What Inspired me to Live a Less is More Lifestyle? Have you ever had the feeling of being admired by others all around, yet secretly feeling suffocated within a world of fluff? Almost as if you are watching one of those perfectly filmed tv storylines full of big houses, nice cars, dream jobs, and perfectly placed hair. This world of fluff was a lifestyle we once thought as our heart’s desire. Thing is, this fluffy lifestyle image was simply what society drove me to portray. In a society driven world, much of the world associates power and success with materialistic fluff & stuff.

image by: Erin S. of Simply Living NC

You see, I was doing just that…living a society driven lifestyle in a Virginia town just west of Washington, DC. My husband and I ran a very successful photography business full of beautiful fancy filled weddings every weekend and portraits when we had a free moment. Our home was almost 5,000 square feet full of stuff, much of which was built strictly for our photography clients. While we loved every moment we shared with our clients within those walls, we realized we were only living a life for others within this fancy filled house. We drove nice cars, had a closet (the size of a small bedroom) full of any type of clothing and shoes our heart’s desired.

I remember sitting on my leather tufted changing stool looking at my 26 pairs of converse thinking “if only I had one more fun colored pair of Chucks, I’d be happy” What? Really? Just one more pair after 26 pairs of shoes? WHO was I? I was “that girl” who wanted just one more pair. By her side was her husband who had the same thought! Together that one more pair equaled two more pairs, and so on and so on and so on. Stuff, Fluff, Stuff, Fluff….until one day “bam” we both looked at one another and asked “why are we living this life that makes us so sad?” We were simply living the fast paced thoughts of society, hoping to impress others along the way.

Our friends and family were in shock over what was about to happen!
I remember the day perfectly. We were swiveling within our Herman Miller designer desk chairs perched in front of our His and Her’s solid oak desks the price of six months of a mortgage. Staring at one another in a daze; like after you eat that X-Large cheesy pizza and wonder why you have a stomach ache. Why? How? and What Now? Do we continue our indulgence of cheesy pizzas, comforting our souls with a bottle of fix it anti-acids? Or do we make a change?
…..and then….at that very moment….no joke….we both said “Lets just SELL Everything and moving to Coastal North Carolina?”
We had both been secretly dreaming of living a warm, simple, life less fanciful!
Neither of us had ever said this to one another until now in fear the other didn’t want to give up this “picture perfect lifestyle”

One month, that’s all it took!
We got rid of 75% of our stuff by either selling, donating, or throwing it away.
Listed our home for sale; little did we know that our house would sell within one day!
Yep, one day we had to decide where to go within 13 days.
Within 13 days we said good bye to our Home, Our Friends, Our Family, and the Town we were both born and raised!

image by: Erin S. of Simply Living NC

Together, just the two of us drove a UHaul Truck full of what we had left of our belongings to an unseen storage unit on the coast of North Carolina.
Over the next Year and a Half we drove 8hrs back and forth from NC to VA to stay true to our contracted Virginia Weddings. We called hotels home and rented a beach house to simply “breathe” and figure out our life plan of Simply Living in NC to fulfill our dream of a Less is More Lifestyle!
Once an unseen dream, was happening…..NOW!

My sweet little coastal town in North Carolina is quite the dream!
To this day I am not only a Home and Garden Lifestyle Blogger; I am also an Oak Island NC Family Photographer and a Wilmington NC Senior Photographer!

image by: Erin S. of Simply Living NC

WE built our ever so sweet Coastal Cottage “The Pocket Cottage.”
(the cute little cottage in our logo IS The Pocket Cottage)
We continue to challenge our selves to live more simply, live with less each day, cut our costs, save money, find love in nature vs materialistic things, enjoy DIY projects and be crafty with easy craft projects and refresh each day within our lives by enjoying our cottage garden and family of houseplants!
(my fave being Pilea Peperomioides Chinese Money Plant
I can’t wait to share tips, outlooks, and inspirations with YOU!
I hope you’ll enjoy my blog of Simply Living in NC!
“make memories, live simply & follow the sun!”
Erin S. of Simply Living NC