This Blog is dedicated to journaling my lifestyle changes i.e. from typical American consumer to eco friendly minimalist. A book I'm currently reading titled "Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism" by Fumio Sasaki, has also made me want to further explore the reasoning behind my need to acquire stuff and also the need to let the stuff go. Because the goal is not just decluttering but re-evaluating what possessions mean and what can be gained by Minimalism.
New Digs, Less Stuff
I Moved out of my apartment after 5 years when I lost my job and couldn't afford the rent. I was dismayed at all the stuff I had acquired during that 5 years. My one pick-up load had turned into 4 or 5! To save money on rent I decided to move temporarily into a shed at my daughters home that was equipped with a sink and electricity ( I think the total floor space was about 8 X 10 ft). I got rid of some of the larger items at a substantial loss, put as much as possible into the shed I was living in and placed everything else I couldn't bear to part with into a storage unit that charged a monthly fee. Living in a shed was cramped quarters but I was starting to realize I didn't need a lot of room if I didn't have a lot of possessions. I found not having all that stuff around was actually quite nice.
Newer Digs, Even Less Stuff
After about a year in the shed, I was offered an opportunity to be a companion to an older person who wanted to live at home but couldn't live alone any more. This meant I would have my own room in exchange for housekeeping, cooking and just being there when I was needed. I could also maintain my home business from there, so it was an offer I couldn't refuse. I locked up the shed, took a few clothes, toiletries, my laptop, supplies/ equipment for my business, and moved. I was still paying rent for the items I had in the storage unit, though...When I added up what it was costing me to rent storage I had to rethink how valuable all that stuff was. In the mean time rats had gotten into the shed and destroyed everything I had stored there. Long story short, I've gotten rid of everything I had the storage unit and in the shed. It feels great!
Monday, January 29, 2018
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Down-sizing and Up-sizing
This Blog is dedicated to journaling my lifestyle changes i.e. from typical American consumer to eco friendly minimalist. A book I'm currently reading titled "Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism" by Fumio Sasaki, has also made me want to further explore the reasoning behind my need to acquire stuff and also the need to let the stuff go. Because the goal is not just decluttering but re-evaluating what possessions mean and what can be gained by Minimalism.
Down-sizing
After my divorce I moved into a very small apartment. The neighborhood wasn't the greatest but the rent was cheap. A tiny kitchen with room for a sink, a dorm size refrigerator and a small table. No stove for cooking. I had to decide between a toaster oven or micro-wave oven because I could only fit one in the kitchen. My collection of books and CDs just fit in the living room along with my boom box and a couple of comfy chairs, my nice oriental rugs and a few paintings. I was glad I'd only taken the twin bed because that was all that would fit in the little bedroom.
All in all I had enough possessions to fill the bed of a pick-up truck. It felt good. I was free of all that stuff that was such a burden. During the year I lived in the tiny apartment I probably increased my possessions by a couple of boxes. This was sufficient until I got a better job and could afford to move to a nicer neighborhood and a bigger apartment.
Up-sizing AGAIN
The new much bigger apartment seemed so empty...especially when I'd get home in the evening after work. I decided I could fill up some space with exercise equipment. I did. Then I thought tropical fish would be nice to come home to, because the rental agreement specified NO pets but I could have fish. Then I thought I'd like to try aqua-scaping as a hobby since I already had fish -more tanks and supplies needed -and well, wool felting would be a fun hobby too...I rationalized I needed a new expensive camera with a variety of lenses for my job and a new laptop too, while still keeping my other computer. I bought a bigger bed but still kept the small one in case I had guests. I would buy new clothes and shoes but would hang on to the old stuff- just in case. My collection of books and CDs was growing...I wasn't what you'd call a hoarder by any stretch but I had the space to store things so It didn't seem to matter...until five years later when I had to move.
Down-sizing
After my divorce I moved into a very small apartment. The neighborhood wasn't the greatest but the rent was cheap. A tiny kitchen with room for a sink, a dorm size refrigerator and a small table. No stove for cooking. I had to decide between a toaster oven or micro-wave oven because I could only fit one in the kitchen. My collection of books and CDs just fit in the living room along with my boom box and a couple of comfy chairs, my nice oriental rugs and a few paintings. I was glad I'd only taken the twin bed because that was all that would fit in the little bedroom.
All in all I had enough possessions to fill the bed of a pick-up truck. It felt good. I was free of all that stuff that was such a burden. During the year I lived in the tiny apartment I probably increased my possessions by a couple of boxes. This was sufficient until I got a better job and could afford to move to a nicer neighborhood and a bigger apartment.
Up-sizing AGAIN
The new much bigger apartment seemed so empty...especially when I'd get home in the evening after work. I decided I could fill up some space with exercise equipment. I did. Then I thought tropical fish would be nice to come home to, because the rental agreement specified NO pets but I could have fish. Then I thought I'd like to try aqua-scaping as a hobby since I already had fish -more tanks and supplies needed -and well, wool felting would be a fun hobby too...I rationalized I needed a new expensive camera with a variety of lenses for my job and a new laptop too, while still keeping my other computer. I bought a bigger bed but still kept the small one in case I had guests. I would buy new clothes and shoes but would hang on to the old stuff- just in case. My collection of books and CDs was growing...I wasn't what you'd call a hoarder by any stretch but I had the space to store things so It didn't seem to matter...until five years later when I had to move.
Next: Possessions become a burden AGAIN
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Acquiring Stuff
This Blog is dedicated to journaling my lifestyle changes i.e. from typical American consumer to eco friendly minimalist. A book I'm currently reading titled "Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism" by Fumio Sasaki, has also made me want to further explore the reasoning behind my need to acquire stuff and also the need to let the stuff go. Because the goal is not just decluttering but re-evaluating what possessions mean and what can be gained by Minimalism.
When my husband and I first got married we moved into a 1200 square foot house. We didn't have many possessions. Later we moved to a 3000 square foot house after our children were born. It seemed so empty... so we joined many other Americans in the late 80s & 90s that were going to garage sales, estate sales, rummage sales, etc... almost every week-end. We bought things we needed, thought we needed, might need later, or items that were just to good of a deal to pass up. We also became "collectors". Having something unique and fun to collect made "garage sailing" even more exciting. Besides, we had all this extra space. Looking back our reasoning was asinine, but, hey it was a thing. Everyone was doing it!
And hobbies - which I would take up with a passion, acquire the needed supplies (cost be damned), go full steam ahead for a while then abandon the project when I got bored. Another expensive craft would pique my interest and the cycle would start over again.
I remember a TV commercial at the time I think for Rubbermaid storage containers that encouraged people to buy large containers to store their stuff. Why? So you could buy more stuff! At the time it didn't occur to me that such an excess of possessions could become a burden.
When my marriage began to fall apart, I took stock of my life and realized all of our stuff, along with my collections and hobbies were contributing to my unhappiness and sense of suffocation. I wasn't sure why but I knew I needed to leave the stuff behind. So I did - I thought...
When my husband and I first got married we moved into a 1200 square foot house. We didn't have many possessions. Later we moved to a 3000 square foot house after our children were born. It seemed so empty... so we joined many other Americans in the late 80s & 90s that were going to garage sales, estate sales, rummage sales, etc... almost every week-end. We bought things we needed, thought we needed, might need later, or items that were just to good of a deal to pass up. We also became "collectors". Having something unique and fun to collect made "garage sailing" even more exciting. Besides, we had all this extra space. Looking back our reasoning was asinine, but, hey it was a thing. Everyone was doing it!
And hobbies - which I would take up with a passion, acquire the needed supplies (cost be damned), go full steam ahead for a while then abandon the project when I got bored. Another expensive craft would pique my interest and the cycle would start over again.
I remember a TV commercial at the time I think for Rubbermaid storage containers that encouraged people to buy large containers to store their stuff. Why? So you could buy more stuff! At the time it didn't occur to me that such an excess of possessions could become a burden.
When my marriage began to fall apart, I took stock of my life and realized all of our stuff, along with my collections and hobbies were contributing to my unhappiness and sense of suffocation. I wasn't sure why but I knew I needed to leave the stuff behind. So I did - I thought...
Next: Down-sizing and Up-sizing
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