If the floods that have besieged our country have made one thing clear, it’s this: our current throwaway consumer culture has finally met its match. Mother Nature has heaved back at us with floodwaters choked with trash and belongings ruined in an instant. The recent weather calamities prompted us to rethink our purchases, give to those in need, and be more mindful of disposing our garbage. These disasters also make us ask ourselves this question: Do we really need all this stuff?

Think of this guide as your way of defragging and rebooting your home, getting rid of non-essentials, and giving you new room to grow. After all, if you can’t make space for good things to come into your life, how can they fit in at all? Browse through the gallery for concrete tips on de-cluttering your home, along with lifestyle changes you can make.


(First published as “How to Live with Less” in the Special Feature section of Real Living Philippines’ January-February 2010 issue. Adapted for use in Female Network. Photo by Lindsey Turner via Flickr Creative Commons.)