, a death too soon. L

Join us in this week's episode of Buggy Talk, as Jennifer Beckstrand introduces us to the Amish Christmas Miracles Collection. In this collection of Christmas love stories, fourteen Amish fiction authors come together to create a Christmas book you won't want to miss.

You’re listing to Buggy Talk, where some of your favorite authors, friends, and guests explore the simpler side of life. Here's your host Amish fiction author Tracy Fredrychowski. 

The following transcript is a shortened version of the original recording.

Tracy: Hey there. Welcome to another episode of Buggy Talk. I'm your host, Tracy Fredrychowski. Each week I'll bring you the story behind the stories along with the storytellers. This week's episode, we have award-winning Amish fiction author, Jennifer Beckstrand. Hello Jennifer. 

Jennifer: Hello, Tracy. Thank you for having me on today. 

Tracy:  Well, thank you so much for joining us. We have so many exciting things to chat about. One being the Amish Christmas Miracles Collection. I have to say as being one of the authors involved in this project; I'm pretty excited.

Tracy:  What inspired you to head up this project? 

Jennifer:  Well, you know, it's been a lot of years that I have wanted to do a collection with several different Amish authors. I have been thinking about it for a very long time. And last year I was on a call with Jennifer Spredemann, and she mentioned that she wanted to do it and we talked about it for a few minutes, and then we kind of let it go. And then I don't know what happened, something clicked in my head just a few months ago, and I thought, I want to do this, and I want to do something for Christmas. So, I contacted Jennifer Spredeman and said, do you want to do this? Let's do it. And she said yes. And then we brought Rachel Good on board. And so the three of us have kind of headed up this collection, and we're just so excited about it. It's going to be a fun thing. And I am glad about the authors that are, contributing and participating with us. It's just going to be an enjoyable collection of Christmas stories. 

Tracy:  Can you tell us how you decided which authors you were going to include? 

Jennifer:  Well, I made a list, and Jennifer Spredemann made a list, and Rachel made a list, and we started going down our list and ask can people. We definitely wanted a variety. We wanted some, some people who are new to Amish fiction and others who've been writing for a lot of years. It’s exciting to see all these authors come together, the different experiences they have, but also just how excited and willing they all are to do this.

Tracy: Can you share with us who are all going to be part of this? 

Jennifer:  Yes. So the authors that we have involved are me, Jennifer Beckstrand, Kathleen Fuller, Lenora Worth, Adina Senft, Laura Bradford, Jennifer Beckstrand, Jennifer (J.E.B.) Spredemann, Rachel J. Good, Laura V. Hilton, Mary Alford, Loree Lough, Dana R. Lynn, Susan Simpson, Tracy Fredrychowski, Ashley Emma. Serina Miller and Laura Bradford. That is quite a list. I'm excited about the different voices that we're going to get in the collection. I 

Tracy: So tell us when can we expect this collection to be released?

Jennifer:  So it will be released on November 10th, and right now, it's available on preorder. So anybody can go to Amazon or Barnes and Noble and preorder it. It's only 99 cents, so it's going to pack a lot of punch for 99 cents. It will be released November 10th, and then for a week it will be 99 cents an

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be Amish? Would you like to take a peek into their private community?  Join me as I take you for a walk through a day in the lives of ten Amish women from Willow Springs in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. 

Your listing to the Buggy Talk Podcast where some of your favorite authors, friends, and guests, explore the simpler side of life. Here's your host Amish fiction author Tracy Fredrychowski.  

The following transcript is a shortened version of the original recording.

Hey there. Welcome to another episode of buggy talk. I'm your host Tracy Fredrychowski. Each week I'll bring you the story behind the stories along with the storytellers. Perhaps even some weeks. I'll invite some of your favorite characters to come to life and join us right here on Buggy Talk. For this week's episode, I'll be talking about my collection of short stories that introduce you to the Amish Women of Lawrence County.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be Amish?

Would you like to take a peek into their private community? Come join me as I take you for a walk through a day in the lives of 10 Amish women from Willow Springs in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania.

Some will discover new love, one will battle some health issues. Others will need to forgive and many will find who they are in Christ, but what binds them all together is their desire to serve God, love their families, and support their community. By loving their neighbors, just as God instructs them to do. Before I talk more about the Amish women of Lawrence County, I have something I want to share with you. 

Do you find yourself in a season where you're looking for ways to slow down and simplify your life?

If so, I encourage you to look to the Amish for inspiration. The way they live is no secret. We English have everything they have at our fingertips. Oh, we have to do is look for it. If you find their way of life appealing, I have 10 things you can do to bring some Amish values into your life.

Starting with practicing gratitude. You know, being humble is a big step to living a quieter, simpler life. In today's world, many of us want to be the center of attention. We want to stand out in a crowd and we want to be heard, but finding peace and serenity starts with being silent. Listen to those around you. Avoid gossip, stay clear of bragging, and by all means, avoid being too showy. 

Tip number two, establish peace. It may be hard for many of us to find peace in a world so full of news and electronics and the constant connection to the outside world, but finding ways to add periods of calm to your life should be the ultimate goal every day. Start by turning off the television practice yoga, learn meditation, read a book and just reject all forms of outside noise.

Tip number three, how about living on less? How many things in your life do you have the add no value if you're like me. Many of our homes are filled with consumer driven products that just clutter our spaces. I know for a fact when I started reading my home of all those things that just took up space and didn't add any meaning to my life, I found a true freedom from owning less.

Tip number four, provide for yourself. Have you ever stopped and thought about what would happen if we couldn't go to the store? Finding ways to live a more self sufficient lifestyle is a big part of living a simpler life. Being able to raise vegetables so your own clothes, conserve energy, and even baking bread are just a few ways to learn to take care of yourself. 

Step number five, work hard. Don't be afraid of hard work and take pride in i