Anyone else here into Minimalism or Voluntary Simplicity?

[Peela]

I am on a really big wave of decluttering. Every time I check out a Minimalism or Voluntary Simplcity blog I get this incredible urge to get rid of more stuff. And I keep looking at the blogs, because it feels so good.

This one is my favourite (not sure if its a blog or a website though):

 

http://zenhabits.net/

 

I look around my schoolroom and instead of clutter, I see peace and neatness. My kitchen cupboards are not cluttered! My wardrobe has space in it!

On Saturday I bagged up 4 full large garbage bags of fabric remnants! What was I thinking anyway, buying all that fabric- its not even very nice fabric!

 

Anyone else love to get rid of things and pare back to a more minimalistic lifestyle? This is beyond anything I have ever done before, and I have been a Flylady fan for years.

[Food4Thought]

I don't do as much as I would like, but I have read Zen Habits for years (he recently stopped accepting comments on the blog, so it reads more like a site, I guess). I like his thoughts on paring back everything - stuff, activities, obligations, etc.

 

I bet that felt so good to get rid of 4 garbage bags of stuff! I love hauling it out of here or giving it away! It's amazing how easy life feels when there is less. :)

[Carol in Cal.]

I have a long way to go before I get to minimalist. But I'm decluttering, big time. Dd is going to brick and mortar school starting next week. I'm NOT saving all our educational stuff for mythical grandchildren. Nope, it's out of here.

[Old Dominion Heather]

We love that site, though we are a far cry from achieving that sort of order. We are working on it though!

[FO4UR]

I am slowly moving that direction.

 

I spent an hour this afternoon going through kids' clothes for the fall. I'm taking an inventory of what they have before buying a thing in order to keep their clothes to a reasonable minimum. I boxed up tons of clothes that won't fit any of my dc this year, and am taking it away this week. When fall hits, I'm only keeping a few things from ds7 to pass onto ds4 from the summer clothes. My clothes are going to get sorted next.

 

I need to do this to every room in the house! The toys are what drive me batty!!!

[Nicole M]

I haven't seen that website, Peela, but yes, I've been minimizing my possessions. We have always lived what I think is a simple, frugal lifestyle.

 

On a side note, I don't especially like the term "voluntary simplicity" because in the US there is some baggage associated with it. Fifteen or twenty years ago when I started reading about it, I was struck by how many people were cutting back from a job that paid a kazillion dollar / year salary to one that was two or three times our family's income. Does the movement have that "flavor" where you live? A kind of patting-myself-on-the-back sort of whiff about it?

[Peela]

On a side note, I don't especially like the term "voluntary simplicity" because in the US there is some baggage associated with it. Fifteen or twenty years ago when I started reading about it, I was struck by how many people were cutting back from a job that paid a kazillion dollar / year salary to one that was two or three times our family's income. Does the movement have that "flavor" where you live? A kind of patting-myself-on-the-back sort of whiff about it?

 

Interesting. I havent actually come across the movement where I live yet...but I did see a comment about what you are referring to on a website. Basically, the voluntary simplicity movement seems to be mainly a middle class movement...in that, those of us westerners who have soooo much stuff, and have to work hard just to house and maintain all this stuff we think we need...are the ones being attracted to the idea that one does not need to buy lots of stuff just because one can, and there is another way to live. It seems to me the movement is more applicable in many ways to the ridiculously wasteful and overly opulant lifestlyes many of us take for granted.

So in that respect...yes, you are going to get people who are "cutting back" to a lifestyle that is still more opulant than many can afford. It's all relative, I guess. And they may well feel self satisfied about it.

However....as this article I read a few days ago commented....there is no reason why people of much more limited means cannot also learn to live with "less". I think essentially its more about finding more meaningful priorities in life than what most people live for- which for many, many people, is shopping.

I think that is the crux of the movement really...learning to be happy with "less" rather than the more is always better mentality we are drenched in.

There is most likely plenty of competition in the movement too....I can be more simple than you. I have come across all these people doing the 100 thing challenge- which is a challenge to cut back your personal possessions to only 100 things. Not the household furniture or communal pots and pans...just your personal possessions. The lists I am seeing just about all include a Mac computer as one of their 100 things :)

Anyway, I have known about the movement for years but haven't really stuck my nose into it much before. I am enjoying myself.

[hillfarm]

Nicole, I totally agree with you. I am not all that impressed to see someone get rid of their extra vacation home in their efforts to simplify. Although if it helps them, more power to them. I am more interested in seeing how someone with children manages toy overload or how a homeschool family manages the bookshelf explosion.

 

Unfortunately, my simplicity has been only partially voluntary. We simply don't have all that much extra income to afford all that many luxuries. I often lament, "We are poor, how can we possibly still have this much stuff?".

 

I have noticed here lately, how refreshing it is to open a door and find cleanliness and order on the other side instead of chaos. I love the look of a simple, clean surface. I need more of this in my home and hope to make significant inroads this fall.

[Rosie_0801]

I am more interested in seeing how someone with children manages toy overload.

 

 

Local toy library :001_wub:

[Pamela H in Texas]

A few months ago, we sold almost everything we owned. However, the last couple weeks, I've been thinking we still have TOO much. I may work on going through what little we have with us (it certainly couldn't take even 2 hours we have so little) tomorrow. Then when we do figure out what we're doing, I'm going to go through that storage stuff. I know we don't need everything that is in there (but it was little enough that 3 teens could pack almost all of it into a Uhaul in an hour). The beds and Vitamix are top on my list of must haves though!

 

I don't want too much stuff or too much room (our house was just over 2400 sq ft) ever again. We're temporarily (until the 1st) in this apartment and it just seems like more than we really need. My whole attitude about such things has changed. Simplifying is turning into a sanity saving technique for me.

[Hannah]

or how a homeschool family manages the bookshelf explosion

 

This is my personal challenge. Our local library is completely inadequate for our homeschooling needs. It had a budget of just US$1500 for ALL new books last year.

Over the years we've built up a good personal library from 2nd hand books, bookmooch.com and other sources and I just cannot bring myself to get rid of anything besides my own novels.

[Hockey Mom]

We started with a 'forced simplicity'. We had to sell our house, and our 2-car garage was filled with useless junk from floor to ceiling. Even though our new house is the same size as far as living space, we no longer have a large garage to house stuff. So we had a garage sale.

 

For the boys, I realized after the first few Christmases that I was buying, buying, buying, and it was overwhelming for them. Most of the toys they didn't even play with. So I set a budget, and I ONLY bought stuff for them if I knew they would play with it. Gone were the days of buying cute stuffed animals (which they never play with) and the hundreds of Hot Wheels. How many cars do two little boys need, anyway? Now they have one shared toy box, and one 3-drawer container each (one for Legos, one for Playmobil).

 

For me, I quit scrapbooking with paper and went digital. I cleared out an entire 10 x 10 room of scrapbooking supplies!

 

For Dh, he's stopped collecting computer parts.

 

For us, shopping was like 'bait'. We would be going to the store for a specific item and be distracted by the new, shiny gizmo on "sale", and HAD to have it. Now, we ask ourselves, "do we really need this? And if so, where can we put it?" No longer having a 'junk room' has really helped us with our spending and our decluttering.

[dm379]

I'm working on it. We live in a sardine can and everything fits but I am sick to death of tripping over everything. And 2/3 of our stuff is in storage. Every couple of months I go through everything and get rid of more stuff. Right now I'm in the process of getting rid of ds's clothes that fit but he's just got too many. Dh doesn't know it but his clothes are next. I feel so much better when there's less stuff around.

 

ETA: Wow, this makes very little sense. It's been a very, very long day.

Edited August 23, 2010 by dawn8500
my grammar sucks today

[Nicole M]

I haven't had a chance to check back here, but am glad today to see your replies. My simplicity is both forced and voluntary. I am about to give up my car, voluntarily, and use my bicycle and public transportation.

 

What concerns me is that money is power. I have worked very hard on certain issues on the campus where I work, but because my position there is part-time, and I don't have multiple letters after my name, I have found that I can go blue in the face and not be heard. And when I ride up to meetings on my bicycle, or to the grocery store in street clothes on my bike, people weird out. I don't need or desire outside affirmation, but the reality is that when you separate yourself from some of the "stuff" of our culture, you make yourself mute. And that bites. I don't have a chip on my shoulder about it or anything, and I'm not about to buy into the "stuff" game, but I wonder how to counter the problem, or if it's possible.

 

A really fascinating book is Radical Homemakers, which discusses how corporations aggressively and intentionally marketed stuff to men and especially women following WWII. I recommend it.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Radical-Homemakers-Reclaiming-Domesticity-Consumer/dp/0979439116/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282689932&sr=8-1

[Mejane]

A few months ago, we sold almost everything we owned. However, the last couple weeks, I've been thinking we still have TOO much.

 

This reflects my experience as well. It seems the more I get rid of, the more I want to get rid of. I purge everyday. Last week I consigned our living room furniture because it wasn't our style anymore. I'd rather have nothing than something I don't like. My husband thinks I'm crazy, but I am enjoying the empty (except for a couch) room. :001_smile:

[Nicole M]

This reflects my experience as well. It seems the more I get rid of, the more I want to get rid of. I purge everyday. Last week I consigned our living room furniture because it wasn't our style anymore. I'd rather have nothing than something I don't like. My husband thinks I'm crazy, but I am enjoying the empty (except for a couch) room. :001_smile:

 

Thank you! I nearly did the same thing, but decided to wait until after my son's graduation/off-to-college party on Saturday. After all, my mother is coming to town tomorrow morning, and the poor woman needs a place to sit. :D In May I got rid of half of my kitchen things, dishes, appliances, etc. when I painted, and now I want to pack up more things. I love having only what I need. And what I need is far less than what I imagined.

[Pink Fairy]

I am very intrigued by the idea, but although I'm buying a lot less, I still haven't started purging in any major way. I'll be following this thread and doing some research on my own. Thanks for bringing it up!

[Wildiris]

Peela~

Thanks for the site link.

 

We once lived an austere life before kids. We traveled the world with large day packs for months at a time. We didn't need much to live. Yet we accumulated stuff with kids even though their toy stash was small.

 

When my father died I inherited a life time of his belongings, which he pared down because he moved every five years. Yet it is stuff I cannot part with, personal stuff like newspaper articles about him and stacks of photographs, but I do not know what to do with it. His stuff has a dedicated room in our house until I figure it out.

 

A fire came through the area where I live 30 years ago. My friend who survived the fire did not regret the loss of her home, but she did regret not just the loss of a quilt her great-grandmother made, but she regretted saving it, packing it away for some special time that never came. Packed away, she never enjoyed the quilt. So in paring down our stuff, going through our accumulation of goods we need to figure out what is important and then what to do with those important things. It is a distillation process.

[LG Gone Wild]

We are going monastic practically. There is so much unhappiness and chaos associated with possessions.

 

I grounded my kids from all toys once because they were FIGHTING over the toys. I mean all the toys. There was a lot more harmony and peace in my home. Thanks for reminding me. I am going to get rid of some more. It's not like we have a lot but I would like to have a lot less.

 

I get so excited when I contemplate getting rid of our sh....um, stuff.

[Crimson Wife]

A really fascinating book is Radical Homemakers, which discusses how corporations aggressively and intentionally marketed stuff to men and especially women following WWII. I recommend it.

 

How timely to see this thread as I'm currently reading Radical Homemakers. A lot of what the author says really resonates with me, even if I disagree with her liberal politics. I could make a great drinking game out it- take a drink every time she blathers on about "social justice" :lol:

[MorganClassicalPrep]

I feel the need to declutter, but I have such a hard time doing it. I think I would be one of those hoarders if I didn't control myself so well.

 

A decluttering session for me goes like this:

Item 1. I should throw this thing away. But I could do (something) with it, (sometime).

Item 2. I haven't used this in... ever... but it was my grandmothers. I can't get rid of it.

Item 3. This might fit DD in a couple months.

Item 4. I know these are too small for DD, but I can't just get rid of perfectly good clothing. I'll hold on to them until someone needs them.

 

Finally I get frustrated and quit. ugh.

And the toys. Oh the toys. :glare:

[HRAAB]

A few years ago I was reading everything I could find on voluntary simplicity. I remember reading Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin plus printing off everything I could find on the internet. As much as I loved reading about those people who have accomplished it, I found it much harder to put into practice. I feel as though our entire society is against living simply! I haven't given up, but I haven't given it a lot of energy in the last couple years. The thing is that we do live simply compared to many people. But I still want more simplicity. Not poverty. Just simple. Room and time to breathe and just be - if that makes any sense.

 

Reading your post maybe was the jump start I need to get going again. Things have been accumulating....

[MelanieM]

I have been on a huge decluttering kick lately! Partly because we anticipate a big move across the country soon, and partly because of my never-ending quest for a more simple lifestyle. I feel so burdened by stuff, even though I have far less than most of my peers, and think I really could do without most of my personal belongings.

 

Clothing, craft supplies, fabric stash, books, childhood memorabilia (all those old letters -- trashed!)... nothing is escaping the purge. It feels *great* to let go of more and more stuff! As someone else said, the more I release the more I want to shed!

 

I'm especially excited by the idea of a truly fresh start, with a clear goal of simplicity in mind. We're moving to a place where we can have a slower pace of life and I hope to match my surroundings to my vision of peaceful, simple living.

[Nicole M]

How timely to see this thread as I'm currently reading Radical Homemakers. A lot of what the author says really resonates with me, even if I disagree with her liberal politics. I could make a great drinking game out it- take a drink every time she blathers on about "social justice" :lol:

 

Blathering? These kinds of comments on the boards here always confuse me, because I'm not an insider, and there seems to be a wink-wink-nudge-nudge going on, and I'm the one who's the butt of the joke. What does "social justice" mean to you, because I don't see it as a "bad" term.

[runmiarun]

We're working on getting rid of stuff out of necessity and because I'm tired of so much stuff. We are probably going to have to move this fall thanks to escalating cost of living in our area and stagnant/decreasing wages for DH. We went through this last year and got rid of so much junk. But we still have more to go. It doesn't help that DH thinks he has time to be a handy-man and fix all the broken beach paraphenalia he finds on his job as a trashman. Do we really need 17 broken beach cabanas that "can be taken apart and put together to make one really good one"? NO! We don't even go to the beach enough to use a beach cabana. Hopefully our yard sale scheduled for next month will incite more purging in Dh. I've already got a room full of stuff priced and ready to move.

[Peela]

This reflects my experience as well. It seems the more I get rid of, the more I want to get rid of. I purge everyday. Last week I consigned our living room furniture because it wasn't our style anymore. I'd rather have nothing than something I don't like. My husband thinks I'm crazy, but I am enjoying the empty (except for a couch) room. :001_smile:

 

Oh, you are speaking my language! I want to get rid of furniture. Dh won't comply! However, he has just told me he is selling his hoonmobile (his wildly painted show car). That leaves us with only 2 cars, a motorhome and a Harley Davidson to our names. I am so proud of him ! (baby steps!).

 

It doesn't help that DH thinks he has time to be a handy-man and fix all the broken beach paraphenalia he finds on his job as a trashman. Do we really need 17 broken beach cabanas that "can be taken apart and put together to make one really good one"? NO! We don't even go to the beach enough to use a beach cabana. Hopefully our yard sale scheduled for next month will incite more purging in Dh. I've already got a room full of stuff priced and ready to move.

 

Oh, my dh is like that too!

He used to be wealthy before he and I got together. I taught him to dumpster dive! He had never conceived of such a thing! Now I have created a monster and I can't seem to stop him fixing, collecting, finding bargains, patching things that should be trashed, and keeping multiple items of things just in case one breaks. One of our favourite past times for years was our council's yearly verge pickup. I have friends who virtually make a living from reselling roadside collections!

But...its great when you need things....and its great for a buzz....but, there comes a point when enough IS enough and we need to find our kicks in other ways than finding another bargain we don't need.

 

Some of you ladies are way ahead of me. I am going to cull a few more books. It really does feel and look good to have bookshelves that are only 2/3 full rather than stashed tight.

Edited August 25, 2010 by Peela

[Cera]

We are slowly starting to purge things and cutting back on buying new items.

 

We recently moved into a new house with a dining room and breakfast nook and I am steadfastly refusing to purchase a second table even though my husband insists the kitchen looks odd with the empty space. I simply can't see the need for two eating spaces 15 feet apart.

 

I have also set a goal of 20 items a week to remove from the house. My biggest issue has been finding places to take the things we are getting rid of. Many of the thrift stores and charities around our home are very picky about what they will accept and I don't want to deal with yard sales or selling items online and having to ship. I feel bad throwing perfectly good stuff in the trash.

[KidsHappen]

This is the direction I am wanting to take this year. Now that I am no longer homeschooling, I am hoping to take this year to declutter, clean and organize. I have so much stuff that the job seems overwhelming which is weird because I don't buy stuff. I have no idea where it comes from. :confused:

[MariannNOVA]

I am on a really big wave of decluttering. Every time I check out a Minimalism or Voluntary Simplcity blog I get this incredible urge to get rid of more stuff. And I keep looking at the blogs, because it feels so good.

This one is my favourite (not sure if its a blog or a website though):

 

http://zenhabits.net/

 

I look around my schoolroom and instead of clutter, I see peace and neatness. My kitchen cupboards are not cluttered! My wardrobe has space in it!

On Saturday I bagged up 4 full large garbage bags of fabric remnants! What was I thinking anyway, buying all that fabric- its not even very nice fabric!

 

Anyone else love to get rid of things and pare back to a more minimalistic lifestyle? This is beyond anything I have ever done before, and I have been a Flylady fan for years.

 

:seeya: Me. They know me by name at Habitat for Humanity ReStore. DH and I have been going there directly from the storage unit we rented 10 months ago when the repair work began on our house. I have been simplifying and de-cluttering for awhile. DH is just now seeing the freedom in this.

[cathmom]

I just read Radical Simplicity, which I don't really recommend. (It was hard to take him seriously after he related that 4 wild ibex told him to "Break free the chains of domestication!" Isn't it funny that Himalayan ibex would speak such good English?) And he advocates one child families, and it's a little late for that here!

 

What I want to focus on (besides the decluttering and getting rid of things) is to start replacing disposable things with permanent solutions. As my children get older, I want to put my money into travelling and having experiences, not stuff and the maintenance thereof.

[MariannNOVA]

I just read Radical Simplicity, which I don't really recommend. (It was hard to take him seriously after he related that 4 wild ibex told him to "Break free the chains of domestication!" Isn't it funny that Himalayan ibex would speak such good English?) And he advocates one child families, and it's a little late for that here!

 

What I want to focus on (besides the decluttering and getting rid of things) is to start replacing disposable things with permanent solutions. As my children get older, I want to put my money into travelling and having experiences, not stuff and the maintenance thereof.

 

 

:iagree: When the kids ask for a new Webkinz or something, DH and I ask them if they would rather have a vacation home (probably just one room, mind you) in Italy OR another stuffed toy.

[Mejane]

As my children get older, I want to put my money into travelling and having experiences, not stuff and the maintenance thereof.

 

This. It does become easier as the kids get older. No more toys - yay! :001_smile:

[Firefly]

Yes! I love to purge. I grew up in a house where the kitchen cabinets were literally stuffed with every conceivable kitchen gadget out there... sometimes doubles of the same thing! I love opening my own cabinets and seeing a very small, neat assortment of things I actually use, and that have multiple uses so I don't need a fancy gadget to do the same job. I try to live by the words, "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." It's a challenge with DH around though, because he assigns sentimental value to a sock if it belonged to one of the kids. He's gotten better about letting go though. MY challenging area is books. I love books, and don't mind having them lying around. Still, we all work to our own comfort level with this kind of thing I suppose!

[Mejane]

Five years ago this month, we moved into this house. It took a large Pod, a U-Haul (mostly for lawn equipment), a small moving van, and many trips with my van to get everything moved from our old house. :glare:

 

Here's where my head is today. I have already picked out the ten household items that will move with us next time. They are things I love and would miss, like my grandmother's cedar chest and my kitchen chairs which were handmade in Italy. Other than clothes, necessary kitchen equipment, and family photos and memorabilia, everything else will go to Goodwill... and I will breathe a huge, happy sigh of relief when it's gone. :001_smile:

[anneofalamo]

We went minimalist by accident. Moved 1300 miles-and all we could take was one Penske truck! ONE

Four kids, 2200 square foot house filled to the brim! PURGE, purge, purge and then leave things in the drive way with FREE as they didn't fit in the day of filling the truck. I remember seeing that rocker in my rear view mirror and tears as my hubby held up the vacumn or the rolling drawers of art supplies, only one will fit...the last thing in the moving van.:auto:

YOU PICK

The vacumn came.....

and I said, I am not going to cry over stuff!!

 

We arrived to our 1100 square foot house and it all fit! Nicely. My rocker would have been too much!!

 

Since that time, we have gotten things again...and we have settle to purge, every 3 months.

 

My children love it!! A huge surprise!!

They had rooms full of anything and everything. And were bored. Now they have waaaaaaaaaaaay less, and their imaginations with the things they have amaze me!

 

I don't think everyone can do this...and I can't do it to the degrees others do, but it is an experience that I am glad we went through!

[Mejane]

 

My children love it!! A huge surprise!!

 

 

My kids now dance in our furniture-less living room. Who needs a formal living room anyway? Might as well turn it into a dance studio. :001_smile:

[JenneinCA]

We are working toward simpler. I am working on not buying stuff unless it is beautiful or will do work for me. I am happier. My husband loves his stuff but he isn't home nearly as much as we are so it doesn't affect him as much. The kids are learning that more isn't necessarily better and that you can have too many toys, but it is a process.

[idnib]

We've simplified a lot since December. We decided to put our 3000 sf house on the market and move to something about 1/2 the size. In the process of staging it we removed almost everything from the house (we're staying with my parents while it's on the market) and donated/recycled about 1/2 of that we own. The rest went into storage.

 

The house is on the market now (fingers crossed!) and I'm looking forward to moving stuff out of storage into the new place. I plan to purge even more right at the storage unit by not even letting maybe 1/3 of the stored items into the new house. Knowing I would have this second opportunity really helped during the first purge, allowing me to make quick decisions to keep certain items about which I was ambivalent and move forward.

 

It felt really good to do this. The kids will be surprised when they see it though. We've purged the TV. :tongue_smilie:

[Stacia]

I'm trying (though friends IRL might say that I've not achieved it yet, lol).

 

Love the Zen Habits site, Peela. I've been reading it for awhile now (plus some others that are similar).

 

And, I've been paring down a lot over the past year. I love the idea of simiplifying & paring down... a visually peaceful place.

 

Slowly, but surely, right?

[KidsHappen]

What I want to focus on (besides the decluttering and getting rid of things) is to start replacing disposable things with permanent solutions.

 

This is a real problem in our society. It is frequently cheaper to buy an new item than it is to repair or refill an old one. A few examples, two days ago I went to Target to get a new head for my electric toothbrush. The heads are $5 a piece but only come in packages of six. A totally new unit was only $12. I buy the replacement printer cartridges for my printer at Sam's. They come in a package of two B&W and one color for $45 dollars. The printer itself was $40 and it came with cartridges. It cost $800 to repair my microwave. I could have bought a new one for $300. When you are living on a budget sometimes you can't afford to make the choice that is best for the environment and society. You have to do what you can afford. Where is the logic in this?

[Brilliant]

This is a real problem in our society. It is frequently cheaper to buy an new item than it is to repair or refill an old one.

 

This. Our lawn mower is in the shop right now. I am dreading the call from them, telling me how much it will be to repair...when a new one would not have been much money. :( But I just felt it ought to be repaired since it was not too old, and our first married lawnmower lasted 16 years.

[Tracy in Ky]

I literally spent weeks purging my house this summer. I have never removed so much stuff from my house, and it is wonderful!!! There are empty shelves and things are neat and organized. We took truckloads of stuff to the trash pickup, made runs to Goodwill, sold some things, gave some things away. It is so refreshing.

 

I recommend the book by Peter Walsh, "It's all too Much." I got it on audio from the library and thoroughly enjoyed it. Another fun read is Don Aslett's "Clutter's Last Stand." Even my kids enjoyed reading that one :D

[Catwoman]

I feel the need to declutter, but I have such a hard time doing it. I think I would be one of those hoarders if I didn't control myself so well.

 

A decluttering session for me goes like this:

Item 1. I should throw this thing away. But I could do (something) with it, (sometime).

Item 2. I haven't used this in... ever... but it was my grandmothers. I can't get rid of it.

Item 3. This might fit DD in a couple months.

Item 4. I know these are too small for DD, but I can't just get rid of perfectly good clothing. I'll hold on to them until someone needs them.

 

Finally I get frustrated and quit. ugh.

And the toys. Oh the toys. :glare:

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

Yup, that's me, too.

 

But I'd also add...

 

# 5. I know we have 20 paint sets, but I should probably keep all of them because they're brand new and I know we might use them some day.

 

# 6. I'll get around to donating these huge bags and boxes of stuff soon, but until then, I'll just put them here in the garage. (Repeat statement again every month for 2 years, while continuing to add to the huge stack of "donations.")

 

Cat

[cathmom]

This is a real problem in our society. It is frequently cheaper to buy an new item than it is to repair or refill an old one. A few examples, two days ago I went to Target to get a new head for my electric toothbrush. The heads are $5 a piece but only come in packages of six. A totally new unit was only $12. I buy the replacement printer cartridges for my printer at Sam's. They come in a package of two B&W and one color for $45 dollars. The printer itself was $40 and it came with cartridges. It cost $800 to repair my microwave. I could have bought a new one for $300. When you are living on a budget sometimes you can't afford to make the choice that is best for the environment and society. You have to do what you can afford. Where is the logic in this?

 

All this is definitely true. However, I was thinking more along the lines of buying cloth pads to use instead of Always, seeing if I could find a razor that isn't a $1 throwaway kind, using less paper towels (a bad post-twin habit I've gotten into, when I can't always do a load of dish towels to clean up with), etc.

[Stacia]

This is a real problem in our society. It is frequently cheaper to buy an new item than it is to repair or refill an old one.

...

Where is the logic in this?

 

I agree.

 

There's a blog you might like looking at:

http://www.zerowastehome.blogspot.com/

[Susan in KY]

I don't need or desire outside affirmation, but the reality is that when you separate yourself from some of the "stuff" of our culture, you make yourself mute. And that bites.

 

:iagree: DH and I are living in a small country cottage with our 2 dc. That we have chosen this over the house-in-the-burbs has definitely muted us amongst some. Yes, it stinks. But worse for me is people who think we *can't* have more as opposed to the reality, that we *won't* have more. I guess it's a pride issue, but it really grates after awhile. *sigh* I try to :chillpill: but sometimes it gets the better of me.

 

Still, I am glad for our choices. They have kept us free to do anything or go anywhere, and that is worth it all. (Not to mention the beauty around us while we are here!)

[swimmermom3]

I haven't seen that website, Peela, but yes, I've been minimizing my possessions. We have always lived what I think is a simple, frugal lifestyle.

 

On a side note, I don't especially like the term "voluntary simplicity" because in the US there is some baggage associated with it. Fifteen or twenty years ago when I started reading about it, I was struck by how many people were cutting back from a job that paid a kazillion dollar / year salary to one that was two or three times our family's income. Does the movement have that "flavor" where you live? A kind of patting-myself-on-the-back sort of whiff about it?

 

I have enjoyed rereading the Voluntary Simplicity book along with Your Money or Your Life for years. Nicole, down south of you, I haven't seen any signs of following these trends in 20 years-at least not in the suburbs.

[MelanieM]

I'd love some recomendations for blogs and web sites about voluntary simplicity. Anyone care to share their favourites?

[idnib]

I'd love some recomendations for blogs and web sites about voluntary simplicity. Anyone care to share their favourites?

 

One of my favorites is Walk Slowly Live Wildly:

 

http://walkslowlylivewildly.com/

 

She and her family kept downsizing until they eventually ended up in an RV traveling the country and unschooling. What's fun about the blog is she has a great design sense so you can see how much she does with so little. You don't see it as much now that they're on the road, but if you look at tags from 2009, like the "home in bozeman" tags:

 

http://walkslowlylivewildly.com/category/home-in-bozeman/

 

or

 

 

 

for photos of the changes they made, it's really inspiring.

[MelanieM]

One of my favorites is Walk Slowly Live Wildly:

 

http://walkslowlylivewildly.com/

 

She and her family kept downsizing until they eventually ended up in an RV traveling the country and unschooling. What's fun about the blog is she has a great design sense so you can see how much she does with so little. You don't see it as much now that they're on the road, but if you look at tags from 2009, like the "home in bozeman" tags:

 

http://walkslowlylivewildly.com/category/home-in-bozeman/

 

or

 

 

 

for photos of the changes they made, it's really inspiring.

 

Oh yes... I remember many of her posts from MDC many moons ago! The house pictures above are really amazing! Her place(s) always looks so lovely!