Top 5 of 2018

Here are the But Wait There's Less Top 5 most popular posts of 2018. The ones you read the most.

I considered a Top 10 but, like most things, less is better.

1. Minimalism: A Documentary

Two long-time friends ditch "success" for happiness. They debunk the consumerist message and find we can have more happiness and less stress by simply having less stuff.

2. It's so good - we DIDN'T buy one

Sharing items can be way better than owning them. This story also shows how you can share items in your area.

the handy travel pack you don't need to buy

2b. Do we have affluenza?

An oldie but a goodie. This post about consuming less and Buy Nothing New Month was written a while ago but still gets lot of reads in 2018.

3. Jerry Seinfeld and the finance guy

I'm guessing the Seinfeld stand-up is the big drawcard here. Both guys give good reasons to have less junk at home. One very funny. The other very insightful.

4. The best day for a garage sale

I'm a big fan of downsizing by selling online (check out my book Less Clutter More Cash). In this post I give tips for a garage sale - including the best day (for Aussies) to hold one.

5. Tiny House, Big Living

This is about one of my favourite shows. People moving to smaller houses and talking about how freeing it is to finally have less stuff.

Thanks for being part of this journey in 2018. I hope your 2019 is a year of less. Less stuff, less clutter, less expenses, less debt, less pressure and less stress.

Comments

The real cost of owning a car

It's been about 10 years since I've owned a car. My wife doesn't own one either. "You must save a lot in petrol" That's one of the frequent reactions when someone discovers we don't own a car. "Of course, but it's just the tip of the iceberg" is the usual theme of my reply. Many people I've talked to just aren't fully aware of the real cost of owning a car. Or even that there are six different costs of owning a car. Six? Really? Yes. Occasionally a work colleague or friend will boast their car only costs $X per week. Of course it turns out only some factors have been counted. Sometimes it's just petrol alone. To some people, that feels like the only cost they pay each week. Why does this matter? You might be questioning the need for a second car in the household (or even having one at all). Or you might just be choosing which car to get next. Either way, to make an informed decision we need proper information. So let's look at...

Man Down

How is it possible for a book to be depressing, supportive and hopeful all at once? Man Down looks at the problems men have today and how it managed to get this way. What price 'success'? It seems so many of the problems come from the external pressure to be a 'success' - whatever that means. Over time this pressure becomes internal and drives us to make decisions to satisfy that pressure, but which are detrimental in so many other ways. It can be the pressure to take a 'successful' career, though it's one we don't want or aren't suited for. Or to take a promotion, because salary is apparently success - or at least it buys all the things that signal success to others. The promotion only means more pressure, less sleep, and poorer health. At the same time the extra responsibility takes away from our ability to exercise, take care of our health and form social connections. The lack of social connections means that retiring is one of the most dangerou...

Colour me happy

One of the great things about reducing possessions is thing called 'helper's high' . It's that fuzzy feeling you get from helping someone else out. I got one recently by helping an old man lift heavy groceries into his car boot when he was struggling. But this is not about that. I was about to put some watercolour paints online for anyone who wanted them. Then I remembered a local community group where people do art therapy. I gave the paints to a contact who passed them on to the group. The next day my contact called me to say how much they were appreciated. One of the participants wanted to do some watercolour painting, but couldn't afford the paints. When my contact walked in with free paints the participant was overjoyed to be able to do her art. As far as 'helper's highs' go, this was a slightly removed one - I never met the actual person I helped. But still it was a buzz.

But wait... there's less!

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