For me, the only thing I have left to cut back on is food. There isn't anything else. Living only on Social Security Disablity isn't easy but I have managed it for 23 years. I have no choice.

When my husband and I were still working, I never thought of cutting back on groceries or eating out. I just get stuff at the groceries and throw things stuff when they just rot inside the fridge. With him working alone and me working part time, I realized the excessive spending that we have been having. Now, I make sure that the blinds are open to let the light into the house to save up on electricity. We don't turn on the heater when it's not too cold; and just make up by having thick blankets and bundling up. When we do groceries, I ask myself if we really need the stuff we are buying and what food are we really going to eat. I make sure to limit the eating out to a minimum and just opt to cook at home. It's true that when you are in a situation where you are hard up financially, you tend to make some life realizations. It has been a difficult time for us but, we are hanging on. Cutting back on food doesn't mean that we are putting our health at risk. It just means that we just need to buy the food that we really want to eat.

I live without cable/satelite TV, a cell phone, or much of the modern technology. While I do have a computer, I have lived without one and did well. I cook my own food and have grown my own food in the past. I have lived without reliable electricity, running water and gas heat. I have also made my own clothes. My parents and grandparents taught my siblings and I self sufficiency, to have a good work ethic, and not to waste. I don't think that I could live well without my pets, a roof over my head, or the love and caring of others. Right now, I have too much "stuff" but if it were to be gone tomorrow, I don't think that I'd miss it.

I am daring to live without my only credit card. While my family has never had credit card debt, I did make purchases that were not essential because there was "space" on the credit card. It might not sound that radical, but it has been integral in stopping the inflow of miscellaneous and random things into the house.

Everytime my family moves, we donate boxes and bags of "stuff" to charity. A conservative estimate of the retail price of those donations is well into the tens of thousands of dollars. What a waste... The New Earth has really helped me to see that stuff does not define me. And with that, I will continue to fore go the little things that add up to a lot.

I have lived without the necessities everyone thinks we need in the Us, heat, running water, electricity, and did well, thrived even. And while I am an environmentalist, it wasn't my main goal in living that way. The one thing I wouldn't give up is modern medicine. I would love to get rid of my car, that is my newest goal.

I wonder, now that O is on an environmental kick, is she going to stop having her sheets changed every day, and retrofit her houses to be green?

Well, one thing I couldn't live without is my TIVO.....I mean, how else am I gonna watch Oprah at night after the kids are in bed?

Out of curiosity, why do you no longer grow your own food?

I strive to live more sustainably, and often ask myself if I should grow more vegetables instead of flowers in my garden. I still have 90% flowers...and some herbs and cherry tomatoes , and berries, but I am not convinced that the efforts are worth it to increase the vegetable garden. What do you think?

I thik that the families in this feature are a bunch of spoiled brats living in excess! they are raising a new generation of spoiled brats. We all waste it is sad but true fact of human nature. But they are nothing more then a bunch of spolied brats who have probably never for day in there life known what it is like to live with out. They have no one to blame for their financial problems but themselves. there selfish ways are putting there familes into bankrupsty.

I am proud to say that my partner & I have been "living without" for a year. After my partner lost his job due to company downsizing we took a hard look at our budget and decided to cut out the "waste" in our lives. We never use our cell phones or watched the cable TV so we got rid of both. We now have a landline only and watch 4 channels when we do sit long enough to watch anything at all on TV. It has saved a lot of money for sure!

I also tend to do groceries once every two weeks. Buying items from local Aldi's and Big Lot stores. I buy bulk fresh veggies and meats then divide them into freezer bags. Its a fantastic way to always have items on hand. I now cook a few different meals on Sundays, and freeze and use them during the week. This stops us from being lazy and going out to eat or ordering fastfood.

Thank you Oprah, as usual this show has made us all open our eyes.

Barbara Licata

Rochester New York

My next project is to live without using my car for trips under 5 miles. I have a very nice bicycle, and since it's spring, I should be able to bike to most of the places that I need to go. This weekend I need to visit my parents in NJ (I live in PA). It's about 7 miles. I think that I will go by bicycle. My dad is 75 and he does bike rides of at least 30 miles every weekend, so I should be able to do this.

Oprah, just to give the paper coffee cup situation at Harpo some perspective: My annual salary is less than Harpo spends yearly on those paper cups. The last person who commented, the one who says that the only thing left to live without is food (as she is on social security), will more than understand this absurdity of excess.

Dear Oprah,

I just finished watching your show "Living with Less". I would like to share a challenge I successfully completed last year.

On December 27, 2006, my Mother, daughter and I went to a shopping mall to take advantage of the "end of season" sales. While I went from store to store, I found myself purchasing absolutely nothing, because for everything I considered buying, I realized I already had one in my closet.

While taking an afternoon break, I mentioned to my daughter that I had not bought one thing (which is very unusual for me). My daughter, who I would describe as a minimalist, suggested I take on a New Year's resolution challenge to not buy one thing for myself for the entire next year.

So, my New Year's Eve resolution for 2007 was not purchase anything that would touch my body for one year (underwear and makeup the exception). This included clothing, earrings, shoes, purses, etc. To my surprise, everytime I had an event that would otherwise have required a new outfit, I went to my closet, and found something perfectly suited to wear! I probably saved money on gas as well as personal purchases, because I didn't even go into the clothing stores. It was actually a fun challenge and I lived up to my resolution for 2007.

My husband was kind enough to give me a gift card for $300.00 for my birthday in April and I was even successful in stretching that for the entire year. I plan on alternating years - one a "buy" year, one a "no purchase" year for the rest of my life. (2008 is a "buy" year - yeah!)

If we each look into our closets, I'm certain that many of us have too much already. (Of course, this plan won't do much for the economy, but it's a way of getting a hold on unneccessary purchases).

Great show - thanks!

Regards,

Kathleen Truitt

Because my husband is allergic to sulfites (a preservative in many, many foods), we eat out about once a month, although I will buy the occasional chocolate bar or latte once or twice a week. The food we buy, we use and usually only toss out one bowl of leftovers every two weeks, if they've gone beyond the edible stage. Because of his sensitivity, we buy a lot of organics, which are expensive, but we don't waste. And we benefit from his mom's garden and baking, which is all organic.

I read somewhere the best way to save money is to use the food you have, and even we have a lot of food in our cold room and freezer that we could get more creative with. I sorted through the deep freeze a month ago just to refresh my memory of what is in there and I think I need to do that on a monthly basis because I forget what's at the bottom. I know dried lentils and beans are inexpensive (even canned ones are cheap) but I need to be more creative with finding and trying new recipes.

As for clothes, I dont' feel guilty about buying new clothes too much because I buy probably half my wardrobe from second hand stores and give back what I don't wear anymore. I don't shop designer and this past winter I made a long, beautiful, WARM winter coat (because you cannot buy such a thing for -35F days), for $250 - a fraction of what it would cost to buy such an item, if it existed in a store.

I get $13 haircuts which I get lots of compliments on, and once a year get highlights, maybe. I don't get fake nails, because it's a waste of money and time. Plus they're tacky - you don't see Oprah wearing them! Or a lot of other stars!

Our house is kept at 60F in the winter overnight and during the day when we're not home - and that's even when it gets down to -35F. The thermostat is timed to come up to 68F before we get up in the a.m. and again at 5:30 p.m. when we get home. If I get cold, I put on a sweater and slippers. It's not a big deal.

My husband and I commute together most days because we both have full size SUVs (which are second hand and paid off). Saves gas money and we get to spend that 30-45 minutes at the beginning and end of each day (depending on traffic) together. Now before anyone gets their knickers in a knot about carbon footprint, see the prior sentence. Many people have smaller vehicles that take half the gas and they only drive them alone.We always make vehicle errand trips worthwhile - planning the route or delaying trips if it's just to one place in town, because of the price of gas and the time savings. Part of the time, I use public transport and during the summer I use my bike a lot more. I applaud those cyclists who go year round, but there's no way I would unless a) gasoline was outlawed; b) we moved somewhere warmer; c) everyone biked which would make the roads safer or d) there was technology to keep my hands and feet from freezing.

Of course, we recycle, but our municipality makes it easy, with curbside recycling where you put everything recyclable in a bluebag and there's a green bin program in the summer for garden waste and compostables.

My husband is the energy cop, so lights and electronics get turned out if we're not in a room, but we could switch off power bars to the computer more often when they're shut off. And because we both have a rural background, we subscribe to the 'if it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down' theory for the toilet, unless guests are over.

So aside from a few things, I think we live pretty frugally. I do like the idea of not buying any more clothes AT ALL for the next year, so I think that's my new goal.

You should have named the show Dare to Live Better . . . not Dare to Live Without. It suggests that living without excess is a hardship. It's actually just the opposite. I have "lived without" for quite a while. I am no fan of big houses, big cars, big stores, big bills, and big hair. Everyday, in every way, life is a choice. I have a small house and one car, which I share with my son. I "commute" three miles to my full-time job, wash three loads of clothes per week, run the dishwasher maybe twice a week, NEVER have leftovers (I only cook what will be eaten . . . if someone is still hungry after dinner, eat an apple), and recycle practically everything. Never any bottled water. I grew up on tap water and don't fix what isn't broken. In my part of the country, we have been in severe drought conditions for years. I have learned to collect the rainwater and use it for my flower garden (which, okay . . . is big but I share my flowers with everyone) and have reduced my water consumption by 20% in the last year. I have two pairs of shoes (work and home), five outfits for the work week, one pair of blue jeans for weekends. I have a very happy existence. My hobbies are photography, gardening and creating art. I share, laugh, and believe in total honesty. And I always try to remember, be ye kind one to another (especially to planet earth).

Betty Ruth Cash
Atlanta, Georgia

Interesting topic. The second family, the one from Indiana, really seemed to follow through and make some real changes. Good for them to make the changes while the kids are still little. I would love to see an update on them in the future. Seems like the entire family has a good attitude about it. I would like to see if they keep with it. Hope they do.

Nice Job Oprah!

Awesome show.... I am so happy to see you touching on wasting less and being green!! Thank you.