But wait... there's less!

Affluenza , n. a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.[1] Affluenza, n. 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by the pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth. Ok, it's made up word, but the concept is real. So what's the cure. One idea is Buy Nothing New Month . It really is as simple as it sounds. For one month we make do with what we have, second-hand items and things we borrow or make. At first it may sound challenging to break our consumer habits, so the website has some tips for us . Obviously you can do this at any time you choose, but if you want to do it this October, why not sign the pledge ? Some people really like it. Sal decided to do it for a whole year. Twice .

I caught up with a good friend recently. He asked me about tiny houses . Apparently I'd mentioned it a bit the last time we talked. It's not so much about the tiny house itself. I do like seeing them, and the tiny house TV shows, but it's more about the lifestyle. Part of that is just having fewer possessions. Especially after moving house this year , it seems pointless to have things we never use. We spend more time moving them than using them. But my friend probably summed it up better than I did. He's talking to his young daughters about money - explaining how that things cost money and that's why daddy goes to work. That's a key part of it for me. Having an enormous house and lots of possessions means more time spent at the office and less time enjoying life with those we love. One of the people on the tiny house TV show summed it up even quicker. "Less house. More fun." PS. A guy I used to work with calculated that he spent more time with

Streetbank is designed to allow neighbours to borrow things from each other. It's so much better than buying a bunch of things you rarely (or never) use again. It's also a great way to give away items you no longer need to someone else who would appreciate them. The obvious side benefit of all of this is that you also get to meet your neighbours. Recently some students made some short films to promote the Streetbank idea . The Skate Escape looks at it from the perspective of unused items. The Ribbons film looks more at the community aspect. Share is a shorter film, and reminds us that sharing is something we teach our kids from a very young age.

Recently I've been clearing out some of my excess stuff. Some of it is useful (and is for sale ). Some of it is going to the recycle bin. I have found some old stuff and thought "What was I keeping this?" or "Why did I even get this?". I think some of the answers are in this video. Sometimes we do things not because it helps us live a better life, not because it makes any sense, but merely because other people are do it. I think that's part of my mindset now - trying to avoid some of the things we do just because everyone else does them, and sticking to the things that actually improve the quality of life.