Recently my family and I pared down. We got rid of 10 bags of trash, several bins of recycling, and have a few boxes of stuff to sell and/or donate.
It feels good to have less stuff-to have pared down, and gotten rid of the excess. Of course we still have more to go. Excess weight, excess commitments, excess stuff haunting the basement, and excess jungle like plants in our yard.
It got me thinking about stuff and how much it has a hold on us-a topic I come back to again and again.
For awhile I made a part-time living organizing OPS-other people’s stuff. I was mostly fascinated by the stories people attached to their things, and how seemingly careless people can be with things of real value. The majority of my clients literally found money in the form of gift cards, savings bonds, cash, and even once in the form of a family heirloom.
When we were living near the poverty line with barely two cents to rub together, and a young baby at home we were constantly given stuff. Well meaning people from family to friends, from family friends to long distance relatives sent stuff to us for the baby.
Maybe it strikes some people as rude, or insensitive, but I often returned gifts. Whether it was the noisy battery powered toys that started showing up at birth, or the clothes that were just too fancy. I learned to very pragmatic about stuff. Living in a 500 sq foot apartment with another adult and an infant does that to you.
For 2 years I was able to clothe, and buy everything he needed simply by returning stuff we couldn’t use, or consigning items and then purchasing what we needed next.
Even now that we have a larger brood, it’s still the same, but with so much more stuff, and more coming in all the time, we have a tendency to get used to too much stuff. Decluttering was a necessary step for me to clear my head, and our home to make room for being. Now instead of seeing stuff piled high on every surface the house feels a little more empty of stuff, with a little more room for love. Cheesy, I know, but so true.
Of course I’m like everyone else too, I struggle with wanting to get rid of everything, and wanting everything all at once right now. I have appreciation for design, so much so that I have been known to spend a little extra on product A over product B because A is just prettier to look at.
I also struggle with wanting it all right now. When it comes to things like a working wardrobe, or remodeling our house, that doesn’t happen overnight. Sometimes I wish it did though.
When I asked my twitter followers what their experiences with stuff is like I was overwhelmed with responses about struggling with stuff. Almost everyone mentioned a need to declutter, buy less, and a desire to live with less.
More on Stuff
While I couldn’t do it, some people strive to live with only 100 things. I think I have more than 100 things in my wardrobe!
My friend Jo Lynne wrote a short piece on Stuff, and the comments were interesting to read.
This video- The Story of Stuff - will get you really thinking about how stuff. Very eye opening.
What’s your take on stuff? Do you struggle with stuff or have you learned to live with less?
Kelly
This post was inspired by Kim from I’m Not the Nanny who commented on twitter that she was woken up by a battery operated toy.
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