Living simply is a truly admirable idea. But there are as many ways to go about it as there books about the subject or people who embrace the philosophy. Some practices work for some, but don't work for others. So it's up to each of us to find a way to put the concept into reality in our own lives.

For me, one of the hardest things to resist on the road to living simply is the pull of Madison Avenue. Our culture of consumption is seductive. We are constantly bombarded with messages — on TV (yes, I own one, I admit), on the radio, in newspapers, magazines and on billboards — to buy. You "need" this new car. You "need" these new fashions. You "need" this miracle product that guarantees to reduce the fine lines around your eyes. Enough! I don't really "need" any of this stuff. I may "want" some of it, but I don't "need" it. In fact, in most cases, I can probably live without it. And quite happily at that.

Food is another area where I've tried to live more simply. I'm not a gardener or a farmer, so growing my own vegetables isn't really a viable option. But I support our local farmers as much as possible, especially in the summer and fall when local produce is plentiful. I maintain a small herb garden. And my husband (who does most of the cooking in our household) makes as many of his culinary delights as possible using fresh ingredients. To me, buying already prepared meals from "your grocer's freezer" just isn't living simply. But there's a difference of opinion on this point. Cecile Andrews, one of the founders of the Simplicity Circle movement, buys ready-made dinners because it simplifies her life, giving her more time for family and friends.

And let's talk about kitchen appliances. Having a $300 KitchenAid mixer might makes things simpler for you, but I find that using a much cheaper hand mixer (or even a spoon) works just as well. And I've resisted the urge to buy a rice cooker, a Cappuccino machine, a waffle iron, a juicer, a popcorn popper, or a food processor. I do have some little plastic cups that make great microwave eggs (ok, so I have a microwave) and that simplifies my mornings. A friend of ours has reduced her cookware supply to one large pot, which she uses to make all of her meals. I don't know about that…I'd have a hard time parting with the Calphalon.

Then there's the energy dilemma. In our house, we're in the process of replacing all the light bulbs with energy efficient models. They're much more expensive, but guaranteed to last five years. Only trouble is, you have to be careful to buy the right ones. Some of them, we discovered, may be too big to fit your fixtures. And making a return trip to the store isn't living simply in my book.

And what about recycling? I'm a big advocate of this, although I must admit, it can be a pain in the butt. In our corner of the world, we're lucky enough to be able to put the bottles, cans, empty milk containers, newspapers and clean cardboard in the same recycling bin. But then we have to haul the container down to the street, and haul it back when it's empty. Still, it's a much easier process than the one I had to go through living while in Connecticut. There, we took our recyclables to the dump, where we had to separate them into 10 different bins! We may have been saving the planet, but we spent all Saturday doing it.

But I'm a big winner in the reducing clutter department. My husband, my mom and I spent an April weekend last year cleaning out the garage. We took several carloads of perfectly usable stuff to the church rummage sale. We packed up some clothes for the Salvation Army. We took some beyond repair office equipment to the dump. And we paid a nice young man to haul away the trash. A small victory, granted, but a victory.

And we've discovered the simple joys of bartering. We've traded services in lieu of money, and taken merchandise in exchange for our services. We’ve donated time to organizations we believe in instead of making cash donations. It works well, with one caveat: The IRS considers barter income the same as cash, which means it’s taxable.

Living simply takes dedication and often perspiration. Though it may seem like a contradiction in terms, the simple path isn't always the easiest one to follow. But it can be the more spiritually satisfying one. Where am I in my quest to live simply? About 50% of where I'd like to be. But because it makes me feel better about myself and the world I inhabit, I continue to make the effort. How can you live more simply? Whether you take baby steps or giant leaps, it's entirely up to you.

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