But wait... there's less!

Choosing to live small has many benefits. The positives are obvious: less overhead, less clutter, fewer financial commitments, less stress and more time. That's one of the first statements of the book Living the Airstream Life . The author goes on to the consequences of these benefits. ... learning more about yourself through having the perspective to consider the bigger picture rather than having to focus on the chores of daily living ... those who live this lifestyle for a long period of time find other ways to make positive contributions, figuring out what their true skills are and how to use them to be a productive member of society rather than having to focus on paying a massive mortgage and credit payments or keeping up with all the chores of modern day living. That bit resonated with me. I recently left a job to now figure out what my next 'positive contribution' might be. A number of people told me how lucky I was. How they'd like to do that, but can't ...

One of the struggles of decluttering is when people give unwanted gifts. A particular couple I know are often given gifts of alcohol. But they hardly drink - or at least not at home very much. This collection of part-used and untouched bottles was cluttering up the kitchen and probably losing quality. Solution: cocktail party! A friend of theirs is a professional bartender and mixed people some drinks. There was also some great food. About twenty people showed up. So even without over-indulging, it was an effective way to halve their alcohol collection and have a nice night along the way. Cheers to decluttering and downsizing!