The Mrs. and I are trying a bit of a social experiment next year. We have pared down and minimized what we thought we needed, but have found that the crap keeps coming back. So, our social experiment is to not make any brand new purchases unless it is required to repair something that we already have. Otherwise it will be purchased used with the exception of a few things (i.e. food, undergarments, etc.) The goal is to see where the excesses are and to save up to get into a house. Apartment living is okay, but we would like a place to call our own and not have to climb 3 flights of stairs to get there. We are doing the planning still but plan on kicking off at the first of the year. We will be continuing through the year and if all goes well into 2015