I’ve just been reading the latest issue of Faithworks and there’s an excellent article by Bob Holman (‘I downsized my life’ p12, Spring 2008). Well worth reading, here are some quotes

We live in a society dominated by materialism and greed. Those who can afford it (and some who can not) spend large amounts on furniture, clothes, electronic goods, leisure, eating out and drinking. The rich show off with expensive cars, designer outfits, a second home or a holiday home abroad. Money and what it buys has become the centre of everything. The Selfridge’s department store’s recent marketing slogan says it all: ‘Buy me, I’ll change your life’.

and

Contentment comes from having what is sufficient for our needs. Modest living can affect your level of happiness. Modest living also challenges the prevailing domination of materialistic greed. It demonstrates that the god of mammon can be undermined by an emphasis on people not things, with families having more time for each other. Furthermore, those who do so are saying by their actions: ‘I will have less so that those in need can have more.