123: Less Stuff, More Happiness

Questions about the Video File:

1. How much space does an average American have today compared to the past?
2. How big is the personal storage industry?
3. What are the consequences of having and needing more space?
4. What does “less is more” mean?
5. How can you live little?

General Questions:

1. How big is your house? Do you think you need a bigger house? If so, what do you need the extra space for?
2. How often do you buy new furniture? Why do you buy them?
3. How many objects can you name in your bedroom that you haven’t used in a year?
4. How many clothes do you have that you haven’t worn them in a year? Why do you think you have kept them?
5. Name the things in your kitchen/living room that you can live without conveniently?
6. When was the last time you bought something you never used? How often does it happen? Can you discover your motive?
7. What do you think of minimalistic decoration?

Related Quotes:

“If you live for having it all, what you have is never enough.” Vicki Robin

“One can furnish a room very luxuriously by taking out furniture rather than putting it in.” Francis Jourdain

“Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.” Pablo Picasso

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction.” E.F. Schumacker

“The system of consumerism may seem like an immovable fact of modern life. But it is not. That the system was manufactured suggests that we can reshape those forces to create healthier, more sustainable system with a more fulfilling goal than “more stuff”.” Rachel Botsman

Related Idioms and Expressions:

1. Let something go: to give something to someone without expecting to be paid.

• Let all your unnecessary stuff go.

Related Words and Phrases:

Plenty (pronoun) enough or more than enough

• We have plenty of space in our new apartment. It is big enough to host a family of 5.

Footprint (n) the impact of human activities on the environment which is caused by using natural resources, producing waste and making pollution.

• The environmental footprint that human has left in the last five decades is more that the last five century.

Carbon footprint (n) the amount of carbon dioxide produced by a person or organization (used especially to refer to the harm it does to the nature)

• To live green means to reduce your carbon footprint.

Flat-line (v): being at a low level of standard and not increasing or decreasing.

• His improvement in learning new skills has flat-lined in recent years.

Dorm (n) dormitory; a place where you live in a college or university

• Living in the dorm was one of the best experiences of her life. Being independent and enjoying the company of her friends was wonderful.

Ruthlessly (adv): making decision in a firm and decisive manner despite being difficult

• She decided to leave her current job ruthlessly.

Rig up (ph v) to build something quickly with whatever you have available

• We rigged up a tent in the middle of nowhere in the heart of nature.

Extraneous (adj) extra, unnecessary and irrelevant

• We are surrounded by many extraneous objects.

Cut out (ph v) remove

• Cut everything that worries you out of your life.

Multifunctional (adj) having more than one function

• I need a multifunctional table for dining and working.

Related Collocations:

By all means (adv) definitely; opp. By no means

• We should want it by all means.

Space efficiency (n) the maximum use of a place

• In modern design space efficiency is an important factor, there is no space to be wasted.

Transformer furniture (n): furniture that can be changed for different functions

• A pioneer transformer furniture company has designed tables that can change to beds as well.