The High Maintenance Minimalist: A modern guide to downsizing, decluttering and creating the freedom to travel more

by Kashlee Kucheran

Who says minimalism has to be boring? She quit her 200k job and sold it all to travel the world. Kashlee Kucheran had a glamorous life. The house, dream job, the fantastic wardrobe. Discover the soul-crushing moments that lead to Kashlee letting go of everything she knew for a life of experience rather than materialism. Her inspiring ‘how-to’ guide delivers real-world advice on how to clear out all the clutter, and live a freedom based life.
Through hilarious stories and insightful guidance, this book will teach you step by step how downsize and erase debt• Finally get your finances in check
• Favor experiences instead of ‘stuff’
• Create an awe-inspiring bucket list
• Earn an income while exploring the globe
• Learn your true passion and calling in life
"This book is a must-read for anyone looking to have more freedom in all aspects of their lives. It's packed with tools that you can start using from day one, it's hilarious and it's real. The book is hands-down the best and most practical guide to having more control over your mindset and finances that I've ever read."- Natalie Ellis, Serial Entrepreneur + CEO of Boss Babe Inc.
With Kashlee’s in-depth workbooks and no BS attitude, you’ll learn everything there is to know about embracing modern minimalism and the power that comes with it. The joy, the freedom, and the happiness. The energy to embrace your inner wanderlust and make life a journey, not a credit card driven prison sentence.Wake up and realize how capable you are without the all the crap.

276 pages, Paperback

Published December 4, 2017

Reviews

[Sandra Heinzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, to be 40 or 50 again! Just kidding – 65 is the new 45! The High Maintenance Minimalist by Kashlee Kucheran is a new book, the subject of which has not been written about before, I don’t believe. In a nutshell, it is about how you can basically sell or store all your possessions, give up your static (regarding location) corporate careers, and live a life traveling the world while working remotely from wherever you are! In her case, she and her husband sold almost everything and each travel with only two bags. She keeps extra clothes at a place where she can contact them and they will ship from her “closet” to wherever she is; so she doesn’t have to carry different season clothes with her. And, conversely, she can mail back the clothes she is not wearing for the next few months. Kashlee and Trevor are from Canada and they have an RV at some lake up there where they can go “home” to visit and regroup when the weather is not too cold. They both had very successful, 6-figure incomes before they started their nomadic life, and gave them up to travel the world, usually staying in a location around 2-3 months at a time. I’m so envious! Trevor is a health and fitness coach and Kashlee is a blogger, author, and has a number of other online businesses that she can work from anywhere in the world. The book outlines exactly how and why they were able to do this and how we can also do it and how long it should take us to prepare for this lifestyle.

The book is divided up into various sections:
-Her personal story (the effects of so much STUFF, minimalism, the turning point)
- Mindset (know your WHY, take Action, Need v. Want)
- The financial aspect (how to do it, how to get out of debt, etc.)
- How to Earn money while doing it (being an entrepreneur, your dream job, running your own business)
- Travel
-The Pros and Cons

If I had a husband who was on board, I would definitely be interested in this lifestyle during our retirement, at least for a while. I really enjoyed the book. First of all, because I love travel adventure books, because I’m interested in the entrepreneur lifestyle, because I know I need to and I want to downsize my STUFF, and because I love living vicariously through the adventures of others. I thought the book was well organized and written, and it has lots suggestions of other sites/places to go to learn more. From “talking” to Kashlee and Trevor online, I feel like they have become friends of mine, and I would love to meet them someday. They are the nicest couple, and live such a wonderful experience-laden life, that many would envy. At this time, they have no children, so that helps them live this lifestyle, but I totally think it’s very doable with children, especially if you homeschool (which I did)!

My recommendation to Kashlee is to next write a book about her specific adventures in the different places they have lived; the stories of their experiences and what they’ve learned about the different countries/cities and people they’ve encountered in their travels. They do it online via social media, but to write a book would be awesome. Also, if they decide to try housesitting (so no housing costs) internationally, that could be another book that I would love to read!

[Bakari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should of have read the subtitle more closely. The book focuses a lot on the author's life and her travels. If you want to travel a lot, this is a useful book. But if you want to focus on financial budgeting or decluttering your home or apartment, then you'd do well to read other better books written on those subjects.