What I Want

Here is what I want in life, in a nutshell. I could probably tweak the list a bit, but overall, this is it.



Wholesome food

A warm, dry dwelling

A bicycle (and helmet)

Clothes to keep me comfortable in all seasons

At least one good friend

My health

A big garden

Kitchen supplies to make whatever food I enjoy

Basic tools



Bonus things that I enjoy, but could live without if I had to: guitar, art supplies, snowshoes, simple furniture, a computer, camera, and chocolate.

It always amazes me when people want more than the basics, more than enough. Once one has enough, what is the more for? Why expend so much effort to get more than one needs?

Considering there are still about 700 million people on the planet living in extreme poverty, it seems that having just enough to live a simple life is something to be very grateful for. 

So that is what I want. What else? Nothing.

Keeping my wants in check allows me to have what I want most of all - a lasting peace of mind, an unhurried simple life, and a liveable planet.

Piles Of Stuff

Photo from "Material World" by Peter Menzel.

I think one reason that garage sales are so popular is not just because you can get good things you need for a fraction of the price of new, or that it is a more efficient use of materials. Such sales feed deeper needs.

Perhaps even more important, is our ability to get a glimpse of someone else's pile of stuff, or at least a good portion it. We like to see what other people own, and how that compares to our own possessions. 

Photo from "Material World" by Peter Menzel.

It may also make us feel less guilty about all the "cool stuff" we own, compared to the "obvious crap" that other people own. Garage/yard sales are an interesting, and possibly useful, activity when seen this way. 

How else, but by comparison, can we ascertain whether our pile of stuff is too much, or too little? We can begin to wonder what a pile of "just right" proportions might look like.

Photo from "Material World" by Peter Menzel.

To look into another's hearth is something we seem to be innately drawn to. 

American photographer Peter Menzel's 1994 book called,"Material World: A Global Family Portrait", does just that. It takes a peek at participants posing with all their possessions in front of their homes, representing 30 nations in all. 

Photo from "All I Own" by Sannah Kvist.

Menzel's book is a mind expander that helps one develop gratitude, as well as a certain scale towards balancing out how much stuff is necessary for a full and happy life. 

Unsurprisingly, given the mesmerizing subject material, I found other similar possession pile picture projects.

Photo from "All I Own" by Sannah Kvist.

There is a smaller photo project called, "All I Own" by Swedish photographer Sannah Kvist. In it, she takes pictures of her 20-something friends posing with their piles of things. 

As one might expect, they tend to have small piles that may reflect their desire for a lighter, more mobile and carefree lifestyle. 

Photo from "Family Stuff" by Huang Qingjun.

Another interesting look at possession piles is the "Family Stuff" project by Chinese photographer Huang Qingjun. In China, he photographed mostly rural people and their things, but also included some shots of middle class subjects.

Photo from "Family Stuff" by Huang Qingjun.

While getting North American families to put all their possessions in one place for a photograph might be too much work, it might make an interesting project to take pics of garage sale stuff, which is already laid out in an enticing manner for full display.

Photo from "Family Stuff" by Huang Qingjun.

What if you gathered together and piled up everything you own in one spot? How would it compare to the piles of other people in your community, and around the world?

How big (or small) would that pile be? Would you need to photograph it from space, or would from the top of a ladder be enough? Would it look like too much, too little, or just enough?

Out Of The Closet

It's out of the closet: a minimalist wardrobe is enough.

The pioneers of one planet wardrobes are coming out of the closet, and they are clean, adequately clothed, and content. And they have some great ideas.

What a pleasure to see the discussion going on in the comments after our post on the serious global clothing clutter conundrum. There are many experiences shared that show that simplifying ones closet is the way to go for a multitude of reasons.

Linda and I have been de-clothing for many years. After reducing our possessions to what we could carry in our van in 2014, we have since reduced further, and are enjoying a more minimalist wardrobe than ever before.

Recently we have laughed about our "uniforms". Each of us have been relying on two sets of clothes since the winter started. One set is worn, while the other is to be laundered. We usually wear the same set of clothes for a week, then do laundry along with bedding and towels.

At the same time we do laundry, we have our once per week shower (more or less depending on the time of year and what we are doing). And let me tell you, if you are only having one shower a week, each and every one feels like a major spa treatment.

There is nothing like living in simplicity to heighten your appreciation and enjoyment of all aspects of life. The same goes with having too many clothes - how can you appreciate the things in your closet and drawers that you don't even know you have?

Our tiny wardrobe, coupled with our shower and laundry routines, help to make our life more simple and efficient. In simplicity, such routines become an enjoyable part of life, not something to avoid, or do in hurry rather than in savour.

And do I even need to say it saves resources and money?

In closing, let me say how satisfying it is to be able to have this discussion with such sensible readers. No fashionistas making fun of wearing last season's colours or clothes. No oversanitized hygiene hysteria. Just simple, frugal, enviro-friendly ways of living happier with less.

How refreshing.

Setting Up The Simple Home

You are setting up a new simple home. What would you put into it to make yourself comfortable?

At the end of August a member, and frequent commenter, on this blog reported a piece of tragic news. Those of you who read and/or participate in the comment section of Not Buying Anything will recognize the following somewhat disturbing comment from our friend, Madeleine:

"About 3 weeks ago a large part of my home was destroyed by fire. I can honestly say that as we ran from the burning building things like saving our favourite 'stuff' or even photos did not cross our minds. All I thought of was getting the children and animals out. And as I watched the fire and waited for the fire truck to arrive I felt so grateful we were all alive. It is hard not to be able to live in our own home for a while, but other than the truly useful - pots and pans, towels and sheets - there is nothing I'm going to miss."

A while later Madeleine left another comment in response to my post "That Is Enough".

The idea of 'enough' is one I have been pondering a lot over the past few years, and am certainly thinking about it every day as I begin to replace the useful items lost in our recent fire. How many dishes is enough? How many wooden spoons, towels etc? I would like enough to do the job efficiently, and not a bit more. 

So how does one set up the simple home? Valuable information like this could be used by those starting from scratch whether a young adult leaving home for the first time, or if one is downsizing, or moving across the continent, or recovering from a devastating home fire in which everything was lost.

Linda and I did exactly this when we moved from Turtle Island's (the original inhabitants here used this name before Europeans came and relabelled the area"North America") west coast all the way to the east coast. We gave away everything we owned, except for the few things we could fit in our travel van.

In starting over, we had the same feeling as Madeleine - we wanted to set up our simple home efficiently, and with not a bit more than what we needed. What we found was that we needed to acquire very little to quickly become comfortable in our new home. We also found we did not miss anything we left behind.

I am planning on working on another post outlining what we did buy to settle here in our new Nova Scotia home. But for now, I turn it over to the NBA comment crew. If you were starting over, how would you set up your new simple home? What would be important to replace, and what could you live without?

While Madeleine is currently taking a screen break (and rightfully so considering what her family has been through, and the continued challenges of getting back on their feet), when she returns we can direct her attention to this post in the hopes that we can all contribute to helping get her and her family back on their feet in the most simple and efficient manner possible.

So that is the challenge, should you choose to accept it. What do you think? How much would be just enough, and not a bit more, for your ideal simple home?

That Is Enough

"I exist as I am, that is enough." - Walt Whitman

How about some anti-consumer, pro-freedom affirmations for the new year? How about: "I am enough. I have enough. I do enough."? How liberating would that be?

In order to sell you an endless list of things, advertisers and big business constantly tell us, "You are not enough. You don't have enough. You can never get enough." Enough money. Enough stuff. Enough skinny. Enough fame. Enough fortune. Enough love and admiration.

The bosses tell us constantly, "You don't do enough", the whole "do more with less" thing. But they sure can sell us stuff to make us feel like we have enough... temporarily, because according to them you won't have enough for long. Just until the next shopping binge.

How do we counteract that message that is funded by billions of dollars and centuries old cultural arm twisting all aligned against us more strongly and desperately every year?

It is simple. We need to tell ourselves the truth, and that is, "I am enough, just the way I am. I have just enough, and I do enough."

Make 'enough' your mantra for 2017 and you may just get out from under the oppressive thumb of the merchandisers. While you are at it you will transform yourself, your family and friends, your neighbourhood, place of work, and indeed, the world.

Go even farther to make you and the world a better place by saying, "YOU are enough" to everyone you meet. Love unconditionally.

I'm Alive

"I'm ALIVE!" he cried.

I am alive, and it feels great. When Linda and I chose to live simply it was so we could feel more alive more often. It has paid off. We have no regrets.

Here are a few things that make me feel alive.

• being in nature
• riding my bike
• spending time with Linda, my best friend and companion
• writing
• meditating
• reading a good book
• cooking and eating a good vegetarian meal
• exercising
• listening to birds and frogs and bees and wind and rain and thunder
• making music, singing, listening to tunes
• contemplating death
• spending time with family and friends

What makes you feel alive?

Happy Thanksgiving

What are you thankful for?

I am thankful for my simple, beautiful life. I voted today at my advanced polling station, and I am thankful for that as well. May simplicity and democracy work hand in hand to provide freedom and sufficiency for all in Canada and around the world.

Note: no turkeys were harmed in the creation of this post, or in my Thanksgiving celebration.

Content With Enough

We seem to have an inability to recognize when enough is enough. We think more will do the trick, even though it never does.

We always want more. People who don't aspire to have more are seen as dangerously unmotivated and potentially mentally ill.

But wanting more always leads to wanting more with contentment remaining frustratingly out of reach just ahead after the next purchase. We know this route is a dead end, but it doesn't stop most from pursuing it.

Kin Hubbard recognized the difficulty of it all when he said, "The hardest thing is to take less when you could take more."

We have disguised the consumer lie of more stuff equals fulfillment by calling the whole process "success".

I think real success is knowing when to stop and be content with enough.

Tidy and Organized Crap Is Still Crap

There is a psychic cost to owning stuff... even if it is tidy and organized.

I have not read Marie Kondo's book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing". From what I can see, she is into helping people organizing their stuff.

But tidy and organized crap is still crap.

In all fairness, it appears the author is in way deeper than just making a bunch of useless stuff aesthetically pleasing. The few choice quotes I went over tell me she is also urging people to own less stuff.

Less stuff, but more meaningful stuff. Things that speak to your soul and add to your life.

A bunch of messy stuff is soul-sucking. A bunch of organized stuff a little less so. But just enough stuff to help you engage in your passions and priorities is a blessing.

The following quotes suggest that putting this book on hold at the public library for further research may be a good idea. There are some real nuggets of wisdom here, and I speak from personal experience in my quest to live on the least amount of stuff as possible.

And no crap, organized or otherwise.

“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.”
 

“The process of assessing how you feel about the things you own, identifying those that have fulfilled their purpose, expressing your gratitude, and bidding them farewell, is really about examining your inner self, a rite of passage to a new life.”
 

“The best way to choose what to keep and what to throw away is to take each item in one’s hand and ask: “Does this spark joy?” If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it. This is not only the simplest but also the most accurate yardstick by which to judge.”

- Marie Kondo

Fame? Fortune? No Thanks

Peter Green - simple living guitar hero.

Not everyone wants fame and fortune. Some people know the dangerous pitfalls such a life entails, and choose the simple life instead.

Usually society figures that folks who voluntarily turn away from mass public recognition and truck loads of money are mentally unstable. But those of us that know the simple life understand how such individuals are only protecting themselves.

Take for example musician Peter Green, founder of the original version of the band Fleetwood Mac. He decided early on that outrageous fame and fortune was not for him. He wanted to live the simple life vs. the big star life and all the danger such a life entails.

In 1970, two years after he founded the band, Peter Green began to obsess about money, and told bandmate Mick Fleetwood that he wanted to give it all away. It is said that Green even approached his accountant with a gun and threatened him if he continued to send him cheques for playing music.

Eventually the star guitarist was treated for mental illness, and he left the band. Fleetwood Mac went on to become one of the most successful bands in rock history.

Peter Green went on to do his own thing his way. He continues to play guitar to the delight of audiences around the world.

What a role model - Peter Green is a simple living guitar hero.

Who Wouldn't Want Lots Of Stuff?

Pepe at home on the farm with his beloved three legged dog Manuela and old VW Beetle.

Once while discussing simple living with a family member I was asked, "Who wouldn't want lots of stuff?" It is a good question seeing as an increasingly large group of humans are choosing to participate in the apparent abundance of consumerism.

Why don't we seem able to acknowledge the limits of nature and stop consuming when we achieve the sweet spot of the Goldilocks Zone? Not too much stuff, and not too little - just enough. We seem to like too much everything.

We act as undisciplined children let loose in a candy shop. But not everyone is making those choices. Yes, it may be a small group, but I like to think that it is growing as our ecological awareness grows.

"Who wouldn't want lots of stuff?" Besides myself, I can think of many others. There have always been simple living role models, and they still exist today.

One of my current favourite simple living inspirations is President Jose Mujica of Uruguay, or Pepe as he is affectionately known by his people.

Despite the perks that come with his office, the only vehicle Mujica uses is his old Volkswagen Beetle. He lives in a three room farm house owned by his wife rather than in the cushy presidential palace, and he donates a large part of his salary to charity.

Pepe does not want the consumer lifestyle.

“I slept for many years on a prison floor, and the nights I got a mattress, I was happy. I survived with barely nothing. So I started giving great importance to the small things in life and to the limits of things. 

If I dedicate myself to having a lot of things, I will have to spend a great part of my life taking care of them. And I won’t have time left to spend it on the things I like – in my case, politics. 

“So living light is no sacrifice for me – it’s an affirmation of freedom, of having the greatest amount of time available for what motivates me. It’s the price of my individual freedom. I’m richer this way.”

Having lots of money and things does not mean you are rich, or free. What if the opposite is true?

Save Up To 100%

Bivouacking

Another beautiful out of the way bivouac in the center of
a small New Brunswick town.

I have always loved the quick, no-frills, independent nature of bivouacking. It makes me feel light and free.

I am familiar with bivouacking from my experiences backpacking in the Rocky Mountains. The term describes a light, temporary (overnight) shelter or resting site, usually on the way to a distant destination.

The requirements were minimal, and sites were chosen for convenience and ease of use. Most often they were beautiful as well. Being unofficial and random, they were always free of charge.

Sometimes while in the wilderness we would string a tarp as a minimal shelter under the trees. At other times we slept open on the ground, laying our sleeping bags right on the trail. The next morning all we had to do was get up, have a bite to eat, shoulder the back pack and keep on hiking.

More recently, since leaving the west coast June 1st Linda and I have spent 20 days and 20 nights traveling. Each of the nights has been bivouacking. Each day we drive until a couple hours before sunset, then start looking for a temporary site to park for the night.

Requirements? It must be not far off our route, and it must be free. And if it is naturally gorgeous near a lake, ocean, or river, so much the better. But it could also be a Walmart parking lot.

Over the past 20 days we have bivouacked at truck stops, museum parking lots, gravel side roads, roadside pullouts, visitor information buildings, rest areas, and yes, even Walmart parking lots (we did NOT go inside the store).

We have had a different temporary stop every night creating a memory-taxing, lengthening list of  locations. But each of those changes is followed by the comfortable familiarity of the highway in the morning.

While it is generally true that some may wish to limit the possibilities for bivouacking, preferring that you pay to sleep, with a little imagination and patience one can always find a quick, no charge temporary site to rest from a day of constant motion.

This is true for the mountain wilderness as well as the wilderness found on the road from coast to coast.

It is good to know that commerce hasn't taken over absolutely 100% of our land and our lives. I love that we can still bivouac and be free.

Entertaining Walden Pond Style

Three chairs - "one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society".

Why do people desire larger houses? Can't a person entertain guests in a Walden Pond-like 150 square foot tiny home?

One of the reasons many who love big houses give for wanting the large interior space of a boutique hotel is to entertain and have room for guests.

Gleaning comments from our post on Average House Size By Country (NBA's most viewed post ever)  I came up with the following:

"I want to have space for people to visit and stay, and space to host bigger parties and events." 

"I like having separate bedrooms and bathrooms for guests."  

"I like having friends and family stay with me."

"What I am really looking forward to is the luxury that we will be able to host guests comfortably. We can now host exchange students, and know that any visiting friends with children, or our elderly relatives will be more comfortable during their stay. They can recuperate from socialising in their own room rather than being confined to the living room or one of the children's bedrooms."  

Although I admire the generosity of wanting to be a gracious host, I don't entirely understand what lots of room has to do with it unless you have an urge to be an innkeeper. What ever happened to sleeping on an air mattress on the floor?

In the tiny space of my home there is no hazard of losing guests. Everyone can hear anything more than a discreetly camouflaged fart regardless of where they are, making any visit a very sociable affair.

You can't run, or hide. If you come here, we WILL be visiting, which in my view, is the whole reason  for guests in the first place.

Henry David Thoreau didn't like big houses for a variety of reasons, including their influence on social interactions. He thought that small houses fostered more rousing visits.

"I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society. When visitors came in larger and unexpected numbers there was but the third chair for them all, but they generally economized the room by standing up. 

It is surprising how many great men and women a small house will contain. I have had twenty-five or thirty souls, with their bodies, at once under my roof, and yet we often parted without being aware that we had come very near to one another."

If Thoreau's 150 square feet can host 25 or 30 souls, I imagine my small home could fit over 100 comfortably. Granted, sleeping space, if needed, would be at a premium. 

Just Enough Is More Monday

Less isn't more. Just enough is more. More than just enough is less.

The not-so-secret secret to simple living is recognizing the optimal quantity of anything you need to realize your goals. It is finding the sweet spot of just enough.

As some point less leaves you longing. Your life's potential is not realized if you lack.

And if you always desire more, you will never know the life-affirming freedom of contentment. When you find your point of just enough, more is merely an expensive distraction from what is really important.

The best things in life aren’t things. A healthy person with very little is better off than one with great material wealth and a terminal disease. A person with a small income and few things can enjoy friendship, love, and the beauty of nature just as much as anyone.

Perhaps more so, since those seeking simplicity are less burdened.

What matters is the purpose that possessions play in our lives. Do we look to our things to provide us with meaning and security, or are we looking at them merely as tools that can help us fulfill our purpose?

Neither lack nor luxury will get us to where we need to be.

Just enough will.

Riches Don't Count - Happiness Does

In past decades per-capita GDP growth of developed nations has increased dramatically.

I say, "So what?"

During this time average incomes rose as well (although they have been stagnating for most of us since the 1980s).

Again I ask, "So what?"

Happiness surveys generally show that above $60,000 to $75,000 of income per year we essentially get no more bang for our bucks. That makes aspiring to become a millionaire or billionaire terribly misguided because it can't yield an improved overall life satisfaction. For that we don't need loads of cash.

Why can't we buy more happiness with our riches?  Because our money suffers from the effects of diminishing returns. The more money we make or get or steal, the less effective it is in increasing our satisfaction level.

Going from $0 dollars to $100 dollars yields a very large effect on our well being. But going from $100,000 dollars to $100,100 dollars makes hardly any difference at all. In both cases we are talking about the exact same amount of money.

So our countries have been more productive, and our salaries have gone up. But we have made no gains what-so-ever on our overall happiness scores.

So what is all the struggle for riches and stuff for if it is not leading to an increased satisfaction with life? For me the answer was to quit struggling, and start enjoying.

I am happier living in retirement on $20,000 a year than when making $60,000+ a year as a full time teacher. Because of this experience, I don't care if you make 400 times more than the average person.

I say, "So what?"

 I want to know if you are 400 times happier. 

Too Much Food Monday

Average daily calorie consumption, 2009

Doesn't anyone read Goldilocks and the Three Bears any more? What ever happened to moderation?

Too much of anything can create problems, as can too little. We should always be aiming for just the right amount. As the idiom goes, "Enough is as good as a feast".

Today too much money usually means too much food. Too little means not enough.

While some countries are experiencing an obesity epidemic, there is still a high incidence of starvation in others.

The World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 1400 calories per day. The global average in 2009 was 2,800 calories. A large portion of the population got 900 calories or less. That is too little.

Some rich countries have an average calorie intake of over 3,500 calories. That is too much. Gorging on that much food while remaining sedentary results in negative health and lifestyle outcomes.

It also takes calories from those that need them simply to survive.

The problems at the Global All You Can Eat Buffet mean that the number of people dealing with the negative consequences of too much food outnumber those that deal with the challenges of having too little.

There are people at the back of the line that haven't had any porridge (hot or cold) while a large group of others are going back for second, third, and fourth servings. And it's not hard to see who is doing the queue-jumping.

If we were to stop squandering our extra money on unhealthy consumer driven pursuits, or hoarding it in trophy bank accounts, we could eliminate both obesity and starvation, not to mention a host of other challenges.

Imagine everyone at the global family table getting enough sustenance to maintain a healthy life. No more, no less.

That would be just right.

Do With Less

During WWII it was every North American's duty to cut back on food and consumer goods so that "they'll have enough". Rationing would give each citizen their fair share.

If we could do with less and think about our fair share so that the war machine could have enough to promote death, why can't we do the same to promote life?

Almost 1 billion people lack access to clean drinking water. 21,000 children under age 5 die every day, mostly due to preventable causes brought on by poverty.

Why don't we do with less so that the poorest among us can have enough?

In 1988, only eight male and two female Golden Toads were located in their range in Costa Rica. A year later, a single male was found, and this was the last record of the species. None have been seen since.

Why don't we do with less so that other living things can have enough so they don't go extinct?

In my part of the world trees thousands of years old continue to be cut despite the inevitable extinction of an ancient forest that began 10,000 years ago.

Why don't we do with less so that our planet can have enough to replenish itself so that its gifts are not depleted and destroyed?

We have reached Peak Everything and the future looks increasingly bleak.

Why don't we do with less so that we can have enough to save the earth, and therefore ourselves?

Some humans are taking more than their fair share, while others are unsuccessfully attempting to get by with much less than what they are entitled to as fellow Earthlings.

We need to have a frank and global discussion about our "fair share", and what that would mean for those of us living excessive lifestyles that are not only condoned, but actively encouraged.

Consumer based lifestyles are currently socially sanctioned not because such lifestyles are better for anyone or anything, but because they are massively and disproportionately profitable for a few.

Even worse, the few can only maintain the conspicuous consumption through the massive use of violence.

Redirecting the nearly $2 trillion dollar global military death budget toward promoting life would go a long way toward setting things right. These taxpayer dollars could ensure we all have equal access to our fair share as members of the human family.

Making do with less so our brothers, sisters and other living things can have enough is the logical, moral, and compassionate thing to do.

How To Be Content

"I'm Alive. I'm Alert. I feel great."

I am fortunate to experience this sensation most days when I wake up. I swing my legs out of bed and think to myself, "Today is going to be a great day".

My mom swears that I was born a quiet and contented little dude. She called me her "Buddha Baby" and says that from day one I have never been demanding. I have been looking for the middle path ever since.

Much has been said about moderation over the eons. The saying "Enough is as good as a feast" is one example. I fear it is too modest. Just enough is better than a feast. Just the right amount, in any situation, is always better than too much, or too little.

We experience diminishing returns the farther past 'enough' we go, until soon we are harming ourselves and our surroundings. Luxury, for example, is an extreme practice that flips the middle finger at enough and gorges its way right past moderation on its way to throw up all over logic and decency.

In industrialized nations the gorging has increased dramatically over the past few decades. However, the level of happiness reported by the citizens of theses nations has remained stubbornly mired at the level just before the unfettered feasting began post WWII.

We are all born content. What else does a mini-human want except some milk, a clean bottom, some swaddling to keep warm and cozy, and someone to love them. Simple, and it is the way we all began.

Then we are trained to want, desire, acquire, grab and buy our way to success and happiness. And if we get there we may find that it is a hollow victory. In spite of being all-of-that, there is still something missing.

It is an endless pursuit. Cars, BBQs, houses, vacations, big screen TVs, electronic gadgets, fashionable clothes, best selling books, restaurant food... the list goes on and on and on. How does one ever feel content when the finish line is constantly being moved further away?

How To Be Content

1. Don't compare yourself to others. It doesn't matter what other people have, or where they go, or what they do. 
2. Know that you aren't as needy as you have been trained to feel. You don't need as much to be happy as people tell you. 
3. Celebrate the little things because they aren't really little. To me a huge shoe collection is a little thing that would add nothing to my life. Clean water on the other hand, is priceless.
4. Know that you are probably better off than most of humanity. If you have a secure warm, dry place to sleep, nutritious food to eat, adequate clothing, access to education, and supportive friends and family, you have more than most people alive today.
5. Think about the things you have that give you pleasure, rather than the things you don't have that you think will give you pleasure. You probably have more stuff than you realize, and it may be more than you really need. Why add more to the pile?
6. Take the personal challenge to find out what "just enough" means in your life. It can be a fun challenge to see how efficiently one can live life with an optimal amount of material support. Not 100 items, and not 100, 000, but somewhere in between.
7. Be careful what you wish for. Often what we think we want is not what is best for us. Do we really want it, or was the desire planted there by those wishing to profit from manufactured desires?
8. Be grateful for everything you have. Practice giving thanks for everything you have. I give thanks for: water, love, food, clean water, hot water, soap, socks, peace, security, good neighbours, sleeping in, flowers, a garden, beauty, clean underwear, a lack of pain... my list is endless. Oh, thanks for reading this.
9. Keep on going. Once you experience the initial liberating feeling of not wanting all the time, you may find you need less money to support your diminished desires. Less money means less work, and less work means more time to do the things that matter the most to you.

How Much Is Enough? Monday

?

In their book How Much is Enough?, Robert and Edward Skidelsky note that our system depends on an endless expansion of wants.

“Capitalism rests precisely on this endless expansion of wants. That is why, for all its success, it remains so unloved. It has given us wealth beyond measure, but has taken away the chief benefit of wealth: the consciousness of having enough. … 

The vanishing of all intrinsic ends leaves us with only two options: to be ahead or to be behind. Positional struggle is our fate.”

 How much is enough in a system where we work longer hours not for more happiness, but to fulfill our infinite, often manufactured, desires?

How much is enough in a system where billionaires remain unsatisfied?

How much is enough? And when do we stop?

"To be satisfied with a little, is the greatest wisdom; and he that increaseth his riches, increaseth his cares; but a contented mind is a hidden treasure, and trouble findeth it not."
- Akhenaton