When schlepping more stuff into the house the other day, a brilliant idea hit me: 

How about a family project in which we try to acquire nothing new for one month. (Okay, except for food and wine.) 

I ran it by a few family members; the idea elicited eye-rolling, if that. 

Fine, I figured.  Simplicity is not so simple.  We can keep crowding ourselves in our cluttered habitat.  And such challenges will only help me with my Zen training, right?  Anyway, spring has sprung, so a guy can finally ditch the house and dig the outdoors. 

• Self-imposed scarcity gets trendy

Little did I know that bloggers and books are rampant about the relentless pursuit of living with less.  Some of it is recession and spend/save related, though the political and spiritual motivations may carry more weight.

One couple subsisted with a food budget of a dollar a day, blogged about it, and made many dollars on the book deal they landed fast after the near-fast ended. 

A San Fran artist has given up autos—even riding in anyone else’s—and has 15 months under his belt.  Of course he, too, has a blog to share his saga. 

And up in Seattle, a diehard fashionista has sworn off buying new duds (other than underwear) for a year.  And has lived to tell the tale.

Of course, TIME magazine recently brought all these projects into the old-school media mainstream with a feature.

• Back home, the stuff-fungus grows on

Wish we had a bigger house, but then we’d just fill that one with more stuff too.  Meantime, the last week alone brought (bought?) a ton of new baseball equipment for The Boy.  Dance uniforms (3) and American Girl gear for The Girl.  And several springy garments (albeit secondhand) for the wife.  (NOTHING left the house, save trash.) 

As for me?  Nothing new!  That’s some level of success, right?  After all, we learn over and over that we can only control our own actions.  And when it comes to stuff-coveting, self-control isn’t easy. 

Much of America is blessed with so, so much.  The question is:  When do blessings become burdens?

Which is more important:  How you spend your money…or your time?

Over the past decade and around the world, people are increasingly eating out, ordering in, and picking up their edibles.  Such habits may save time, but they typically cost much more than making your own meals.

One upside of this relentless recession is that folks may be getting more finicky about how they spend both time and money–including regarding food.  Even the French are changing their ways!  To wit:

• 66% of Americans say they have changed their food consumption patterns as a result of the economy.
• 72% of Americans now pack lunch for themselves or their children.
• The French now spend an average of 31 minutes eating lunch, down from an hour and 38 minutes in 1975.  (Which likely saves time AND money.)

As usual, such symbolic stats suggest both good news and bad news.

Bad: What’s Paris without leisurely lunches?  What happens to all those restaurant artisans and traditions?  What are the French doing with that extra hour—working?  Zut alors!

Good: If Americans are changing their eating ways, maybe (just maybe) we’ll save on both money AND calories, since packing lunch may whisper “apple” instead of bellowing “Big Mac.”  Bottom line: Growing (or at least cooking) your own is good soul food–time well spent that typically costs less.

The balance battle of money versus time wages on for each of us.  But for most folks, it’s the shortage of jingle that keeps them from dancing away on a Sabbatical dream.  Perhaps simply taking charge of your own food–rather than constantly saying “charge it”–will help people create money-saving habits that someday, someday, will lead them to a BreakAway.

And then they can go out for a long, classy lunch in Paris!    :  )

Saving money can be hard work. Worse: Many strategies have no obvious, immediate payoff. I mean, who can figure the savings for, like, not leaving all the lights on?  WSJ—that’s who.

This article has tips that are good for saving (for your BreakAways), good for the earth, and in some cases even good for your health. 

To encourage you to read more, here are a few pecuniary teasers:

• Cool down:  Turning down the thermostat can save hundreds yearly.
• Slow down:  Drive 55 and save 70 cents per gallon.
• Use your legs:  Biking or walking to work could easily save a thou or more annually. 
• Brown-bag it:  Save another thou (or more—and that may include daily calories!) by taking a lunch to work. 
• Don’t grocery-shop on an empty stomach.  
• Get a better credit card. 
• Get your DVDs from the library. 

Check it out!

We blame the banks.  Blame the Wall Streeters.  Blame the Joneses.  But once again, we did it ourselves.  This fine article reminds us that the average credit card debt has hovered around $8,400.  And more than 40% of U.S. households spend more than they earn.  And that was BEFORE the current meltdown really got nasty. 

The history of consumption in America goes back decades.  But the propensity to “need” posh stuff is fairly recent—and went off the charts for a while. 

If we can buck that trend—and save a few bucks instead—not only will our nation will be stronger, but we’ll be able to afford more BreakAways. 

I may be topping off a glass that’s not even half-full.  But buried in this dreary personal wealth story are some—okay, a few—signs that Americans are learning fast during this disastrous downturn.  Can compulsive spenders change their ways?  Maybe they already are.  Check out the good news numbers, then the bad news numbers. 

The Good News! 

• Amount in savings:  $620.2 billion, the most since 1959
• Personal savings rate:  5.7%, the highest since 1995

The Bad News  :  ( 

• Personal wealth losses:  $1.3 trillion, the lowest since 2004
• U.S. stock market holdings:  Cut by more than half, peak to trough
• Collective home equity:  41.4%, the lowest since 1945
• Home value losses:  Down 32%, from peak in 2006

Now here’s the conundrum:  If we DON’T spend, the economy may not turn around, and these losses may linger or get worse.  If we DO spend, we may stop being thrifty and start ourselves back on a cycle toward another crash. 

Guess that’s why sage souls know to do everything in moderation.  (Including moderation.) 

“Staycations” are huge this year, and there’s nothing wrong with a little home cookin’.  But if you long to BreakAway, it need not bust your budget.  This pithy article suggests going by car, packing a cooler (yes!), trying off-season, and more ways to save bucks while seeing a slice of the world. 

Give it a read if you’re on the edge of sanity AND solvency.  There’s also 5 good websites to help plan your getaway. 

• RoadsideAmerica.com
• Hotels.com
• Homeaway.com
• Roadfood.com
• Priceline.com

A recent survey published in TIME reveals that more than half of Americans are losing faith in the future of the American Dream.  No surprise there, and perhaps it’s even a contrarian indicator?  After all, people get overly giddy when times are good, and then go too gloomy when cyclical downturns happen—which can suggest a bottom. 

Percentage of people who believe the American Dream will be easier or harder to achieve in 10 years.

13% Easier

57% Harder

This time may be be different, though.  We’ve given ourselves far too much credit for far too long.  If the American dream is pay-as-you-go for a while, these numbers could be spot-on.  Oh well, the best things in life are still free. Right?  This site is all about taking TIME (not the magazine, duh)—not spending money on stuff!