But wait... there's less!

One of the reasons we work so many hours and buty so much stuff is the constant message from advertisers that money can buy things that make us happy. But is that really true at all? There's probably more than 50, but this list is a good reminder that so many really valuable things can't be bought.

On Saturday night I saw British comic Josh Widdicombe's comedy routine which included this bit about parental gifts: My parents go on holiday and they bring me back gifts of their holiday that I haven't been on. I've got a key ring from Morocco so that every time I get my keys out I can go "Oh yeah - I haven't been to Morocco". My parents came back from York. They brought me a collectible teaspoon. Who is collecting teaspoons from places around the UK? On Sunday I saw my Dad who has recently been on a cruise. Sure enough there was a keyring from a place we haven't been - along with half a dozen other items. It's great that he thinks of us while he's travelling and wants to get us something. It's nice. But these cruise gifts, combined with Christmas and birthday presents, make it hard to downsize. I now have to get rid of 7 other items just to get back to even. Sometimes it would be way better just to see a photo.

On the weekend I spoke with two separate people - both about to sell their current home (after less than a year living there) and who may be making a loss on the deal. I think sometimes we rush into buying a home. It's a huge status symbol. "They own their own home" is often used as an expression of someone who has 'made it'. I reckon that attitude is costing us. It lures people into buying when the probably shouldn't. Adam Conover, from Adam Ruins Everything devotes an episode to housing. This snippet is on renting versus buying. Later in the episode he also mentions the hidden costs buyers often forget or underestimate. He also covers the first rule of investment - diversification - not putting all your financial eggs in one basket. One of the experts on the show suggests 3 things to ask before buying. Can I afford it? Do I have 20% deposit? Will I live here 10 years? You can find Adam's sources on his site. The full episode is on SBS for

I saw this message online. I think it sums up where I am at. Sometimes it's hard to sell / giveaway / recycle items we don't really need anymore. Psychologically we often like things just because they're ours. If they were someone else's we wouldn't want them, but their ours so we hold on tight. I recently gave away a bunch of books to a charity booksale. I had once enjoyed the books, but these days they'd become clutter and I get more joy from knowing someone else will enjoy them. As a side bonus, next time we move (which may be part of living the life we want) it'll be much easier without all the extra stuff we don't need.

Having everything we thought we wanted isn't making us happier. It's bad for the planet. It's cluttering up our homes. It's making us feel 'stuffocated' and stressed - and it might even be killing us. Reading that on the back cover of Stuffocation: Living More with Less immediately grabbed me. But this is not just about stating the problem. The back cover continues... With intriguing insights on psychology, economics and culture, Stuffocation is a vital manifesto for change. It has inspired those who have read it to be happier and healthier, and to live more, with less The book is in basically four parts. Part one outlines stuffocation and its harmful effects on our health and happiness. Part two looks at how we got 'stuffocated' - the start of the 20th century materialistic culture. In part three we get into the here-and-now. The author looks at 3 different alternatives to materialism and stuffocation - with real examples. Minimalism In a way this

As we downsize, we often ask "Why do we even have this in the first place?" or "Why do we have so much stuff?" This video gives an insight into who advertisers make us buy stuff - even if we don't need or want it. "Advertisers are like crappy friends. They make us fell needy, ugly and uncool. But we keep them around anyway."