My family and I adopted a minimalist lifestyle many years ago. We came to the conclusion that our house had too much clutter and that it was consuming too much of our money, time, and energy. We started a mission to get rid of as many non-essential items from our house as we could by selling, donating, recycling, or other means. It turned out to be one of our best choices ever. After we started getting rid of the “stuff,” we discovered an entirely new world. We discovered that we had more time to devote to the things we loved most. We now take longer family walks, spend more time at the dinner table, and have been able to save money. When we are alone with one other for the first time, we concentrate very hard on the fundamentals of a strong and happy marriage. However, as our marriage develops, “stuff” starts to pile up and diverts our attention from the fundamental components of a successful union. All of a sudden, we are more concerned about our home’s assessment value than our relationship’s worth. We are significantly more likely to monitor the state of our retirement savings than our marriage. Alternatively, we tend to the car in the garage rather than the person occupying our bed for longer.
