Actionable tips and practical advice to help you experience more by living with less
When I flicked through the Jetstar Magazine on our recent flight from Auckland to Sydney, a statistic caught my eyes. According to the Magazine’s sources, 326 couples get married in Australia every day, and on average, each spends AUD51,245. That’s a whopping AUD6.1bn...
You may have been made redundant and face financial hardship. Or you work towards achieving financial independence. Whatever your financial goal, cutting your spending is (almost) always part of the equation – at least temporarily. We’ve helped you take (and stay in)...
Are you sick of giving gifts just because it’s Christmas, Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day, and television commercials or societal expectations tell you it’s the right thing to do? Are you looking for gift ideas that are truly meaningful and appreciated by those on the...
How do you have your (take-away) coffee, tea or hot chocolate (in the morning)? Do you have a reusable cup at work or that you bring it with you when you go to a coffee shop? Or do you go with the disposable cups your barista offers – because you always forget to...
Paul and I are passionate about travel. We love to slowly explore the world, immerse ourselves in other cultures, practise our language skills, and learn more about the world and ourselves. Travelling has countless benefits for those who travel and for those who host...
Financial well-being is an important element when it comes to leading a happy, balanced life. Yet many people struggle to stay on top of their finances/live within their means – even higher income earners. Financial worries can cause huge amounts of stress and are one...
On 15 March 2019, New Zealand lost its innocence when a terrorist attack occurred resulting in the deaths of 51 people, many of whom were refugees from war-torn countries who had made New Zealand their new home. In the aftermath of the attack, it was disclosed that...
Today’s article talks about what it cost us to start our van life in New Zealand. But, before we jump into the detail, some background for you: When we farewelled our corporate lives in Sydney, we had a goal: to earn enough money to sustain our lifestyle for as long...
For many of you, especially if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, New Zealand is as far away as it gets. So, if you make the effort and come all this way, you want to make the most of the time you’ve got here. Right? We spent 12+ months tiki touring (Kiwi lingo for...
When Paul and I decided to buy a campervan to travel around New Zealand for a year, we had no idea what to look for. Whether you have only a few (thousand) bucks to get you started or you want to create a luxury home on wheels, in this article, we go through the key...
When Paul and I bought our campervan, all we owned fitted into our travel packs. The essentials you need when living in a van full-time were not among our possessions (anymore). And as our campervan came devoid of any inventory (to speak of), we had to buy things...
Those of you who’ve been following us for a while know that we keep track of and publish our travel costs all around the world. In this article, we share with you what it cost (us) to explore New Zealand for 12 months in 2018. Why could this be of interest to you? By...
Decluttering and reorganising seem to be the pastimes of people during the COVID-19 lockdown. And there is nothing wrong with that. We can all use a spring clean every now and again. All too often though we’re finding decluttering and minimalism being used as if they...
While many of us receive our bills online these days, we can’t avoid physical mail altogether. So, what do you do with letters and parcels if you travel (around New Zealand or Australia) for more than just a few weeks? How do you provide proof of residential address...
Do you want to simplify your life but have boxes upon boxes of old photos, photo albums, and even some 35mm negatives gathering dust in your attic or garage? What about those piles of old documents in your office and the recipe clippings in your kitchen? Isn’t it time...
Every year, in the weeks and days before the holidays (or Mother’s/Father’s/Valentine’s Day), the same frenzy unfolds: Facebook groups are full of ‘What gift should I get for … ?’, often followed by ‘They already have everything’. Retail stores are packed; parking...
In prior articles, we talked about Paul and my journey to minimalism and suggested an approach that anyone who would like to adopt minimalism can apply. Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favour of focusing on what’s important – so you can find...
In another article, I used Paul and my journey to minimalism as an example of why adopting minimalism could change your life. It’s a continuing process. But thanks to minimalism, we now live our lives with more awareness and intent and are true to our values. We...
As human beings, we all have our own values, beliefs and attitudes that we have developed and continue to develop throughout the course of our lives. When Sandra and I got to know each other, initially as friends and learned about each other’s history and previous...
We can all live without most things. As humans, we cannot live without air, water and food. No matter where I am (and how warm it is), I need clothes and shelter. So maybe this article title should really be Ten things I don’t WANT to live without. Also, things are...
Sunday 07 May 2017 – Today marks the tenth anniversary since two policemen came, collected me from my workplace and, under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992, took me to Middlemore Hospital in Auckland where I stayed for nineteen long and...
When we first told people about our lifestyle change in 2016, we would often get asked questions like What is minimalism? Why did you choose this path? Does it make you happy? We continue to be asked these questions as we meet people on the road, and therefore felt it...
For many, COVID-19 is now a thing of the past, but the effects of it and the high cost of living are stopping us from returning to the old normal. We hope that the pandemic has been enough of a wake-up call to ensure whatever we do next doesn’t look like what we left...
Are you looking for an all-natural, plant-based, eco-friendly and plastic-free deodorant? Coconut Matter’s Mood deodorant range could be just what you’re after. It has lots of reasons going for it and not much against. And by the way: although some of the advertising...