In response to Michael's comments on the simple life, I thought I would share my own personal journey into the simple life.
I'm not sure what sparked a change in my thinking and lifestyle change.  At around age 40, I literally ' felt' something spiritual filling my body.  I even wrote in my journal one day that I felt something was about to drastically change in my life.  It wasn't long after that day that I began to empty my household of unused, unnecessary and unnatural items.  I began to simplify and simplify.  The more I reduced all that clutter, the more spirtual I became which only fueled an even greater desire to simplify.  This is why I tend to believe that ' things' distract us from self awareness and thus, awareness of others.  Most of our material wealth is simply food for the ego and if we live by and to fulfill our egoistic needs, then we will never be happy and satisfied.
I could write a book about all the waste I created and the wasted time I spent trying to care for the ' stuff' in my life.  In 2003, I endured a hurricane which left me here with no electricity, no water, no nothing!  It was just me against the elements and believe it or not, I felt so relaxed and I basked in the quiet for a few days until my neighbors decided to purchase those very loud generators.  So much for the quiet.  But, I realized how relaxed and clear my thinking was.  I wasn't preoccupied with concern for telephone rings or door knocks or TV or radio.  Although at dusk I would sit on my deck under the stars( which I could actually see!) and listen to public radio music- a tradition that I looked forward to each evening.  In the morning I would rise with the sun and light a fire for my coffee.  I would sweep the floor with a broom, I would tend to my food in the ice cooler and fill the oil lamps for that evening and forage for firewood. I could hear the birds and even the buzz of a nearby bee.  I felt as though my senses were on high frequency alert.  It was truly amazing to realize just how much we can't hear in our suburban lives.  I heard no planes, no cars, no electric noise.  It became so obvious to me to what degree technology had robbed me of my hearing.  My heart and mind had been cluttered with noise.  So, I guess after that I decided to remove even more stuff from my household.  I didn't want anything that distracted me from experiencing the world and all it's natural gifts.  I also began to take notice of how my body reacted to the things around me.  If there were any posessions in my household that didn't give me a  good feeling, I got rid of them.  Cable TV?  GONE!  Cable TV is one of those things that drive me absolutely bonkers.  I spent money every month and rarely ever found anything worthwhile to watch.  So, that type of item or service was what I considered to be draining, not fulfilling.  Which brings me to my point that whatever we have and the people that we have in our lives should nurture our well-being, not drain us.  I also asked myself what was necessary.  What is absolutely necessary for me to have.  sure, I have some trendy things like a cell phone/mp3 player.  But, believe it or not, I rarely ever use my cell phone and I only use the MP3 player because I work in a hermetically sealed building that prevents me from receiving radio signals and I do love my violin music to work by.  My home is full of art that real people created because I believe those items contain good energy and even if you don't believe that, well, they sure give me a good feeling when I walk into the room.  It's as if there are great friends in there with me.
I eat locally grown food as often as possible, organic of course and again, this type of food contains good energy that nurtures my body.  It's not seen a factory farm or been touched by machines.
I studied Zen cooking for a bit because their philosophy teaches about how food preparation affects how food will nuture us.  For example, an angry chef instills negative energy in the food which someone will then ingest.  
Maybe you think I'm nuts.  All I can say is try it.  A simple and spiritual life isn't for everyone but it sure is for me!  I could never ever ever go back to the city and the way I lived in my early adult years.  I'm not an esoteric hippie either.  I don't have beads hanging around and with incense burning at the door.  But, I do keep things healthy and simple so that I can spend more time in quality life experience instead of keeping my BMW waxed and polished for the neighbors to enjoy.  The less I have cluttering my life and mind, the more spiritually connected I am with the world and thus, the more fulfilled and successful I feel.  For me, less is a good thing!
The important thing is that we don't allow ourselves to identify with things that accessorize our lifestyles and realize that hings don't create us or define our character or spiritual presence on this earth. We need to be aware of what things are robbing us of compassionate awareness so that we may live a more ethical life. Take notice of how you would feel if you lost something.  Do you feel less of a person?  We must seek and maintain balance through awareness and decide what is absolutely necessary and what is not.  How do our choices impact our lives and others' and the earth?  Since we can't avoid being an environmental  burden we must decide how much of a burden we will be and give back as often as we can.