many things changed, but it was all part of 'the process' I could not say if paleo was the first or last stage or something that happened in the middle of it all and I thinkthe downshifting, downsizing, off-grid, under the radar, primal, traditional life is the general direction I was/am still seeking....

I/family:

moved to the mountains

went barefoot

started to homeschool my children

started making my own clothes, shoes, presents etc.

cut the weekly shop down to basic local produce

started to grow vegetables

started to forage in the fields and woods for food

took up fishing, crabbing etc.

went on a bushcraft course to learn to live in the wild and trap and prepare animals

rented our houses and every time we moved cut our possessions by half

cut down on packaging and other things around the house i.e. using soap shampoos or none at all

use candles at night where we can

use sustainable fuel woodburniong stove

use the mountain waterfall supply as much as possible.

I have nothing though compared to this amazing women who also lives in France: http://www.flickr.com/people/81951381@N00/ who has so far lived two slow years by not purchasing anything and living out of dumpsters and from bartering with neghbours and growing her own food, check it out.

A fellow Scot here! Yes, my family believes a drunken stupor is a form of meditation :)

Great question and my answer is that I was minimalist before I became paleo. For me, paleo was the almost final step. The final step will be when I have no packaging coming in or out of the house like this one in Marin. The philosophy in my home is "one thing in/one thing out" so the kids can't bring in a new piece of clothing or doohickey unless they give away something they currently own. I found that this helps them choose wisely and take better care for what they already possess.

The other philosophy is a 15 box rule. We only take 15 boxes of stuff when we move and the big items like furniture are bought on Craig's. But the true test for us, in the spirit of my Scottish roots, is to figure out how to turn something into something else rather than throw it out. I prefer to call it frugal but my kids call it "cheap". The same goes for our food. If we have bones, we make broth. If we have bacon fat, we have cooking oil for the next meal.

With Paleo, my goal as a zero waste home is closer to reality since I'm not throwing out Triscuit boxes or Goldfish bags :) It really is all in preparation for the Zombie-pocalypse.

Coming from a WAP background where I was making my own yogurt, soaking and drying nuts, fermenting grains, etc my life is much simpler now that I simply avoid all those things.

I just about gave up on materialism all together. I realized that I had been chasing the "great American dream" and that I simply didn't see the need to work harder at a job that I dislike to buy stuff I don't need. I took up powerlifting, which really is an inexpensive hobby, and that the only thing that I find myself working for is another 5lbs at a time.

You're not alone at all. Living primal can also be living simple. Perhaps that's part of the secret of good health.

very much so. In all aspects. Its remarkable now when I reflect upon the changes that I have made from that one simple thought years ago. Good question. Plus one.

I like to think that Nature itself is an elegant thing, in that many of the answers to our problems should be simplistic in nature. Want to be healthy? Eat the way humans should eat - whole foods - dicking around with micro nutrients adds more work, and (probably) little benefit.

For me, I'd say that paleo just makes a hell of a lot of sense for my world view. And I came from the "up to your eyebrows in nutritionism" side. Hell, I almost went vegetarian (yikes).

Essentially, simplicity is good, and I'm actually rather glad that paleo embodies this, and that many other people are realizing how simplicity is good.

I was never really into body products, but even more so now. I clean my face and teeth with oil, have a bar of soap for my hands and baking soda for my hair when I need it (about once every two weeks). I might play with some essential oils in the future (thanks for the inspiration akd) but the thought of purchasing bottles of chemicals to put on my body kind of grosses me out.

I enjoy the simplicity that has settled in around food choices. This process remains exciting, simple and my body is finding greater states of calm and healing.

So good and so simple...a process of clarification and distinction that continues to refine itself just by shifting my relationship to food. The body knows how to do this..amazing stuff Minnie! I totally relate to your changes.

Yes, the only hair products I use are an organic leave in conditioner and mashed up avocado once a month to deep condition. No more shampoo and styling products. I also wear my hair curly now instead of trying to straighten it all the time.

I also make sure I get down time on the very few free days I have. I try to walk and read and not stay out till 3am with friends. Not that that isn't fun, I just am aware of the consequences now.

Mealtimes are also a lot simpler. I cook all of my meals, and I have a good system worked out where I get in and out of the kitchen quickly while still getting tasty and healthy food. Not stopping at restaurants saves me a lot of time.

I got rid of my tv. I was able to stop with several medications that I have been reliant on for many years. Like @baconbitch I use the "one in and one out" rule which I've been doing for a few years now, but currently have added another level so each day I go through and see what items I can get rid of. Am down to one bike instead of three. But my food.. my Paleo food can be simple or it can be complicated. I'm loving how alive my mouth is and will spend whatever amount of time is needed in the kitchen to see what I can do :)

I transferred to a closer location so I can walk to work and replaced my electric lawn mower with a Reel Mower.

I think I've always been a bit of a minimalist at heart, but going primal led to more actions related to being so: I switched my pets to a raw diet (which requires resistance strength to hack through bones,) used my higher energy level to take long walks, backed off on commercial products with chemicals and scents, made more meals from scratch at home and wear nothing but minimalist shoes.

I was just thinking about this issue this morning as I was getting ready to leave the house. My "getting ready" routine has been simplified a lot because of what I've learned since changing my diet. My showers are faster and I use very few "products" now, so I get out the door a lot faster.

About six months after going paleo (almost three years ago now), I began feeling the desire to radically simplify my life, and while I can't prove it, I've always felt that the two were somehow linked. So I sold or gave away almost everything I own, moved out of my apartment, and have since been living nomadically in a small RV (less than 90 square feet of living space!). Literally everything I own in this world travels with me wherever I go now, and the whole experience has been profoundly liberating.

I've found that I've become much more of a minimalist. I'm walking more instead of using other means of transportation. I've sold or given away things I don't need, because they no longer fit with my lifestyle. For example, I only own one pair of shoes, which are Vibram KSO Treks.

I've also become more in-tune with my body. This last one has been a long process of getting healthy, even pre-paleo, but it's still a part of my paleo life. This for me has extended into a keen awareness of how much time (if any, sadly) I've spent outside around green things getting sun exposure. It has made me acutely aware that I am living in the middle of a massive city.

While this also predates my paleo days, I prefer to sleep lower to the ground, in a cave-like area -- colder, dark, quiet, but with access to natural light.

I quit my job. :-)

--Sarah

I actually started minimalism through vegetarianism, then ditched vegetarianism for Primal/Paleo, but kept minimalism. Lovin' it! Being free feels pretty dang good.