The New Good Life

car: eliminating your exposure to something not many people realize is a health hazard—“new car smell.” Some people find the smell of vinyl and plastic outgassing attractive and even seductive, but they probably wouldn’t if they knew what it really is: a mixture of VOCs, including benzene (a carcinogen), acetone and ethylbenzene (central nervous sy

It’s about the joy of living with a purpose larger than consumption. It’s about living less from image and more from the creative spark of your own spirit. It’s about expanding the love and laughter in your home rather than increasing the square footage of your home.

I have friends who, when they became pregnant, created a room for their baby-to-be. Wanting only the best for the new arrival, they installed new vinyl flooring and bought new furniture for the room. Unfortunately, they made an all-too-common mistake. They didn’t know that new furniture made with particleboard and MDF is high in formaldehyde,

When we say someone is a “success,” what do we mean? Do we mean that she or he is an emotionally balanced, loving human being? Do we mean that this person is creative and artistic and adds beauty to the world?

According to Barbara Kingsolver, “A survey of National Merit scholars1—exceptionally successful eighteen-year-olds crossing all lines of ethnicity, gender, geography, and class—turned up a common thread in their lives: the habit of sitting down to a family dinner table.”

A basic tenet of some schools of Buddhist philosophy is that suffering in the human experience is caused by attachment to excessive and unnecessary desires. And yet, isn’t that exactly what’s been at the core of the old good life? Aren’t excessive and unnecessary desires exactly what modern advertising is designed to promote?

It’s a game, really. The object of the game is to see how much you can lower your spending while raising your quality of life. I will

Don’t Pay for Premium Gas Some people believe that premium gas gives you more miles per gallon than regular gas, but it’s not true. To increase the octane rating of gas, companies include additives that slightly increase your mileage. They also add ethanol, however, which has the opposite effect. Premium gas does contain extra detergents, but the g

Hence the wisdom of not carrying a mortgage beyond two years’ income, even if banks or other lenders will provide it to you. Mortgages have become such an accepted part of our economic lives that most of us consider ourselves fortunate if we are able to qualify for one. If we do qualify, and if we are able to make the necessary down payment, we the