Living a Simple-Happy-Better-Life

Overlooking the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia – We would rather own less and see more!

Closets full of clothes – some that hadn’t been worn for at least a year . . . furniture that no longer fits your décor . . . household items that have been passed down from other family members – all taking up precious space somewhere in the house or storage unit. We love living a simple, happy, better, life.

I admit it.  It’s difficult to give up possessions, some of which once belonged to older family members or now-grown children who’ve moved out of the house.

These items were no longer needed – so why did we continue to hang onto them for years and years?

Having a bond with some of our possessions is natural because it makes us remember great times with our loved ones.  But there comes a time when it’s best to ask yourself at what point do these items become clutter?

For Ron and me, almost all our extra stuff is gone now.  We had a lot to go through, so it has taken us years to pare down.  But now, we own only what we need, plus a few boxes of family heirlooms.

So how did we get to the point that we knew we had to get rid of some of our possessions?

We started thinking about downsizing after our youngest child had moved out of the house to attend college.  At that time, Ron and I really wanted, and needed, a freer lifestyle.  Although we both worked at jobs we loved, we felt something missing.  And we decided it was us.

So, like little kids, we started putting our dreams together.  It turned into a game to see what ideas we could come up with that both of us would agree to.

But in our dreaming and longing for a life of more freedom, we realized we couldn’t do those things without making some adjustments to the lifestyle that we had at that time.

And that led us to re-think how we were living.

At that time, we owned a large home — but only the two of us lived there.  Since both of our kids were now living on their own, it didn’t really match our idea of a couple’s bungalow.  So, we sold it, along with the extra furniture that we no longer needed.  The move from a large home to a smaller home got the ball rolling towards our goal of simplifying our lifestyle and minimizing our possessions.

During the next several years, we continued to find ways to eliminate, give away, and minimize.  It was like a light bulb went off in our heads one day when we realized how little we needed to feel content but not deprived.

So, over the past few years, we have continued to scale back and have sold or given away dining room sets, a china cabinet, dishes, cookware, beds, dressers, linens, leather recliners, bookcases, and lamps.  Outdoor patio furniture, lawn mowers, antiques, mirrors, pictures, and collector items.  And one of our cars.

But one aspect what we hadn’t expected to learn about this process was how it has transformed into other areas of our lives.

We are content to live more simply than we ever have before.  Now we work on our own projects during the day.  Almost every day we study, read, write, and exercise.  Ron has almost completed his first book, I’m studying a copywriting course, and we enjoy having more time to travel than we ever had while we were working full time jobs.

Another example of how we’ve simplified our living is how we travel.  We take one suitcase and a carry-on apiece, even if we’re going to be gone a couple of months.  We pack interchangeable clothing items (no jersey travel coordinates because they are too heavy and bulky) that can be layered, and that wash and dry easily.  If we need something, we’ll buy it there.

We also continue to eat simple plant-based meals.  Whether we’re in a local restaurant or fixing something in our own little apartment or condo overseas, clean eating helps us stay energized and healthy.  We still allow for splurges, of course, because I cannot resist a freshly baked croissant.  We just don’t eat them every day.

This type of lifestyle isn’t for everyone, and it shouldn’t be.  However, for Ron and me, we had reached a point in our lives where we needed to find ways to add some fun and adventure to our lifestyle.  And at that time, we didn’t have a clue how to do it.  We just started with the obvious.  In our case, our lifestyle change started with downsizing our home, which prompted the next action, and then the next.

This snowball effect helped us exchange a life of gathering adventures and experiences instead of possessions, and that suits us just fine.