About

A family’s journey into simplicity, generosity, and joyful change. One story, one step, one shared meal at a time.

Watson Family next to fire 2021

Perhaps There’s More to a “Good Life” Than Having it All

We’re a family of four on a journey, not just across borders, but through ideas. We’re exploring how people are living more fully by consuming less, connecting more deeply, and realigning with purpose. In 2026, we’ll begin a low-impact adventure through Asia. But the real journey is already underway: learning from others, rethinking what we value, and creating space for connections, contribution, and change. Check out our blog to follow along.

Living More

  • Positive Emotion: Not the thrill of the new, but the quiet joy of presence, laughter around a meal, a shared sunset, a morning ride.
  • Engagement: Being immersed in what we’re doing, whether that’s fixing something, learning a skill, or simply walking without distraction.
  • Relationships: Slowing down to really see each other, to build trust, to reconnect with family, community, and strangers-turned-friends.
  • Meaning: Living in line with our values: serving others, giving effectively, and contributing to something beyond ourselves.
  • Accomplishment: Progress that feels real. Learning to navigate the wind, grow a tomato, or hold a difficult conversation and face our own limitations with humility.
  • Health: Choosing food, movement, sleep, and nature over screens, stress, and speed.

…With Less

  • Endless busyness and productivity pressure
  • Debt and financial pressure
  • Consumption and waste
  • Isolation and loneliness
  • Assumptions about how we measure success, progress, and happiness

Our Core Messages

Vietnamese children participate in games with Australian volunteer (2006)

Generosity is powerful and effective: Effective giving meaningfully improves the lives of both the giver and receiver. Our family has been giving generously for many years (25% of our income last year). By visiting some of the affected communities we aim to uncover the impact that has had. We encourage others to also give what they can, not just as a one off, but as a way of life.

We need to simplify our lives to bring true happiness, peace, resilience, and freedom. Living with less isn’t about going without or making deliberate sacrifices. It’s about making space for what matters: connection, creativity, contribution, and community. This is not just a nice sentiment, but well documented by research.


Discovering a Different Way

All over the world, individuals, families, and communities are finding new rhythms or rediscovering old. They are growing food together, finding ways of living frugally, repairing and sharing, rethinking education, and building resilience through local knowledge and mutual aid.

We’re seeking out these stories. We’re documenting people and places that reflect the values of Living More With Less: from local volunteers to regenerative farms to urban repair cafés. From world-schooling families to zero-waste communities. We’ll share what we learn through our blog, videos, interviews, and real conversations – amplifying the good that’s already happening.

The Journey – Local and Global

Watson family cycling in Brisbane

We believe the best ideas already exist, many very close to home. So before we leave, we’re diving into conversations with those in our own community who are already making change.

Then we’ll hitchhike, sail (currently learning), cycle, walk and/or ride toward others across Asia, meeting people living different versions of the same story: a life grounded in purpose, generosity, and joy. We’ll go slowly, minimising our environmental impact and staying long enough to learn and contribute where we can and reconnecting with communities we have supported from afar since visiting Asia in 2006. This is a journey of listening, not leading, of learning and of sharing.

If you are already part of a family or community focused on living more with less or you relate to the message and have noone close to share it with, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch to share your story or collaborate.

10 min
Book Cover - peach on blue background with white writing

Frugal Hedonism

June 12, 2025
4 min

Minimilism – Film Review

April 16, 2025
2 min

USB Controller Repair

April 14, 2025
8 min

Repair, Reuse, Reconnect

April 14, 2025
5 min

Book Review: Less is More

April 9, 2025
2 min

Threshing pigeon peas at home

April 7, 2025
10 min

The Power of Giving

March 31, 2025
1 min

Back pack repair

March 31, 2025