I’ve been striving to have a more simple existence for the past eleven years. During that time, I’ve been like the elementary school math word problem… the one about the frog in the well who climbs up three steps and slides back two. But, I’m finally at the top of that darn well!

Sure, there’s more to do (there always will be) but it’s been an incredibly rewarding (and often times frustrating) adventure.

This month, I finished construction on my own tiny house – a 744 square foot cabin in the middle of 25 acres of woods. I paid for the property outright and then began building the cabin by hand, with cash only. No debt was accrued to build my dream. (That would kind of eliminate the sense of accomplishment, I think.) I also did it while self-employed, running my own business online.

My choices made the progress incredibly slow. Being single and raising three kids made it even slower. Thankfully, I had some great help — primarily from my uber-talented father who did much of the labor, who helped me to find great deals on lumber and supplies and who (mostly) followed my plan for the cabin as it materialized.

Aside from my location, I’m also striving to live a more simple life in relation to food, educating my daughter (the only one still at home these days) and to keep my finances under control. As a technology geek, I’ve had a real challenge trying NOT to buy the latest and shiniest gadgets. As a writer and a book nut, I’ve had a hard time not filling every nook and cranny with volumes of books, paper and other tools to create. I love to cook and want to stockpile food — so that’s always a storage issue.

I’m making progress in all those areas, and although this site has been on the web for several years, it is now being totally revamped to meet the original plan when I purchased the URL — To offer advice, encouragement, and support to those who have the same dream — to live a life that’s just big enough to enjoy and not so big that one loses sight of the goal — to be comfortable, healthy and happy.

So, welcome to the new LivingSmall.com. I’ll share snippets of my own story, I’ll tell you the approaches that worked for me and those that did not, I’ll recommend products and approaches that I like, I’ll offer resources that are worthy of your consideration and I’ll answer any questions you may have that are within my realm of knowledge.

Since I’m so opinionated, you may like or dislike my take on life. Feel free to stay and join in the discussion no matter which side of the fence you claim as your own.

I’m glad you are here!