Trimming the Fat

My very cool sister-in-law sent me a link to her friend's blog who had written about her experience of selling most of what she and her family of four own so that they can make a huge move from Ithaca NY to Dubai UAE.

After reading about this real super woman's of trimming the fat, so to speak, and ridding herself of the added burden of unnecessary things I was inspired to share talk about it with you.

My husband and I have been trying to live more simply in the past year or so. We have come to the joint agreement that we never want to have a garage filled with everything but our cars, junk drawers, or black hole room that always seems to collect the miscellaneous items that have no home. We have no garage but we still have some junk that collects here and there and we have wanted to trim it out of our lives.

Last year we got rid of a lot... an AC unit, our microwave, our washer and dryer, my exercises bike, furniture, rugs, shelves, books, clothes, shoes, and a lot of other random things. We sold it all and made about a $1000 from our efforts which went to a new computer for my husband - a much smaller and much more needed item in our household. But we got a lot more that a Mac Book Pro out of the experience - we gained relief from the burden that those things were imposing on our lives.

It is a huge relief to get rid of something because it frees you
of your responsibility to care for it.

I heard a quote a while back that has really stuck with me:

"Less Space. Less Things. MORE Life!"

It makes complete sense. The less space you have and the fewer things you have in that space the more time you have to really enjoy life. Plus you end up having more resources for family vacations and enriching experiences because you aren't buying stuff that you don't really need, paying to fix stuff that isn't necessary, or having to take care or or store a bunch of things.

While living a simple, clutter-free existence sounds really appealing, it can be a real challenge to avoid getting sucked into consumerism - especially if you love getting a great deal. I have a few things that I do that have helped me.

1 - I try really hard not to buy anything unless I genuinely LOVE it.
Often times that means passing on the $12 shirt that is such a great deal because I know that I don't really love it. I know it will sit in my closet and rarely get worn because I loved the idea of a deal instead of loving what I bought. When I am unsure about a purchase I ask myself if I really love it and more often than not I leave the item behind because I don't really love it.

2 - I ask myself, "Where am I going to put this if I buy it?"
I have to be honest with myself about the space I have and if there is really a good home for it - because adding more stuff to a black hole room does not count as having a place for it.

3 - I remind myself of the vision I have for my home.
Keeping a vision in mind helps me avoid buying things that detract from my goal of having a peaceful, organized, streamlined home that is calm and serene. I remind myself of how I want to spend my time - with my family - not cleaning, fixing, and managing things.

Stuff just weighs us down, saps us of our energy, and steals our time away from what is truly important. It can be hard to resist the good deal, and for some it is a real challenge to let go of things (I personally find it invigorating and cathartic), but I believe it can be easier if we remember what we want a simpler life with more for the really important things.

When we choose less things we really do choose more life! I wish you the best of luck as you trim the fat and enjoy more life!

-Kristin

P.S. After returning from our summer internship and opening our storage unit, my husband and I were overwhelmed with how much stuff there was - even though we did get rid of a lot last year. We have decided to get rid of even more and will be working on simplifying our lives even further before we move again in four months. Wish us luck!