How moving from a 6,000-square-foot custom home to a 370-square-foot recreational vehicle helped quell one family's 'House Lust.'
Comment: In December of 2007 we sold our house and all of its contence. Packed up our personal belonging and moved into a 35 foot Motor Home. We have been planing this dream for over 10 years. Our Goal is to stay at least a month in each state. We plan to make it to Hawaii also. There is no better way to experience what this country has to offer than driving the open road . You meet wonderful people and see all the things this country has to offer.
Comment: We downsized from two full households to one when we married, and then again from a sticks-and-brick home to our 300 square foot bus. The process of getting rid of most of our stuff was very liberating, and allowed us to live our dream. We now live full-time in our bus with our dog, 2 cats, and 4 fish. We've been traveling the US and Mexico for almost 4 years, seeing and documenting so many amazing new things. And yet, every night, we sleep in our own bed in the comfort of our own home..
It is a fantastic life, free of stuff and competition.
OurOdyssey.blogspot.com
Comment: My teenagers and I live on the road full-time in an RV and are seeing all the United States and Canada learning history, biology, geology, climatology, geography and photography from our experiences on the road. They read voraciously, listen to audio books when we drive, and do advanced mathematics, website design, photo editing and graphics, vocabulary and research online with their laptops instead of traditional high school. To support us, my husband travels back and forth from our family business. We spend 60% of the money (including the airline tickets) that we used to when we lived a ???traditional life.???
You simply don???t buy things if you aren???t willing to get rid of what you already have, because there isn???t the room. We each get a drawer, and ¼ of a closet ??? it???s a great way to control your clothing purchases. Even with the fuel used for driving the RV, we use a fraction of the utilities we did in our stick-house.
Every family does it differently ??? our group Families On the Road http://www.familiesontheroad.com/fotr.html is filled with information about the most humble of travel to the luxurious. There is also a section on budgets http://www.familiesontheroad.com/life.html .
I hear all the time about people wanting to live this dream ??? the hardest thing giving up all the possessions gathering dust in your closets, storage and garage. On the road, you get to experience and grow with your most valuable possession -- your family.
Mary Ann http://malkoffgrandadventure.blogspot.com/
Comment: Okay, I just dont understand people..i like the ones who are pointing their fingers at how huge rvs are and how much fuel they use as they drive their big suvs that get the same fuel mileage yes reality waking they do. Oh give me a break carbon footprint are these the people with boats and toys they use on the weekend and big houses. When we stayed in our rv we used about 40 gallons of water for 3 days for 5 people yes you read that right we ran off battery also which we can recharge off our vechile. We are able to be fully self contained and indepdent. My hope is to get solar panels on top for less then $2,000 for full hook up and totally be self contained. I know americans not worrried about energy concerns or fuel cost till they stop driving those huge SUV's and trucks to work every day when they could be driving a rice burner. Yes rvs have a full kitchen bathroom and bedroom for all those who think they know what a rv is. We are currently living in a 960 sq ft house with 6 people. I would love to have an rv any old day, full timing with my family to see history so my kids can learn both sides of the story and not sit in some 4 wall room and listen to a teacher talk for hours on ends and only read about. Life is school we as parents are still learning in life. Hands on, learning life. Life is too short to not enjoy it. Think about when you have a disaster what the one thing you make sure you have...your family....everything esle can be replaced. go clean your house and find how much stuff you never knew you had or use. And for the record a lot of people in (big ) motorhomes usually have a little rice burner that they pull behind that they do errands in after they park for the month or the week...that better then those who use their huge fuel hogs everyday.
Comment: Okay, I just dont understand people..i like the ones who are pointing their fingers at how huge rvs are and how much fuel they use as they drive their big suvs that get the same fuel mileage yes reality waking they do. Oh give me a break carbon footprint are these the people with boats and toys they use on the weekend and big houses. When we stayed in our rv we used about 40 gallons of water for 3 days for 5 people yes you read that right we ran off battery also which we can recharge off our vechile. We are able to be fully self contained and indepdent. My hope is to get solar panels on top for less then $2,000 for full hook up and totally be self contained. I know americans not worrried about energy concerns or fuel cost till they stop driving those huge SUV's and trucks to work every day when they could be driving a rice burner. Yes rvs have a full kitchen bathroom and bedroom for all those who think they know what a rv is. We are currently living in a 960 sq ft house with 6 people. I would love to have an rv any old day, full timing with my family to see history so my kids can learn both sides of the story and not sit in some 4 wall room and listen to a teacher talk for hours on ends and only read about. Life is school we as parents are still learning in life. Hands on, learning life. Life is too short to not enjoy it. Think about when you have a disaster what the one thing you make sure you have...your family....everything esle can be replaced. go clean your house and find how much stuff you never knew you had or use. And for the record a lot of people in (big ) motorhomes usually have a little rice burner that they pull behind that they do errands in after they park for the month or the week...that better then those who use their huge fuel hogs everyday.
Comment: I couldn't agree more that giving up a big house in favor of a small space is the best thing for a family! We are a family who travels on bicycles - in fact, we will be taking off in June to ride from Alaska to Argentina with our ten-year-old twin boys!! Being together as a family as we enjoy Mother Nature's gifts just doesn't get any better. You can read about our journey at www.familyonbikes.org
Comment: Crazy world, isn't it? There's a global energy crisis and you get a job driving two RVs around the country on a disability awareness campaign. The clock is ticking America. The clock is ticking.
Comment: For those few who must travel a lot for their work, an RV makes pretty good sense. For those whose finances make living in one, I have sympathy, since it can be a lonely life, and you don't have a yard.
However, as a citizen of Yuma, AZ, I can tell you that most of us living here dread seeing these behemoths coming into our area every winter. All of the extra vehicles in our city makes trying to get around our town that has marginally enough adequate streets into a nightmare. Our population swells from 80,000 to over twice that many for at least 5 or 6 months a year. They're obscene to look at.. Often, they're towing an "around town" car -- so when one stops to get gas, they take up the space of three pumps. Those who drive them seem to be mostly those with way too much extra money and the attitude that goes along with that. Much to the drivers'/owners' misperception, their money is not the lifeblood of this city. Since they pay so little for our infrastucture, we citizens bear the burden of the extra taxes it takes to accomodate them.
I have nothing against people travelling around and seeing all the wonderful sights we have in this country, And I have nothing against people travelling to see relatives and friends. But do they HAVE to do it in those monstrosities that reek of excess and take up way more than their space in this world?
Comment: We have been RVing for 18 years I'm a unionworker and I travel all over from hall to hall meet brothers and sisters from different halls and enjoy it, the only way to make a living you enjoy where be travel plus its a paid vacation thats what I tell my wife. Plus, when you enjoy twisting wires together and lighting up America it makes me feel good.
Comment: Will the thing is down sizing is not at all the choice of the problem ,see I'm a unionworker and I follow the life of RVing due to the fact is construction is the only way too pay your bills plus we enjoy to travels because I tell my wife it's a paid vacation, plus we are seeing America been doing it for 18 years.
With the work here and there we go, plus we are building America.
Comment: I love hearing stories about morons with lots money to WASTE. Debbie, perhaps you should have hired a nanny to take care of your kids so you would be available to follow Jimbo around.
Comment: We are a semi-retired, kids gone, one dog family who recently made a move to Arizona from Montana. We found a tiny 650 sqare foot cabin in a rural area next to the national forest. We bought it as we were tired of living in our 5th wheel. 2 years later, and 400 square feet more, we are loving our new downsized home. We are finding we don't need any more room than we have, and find it hard to believe that people need houses that are in the 5 and 6 thousand square foot catagory. Why does anyone need that much house space? I think this country is going to find after this latest housing crisis that we can all do with much less. It is easier on the environment, and much easier on the wallet!
Comment: I've lived in a small Winnebago for 6 years and would give anything to live in a house or motel room. Downsizing has strengthened my marriage and made me aware of how much I need indoor plumbing and a space to call my own. I suffered a stroke, couldn't drive if I wanted to, have gone without much social interaction and find it demoralizing to continue and I miss the summer and the fun times. I cannot have my kids or grandkids over, cannot fathom that it was once fun, and after winter in a tin can I am ready to resume normal life.
Comment: We are already planning to do the same thing in the future
sell the house take the procedes and buy a RV
we plan to see every state in the US
Comment: Is it not amazing what we do not need in our lives, how we get caught up in the run for the roses each and every day. It is so refreshing to see that there are a few who realize that the relationship between husband wife and family are the most important things they have. All the rest is eye-wash and self induced stress. My wife and I love to get away in our RV, the closeness is exactly what we bought it for. Everything is within five steps and you are never out of touch with your loved one. The chores of the RV are nothing compared to the joys of being together and relaxing in the "Simple Life"................Tony Cordaro
Comment: Update from Jim Ward: We are leasing a 1600 sq. ft. home and keeping the RV to continue our advocacy. Dan was using our experience to illustrate how "less is more." No matter how you choose to cut it, the RVs functioned as home and mobile office for 6 people (including other advocates), cost less and left less of a carbon footprint than that of our combined homes, offices, cars, etc. Since November 15, 2006, we have traveled nearly 30,000 miles to more than 100 bus stop events that included disability leaders, governors, members of Congress, and state and local policymakers. The urgency of this mission is grounded in the fact that, 17 years after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the courts have significantly weakened these vital civil rights protections. The result is that people with disabilities face poverty and unemployment at rates more than twice the mainstream population. We have been calling on Congress to pass the ADA Restoration Act which will restore these protections and ensure fairness, freedom & opportunity for all. More: http://adawatch.smugmug.com/gallery/2925333 As a person with a history of a significant disability, I arrived in Washington, D.C. divorced, unemployed, nearly bankrupt and with a list of psychiatric diagnoses as long as my arm -- and with the associated stigma. My previous "housing" prior to this relocation included a locked psychiatric ward. Among the limiting messages was that I would be a life-long "patient," that I should never have children and that, despite my masters degree, extensive professional experience and having been elected to political office, I should do something "less stressful" -- like work in a deli! That was more than a decade ago. I have refused to be put in the box of "limited expectations" so often forced on people with physical and mental disabilities. This tour around the United States promoting the ADA served many professional goals. But for me personally, it was a celebration of the family that I "wasn't supposed to have" and a call on people with disabilities to refuse to accept living in the box of stigma and discrimination. Let???s not limit what people with disabilities should do or think that people with disabilities should somehow be exempt from wanting to participate in the American Dream. People with disabilities strive for the same dreams as all Americans: the right to live in our own homes and not isolated nursing homes and institutions; the right to a decent wage for a job we are capable of holding; the right to raise our own families in our own communities. So, in the end, I hope we can keep the focus on those who are forced from their homes and communities and into isolated and sometimes abusive nursing homes and institutions. This happens regularly in America because of the institutional bias in our healthcare system which rewards the nursing home and institutional industry at the exp
Comment: So, in the end, I hope we can keep the focus on those who are forced from their homes and communities and into isolated and sometimes abusive nursing homes and institutions. This happens regularly in America because of the institutional bias in our healthcare system, a system which rewards the nursing home and institution industry at the expense of home care and attendant services.
Comment: ???my suggestion for the storage unit is to go in with a view to keeping only ???what you used??? (on a really regular basis...) and perhaps that is redundant as you haven???t used any of it for 2 years; and ???what you love??? anything of great sentimental value. Everything else in-between is just clutter...often ???potentially??? useful (but not right now), sometimes guilt ridden (if a ???should??? comes up when deciding, get rid of it), occasionally very valuable, but never-the-less clutter. Less clutter equals more peace of mind, free time and jingle in your jeans!! Sell or donate all that lovely stuff to a good cause and bank the tax rebate. To quote one family in California who were definitely on the right track ??? ???Small house, big life???.
Cheers, Lindsay
Lindsay Hilsenbeck ACG CVCC
Professional Organizing & Coaching
The nonjudgmental solution for disorganization...
Phone: 510 669-1152
Email: lindsay@professional-organizing.com
WebSite: http://www.professional-organizing.com
Comment: ???my suggestion for the storage unit is to go in with a view to keeping only ???what you used??? (on a really regular basis...) and perhaps that is redundant as you haven???t used any of it for 2 years; and ???what you love??? anything of great sentimental value. Everything else in-between is just clutter...often ???potentially??? useful (but not right now), sometimes guilt ridden (if a ???should??? comes up when deciding, get rid of it), occasionally very valuable, but never-the-less clutter. Less clutter equals more peace of mind, free time and jingle in your jeans!! Sell or donate all that lovely stuff to a good cause and bank the tax rebate. To quote one family in California who were definitely on the right track ??? ???Small house, big life???.
Cheers, Lindsay
Lindsay Hilsenbeck ACG CVCC
Professional Organizing & Coaching
The nonjudgmental solution for disorganization...
Phone: 510 669-1152
Email: lindsay@professional-organizing.com
WebSite: http://www.professional-organizing.com
Comment: Interesting until I got to the end. The article makes it sound like they made some big transition but they are buying a 3000 sq for home, still huge!
Comment: They seem like nice people, but I'm having a hard time identifying with their dilemma. For me house lust had always been a matter of, can I even afford to own a home at all in a tolerable area? By tolerable, I mean, decent neighbors, not crime-ridden, and close enough to shopping, schools and my job that I don't have to squander my life idling in traffic. Even with two middle-class incomes, it has always been a struggle just to own and maintain a home at all (and no, we don't rack up $1000's in debt buying gewgaws). Now, for job-related reasons, we have moved to a part of the country where any house we could afford would be somewhere with scary, scary crime (as in, major gang activity) and rotting schools. In order to send our young teenager to a good school, we are fitting into a two bedroom apartment and grateful to have that. There are several families within a block of our house living out of their cars. Not RVs, cars. As long as we live here, we will probably never own a house. I suspect that our experience is much closer to that of the average American.
Comment: well this story sounds similar to ours. except we had an old farm house and 5 acres in the country of the prairies. we sold everything and do mission work now with 4 of our 6 children. we have an old rv, that is good on gas and we travel and hlep people. we homeschool our children and they are very stable. they are the best kids,. They know how to work and are very social. they love to have fun and know how to laugh. so if this couple had let mom stay home with the kids and hardly see Dad, that would be ok? i think its great that they are able to travel together. the stability children need , are parents who truly love them and each other. we are so greedy in this country and always think our opinion is the right one. walk a mile in someone's shoes before u judge them.
simplistic lifestyle!!
Comment: This couple represents part of the reason why Americans are cast in such a negative light and how some among us have lifestyles which border on the grotesque, contributing to a host of injustices and the disgusting waste of resources. I'd venture a guess that these folks have self-esteem issues, gaining affirmation and fulfillment through unbridled consumerism. Never being satisfied, always wanting more, bigger, and better is an sickness and is not in keeping with what is needed in the world, such as unselfishness and consideration of other peoples and the environment. Is this story supposed to inspire people to downsize and simplify their lives? They didn't downsize - they simply shifted from one luxury to another. This family went from what is likely a very inefficient, land-gobbling 6,000 square-foot home to a gaz-guzzling $150,000 road hog. Now that's a radical shift toward simplicity and global consciousness, eh?
In fairness to this family, the article does mention that they've begun looking for another, much smaller home. However, how long before they get 'home envy' again and move into another McMansion? I for one hope their shift in mindset is truly permanent.
Geesh, many Americans continue to be clueless and self-absorbed...
Comment: We went on a month long RV trip and live in a 4000 square foot house. I LOVED THE RV! It made life so much simplier and my husband, two kids (ages 8 and 10), and I so much closer! I recommend it to anyone. It was a great way to see the country too!
Comment: "she has just realized that the endless cycle of "trading up" to nicer homes isn't very fulfilling."...until a year later when they need an extra room or a bigger yard and they're buying a 6000 sq. ft. home again. BTW, a $150,000 RV isn't exactly 'roughing it'.
Comment: not 3000......370!!!! Yikes!
Comment: Not 3000......370!!!
Comment: Since when is 3000 sq. ft "extreme downsizing"? My family lives quite comfortably in a 1600-sq-ft house. We moved up from an 1100-sq-ft house before that. Sorry, but 3000 sq. ft. is still house lust in my opinion.
Comment: I started the 'RV'ing during summer time since my kids were 2 and 5 and I have to say it's one of the nest decisions I made. A few times we traded up in the RV world until we ended up with a really nice unit 33' long with 3 slide- outs. I cannot imagine ever not having one of these babies in my yard. My kids now are 19 and 16 and they still love to spend summer vacation in our RV. Granted we still have a house but the summer house is my RV and I move it a month at the ocean and a month in the mountains. My kids have benefited from 'RV'ing in many ways - to long to describe here, but yes it is possible to live in an RV and quite comfortable I may add. I know LOTS of retired people who have an RV in Mass and one in Florida. That is all I need when I retire. I hope to leave the kids the house and live in a trailer - and don't think trailer = park trailer - but think RV park with pools, tennis courts and the whole nine yards. They call them resorts and they are awesome. It's a life style I really enjoy. I made lots of friends and so did my kids. Kudos to this family!
Comment: Funny, when I saw the title about "extreme downsizing", I thought it might be about displaced Katrina victims trying to make do with FEMA trailers because they weren't getting enough insurance coverage on their old homes. Or maybe about someone in foreclosure because of shady lending practices having to move into a small apartment. I'm in neither situation, but thought I'd read about the consequences of poor planning (on the part of the homeowners or the part of the insurance or lenders.) Instead, it's about a rich family deciding whether to live in a big expensive house or a small expensive house? I guess I'm not wealthy enough to relate to their problems. :-(
Comment: I would gladly live in a smaller house if I could be a stay-at-home mother. So many women I know only work so they can afford some mega house. They don't realize the important part is closeness and time and attention - not something material, like a big house. This is why so many teenaged kids are emotionally lost - they see their parents' screwed-up values and know they are not getting what they need to become emotionally healthy adults. The parents can't see past their greed. It's sad.
Comment: It's all relative, I guess. I'm moving from a 1900 s.f. house to a camper that sits in the bed of my pickup. The idea of an RV with 370 s.f. at $150k is way too much, but then they are four and I am one. I'll be traveling the backroads of the western U.S. for a year or two following my passion of photography.
Comment: It's all relative, I guess. I'm selling my 1900 s.f. house for about $270,000, and I'm moving into a $19k camper that sits in the bed of a pickup. I'll be there for a year or two traveling the backroads of the western U.S. doing my passion: photography. A 370 s.f., $150k RV is monstrous (but then they are four, I am one).
Comment: Well, how nice that this family of 4 could afford to build a multi-million dollar home. I am a mom of 4 kids, and currently the sole breadwinner for my family (because my husband is an unrealistic dreamer who doesn't truly love me...because if he did, he would have come through on his promises to support us so I could be a "stay-at-home-mom" for a while. Now, my youngest is 4 years and 4 months old, and the other 3 are all in school. SO MUCH FOR MY DREAMS COMING TRUE... I am finally making a decent income for just the second year of my working life (I used to make half as much, and we just got by but never ahead). We live in a condo I purchased before I married and had kids, and it probably has all of 1,200 square feet of living space...and 1 full bath (with 2 half baths...). I'm hoping that, within the next 6 months, I will get my family into a single-family home with at least 4 bedrooms and at least TWO full baths AND a backyard. I'd be happy with a quarter of an acre...but a half would be even better. I DO think 6,000 square feet for a family of 4 is a BIT MUCH...but if I could afford that for my family, I would undoubtedly love it and feel AMPLY BLESSED. However, I'd be satisfied with something in the neighborhood of 3,000-3,500 sq ft. After all, I am 45, and as my husband doesn't do much in the cleaning department (though he cooks and does the majority of the dishes and most of the laundry...because he's ALWAYS home, while I am commuting 3 hours round trip every day...), I do what little cleaning I can manage in my very limited "free" time, so cleaning a 6,000 sq ft home without hired help might be a bit difficult for me... I am also the one who ALWAYS goes to the parent-teacher conferences and the majority of the other school functions (and I handle the bulk of school situations), so that cuts even more into my little free time... In the end, as one can see by this family's story, however, the living out of an RV "thing" was a temporary "whim" on the part of this family, since they ARE shopping for a fixed abode once more... Once can't deny the appeal of a decent home and suitable space for one's family. The main "plus" that resulted from their "experiment" was that they realized that they can live in far less than 6,000 sq ft. (pretty much anybody CAN...).
Comment: I say this in the gentlest possible way, but you should really read what you wrote here several times over. Do you realize how whiny and victim-y this sounds? You really sound like you've got the victim role in life nailed, and while you might think that it's only apparent when you put it in writing, I guarantee it's having an effect on your family and probably your work life as well. Happiness isn't a destination you arrive at when you have a big house and a short commute - it's the ability to decide every day that what you have at the time is good, and that anything better would be a bonus. But seriously, stop suffering already.
Comment: MTR...perhaps she is burnt da heck out because deadbeat hubby isnt pullng his weight yet expects her to function as mom to him and all their children as well. I feel for her, as she feels trapped by this bozo. Easy for all of us to judge, but not many of us have walked in those shoes of just barely keeping one's head above water and living to serve others without time or money (and feeling guilty or in her case, now resentful) re having no "Me time". I am a caregiver (began at age 35 when my spouse was disabled), and can understand this woman's angst. At least, however, my spouse isnt purposefully doing nothing to help the family stay afloat/get ahead.
Comment: Darling it seems to me you need a new husband not anew house
Comment: before coming to america somebody used to say "Spending is the secret of American Economy" but i see here people spend toomuch..way toomuch.. thats not good for individuals as well in the long run for economy because if you don't save enough in your younger working years..you won't be able to afford colleges for your kids...if they don't get college education image how they will turn out.. don't argue with me that kids need to get their own loans..it is you who brought them into the world.. not every kid is an Einstein..you have to support him as a parent.. God Bless America.. i love this county though..
Comment: before coming to america somebody used to say "Spending is the secret of American Economy" but i see here people spend toomuch..way toomuch.. thats not good for individuals as well in the long run for economy because if you don't save enough in your younger working years..you won't be able to afford colleges for your kids...if they don't get college education image how they will turn out.. don't argue with me that kids need to get their own loans..it is you who brought them into the world.. not every kid is an Einstein..you have to support him as a parent.. God Bless America.. i love this county though..
Comment: Does this article appeal to anyine but elitists??
Comment: Actually, yeah, it does. Before you get to be an elitist, you're a wanna-be. And it's the wanna-be's that have this bizzare idea that they will be more special and prove to everyone that they've made it they occupy 5000+ square feet for just four people. All it leads to is large mortgages that many struggle to afford, and families who are never happy with all the material goods they have and want more, and just sucks up utilities and natural resources. Heck, I know famlies who never even see each other because their house is a big a hotel. No, there's nothing wrong with living well, but becoming obsessive about things you don't have -- when you already have so much -- just is a recipie for unrest for many folks.
Comment: I didn't get it I don't get it and I won't get it. What is America's fasination with always getting bigger. My wife and 2 kids and I started out in a mobile home with anaddition. About 11 square feet then we made ajob move to a higher cost of living area but not higher salary. We found ourselves back to buying a mobile home very spacious and much cheaper than a stick built still only less than 1200 square feet. We saved some money and payed of bills and designed a house. Five years later we built and moved. We now live in a bueatiful 1400 square foot house in a woods in a nice subdivision. We built what we could afford. We designed it to die in. Our kids have plenty of room and when they move out on their own my wife and will still be able to maintain our house even into old age. We couldn't even think of having bigger. What we have now is plenty. We have meals every night with our kids and have enough space for alone time but are close enough that we know what our family is doing. Why do people think they need to have such a big home. The green economics of smaller also make sence. less house less heating and cooling costs. We live in northern michigan where yesturday it was 14 below zero. Our heating bill is around $1000 dollars for the year. That includes gas for cooking and water. Wake up America you don't need bigger. Do yourself a favor and go smaller. Your family will be better, your money will be better, and the environment will be better.
Comment: I didn't get it I don't get it and I won't get it. What is America's fasination with always getting bigger. My wife and 2 kids and I started out in a mobile home with anaddition. About 11 square feet then we made ajob move to a higher cost of living area but not higher salary. We found ourselves back to buying a mobile home very spacious and much cheaper than a stick built still only less than 1200 square feet. We saved some money and payed of bills and designed a house. Five years later we built and moved. We now live in a bueatiful 1400 square foot house in a woods in a nice subdivision. We built what we could afford. We designed it to die in. Our kids have plenty of room and when they move out on their own my wife and will still be able to maintain our house even into old age. We couldn't even think of having bigger. What we have now is plenty. We have meals every night with our kids and have enough space for alone time but are close enough that we know what our family is doing. Why do people think they need to have such a big home. The green economics of smaller also make sence. less house less heating and cooling costs. We live in northern michigan where yesturday it was 14 below zero. Our heating bill is around $1000 dollars for the year. That includes gas for cooking and water. Wake up America you don't need bigger. Do yourself a favor and go smaller. Your family will be better, your money will be better, and the environment will be better.
Comment: People need to get back to what is important. While they weren't exactly living in poverty, the Wards learned that they do not need so much unused space. After 25 years of marriage and raising two kids in a 2200 sq. ft. home with a pool, I often said we could have been just as happy if not happier if we would have been stepping all over each other in a much smaller home. Less upkeep, less stress, more closeness with the people who mean the most. I could have probably been a stay at home mom which might have helped my one child turn to a better direction in life. Bottom line is, we are way to much of a consumer-oriented society.
Comment: What bothers me the most is that if people could spend this much on a home, think how many people they could help with the money that they give away to a bank for there big homes. This I feel is our biggest problem here in America. We take and take and borrow and borrow and we give nothing in return. Think of someone other then yourself when you have more then you need. Saving for retirement and your childrens college is one thing, but buying a home that cost a million dollars is beyond belief for me. I make a lot of money myself, but I can not see spending all of it on me and my family when we can afford to give to other less fortunate.
Comment: Please see how we spent our year working on a cause that has become my calling. You can see what we are trying to do at http://adawatch.smugmug.com/gallery/2925333 and hopefully you will join our campaign. I am appreciative that Dan included a link to our nonprofit work at www.roadtofreedom.org as most of the national media, in this day and age, might write about our house size and our sex lives but ignore the how America is failing to keep the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Go to http://roadtofreedom.wordpress.com/ and scroll down the page to see how the real purpose of this journey was covered in the media at the state and local level.
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