I consider myself unique in several ways, among them the fact that I am an avowed minimalist who strives for simplicity. Now, don't get me wrong. I am not meaning to imply that I live like the Amish do, sans TV, cell phones, and other forms of technology. (In fact, I spend most of my day checking emails and writing posts on this blog!) What I'm getting at is that I aim to reduce clutter and avoid anything that forces me to put a great deal of time and effort into something I dislike doing. Take my recent decision to buy a condo. Condos require a lot less maintenance than houses. They're shorter on space, which cuts down on the amount of stuff you need to store and fix. You also have less real estate to keep tidy. In 2013, I opted to buy a Nissan Versa. The car is small, economical, and offers ample trunk space. Could I have purchased something bigger with more bells and whistles? Absolutely. Did I want to? Nope. It doesn't take much -- and that includes money ...