Striving For A More Simple/Minimalist Life in 2010 - Page 12

[clutterwarrior]

Hi I am new to this site...hope it's OK to just jump into this discussion?

This is a fascinating topic for me, thanks for starting this zoebird.

I haven't had time to read through all the replies so I'm sorry if I am repeating something already said!

I have noticed recently that a lot of my friends are also obsessed with decluttering their houses this year, and as I am also it made me wonder if decluttering is a sign of the times we are living in, since the recession, a desire to live more simply and not be surrounded by material possessions we don't need?

[zoebird]

i didn't start it. . .i don't think. LOL

it may well be a situation of the recession.

[clutterwarrior]

Oh sorry I must have got confused and looked at the name of the last person who had posted.

It seems it was Amys1st who started it...apologies.

[zoebird]

no worries.

i think that many people are simplifying because--having had to cut back due to the recession--they see the rewards of simplifying rather than simply consuming at prior rates.

there's nothing inherently wrong with consuming, but understanding why and what and how much is a good step for defining one's own simplicity. i mean, i consume every week--both goods and services--and i value them highly.

[mntnmom]

I've noticed with my kids, and extended to myself: when we have *more* we tend not to appreciate it as much. I am trying to be more mindful of what I bring into and keep in our home, and pass the rest to someone else. My goal is to have everything in the house be something that I genuinely enjoy, and has meaning to me. I'm a long way from that, but I am learning to be less attached to the security of stuff, and see it all for the transient enjoyment it is.

[Magelet]

I'm definitely striving for simplicity. I'm on the wee babysteps of begining. I've taken two shopping bags of clothes and a couple books to out of the closet (like goodwill, different charitible focus, but near work and with a parking lot ). It felt so good!!

It's really hard though. I grew up the child of two pack rats, and with an attitude of "keep everything, as soon as you sell it, you will want/need it", which happened frequently as a child. my parents sold my mom's grandmother's 1/2 size violin, then my sister wanted to play the violin the next year. They sold all their records and two years later I wanted to listen to records only.

I'm just starting to learn to declutter, and trying to be less attached to stuff. The truth of the matter is, I don't need it, and I want to have a simpler life. It's just hard.

[zoebird]

what i have found about pack rats is that they keep ridiculous things, but get rid of things that are worth keeping.

using the example above, an heirloom violin and a record collection--those are things worth keeping, if only for sentimental value. but, they probably had a HUGE box of magazines from 1972, yk?

my ILs are like that. for example, my FIL sold an antique telescope that we wanted to buy (and use). we offered $200 for it (they are weird about money). but, FIL said he "wasn't going to sell it."

well, MIL got in her head that she needed to declutter, so she went to the garage and she put things in a pile to declutter. being passive, FIL allowed the telescope to go into that pile. But there were things that didn't go into that pile--a huge box of knitting needles and yarn (no one knits), a huge box of school papers that my DH and my SIL did as small children, a huge box of various trinkets from holidays (like, those junk spoons or a plate with a name on it or something), and a box of plastic butter spread tubs.

now, FIL sold the telescope to a friend for $75 (without even bothering to offer it to us), and we lost a family heirloom that we actually wanted. but, god forbid we loose those butter tubs!

so, being a pack rat usually means you are getting rid of things that you might actually use, and keeping things that you are unlikely to! and, the pack rat justifies it as "well, no one was using the telescope, but we might need those butter tubs to store stuff!"

it's warped. LOL

so, look to what is actually useful. is an antique violin useful as compared to childhood school papers or butter tubs? does it actually take up less space? answer to both is yes.

crazy pack rats (shakes heads at IL's stupidity).

[Om Girl]

Just wanted to throw out that I'm reading a really amazing book ATM about raising kids simply and it has a lot of research into why "more is bad".

Our Waldorf parenting group is reading it and at first I was really skeptical but now I am totally on board!

It's called "Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier and More Secure Kids" by Kim John Payne

Since reading it I've decided to tackle my own "clutter" before I encourage my girls to tackle theirs, because really it'd be like the pot calling the kettle black!

See my other post in this forum about my progress!

[zoebird]

cool. i will check out that book, in addition to the several others we will be checking out of the library tomorrow!

[Amys1st]

I think its time for a new thread!


join us at:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...8#post15263368

Starting fresh, it is easier to stay to the discussion as well as let others join with out getting stuck in a huge thread.