diff --git a/bare_image.sh b/bare_image.sh
index d0a86fb4bb1b240e49902e3a84a7202700c62b94..6a440f6b79dd07f2327e4fe760d46a119e42e976 100755
--- a/bare_image.sh
+++ b/bare_image.sh
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ minimal_armel () {
 
 		include_firmware="${include_firmware}"
 
+		chroot_very_small_image="${chroot_very_small_image}"
 		chroot_enable_localepurge="${chroot_enable_localepurge}"
 		chroot_enable_deborphan="${chroot_enable_deborphan}"
 		chroot_enable_hardlink="${chroot_enable_hardlink}"
@@ -147,7 +148,8 @@ is_debian () {
 	deb_components="main contrib non-free"
 
 	pkg_list
-	exclude_pkgs_list="aptitude,aptitude-common,info,install-info,libept1.4.12,manpages,man-db,tasksel,tasksel-data,wget"
+	exclude_pkgs_list="aptitude,aptitude-common,info,install-info,libept1.4.12,manpages,man-db,tasksel,tasksel-data,vim-common,vim-tiny,wget,whiptail"
+	chroot_very_small_image="enable"
 	chroot_enable_localepurge="enable"
 	chroot_enable_deborphan="enable"
 #	chroot_enable_hardlink="enable"
diff --git a/base_image.sh b/base_image.sh
index 24ad40fc5f5198f30e381d549d06193a9ffbb9b8..8b223b7c9f4a1d48f138f5c1650cb7c4c7181108 100755
--- a/base_image.sh
+++ b/base_image.sh
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ minimal_armel () {
 
 		include_firmware="${include_firmware}"
 
+		chroot_very_small_image="${chroot_very_small_image}"
 		chroot_enable_localepurge="${chroot_enable_localepurge}"
 		chroot_enable_deborphan="${chroot_enable_deborphan}"
 		chroot_enable_hardlink="${chroot_enable_hardlink}"
@@ -148,6 +149,7 @@ is_debian () {
 
 	pkg_list
 	exclude_pkgs_list=""
+#	chroot_very_small_image="enable"
 #	chroot_enable_localepurge="enable"
 #	chroot_enable_deborphan="enable"
 #	chroot_enable_hardlink="enable"
diff --git a/build_image.sh b/build_image.sh
index 6595dcd856b4343259d35d03d34801a347652ebf..76449b540b621d0f513943c90e8f56240b9a0fd9 100755
--- a/build_image.sh
+++ b/build_image.sh
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ minimal_armel () {
 
 		include_firmware="${include_firmware}"
 
+		chroot_very_small_image="${chroot_very_small_image}"
 		chroot_enable_localepurge="${chroot_enable_localepurge}"
 		chroot_enable_deborphan="${chroot_enable_deborphan}"
 		chroot_enable_hardlink="${chroot_enable_hardlink}"
@@ -197,6 +198,7 @@ is_debian () {
 
 	pkg_list
 	exclude_pkgs_list=""
+#	chroot_very_small_image="enable"
 #	chroot_enable_localepurge="enable"
 #	chroot_enable_deborphan="enable"
 #	chroot_enable_hardlink="enable"
diff --git a/scripts/chroot.sh b/scripts/chroot.sh
index 728b416f4f3ad41450bd21626a72e5c1a05d6533..773de23f0112296a9fdc6862831d857879dc8181 100755
--- a/scripts/chroot.sh
+++ b/scripts/chroot.sh
@@ -141,6 +141,25 @@ sudo chroot ${tempdir} debootstrap/debootstrap --second-stage
 echo "Log: Complete: [sudo chroot ${tempdir} debootstrap/debootstrap --second-stage]"
 report_size
 
+if [ "x${chroot_very_small_image}" = "xenable" ] ; then
+	#so debootstrap just extracts the *.deb's, so lets clean this up hackish now,
+	#but then allow dpkg to delete these extra files when installed later..
+	sudo rm -rf ${tempdir}/usr/share/locale/* || true
+	sudo rm -rf ${tempdir}/usr/share/man/* || true
+
+	#dpkg 1.15.8++
+	mkdir -p ${tempdir}/etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg.d/
+	sudo sh -c "echo \"# Delete locales\" > ${tempdir}/etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg.d/excludes"
+	sudo sh -c "echo \"path-exclude=/usr/share/locale/*\" >> ${tempdir}/etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg.d/excludes"
+	sudo sh -c "echo \"\" >> ${tempdir}/etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg.d/excludes"
+	sudo sh -c "echo \"# Delete translated man pages\" >> ${tempdir}/etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg.d/excludes"
+	sudo sh -c "echo \"path-exclude=/usr/share/man/*\" >> ${tempdir}/etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg.d/excludes"
+	sudo sh -c "echo \"\" >> ${tempdir}/etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg.d/excludes"
+
+	echo "Log: after locale/man purge"
+	report_size
+fi
+
 file="${tempdir}/etc/apt/sources.list"
 case "${release}" in
 wheezy)
@@ -284,9 +303,8 @@ cat > ${DIR}/chroot_script.sh <<-__EOF__
 	}
 
 	install_chroot_pkgs () {
-		apt-get update
-
 		if [ "x${chroot_no_lsb_release}" = "x" ] ; then
+			apt-get update
 			packages="lsb-release"
 			for pkg in \${packages} ; do check_n_install ; done
 
@@ -510,6 +528,10 @@ cat > ${DIR}/chroot_script.sh <<-__EOF__
 		if [ -f /etc/apt/apt.conf ] ; then
 			rm -rf /etc/apt/apt.conf || true
 		fi
+		if [ "x${chroot_very_small_image}" = "xenable" ] ; then
+			#if your flash is already small, the apt cache might overfill it so drop src...
+			sed -i -e 's:deb-src:#deb-src:g' /etc/apt/sources.list
+		fi
 		apt-get update
 		apt-get clean
 
@@ -537,7 +559,9 @@ cat > ${DIR}/chroot_script.sh <<-__EOF__
 		packages="initramfs-tools u-boot-tools wget"
 		for pkg in \${packages} ; do check_n_install ; done
 	fi
-	set_locale
+	if [ "x${chroot_very_small_image}" = "x" ] ; then
+		set_locale
+	fi
 	if [ "x${chroot_enable_deborphan}" = "xenable" ] ; then
 		run_deborphan
 	fi