Grow In Complete Freedom
When people ask me what is this unschooling thing we are doing, I find it very difficult to answer. Not because I don't know what I feel about unschooling, but because I am unable to articulate my thoughts into words. When you are an unschooled parent, you subconsciously know what it means to you. You can understand why you behave the way you behave or do the things you do given a situation with your child. But it is extremely difficult to explain to others who only understand school or home school.
...continue readingManaging Dry Waste – Part II
If you have been reading our sustainable living series, you already know that we have stopped generating any wet waste for the trash picker. In the previous post on managing dry waste, I talked about how we are trying to reduce dry waste. In this continuation post I want to talk about more ways to reduce dry waste.
...continue readingThe Credit Card Experiment
There are polarizing opinions about using credit cards. Some consider credit cards to be very useful while others consider them as debt traps. Like most things in life, it is not as black and white of course. This post is not about debating whether credit cards are good or bad but more about my experience with a credit card.
...continue readingWhy I Buy Used Cars and Should You Too?
Every single car we have owned were used cars. And we bought 5 cars so far in our adult life. I am not here to argue whether buying a used car is better than a new car or vice-versa. It is just my opinion and I am sure the counter arguments are as strong. Here are some reasons why we went this route even before we went down the minimalism path.
...continue readingMaximize Investment Returns (While Taking On Some Risk)
With more powers come more responsibilities. Err... I meant to say, with more returns come more risks. Most new investors want to maximize their investment returns with minimal risk. But that is hardly possible. Instead, in this post I will talk about how you can increase your returns but buy taking more calculated risk. I say calculated risk because you will not take blind risk, but instead use a proper method to improve your chances of increasing your returns.
...continue readingThe Gift Of Free Play
School has become an abnormal setting for children. Instead of admitting that, we say children are abnormal and that we need to correct the children. Of course as an unschooler I would certainly like to believe that. Whether it is really true or not is in the eye of the beholder. I am not here to argue about the merits or demerits of school but to point out that play is an important part of a child's development. Most of what I am about to say in this post is pretty much what is covered in the excellent TED talk linked below. You can skip this article if you watch that video.
...continue readingOn Goal Setting
Setting goals is a great motivator to get things done. Without a goal, life goes on without much excitement and nothing to look forward to or work towards. But if you have a goal that is too hard or takes too long to achieve it may actually be demotivating. How do you get out of this situation. Simple, have a long term goal and then have a few smaller, shorter incremental goals.
...continue readingTake Care Of Your Mind And Body
Whether you are planning to retire early or not, one thing that everyone needs to take care of is their mind and body. It is surprising how little time and care we devote to both in our mad rush to achieve things. Life is not always about goals and achievements. Sometimes it helps to stop and think if that is all that we really want. Did you ever wonder how much time do you actively spend on improving the mind and body?
...continue readingSensex Touches New High!
Ok, I confess I am late to the party. But it seems like the Indian stock market is enjoying new highs every other day. Is this sustainable? Who know? Does anyone know why the stock market is touching new highs even as the economy has not recovered and many things are still unknown? No one knows. But that does not stop one from making wild guesses. The most common and obvious theory is that the market is buoyant on the news that a vaccine may soon come. I don't know why that should be a good reason to hit new highs.
...continue readingAbility To Learn By Yourself Is Fundamental
Some people ask us if we are worried that our kid may not learn much because she is not going to school. Their primary worry is that she may not be able to find a job without education. Our worry on the other hand is that kids these days are spending so much energy on learning things that may not even interest them. And worst of all, they may end up with a job that they don't like to do because they have a degree in an education that wasn't of their own interest.
...continue reading