apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Yes! I wished I owned only half of what I do. But getting rid of it is another story.

Same as AKB2003.

While I would like to pare down some, I think the lifestyle change described here is far too extreme for me. I like my house, my old quilts, my books. I think buying less is something we should all strive to do as well as keep the things we have as uncluttered as possible, but to sell off everything just seems like too much.

Of course there how can you argue with the idealism of a simple life, filled with the simple pleasure of family. But I always wonder about the "emergencies". What do you do when a major medical issue arises and you're living the nomadic life? I don't think we should let our "stuff" define us, but at the same time I would love nothing more than to own a home for my children to grow up in.

To take the family on a 2-3 years sailing trip has been our dreams of late. We have a daughter that is currently 2, and we'd like to take her sailing around the world and homeschool her before she hits puberty. My husband is now busy taking sailing lessons and taking exam for the licences. Whether or not we're going to sell everything is a different matter. We at least need to keep the apartment and rent it out, or how else we'd be able to pay for the trip?

How do those people pay for their chosen lifestyle?

If you read the article, coqueline, it says this:

“It’s amazing the amount of things a family can acquire,” said Mrs. Harris, 28, attributing their good life to “the ridiculous amount of money” her husband earned as a computer network engineer in this early Wi-Fi mecca.

So they apparently have plenty saved up to afford this (at a really young age), which is great for them, but most don't have that luxury.

Check out our House Tour of the Janssens' RV here:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/house-tours/sf-house-tour-the-janssen-familys-roving-abode-049233

We'll probably be forced to downsize in a couple of years, when our landlord plans to take over our house. There's no way we can afford to find another place as large as this one. In a way, I'm looking forward to doing a clean sweep and taking a more minimalist approach to a new space, but for now I'm going to enjoy all my stuff while I still can.

And I thought I had been downsizing quite a bit this year! But we stopped well short of not owning a home, car or wedding bands. I agree, this is a little extreme and would only work for a select few.

I dream of a sparsely decorated loft space but really it's not who I am. I like to find thrifted treasures, I like my collection of rocks and rusted junk, I could never kick out our Playmobil friends, I'm still wishing I hadn't given away most of my fabric in a pregnant panic a couple of years ago, and I don't even want to think of selling the family books. I'm hooked.

Quite frankly, no. I bummed around Europe for three years and had no permanent home; everything I owned fit in two suitcases. I usually traveled with one backpack, leaving the other stuff in storage or with a friend. I ate cassoulet and cheese sandwiches all the time, and honestly, I'm not envisioning that lifestyle with a child under three. And I cannot just ask my husband to quit his job to bum around with me.

Well, I could sell everything I own, but I still wouldn't be able to take a few years "off". I think this is only for the very wealthy. Perhaps only wealthy people dream of "simplicity" as well, while the rest of us dream of simply being able to pay the bills, and having at least a little quality time with our families.

I would love to be able to travel the country in a veggie oil RV! It's one of my dreams.

The other dream is to live in a teeny tiny home, filled only with possessions I LOVE. I want to love everything in it, down to the broom and dustpan, and not just have crap just to have it. My ideal size is around 300-600 square feet for me, my husband, and our two kids. Ahh...sounds like heaven!

Someday we'll do it! We keep having massive garage sales to pare down our stuff.

Well, we'd have to give up our computers, and that means no more AT. If that is what you want...

We are TOTALLY going to sell off everything and live on a boat when my husband retires from the Navy in five years. People laugh, but we are serious.

Selling your wedding rings, though?!! That's a wee bit extreme, IMHO.

Looks like fun. I do hope they are keeping enough money aside to pay for their kids' therapy in ten or forty years.

viola-i hear you on the child's therapy. that was my first reaction. that kid will either turn out really cool or really crazy.

I wouldn't go selling my wedding band, or my heirloom Christmas ornaments, even though I am aware that they are just "things". However, I have always had a rule that if we don't use it for 6 months we don't need it. We also try not to buy anything on a whim. We wait a minimum of a month, up to a few years before we buy things that aren't considered necessities.

Nope. I don't see anything morally superior in divesting oneself of all possessions. But then I've never gone crazy with consumerism. What I have are functional possessions, or are objects I love. I collect, but mostly stuff like vintage kitchen ware--Pyrex, for one example--that is both pretty and functional, and is a joy to me to use. And books, my husband and I have a lot of books, and they're not just for us, they're for our children to enjoy and learn from.

We've done a major major downsizing in the past, and it feels so liberating. After our most recent move, we were down to just our "needs." We were preparing for a lifestyle change, where we'd be living off the land in a small solar powered home. Unfortunately, that plan got put on hold when I was offered a job in the city that I couldn't refuse. But we're still hoping to achieve that lifestyle in the future....perhaps when the kids are finished school.

The stuff is slowly creeping back into our lives. But we've made a pact to do a yearly "clearing of stuff." It's amazing how much junk you recieve from well-meaning family members and friends. Especially when you have kids. It can be overwhelming.

I love the idea of simplifying and downsizing, cutting down the crap so you only have what you need to function.

I find it admirable...but also too extreme. My husband is always complaining that we have too much stuff, and I know I need to curb my tendencies to buy things that aren't really necessities.

That being said, we really do use pretty much everything we have! And, we're in an opposite position right now. We finally just bought our first home, and working very hard to re-do and update it. So, we're kindof in an acquisition phase instead, to furnish it. I have been looking forward to this for a long time (and love the inspiration I get from all of the AT sites!), and want to enjoy it, not feel guilty!

I'd love to travel for a year or too, also, but I don't see how we could ever afford it. When my husband gets a sabbatical year, I'm hoping we can maybe spend time in a few different places in Europe and travel. But, I will want to come back home to my home when we are done.

Also, I'm sure homesteading require some possessions. I mean, they're still going to need a room over their head, places to sleep, eat, and sit, tools to do their work, etc.

It's interesting-I think this is the only country where people romanticize having nothing. It's an extreme luxury these people have to give up everything-what it says is that they're wealthy to the point of being burdened by it, and also that they're so educated, well-connected, and financially set that they can always re-establish the lifestyle they gave up. It's an indulgent luxury to be able to check out of the rat race in your 20s.

Ummm...this is the OPPOSITE of no possessions. This is getting rid of all of the current possessions in order to buy new possessions. Homesteading, as rockabyemama aptly points out, requires all the tools of farming, including a new domicile. Catamarans require buying and maintaining a boat, and buying everything necessary to live on a boat.

some have mentioned how to afford it, the answer is to simply put away a small portion of your salary every month. We're one of the families (the boating one) mentioned, and I have a simple government job, nothing generating amazing amounts of wealth. Many blue water boats can be had for less than people are paying for large SUVs, and when you travel to third world countries you drastically reduce your cost of living. As to home schooling, great option, University of Maryland study showed that private schools exceeded public schools on average on standardized test scores in every testable subject area, and that home schoolers exceeded private schoolers on average as well in every testable subject area. Good luck!