Simpler Living

I’m still de-cluttering. I dropped off another bag of clothes (kids) at the op-shop today and sent out three items I had sold. Slowly but surely I’m getting rid of thing we are not using.

This process of getting rid of stuff is also making me think about living more simply in other areas as well. Here’s some thoughts:

Simpler Shopping:

Lately I have been forcing myself to stick within a weekly budget for food. I haven’t been able to really stock up and buy everything in bulk due to cash flow, and it has really simplified shopping.

My Mum always taught me to buy the specials and stock up on those staple items while they’re at a good price, to buy bulk whenever possible and visit the shops as little as possible. She maintained that these principles save you money in the long run. And on the one hand she’s probably right. The prices per unit are always cheaper when you buy in larger quantities, but there’s still a cost: storage space, refrigeration, hauling it home.

So I’m starting to think a better approach for someone like myself who is trying to de-clutter, tidy up and simplify my life, a more day by day approach is better.

Now I tend to pop down to the shops and buy only the main ingredients for meals for the next few days. I only have to think of one or two meals. The ingredients are really fresh. I can be in and out of the supermarket in half an hour, can carry it easily.

Image via Wikipedia

Again, it takes only a few minutes to put away. I buy fresh fruit & vegetables, bread and milk at a shop up the road when I’m on my way home from somewhere else and it takes only a matter of minutes. I still keep a list and replace items like washing powder when needed. Finally, (and this is important)I only buy what I need when I’m there.

My husband reckons our fridge/freezer costs us about $60 a month to run. Maybe we could get a smaller one?

Why I’m learning to live with less stuff

The Story of Stuff

A reader reminded me of this video, and it explains much better than I ever could some of the reasons why I’m learning to live with less stuff.

On Clean-ups, Babies and Underachieving

OK. So I’m in the middle of a big clean out -  thanks to Socrates. That is if I understand what he actually meant. Maybe I got it wrong? Nevertheless, I’m in the process of reducing the stuff in my life. It’s a messy process.

Between looking after and theoretically educating these four kids, there isn’t many long chunks of time available to work uninterrupted on a project. I rarely can get something started and finished at one time. And in this case, it’s a bigger job than I anticipated.

Here you see our cupboard as it was. Just a photograph on an ordinary day. I just opened the doors, stood back and took the shot.

Yep, rather messy. But it’s staggering just how much stuff is crammed in there. I pulled it out and got started sorting it. Here’s what our room looked like after two hours hard at it:

This doesn’t show the extent of the mess. There was hardly carpet space to walk on. It’s still not finished, but there are several more bags of clothes in the back of the car to give away, and some stuff listed on Trade-me (like ebay but better. So there.)

Once it’s done I’ll post after photos.

If you look closely you’ll see there is a baby in the cot. He noticed something was up, and would not go to sleep. Here he is in all his chubby, dribbly, cuddly, gorgeous baby-ness. Sitting all by himself. He’s just started crawling too (shuffly, but gets around ok).

Oh, and being the veritable queen of overcomitting myself, tomorrow I have booked the kids into some education thingy. Actually I don’t really know what it is. It’s a bus or something that drives around to schools to teach the kids stuff. Which seems kind of silly to me…doesn’t the school teach them stuff? Anyway, a bunch of home schoolers have booked it for the day so I thought we’d join in. Apparently the session is about Air to Live.

But here’s the thing: it starts at 8:30am. Which is about the time I normally start to think about getting out of bed. And it’s a 25 minute drive away. And we have to be there 10 minutes early. And it’s at a school, where there will be eleventy hundred frantic mothers trying to drop their kids off, so we’re going to have to park a million miles away. And the thingy is actually only for the older two so I’ll have to keep Ryan and Samuel occupied for an hour. And now at 11:36pm the night before I’m starting to think I was crazy to have even considered it. And I haven’t actually mentioned it to the kids at all. So if I DID happen to um… forget … or something…well they wouldn’t really be disappointed or anything. And anyway, I’m sure I can teach my kids that we need Air to Live. Duh.

Benefits of Sorting Junk

You find stuff:

It was in my drawer.

Fear of Lack

As I have been going through the process of getting rid of my stuff I have encountered different emotions. Sometimes I’m so happy to be done with a thing that has been gathering dust, taking up space and sucking energy. But sometimes, there’s a pang. Something nagging… A pang of fear.

A Few Thoughts About Fear

Sometimes we hold on to things, even things we aren’t using, because we think we might use them again, and we FEAR that if we give them away there will not be enough. That we will lack something. A classic example is clothing. I have held on to particular items of clothing (e.g. maternity clothes) ‘just in case’ we have another child. After all, I might need them! But actually if you dig a little deeper it’s really:

“What if I give them away and then need them? What if we can’t afford more?“

It’s a fear of never enough. But where does that concept of enough come from? What is enough? Again, how much do we really need?

Sure, it’s a possibility that I’ll throw something away, and then find that I need it. And maybe there won’t be enough money. But it’s unlikely. In fact, I can already see how the minimalist lifestyle is an exercise in frugality too. It’s cheaper. It’s more economical. It’s quality over quantity.

Besides, I don’t want my life governed by fear. To give stuff away is to live a life of faith; not fear. It’s generosity instead of hoarding. It’s community instead of individualism.  It’s open-handed instead of grabbing and clasping at mere things. (It’s the vibe.)

Discovering What’s Important

When I get an idea in my head, I become obsessed with it. I immerse myself it in. I read about it, think about it; write, talk and blog about it. If you’ve been reading here lately you’ll know what I mean. I have become completely enthralled with the idea of minimalism.

Here’s what I’m learning:

Sometimes when I am about to get rid of an item, I suddenly think “Oh no, I’d better keep it. After all I’ve always wanted to xyz and when I get around to it, that’s exactly what I’ll need. It would be expensive to buy it all over again.”

In the process of getting rid of clutter I am discovering what I really care about.

Suddenly as I’m about to throw away art supplies for example, I remember that I really love creating things. But herein lies the problem: it is in storing excessive numbers of items like these that is preventing me from enjoying them.

I have so much stuff that I’m keeping for that elusive day when life feels perfect and I have time; the house is tidy and the children settled. That’s when I’ll pull out say, the art supplies and create something. But because of all the crap in my life, that day never comes. I rarely do the things I really want to because I’m distracted and busied by everything else. My brain feels chaotic.

So, I’ve decided to be ruthless. Even if I think I am going to use something one day, I’m still going to get rid of it unless, a) I’m already using it regularly or b)it adds joy, inspiration or beauty to my life as it is already.

Surprisingly few items fit that criteria.

This Feels Fantastic!

Feels So Good To Have Less Stuff

Things removed from my house the past two days:

• 1 bag of clothes (mine)
• 1 box of books
• 1 rocking chair
• 1 port-a-cot
• 1 baby blanket
• 3 candle holders
• 1 serviette holder
• 1 half finished crochet project
• 3 pairs of shoes (one pair went in the bin)
• 5 towels
• 2 balls of wool
• 1 foam floor puzzle

So I’m on a bit of a roll here. Taking something out every day. I still have a long way to go.

I’m thinking of getting rid of all but one towel per person. At the moment there is more than that. I don’t even know how many, and they float about the house in varying stages of the cycles between clean and dirty, hanging over door knobs, in the dryer, on the floor. If each person had their own towel, they could take care of it. I could wash them all at the same time. Dry them and put them back. So simple. And who says you can’t use a regular towel when swimming? — Or do the bright colours on beach towels do something special I don’t know about?

Do you think I should have a couple spare for guests? We don’t often have people come to stay. Perhaps I can have some spare towels but keep them somewhere else.

Please. Take my stuff.

In an effort to remove clutter from my life, I am getting rid of things I don’t need, don’t want, or don’t use.

The following is up for grabs. For Free. If you can pick it up or pay for postage, it’s yours. If you pick it up it also comes with a free tea or coffee. (In all likelihood, it’s for locals only, but I am happy to post overseas if you really want it and are willing to pay what is likely to be large coinage. Except I’m sure you understand that I can’t post tea & coffee. Or my company.)

I’m starting with these items because as noted yesterday, we have lost the cable for the camera and hence cannot upload photos. Yes, I really DO need to get rid of clutter. So PLEASE take this stuff off my hands. Without further ado …images stolen from the internet.

Dreaming With God – Bill Johnson

Paperback in excellent condition.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – DVD

Ex-rental. 2 disc special. Plays without skipping.

Tommy Emmanuel – Classical Gas (CD)

Aussie guitarist with Australian Symphony.

Tommy Emmanuel – Determination (CD)

Celine Dion – All The Way (CD)

Yes, well.Please pass no judgment on my ownership of this CD. It is from my teen angst falling in love days. Ok I was 23. SHUT UP.

The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield

Great book. I reviewed it here. Ouch. Giving away a book I loved. This is a bit sore. Somebody take it quick. Like ripping off a band-aid really fast.

Japanese Story – DVD

Near new condition. I bought this for the Australian scenery.

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OK. I have taken comment moderation off, so go for your life. Please comment below stating which item(s) you want. First in first served. Stuff not gone will be taken to the Sally’s on Saturday 14th August. Have fun.

Oh and please pass the link on if you know someone else who might want this stuff. Easy share buttons below. Ta.

Getting Rid of Stuff

The process has begun. I know this is not a once off effort; it’s a new way of life. But you have to begin somewhere. So…after my epiphany about the junk and clutter and stuff weighing down my life, I have started to get rid of stuff that we are not using.

A Rocking Chair

We’ve had this since just before Emma was born. D has never really liked it, neither of us ever really sit on it, and neither do the kids. It gets in the way, and finally I decided I’m ok with letting it go. I posted this picture on facebook as a freebie for whoever wanted it, and it was snapped up in about 20 minutes. It was so easy!

A Port-a-cot

There is no picture of this. Because we cannot find the camera cable. Yes, we have so much junk and clutter and stuff that we can’t find the cable. I spent considerable time yesterday searching for it getting frustrated and wasting time. This is the exact kind of stress I am sick of! How ironic.

Imagine picture of Port-a-cot here

(The only reason there is a pic of the rocking chair is because I scoured albums for one in which the chair lurked in the background.)

We don’t need this. We hardly ever travel, and if we do, the baby can sleep on a mattress on the floor, or in bed with us. I’m realising that so many thing we think we need, are just extras. (That take up space).

Tomorrow the cot is off to the Refugee Society. A couple of weeks ago I watched a French movie called WELCOME about refugees. (It was really good…check the trailer) It was so incredibly tragic and sad, and I thought some refugee family here would appreciate it.

Soon I’ll be posting a list of other things to give away, so keep you’re eyes out..you might find a treasure.

(For the beginning of the story start here: In Which I Begin to De-Crap My Life)

In Which I Begin To De-Crap My Life

“Contentment is natural wealth; luxury is artificial poverty.”  ~ Socrates

I was talking with D in the kitchen the other day, and remarked “Imagine if we only had one bowl, one spoon and one cup each? Think how easy it would be to do the dishes?“  We went further and imagined less and less stuff. “How about only two sets of clothes each?” A long discussion brought us to the conclusion that our culture is driven by greed. Always wanting more, whether you need it or not.

The Rat Race

In our society, there is a certain amount of pressure to follow a path that looks something like this:

Study hard to get a good job, work hard to earn as much as possible, get married, have a couple of kids, send them to school to work hard to get a good job. Meanwhile, buy a house, borrow as much as you can to get the biggest and nicest house possible. Work hard for the next 30-40 years to pay off the mortgage and eek out some sort of a retirement for yourself. All the way along, buy as much lovely stuff as you can. Keep upgrading to the latest computer, phone, car and entertainment centre. This requires a large income and /or more debt and eventually a bigger house. Work work and more work. Both parents will probably have to work to sustain this ‘lifestyle’, and the result is debt, excessively busy lives, and less and less quality family time together. And what sort of a life is that?

Fill it up, build a bigger one

Image Credit

I’m sure I’m not the only one who find this whole process pointless. All that work and stress to have more stuff, but less time and energy to really enjoy it.

A friend posted the above quote from Socrates on facebook just a day or so after D and I had talked about these things, and it got me thinking more. Really. I mean I really don’t need or want all this stuff. I spend so many hours of my life managing our possessions. How many hours do I spend doing meaningful things? Well, since I am caring for children, I guess quite a few, but not as many as I could if only I wasn’t forever cleaning the house, tidying toys, washing clothes, shopping for food, cooking it, doing the dishes etc.

What Do I Really Want?

The good life. What is it?

I want to spend time with those I love. This means my husband and four young children, my parents and brother and extended family (who are overseas). It means my friends (some here, some far away).  I want to have quality relationships, where we really know and love each other. Relationships which are mutually supportive, inspiring, and bring out the best in each other.

I want to have time to do something meaningful in the world. Making life a little more as God intended it for one person. Or two. Or more. Hopefully more. To help those who weren’t born into the privilege I was. And to learn from them too.

I want to have time to learn. I am so hungry to learn about so many things. It’s a real shame I wasn’t interested in my school days because now I find myself interested in a whole range of things I once didn’t care about. Politics, history, literature, economics, sociology, philosophy. Probably more.

I want to teach my children everything I know (which is not much) and give them a glimpse of the myriad things I don’t. I want to inspire them to become all that they can. I want the ability to travel with them, to show them a world so different from their own, so much bigger that what they currently know.

I could go on. But none of the things that are truly important to me have anything to do with owning stuff. (Except maybe books. I can’t help that)

Minimalism

This leads me to my point. (Yes, I know…it was a long time coming).

I want to get rid of all the crap in my life.

I don’t want my life cluttered with baubles and trinkets that I don’t need, and that prevent me from really living. I want the freedom that comes from being content with what I have and not always wanting more.

This is not going to happen overnight. I’m not even sure what it will look like in practise. I do know that for starters there are things I’m not using in my home that I can give away or sell.

It has yet to be seen how far I can/will go on this. The pull of our greedy capitalistic culture is strong, so it’s not easy to live in a city and live simply. But I’m sure going to try; I will start by down sizing, down grading, cleaning out and giving away. Eventually I hope to answer the question :

What do we really NEED?