When I lived in Sarasota, it was easy to get wrapped up in the luxury of it all. I went to expensive restaurants, owned a Mercedes, and generally reveled in the glamorous lifestyle. Despite the fact that I sampled the “good life”, I was by no means as excessive as many people. For instance, some friends tried…
Christmas is fast approaching, and I just moved into a 360-square-foot apartment. “Stuff” is something I don’t need. Even my friend’s 15-year-old daughter is dreading Christmas. She doesn’t like to get gratuitous stuff. For one, she doesn’t know how to react to a well-intended gift that is something she doesn’t need or want. And what…
As someone who has moved at least 9 times in the last 11 years, I am somewhat of an authority on it. Each move was prompted by a very specific reason… mostly positive ones. As I look back on the places I’ve lived, I try to imagine which places made me the happiest. I loved…
Let’s face it, there’s too much stuff in the world. There’s too much stuff in your house! There are several reasons it ended up this way. First, people buy stuff that they don’t need and often subsequently don’t pay any attention to. Second, people buy NEW stuff when they could easily get by just fine…
My life has changed a lot in the past few years. In 2008, I bought a house that I absolutely LOVED, and I built a low-impact life around it. This year, I am settling permanently in Vermont into a life that is not quite suited to my sustainability and comfort needs. It frustrates me that…
Our excessive consumer habits are headed for a change of pace, so you might as well get on board now. Increasing scarcity of oil and water are going to cause a price spike in both, which is going to seriously affect the production and distribution of goods. To put it simply, “stuff” is going to…
Do you ever find yourself living a life that isn’t the one you intended, and you aren’t quite sure how you got there? When I was living in Sarasota, I was getting to the heart of reducing my carbon footprint. I had a small house (950 sq ft) with a super efficient envelope, a backyard…
I have spent a good deal of time over the last 4 years removing things from my life. There are various reasons for these banishments, but they have all served me well. Simplifying your life is not just about removing objects or possessions from your life. It’s also about removing people, forms of diversion, thought…
I recently had the good fortune of stumbling upon the list of eleven vows that Gandhi strove to adhere to. The list resonated strongly with me and reflected aspirations that I already had about how to live my life. One of the items listed is “Avoidance of Bad Taste”, by which he meant to only…
Before leaving for Europe, I gave a lot of thought to my technology choices. In particular, I was considering what to do about my cell phone issue. Whilst I lived in Florida, I was using T-Mobile as my cellular service. They had 4G service, great coverage and a good selection of phones. However, there is no…