Tiny Houses .... Yes Please!

I've written in older posts about the explosion in the sizes of houses in North America during the past 30 years, and how the blight of McMansions has led to the consumer's over-consumption of land, energy, consumer products and debt. This has definitely been a contributing factor to the current economic crisis, where the over-extension of leveraged debt has caused a massive meltdown in liquidity, equity and net worth.

This has led to a return to (hopefully permanently) more sensible proportions of homes, a renewed emphasis on the environment, and a diminishment of rampant materialism. As I have mentioned before, my first home was my largest, and I have been downsizing ever since. I have always been intrigued by small space living - when reading design magazines and books, the issues that always excite me are not of sprawling mansions, but compact living spaces.

I have once again contemplated living in a small cottage or a boat. If I lived in a warmer country than Canada, I may just have made the jump already. However, with the Canadian winters, a lot more thought needs to be given. I have just finished browsing through a fabulous little (appropriately) book called Tiny Houses by Mimi Zieger. It profiles 36 unique abodes that are 1,000 square feet or less. What I love is that it proves that space can be used far more efficiently, a unique home need not be only for the rich and that these spaces are far more interesting than your cookie-cutter, suburban monster-home.

Does a Peasant Lifestyle Increase Longevity?

I've recently finished reading Dan Buettner's book, "The Blue Zones". You may have heard about it or seen it profiled on TV programs such as Oprah. The Blue Zones are areas in the world where there is a much higher than average proportion of the population that live beyond the age of 100. There numbers are quite astonishing, and the author spent time researching these elderly residents and tried to find out what contributes to their longevity and good health.

These identified "Blue Zones" are mainly located in smaller communities in Japan, Italy, Costa Rica and even the US (Loma Linda, California to be specific). While certain aspects differed, what was common among all of these communities was leading a simple lifestyle, eating healthy (with little or no meat in their diets), maintaining strong connections with family and friends and regular exercise.

For some (especially in the poorer communities) regular exercise was a function of their livelihood, i.e. if they were farmers or herdsmen, they spent time in the fields or walking up and down the hills. Even the women who may not toil in the fields, did spend part of the day making meals from scratch, including grinding grains by hand in order to make bread. In wealthier areas such as Loma Linda, there was regular exercise like walking or going to the gym.

The absence of stress was also a common denominator. While there was some stress regarding money and maintaining a livelihood, it was not the same stress that most of us might associate with having a high pressure job, sitting in traffic, trying to make money to maintain a consumer-oriented lifestyle, etc. In fact, when interviewed, there was little to no mention of materialism.

Diets were simple, and while they did indulge during special occasions, generally their diets were simple, yet very healthy. The Italians would drink a glass of wine every day, the Californians were mainly vegetarians who ate a lot of nuts, while the Japanese ate many root vegetables.

Instead of the western disdian for the aged, in these communities elderly people are revered for their wisdom, and treated with respect, rather than shipped to an old age home. They sit at the head of the table, as the matriarch or patriarch of an extended family across many generations, and showered with love and respect. In all these communities, the social network means human contact, not Facebook or Twitter. Meals are important gatherings that bring the family together.

Aside from the residents on Loma Linda, the residents of the other "Blue Zone" communities live an extremely simple life, almost a peasant-like existance. Yet, they all apear to be healthy and content. Perhaps living a peasant lifestyle is the key to longevity?

Start Saving Money ...... Right Away

In these tough economic times, unless the upcoming global recession is short and shallow, people all over the world will be forced to adopt a new way of living. This is especially so for Americans whose access to free-flowing credit will dry up as lenders continue to turn off the taps.

As I had commented in a previous post, there may be a silver lining to this dark cloud, as people wean themselves off consumerism and credit, and start to live more authentic lives and within their means. It will be a long road, as mindless, wanton spending has become a bit of an addiction for millions of consumers.

I have just started to re-read a book that I had last read over 10 years ago, but one that is especially relevant these days. Called "Your Money or Your Life" by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin, it provides an interesting view on our relationship with money. Its concepts are not for everyone, but is worth a read.

The book does give tips to save money which may be useful to some readers. These include:
1) Stop shopping - or at least, only shop for things that are essential

2) Live within your means - Cut out all unnecessary expenses and luxuries such as eating out and travel holidays

3) Take care of what you have - This will reduce or eliminate the need to keep replacing things, often unnecessarily. This will also reduce the amount of items that are thrown away or wind up in a landfill.

4) Wear it out - Most of us replace things well before the end of their useful life because we see something cheap or on sale, or spend because we are bored or think we should keep up with technology.

5) Do-it yourself - Learn how to fix things yourself rather than spending money having someone do it for you.

6) Anticipate your needs - Impulse spending occurs when you do not know exactly what you are looking for. This is especially prevalent (and exploited by grocery retailers) during your weekly grocery shopping trips. Have a shopping list before you head out the door and stick to it.
7) Research before you buy - Do your homework before buying. Reading reviews will help you make an informed decision to get the best deal, whether based on price, quality, value or durability.

8) Get it for less - I never pay retail for anything, as I know that there is always somewhere to get an item cheaper, be it on eBay, Craigslist, online discounters, liquidators, using coupons, waiting for sales.

9) Buy it used - There's very few things that I wouldn't buy used, but a careful shopper can get great deals on gently or hardly-used items that people are trying to get rid of because of a multitude of possible reasons, including gifts that are unwanted, a need for quick cash, dissolution of a marriage, a move, remodelling of a home, upgrade in technology etc.

While these are obvious tips to me, I know some people who never think of these options.

This Month's Quote

"After a man has made a lot of money, he usually becomes a bad listener" - Paul Theroux

This is so true! When everyone was (seemingly) becoming more prosperous from easy credit and rising house prices, they failed to listen to warnings. Only after the house of cards has collapsed, are people starting to take heed of advice.