Have you noticed that Europeans seem to have mastered simple living? Maybe it's in part due to the high cost of real estate over there, but they're great at designing minimalist apartments/homes and not have too much clutter. The European friends I know have very nice, yet small wardrobes. They seem to take more time lingering over a good meal and getting together with friends.

Do you agree? What else have you noticed that we could learn from people of other cultures?

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They also have excellent public transportation which is sorely lacking in many parts of the US. I'm in the Detroit area and there is no way for an employee to get around w/ public transportation.

I don't really have anything to add but I was hoping to hear more opinions on this thread!

I know they (at least the French) have a shorter work week (35 hoours) more time off (mandatory 5 weeks per year I think). However, they are more productive. Do we fill our busy lives with things we think will help us feel more stress free in hopes it will work?

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I think that is one of the reasons. There are many things in our lives that we think make us happier and less stressed, but actually it's one more thing to keep track of or pay for.

This was my experience, I have traveled in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.

Many people work a shorter work week , but seem to get as much done as we do in our marathon weeks, who knows how they do it, I'd love to know. They have more vacation time and more national holidays that everyone gets off work. With these days off, they really do go out and travel, shop and eat and support the economy. They travel between countries so often, especially since the introduction of the Euro and low cost airlines like Ryan Air (it costs less than $20 to fly from London to Milan!, you just sit on an uncomfortable plane for the short flight) The live in smaller spaces with higher quality furniture and clothing, they just have less of it. They have one small or midsize car, if they have one at all. Many people bike or take public transportation, which is affordable and efficient (why can't we figure that one out????) They shop more often for fresh foods instead of the huge trip and eat less pre-prepared foods. (they do love their McD's though). Health care varies between the countries, but overall most people are insured, are provided generous maternity and family leave, and are not frowned on when needing to take a personal or sick day. I would shock people with my stories of friend's and relative's expereinces with health care and medical leave in our country.

There is capitalism (of course not as much in the scandinavian countries), but not to the same degree as here. They are not always striving for bigger, better, newer, faster, gotta keep up with your neighbor. It's so refreshing to me.

I found Europe to be an eye opening experience and it made me view my life here differently. It changed the way I cook, spend and define my goals in my daily life. I do believe I can have a very fulfilling life having less, higher quality things than buy everything I see at Target on sale. My family benefits much more from us going outside for a walk and shopping at farmer's market than wandering around a mall buying cinnabons. There are more important things in life than the almighty dollar.

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Since I live in Europe i might as well chime in. There are many ways in which life in Europe is simpler, and I agree with everything that's been said already. Space is a major factor in forcing simplicity. Nothing enters our house that doesn't earn its keep - we just don't have space for clutter and junk. We shop more frequently, eat MUCH better food, and have loads of time to spend together. Occasionally we talk about moving stateside, but we are happy here and we have numerous concerns about living in the US now that we are used to living here. The biggest is TIME. Dh gets 6 weeks of vacation + overtime hours (another couple of weeks per year) and he is a manager at a major company here. Currently he has 3 weeks off over the holidays and we just have so much time to be a family and enjoy life together! It's fantastic. We would probably earn more money in the US but it would be a major tradeoff for quality of life, because we wouldn't see each other as much.

I think one thing that drives the lack of simplicity in the US, or makes it easier to keep simple in Europe, is commercialism. There is just so much STUFF that gets thrown in your face in the US. Selections are overwhelming, there are gadgets and gizmos and features and new and bright and shiny... and it just never stops. It's like a constant bombardment of STUFF ... GO BUY ... SPEND ... 24x7. I live in Germany. Shops are closed Sundays and holidays. That means that for Christmas we have to have all food, gifts, etc. bought this Saturday. And Christmas includes Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. So the shops don't open again until next THURSDAY!!!

Things like this have 2 effects on me. The first is Frustration. Life in Europe is not convenient. It may be simple, but it is not easy or convenient and you have to think ahead, plan well, and be prepared. Shops close at 8pm in most places, although they have just extended hours to 10pm on certain days. But really, if you are a working couple, there is very little time in the week to get things done outside the house and office. It is stressful and frustrating. However, the other effect is Relaxation. I know that Sundays are family days, because there is no other option here. You get together with family and friends because nobody works and nobody spends money. I know that this Christmas will be 4 days of time together, and no consumerism involved (outside of the mountain of presents!) No last minute and last-last minute trips to the store, no running around frantically for last-minute gifts. No shopping immediately after gifts are opened.

And to be honest, I go back and forth on which one I prefer. Sometimes I really miss Target and gadgets and gizmos and just want options and selection and low-quality low-price convenience... And sometimes I just enjoy my good affordable wine and a nice long meal freshly bought at the market and cooked to perfection....

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We lived in Switzerland for two years...and homes are definately smaller. We lived in an apt, a condo/townhouse type place and a house while we were there...and they were all pretty small! Real estate is astronomical. People really buy things to last a lifetime, not a year or two, which seems to be something that people in the US do quite a bit. The cost of living in Switzerland is very expensive...so I would often shop in France or Germany, and although cheaper than Switzerland, still more expensive than the US. I used to shop daily and go to the open markets for all our produce. It's really a much slower paced lifestyle, or at least that is how it worked out for us. I was still able to go out with my friends, have coffee, shop...go to lunch - all the usual things.

As Mama-Abroad indicated, shops close by 6PM daily and often are not open at all on the weekends. It was a huge deal when the IKEA near us extended their hours to 8 or 9PM or something on Thursday nights. LOL! You do have to plan out your shopping and you do have to be prepared, and have things on hand...should someone get sick or stop by for a visit etc

I have to say though, we really enjoyed living in Europe. We were lucky enough to do tons of traveling all over and I think the experience for the kids is immeasureable.

Dh's family is from Argentina, so we go there fairly often and like Europe, life is simpler in a lot of ways there too. Although it is beautiful and rugged, medical/emergency care is not close by...which is one of things that coming from the US, can be an adjustment. Now the cost of living there is much lower than in the US, although not as low as it used to be.

There is a lot of difference in the working world too...at least in Switzerland. While I think the vacation time is lovely, they aren't as competative as the US for a reason. Just depends on what you want in a work environment, what your career is, your personality etc. Dh was working for a pharmaceutical firm and it's very competitive, even in Europe but he noticed marked difference when working the US at this company and then working in Switzerland. When Dh was working in Switzerland, often, the Swiss and Germans would leave...at 5PM. His French, US and British collegues would stay until the job was done. It's just a different mindset. Dh was offered a permanent position in Switzerland, but they really weren't offering enough money to make it worth our while. The majority of our family is in the US, and since we're very close to our family, living in Switzerland permanently would have been really hard in that aspect.

I love the US though. I'm proud to be an American and I know that I can make my lifestyle here...whatever I want it to be, that's the beauty of it.

This is a fascinating thread. I really enjoyed reading about life in Europe!

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