Buffy Moore’s epiphany came after she and her husband, Eddie, both now 38, moved with their three teenagers into their sparkling new 5,000-square-foot dream home in Lexington Park, Md., in 2005. Instead of being elated by the luxurious house and fancy new furniture, Buffy felt empty and blue. She missed the closeness that came from living in a smaller home.

Buffy's Cost-Slashing Strategy

“My quality of life wasn’t any better,” Buffy realized. “Then it hit me: Why do we need this house and all the bills and stress that go with it?” And so Buffy started to pare down. By creating a bunch of economies — like line-drying laundry, cooking more at home and renting and recycling in lieu of impulse buying — Buffy slashed her monthly household expenses from $2,815 a month to $1,417, which allowed her to go from holding four jobs to two. (She’s still a financial analyst for the Department of Defense and also sells real estate; her husband has an electrical contracting business.) Far from feeling deprived by her new life, she says, “I feel so much better and in control.”

Almost 9 out of 10 Americans believe our country is “too materialistic,” according to a 2004 poll by the Center for a New American Dream. Experts estimate that anywhere from 5 to 48 percent are doing something about their concerns: downshifting their consumption, and often their careers, to spend more time with their families and to live more heartfelt, unhurried and uncluttered lives.

The trend “cuts across the political spectrum” and is driven by a variety of motivations, says John de Graaf, co-author of Affluenza and editor of Take Back Your Time. Many disenchanted workers and overburdened moms trade work to stay home with their kids, which, by necessity, leads to penny-pinching. Others, worried about global warming and the environment, begin consuming less for ethical reasons.

Less Spending, A Richer Life

Downshifting “fits in with our spiritual values,” says the Rev. Geraldine Colvin of Unity Church of Christ in Hammond, Ind., which hosts a “simplicity forum” that teaches people how to spend less by, among other things, sharing more. Prosperity, says the reverend, is not defined solely through financial wealth, but also by contributing to one’s community and enjoying the peace of mind of living clutter-free.

Buffy took a stealth route to getting her family on board: She made no big announcement as she switched from liquid soap to bar soap and began cooking pastas and other simple meals at home instead of trundling the family off to restaurants. When her daughter, Breanna, 16, wondered why the two no longer spent “quality time” together shopping for clothes, Buffy explained her new rule: Nothing that could otherwise be found in the house, or scrounged online or at a thrift store, would be purchased new. Breanna “resisted less than I ever dreamed,” says her mom.

But rarely does everyone in a family embrace the simple living spirit simultaneously and to the same degree. As Buffy schemes of ways to unload the family SUV, her teens continue to clamor for new cars.

Yet downshifters rhapsodize endlessly about the positive changes that living simple sows. Buffy feels less guilty now that she considers the impact of each purchase on her pocketbook and the polar ice cap. Homemade family dinners are routine and unrushed, with everyone pitching in, and the family spends idyllic hours of pure pleasure prospecting for shells on the beach. Instead of buying stuff when she feels empty, Buffy reaches out to people she loves. She and Eddie revel in long dinners at the homes of neighbors and friends where they “spend three hours just chatting! I never would have done that before,” marvels Buffy. “I just wouldn’t have had the time or energy.”

How to Get Started

Live better and spend less by adopting these easy downshifting strategies:

• Up your awareness. Make a card for your wallet that carries the following questions, which you should review before making any purchase: “Do I really need this? Do I already have something similar? Can I borrow this item or get it another way? How many hours will I have to work to pay for this?”

• Share! Start a “lending library” with your neighbors for tools, toys or rarely used kitchen equipment. Why buy a brand-new chain saw when you need one so infrequently? The same principle also works with skills and labor: Starting a car or babysitting pool, or a cooperative to work on each other’s gardens or homes, not only saves money but builds relationships in your community.

• Redefine fun. Start a quilting bee, sewing circle or book club. Take turns having friends over to dinner instead of going to restaurants. Good company doesn’t require costly diversions.