Safely tucked away in my room as a child, I spent every available hour arranging and decorating my six-room dollhouse. My homemaking tendencies followed me to college, where I bought herbs and grew them on my windowsill in beer cups. The next 15 years were filled with countless hours of HGTV and shelter mags.

Now I am in my late thirties, living in downtown Boston with my hubby and our son. I still read lots of design blogs and compulsively move our furniture around our loft.

But we like to think we are part of a growing group that has discovered that money and consuming does not exactly buy happiness. In our search for more satisfaction, we are trying to create a life that is, materially more modest, but rich with family, friends, community, and creative work.

Living Simpler is certainly not a new idea, but we wanted to share our journey with others. After all, sharing creative ideas and inspiring each other is what the world of blogs is all about. So we are jumping in with our two cents about crafting a life that is not about living in poverty or self-inflicted deprivation. Rather, it is about living an examined life — one in which you have determined what is important, or enough for you, and discarding the rest. Thank you for reading Living Simpler.