Living small to live big

Top Six Reasons to live and travel in a small space. Less Maintenance, better health, flexibility, less debt, more time, life simplification.

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 because mortgage repayments etc dictate their work.

Another consequence

The author says that "making positive contributions to the world can begin by being a conscious consumer. Since you'll need to make the most of your space you will need to choose wisely what to put in it."

Some might miss the unbridled purchasing of whatever we desire (or are told we desire) and the endless accumulation of stuff. For others, it can be freeing to let go - and can actually mean finding more value in fewer things.

Dan and Marlene live fulltime in an Airstream with their three kids. With each family member having only a small dedicated space for personal belongings, selection is key. Dan says "It's not like we can just head to a store and buy more stuff. If they really want something they really have to think about how essential it is and what they are going to have to swap out in its place. It makes them really think about and appreciate what things they do have and be more conscious about taking care of them."

Less is More

Taking a family on the road might not be for all of us, but the philosophy can be the same. Our large and numerous possessions might be what's actually holding us back from discovering ourselves and discovering a better life.

Comments

Less Clutter More Cash - now available

Do you feel like you have too much stuff? Is your home full of things you never use? Would you like to swap them for cash? We did My wife and I have sold more than 550 items online as we downsize and we've learnt a bit along the way. I've put some of our best tips into this handy ebook. I hope you can use these tips so you too can have less clutter and more cash. Enter your email address below to receive the book for free. Less Clutter More Cash Get my new ebook for free. PS. This will subscribe to the But Wait There's Less email list, so you'll know when the new updated version of the book is available. You can unsubscribe at any time.

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What to do with Christmas cards?

Today I'm doing some post-Christmas tidying up. Here's what I do with Christmas cards. Saving space Recently we've been going through all our cards. We scan those that are meaningful or sentimental. For me that's almost all of them. But that's OK. Even at a decent resolution I could probably get a lifetime of cards onto a single USB. Digital is such a space saver. Upcycling new cards / gift tags An easy way to avoid both waste and needless consumption is re-use and upcycling. Many Christmas cards have writing only on the right hand side (or page 3 as I call it). These are easy to scan. Cut the card along the fold line and you can scan the card front and the message in one scan. It also makes the card front into a blank postcard. These can be used as Christmas cards or gift tags for next year. If you're into a bit of arts and craft, they can also become home-made decorations.

But wait... there's less!

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