If you think life is passing you by, it's time to catch up. The Good Life is closer than you think.

How to Host a Reverse Birthday Party

Photo by Karen Rosenzweig

When it comes to downsizing, you can easily get bogged down in not only what to get rid of, but how to get rid of it.  You know that I’m a big fan of Craigslist, and we’ve made thousands of dollars by downsizing this way. But what about the good stuff? You know, the things [...]

It’s all about you

Or at least it should be on your birthday.  Today is mine, and I turn 39 years old.  What amazes me about this is that I don’t feel like I ever really age; I just have more experiences.  Maybe it is because I don’t have kids and move fairly frequently that there are no real [...]

Gear Review: REI Grand Tour Women’s Backpack

REI Grand Tour Women's Backpack

REI is a fun place to go shopping if your idea of a good time is anywhere outdoors.  We have the flagship REI store here in Seattle, so we recently took an afternoon trip to try on backpacks.  Because we had signed up for the REI newsletter, we also had a handy 15% off coupon [...]

5 Things You Don’t Need on Vacation

Too much luggage slows down the fun on your vacation

As a veteran traveler and someone about to get rid of everything to travel around the world, I’ve got some opinions about what is really necessary for a trip. Most people don’t travel as light as I do, and that’s okay.  But there are a lot of people who travel with so much stuff that [...]

Final Notes on Decluttering Month

Tulips in LaConner, WA

You’ve accomplished a lot this month, from learning the basic decluttering styles all the way down to disposing of your old medicine. Whether you made a huge impact on your space or simply needed to straighten up a drawer or two, give yourself a pat on the back. Learning to let go of the junk [...]

How to Get Ready for a Trip Around the World (the long way)

Boston house picture

When I think back on the decision to make this trip, it amazes me how much prep work we have already done.  Who knew being responsible would make it easier to run away from home? When we got married, we both had credit card debt and car payments.  We worked at paying those down, but [...]