So, why the simplifying?

You may ask, what made you decide to begin downsizing and simplifying your life? Well, I was discussing with my husband one day what our dream life would look like when we retired and it occurred to me, why are we waiting until we retire? So, I began imagining what it would be like to live that life in the near future and what would need to be accomplished to get to that point. For those of you who may not know me, I am somewhat of a country girl who has an extreme fondness for the mountains, which were a prominent part of my upbringing in Idaho. My dream is to own a small ranch in the mountains where my family and I can thrive while working on being more self sufficient. But, to get to that place it will take paying off a small fortune of debt, thanks to my college education, and a substantial amount of savings. Therefore, I made the decision about a year ago to start paring down our lives to get to my ultimate goal. Baby steps, smaller then I would like, but those small steps are slowly preparing me for the minimalist lifestyle I am longing for.