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080429truck My brother is a long-haul truck driver. His residence is the 264 cubic feet cab of his Volvo VN 670 semi. To put this in perspective, the cab of his truck is smaller than a cell in a U.S. maximum security prison.

Imagine for a moment that you lived in a space that small. What would you keep? What would go? How much of any one thing would you buy? Could you live that way?

I thought that you might be interested in learning about what he does keep and how he lives with so few material possessions. It's a great lesson in reminding us that to be happy and healthy we don't need a lot of stuff.

Clothing: He has five t-shirts, three pairs of jeans, seven pairs of underwear and socks, two polo shirts, a sweater, two stocking caps, a winter coat, a sweatshirt, a pair of shorts, a pair of khakis, two sets of work gloves, a pair of coveralls to wear when he's working on his truck, a baseball cap, a white dress shirt, a tie, cuff links, and a suit. He wears a pair of black leather Dr. Martens, and keeps a pair of dress shoes that match his suit and a pair of flip flops to wear in the shower. He also keeps a bottle of laundry detergent and a box of Bounce dryer sheets.
Linens: One set of sheets, a blanket, two pillows, and two bath towels. He also has two small towels he uses on his truck.
Entertainment: He has a single, foot-long bookshelf with audio books, paperbacks, and DVDs he checks out from the library near his company's headquarters, a small television and DVD player, and a stereo built into the dash of his truck. He has a cell phone with charger, a digital camera with charger, a deck of cards, and a GPS unit specifically designed for trucking. He also has a guitar in a soft case and a laptop computer with carrying case (his two "luxury items," as he calls them).
Food: He has a mini refrigerator, a microwave, and a small cabinet of food. Under his bed he stores two flats of bottled water. He also has a roll of paper towels, a can opener, two plates, two bowls, two glasses, two sets of utensils, three kitchen knives, plastic mixing bowl, and a bottle of dishwashing detergent.
Toiletries: Toothbrush, paste, disposable razor, shaving cream, soap, an emergency roll of toilet paper, and small bottle of lotion. My brother is bald, so he has no need for shampoo or a hair brush.
Other: A tool box full of tools, a three-ring notebook with personal papers (make-shift filing cabinet), a notebook with work-related papers, five pens, two pencils, a box of envelopes, a book of stamps, three legal pads of paper, a pair of scissors, three different kinds of tape, a stapler, a highlighter, a handful of paper clips and safety pins, a zip-top bag full of rubber bands, a bottle of pain reliever, a bottle of antacids, a thermometer, an extra pair of glasses, a pair of sunglasses, a bottle of sunscreen, a scrapbook, a duffel bag, a bucket, a bristle brush, a telescoping window scraper thing, and a box of trash bags.

Now that you've seen the list, could you live in such a small space with so few material possessions? I have to admit that it would be difficult for me, but I know that it's possible and helps to keep things in my own life in perspective.

Image from Volvo Trucks of North America

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