Wearing Stuff Out and Using it Up

This post is part of a series called “35 Days of Favorites”, in honor of my 35th birthday. You can read more about the details here…

I’ve been a little too blessed in this life.

I’ve always lived with a lot of excess, and haven’t ever needed to learn how to squeeze absolutely all the life available out of the things I use and own.

I’ve gotten rid of clothes because I was tired of them, not because they were worn out. I’ve sent loads and loads of perfectly good belongings to the thrift shop because I wasn’t using them, and they were simply lying around my house, taking up space.

I’m so tired of excess.

I don’t know what brought on the need for change. Maybe it started with this clothing revelation, and just grew from there.

Maybe it came from the stuff I was reading.

Or from moving yet again, and getting tired of hauling around all of the useless, random stuff we owned.

Whatever the case, it’s time to do things differently, but I think this skill of using less will take awhile to learn. This past year, it was my goal to start cutting back.

To start with, I’m trying to own only as much clothing as I actually use. For example, I own two hoodies now instead of five, and I just recently had to buy a new one, because one of my old ones was so worn out, it was only fit to be used as a rag.

I own two pairs of good jeans, and keep one old pair for emergencies. I buy a new pair when I get the inevitable hole in the right knee. (Why always the right, specifically??!)

I’m trying to keep less food in our pantry, and only one kind of salad dressing in our fridge!

I packed away half the girls’ toys, and they are just as happy as ever with what they have.

And our most recent accomplishment: Driving our van until it died.

It sounds kind of dumb, but it was a victorious moment. We limped along for a long time, knowing that the end was near. And then one day, we took our van in to have a problem repaired, and were told that it would cost $900 to fix, but the vehicle was only worth $1000. If we chose to fix it anyway, another $900 of repairs were predicted within the next few months.

We bought a new vehicle because we didn’t really have a better choice, and it felt good.

There sits our van, waiting to be picked up. She’s done well, and carried us many, many miles!

I still shop too much, waste too much, and think I need too much, but I’m working on it.

And every time any of my belongings legitimately wears out, and must be replaced out of necessity, it makes me feel good inside.

I would like to feel this way more often.

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Any helpful purging, “living with less” tips out there? How intentional are you about wearing something out before replacing it? Anyone else struggle with balancing “need” versus “want”?

34 Days of Favorites: Purging!

Okay, everybody, in honour of Joshua Becker’s latest book, today’s favorite is all about purging!

(To read more about 34 Days of Favorites, go here. And to check out my review of Living With Less, go here.)

If you’ve been reading this blog over the last year, I’m sure it will be no surprise to learn that I’m enthusiastic about the idea of purging.

Here are some of the posts I’ve written on the topic:

Tips for Purging

What I’m Learning As I Purge Our House

Why (and How!) I’m Choosing to Own Less Clothes

And I’m thinking about writing a post on purging with kids – but that one’s still marinating in my mind….

I’ve been reading some fantastic books recently which are further inspiring me simplify my life, and get rid of stuff. The dresser drawers are getting emptier all the time! Ben better get home from work quick today, because I’ve got a box of his stuff all packed up and ready to ship off to the thrift store.

I’m really hoping he won’t reclaim anything, but I will give him a fair chance. Sneaking items out of the house has never gone well for me, even more so where Anika is concerned.

Here are my two favorite things about purging:

1) Purging Brings Freedom.

The feeling of conquering stuff, of getting control over my belongings is absolutely amazing. I get rid of guilt – for owning too much, for allowing it to accumulate, for lack of organization and losing control over things in my life. Purging makes me feel like life is light and free and clean.

2) Purging is Contagious.

It’s contagious in my own life – once I get started, it spreads from one area to another. But it’s also contagious in spreading to other people around. Although my family still struggles a bit with getting rid of stuff, they grow more open to the idea as they see me doing it. They become increasingly aware of what they are not using and do not need, as all of us move towards a simpler life.

So, you want to purge, but don’t know where to start? I see two options:

1) Start with what’s easiest.

Joshua Becker wrote a blog post about it here. It makes sense. I’m sure all of us have things we know we don’t use, or maybe even don’t like, but it’s still sitting around, making us feel yucky every time we see it. There shouldn’t be too many emotions wrapped up in the decision to get rid of it, so if you want to start easy, start there.

2) Start with the worst.

I generally don’t use this tactic, but after reading Living With Less, I was highly motivated. And I was completely sick of the pile on my phone desk. It’s been growing for far too long, and I see it all the time. It is constantly sucking energy out of me, because it makes me feel guilty, not only for allowing it to grow, but also for allowing it to be there in the first place.

Last night, I decided to dig in. It was horrible, just as I knew it would be. But it’s done. And I feel wonderful. Now I’m even more motivated to get rid of stuff, because the worst is behind me.

Want to join me in lightening the load??! What would be the easiest area for you to purge? How about your worst? Do it, and then come back and tell us all about it!

A Book Review, and a Renewed Craving to Simplify!

Once upon a time, I was eighteen years old and ready to leave home.

I didn’t go far, having chosen to attend college half an hour away from where I grew up, but I still clearly remember the day I moved out.

My belongings were all packed into my parents’ vehicle, and I headed out to make my new “home” in a college dorm.

Back in those days, I didn’t need much to make a home. Life was simple in a lot of ways – as long as I had Christmas lights to tack up around the ceiling, and pictures to cover every inch of the walls in my room, I was happy.

Those days in dorm were rich with experiences and late night talks, and we all had such a sense of new-found freedom and independence.

Many moves later, with yet another fresh start recently behind me, I have thought a lot about what it takes to make a home. I have packed and unpacked hundreds of boxes, and faced countless decisions regarding which possessions are worth keeping, and which items win a free trip to the thrift store.

Gone are the days when the possessions I “need” to survive could be packed into a mini van.

Somewhere between 18 and the present, life has changed.

The gradual accumulation of “stuff” sneaks up undetected, and seems to explode suddenly in my face when life requires the corralling of belongings.

Because Ben and I have spent the last 10 years in youth ministry, those first years away from home never feel very far behind me. I watch young adults try the world on for size, listen to them share their thoughts and experiences, and connect with them in a way which keeps the memories fresh from that stage in my own life.

I love what my life has become, but every once in a while, I think about what I would have done differently, if I could go back.

I would do it simpler.

I would focus on what matters most.

I would recognize that sometimes, some Christmas lights and a few pictures go a long way.

This is why I am a huge fan of Joshua Becker.

He writes about getting back to the basics, and finding joy in the simple things. He is passionate about getting rid of anything that clutters up life, making it difficult to clearly see what is most important to us.

I discovered his blog, Becoming Minimalist, this last year, which hit exactly the right spot as I got our family ready to move, and was desiring to lighten our load. I’ve always been a fan of purging, but reading Joshua Becker’s books has opened my eyes to how great my need is when it comes to simplifying.

His latest book, Living With Less, specifically written for students, is about choosing a simple life style before the accumulation sneaks up on you. It’s a refreshing message in a time when the pressure to pursue more, instead of learning contentment with less, is constantly bombarding all of us, perhaps youth most of all.

Reading his book made me long for this very same information….twenty years ago.

I always intended to keep life simple, but somehow, I still ended up bringing 17 boxes to the thrift store before our last move. I’m not sure if I would have fully appreciated his wise words back then, but if I had, the U-haul trailer would have been much emptier…

Although this book is youth-focused, I appreciated the topics covered, and the timeless reminder to throw off materialism, enabling us to live more fully in the joy and simplicity of this present moment.

I received a copy of Living With Less for reviewing purposes, and am happy to say, I would recommend this book to anyone, student or older!

The book launches today, and if you’d like to read it, or wish to pass it on to someone younger you know who might appreciate some insights on simplifying life, you can visit his blog here to check out his book, and enjoy some of his fantastic posts while you’re at it! The Kindle version of Living With Less is available here.

Have fun reading!

I, on the other hand, am ready to hit my closet with great purging force!

34 Days of Favorites: Pinterest

Okay, so I know this favorite isn’t original at all, as most of the women in North America are obsessed with Pinterest.

And with good reason. It’s amazing.

But I’m not obsessed.

Really.

My goal is to enjoy it’s benefits without allowing it to take over my life!

So, why do I love it?

Basically, it’s a fantastic way to search for ideas, and store what you find in an organized, online space. Before I started using Pinterest, I would find all these great ideas for recipes or crafts, but I didn’t have a good system for keeping track of them all.

Pinterest is wonderfully visual, and now I can remember the new ideas I want to try.

And are there ever things I want to try! Cleaning tips, organizing, home decorating, recipes….It would be very easy to let Pinterest overtake life in general.

My strategy for attempting to keep this wonderful beast under control is to only go to Pinterest when I’m searching for something specific, or when I have the time to really enjoy it. No peeking during the day when I have other things to do.

I really appreciated this blog post by Joshua Becker about how to use Pinterest as a resource, rather than an obsession.

So there you have it. If you want to check out Pinterest, click here.

Okay, confession time! Who’s jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon? Love it or hate it? Any tips for keeping it under control?

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Just to let you all know, I’ve been making a few changes to my blog, and have added a “Favorites” menu at the top of the screen. I’m working on listing links to past blog posts, in order to make it easier to search for specific topics. Feel free to check it out for some extra reading!