Life with less stuff...

I am writing this blog while packing up Christmas decorations and I laughed out loud about all the stuff. Why do I have so much stuff? I hear all the time, less is better. I too like the look of my home with less stuff. I like the clean unclutter kitchen counters. I like my nightstand to be free of clutter with only my essentials for bedtime. That makes me laugh again. My essentials? Hand cream, foot cream, fresh flowers (enjoying hydrangeas at the moment), reading lamp, book, eyeglasses, and clock. That is a lot for essentials! I look around and ask myself (as many minimalists will have you do), do I love this? Does this thing make me happy? Well, I must say, there are many things that do make me happy. I love my sofa! It is ridiculously old, but I enjoy each morning a cup of coffee sitting in the same spot. I am a little frightened to replace. I looked around at the stuff. Hmmm, I began to feel a little bit of “overwhelm” sneaking in.

Each Christmas, I ask my kids, Preston, Parker, and Reagan to make me a list of wants. I am always amazed. Everything is so darn practical. Camping gear and dress shirts for Preston, Parker asked for books and cooking equipment, and Reagan wants a new yoga mat and cooking stuff as well. Parker specifically said mom do not buy me “random shit”. He said this a couple of times. I guess being in retail for almost four decades can cause “random shit” buying. I tried very hard to take Parker’s advice. I bought from the list except for a few things that I thought they would enjoy. For instance, a glow in the dark OFFICIAL frisbee. I was very excited about my purchase. Parker is very good at frisbee, and we always play when he comes home. I think he plays in some kind of frisbee game up there in New Jersey that is a little more serious. I stuck to Reagan’s list as well except for a Madewell heavy sweater, and a vegan cookbook. Preston’s things were completely bought by his list! Some things were a little vague, so it gave me more room😂. So, last night I bragged on myself to Louis that this year there was no “random shit” bought at Christmas for the kids. I am sure some of the other gifts bought my not have been considered as worthy. I will be the first to admit that I buy things I do not need. There are times when I have bought and soon realize I already owned and did not even know it. Come on, I know many of you have too. Have you ever got home from the grocery store and said why did I buy this? I have a full jar in the cabinet. I am still pondering this minimalist idea.

Parker is what I call a somewhat minimalist. He told me he did not need any clothes last year. He said mom “I get up, put on a shirt, jeans, and shoes and waste no time in deciding what to wear. I, on the other hand, change handbags to fit my outfit and decide which shoes will go best. Oh my, I was extremely confused. Was I wasting time on deciding what to wear? Heavens no. I am not afraid to admit that I am a little vain. I enjoy getting dressed. I enjoy deciding what to wear. I enjoy being creative and putting things together. It does not have to be new, just newly put together to feel the excitement. This has always been important to me. I remember doing this in high school. Looking my best makes me feel my best inside and out. I began to ponder the idea that maybe this is not normal. Do I have to be normal?

I can get annoyed (okay quite often) at Louis for never getting rid of stuff. He keeps everything. I see to have to throw away old shirts without him knowing. If there is a small hole in a sock, I hide it in the trash. I will sometimes say, please do not wear that. It is dated and he looks at me with a confused look. I do not like his cluttered nightstand and get extremely annoyed and his office. (I have learned to just live with it). Sometimes, you just pick your battles and this one is not one of them. Louis defends his actions with the comment of “I do not get rid of my stuff, but do not bring home new stuff, you on the other hand, buy more, get rid of some”. I have heard this many times and just walk away🤦‍♂️.

Knowing how I enjoy researching information on Mr. google, I went to work on why we buy things, add things, and why some people do not. The first thing I come across is a phrase “owning less is good, wanting less is even better”. I had to sit with that for a while. Well, after reading many articles, I think it can be summed up that we are inundated with ads that make us think we need more stuff. I am shocked at the amount of pop-up ads that come up while I was doing my research. I decided that I was going to cut back but not commit to being a minimalist. I would try very hard not buy “random shit”. I look around my home, and I do have a lot of things that could be addressed!

A couple of years ago, I bought the book by Marie Kondo the life-changing magic of tidying up about organizing and she is very good. Don’t you laugh! She sold over 9 million copies of this book. So, there are a lot of people that have a lot of crap. I like the idea she has that we should organize by category. For instance, I now have a closet for my travel items such as earphones, head pillow, extra luggage tags, and travel blanket. I have a “craft” drawer with my hot glue guns, glue sticks, hooks, hangers, etc. I am not so sure about her recommendation that you only keep what speaks to your heart! Yes, I said it. Keep only what means a lot to us. Hmmm, I am pondering again. I look around and laugh out load.

I do remember one of my podcasts said that we should start with our sock drawer or coffee cup cabinet. I did do this, and it was a nice feeling of opening up the cabinet or drawer and it is neat and clutter free. I have my kitchen cabinets in good shape but you still de-clutter a little more. I get a calm feeling when my sock drawer is nice and neat🤷‍♀️

Needless to say, I am not a minimalist and do not plan to become one for 2022. I do plan on being more deliberate in my purchases only what needs to be replaced. I do want to keep categorizing my stuff and being able to find what I need instead of repurchasing as I have done for years. Many of us have an abundant of items that could be enjoyed by others. My mother would always say “one women’s junk is another women’s treasure”! So true. Let’s go through and declutter a little and make someone’s day by donating to a friend or family member or maybe it needs to go to goodwill.

Why do I care? Remember, I started this blog because I had read Carol Dweck's book Mindset and realized that I am not to old to learn! I wanted to start my next decade off with trying new things and being better today than I was yesterday. I am amazed that our minds can work for or against us. I am 60 years old and started wearing contacts for the first time this week! Yes, I always had good vision until I hit my 50's and out came the readers. Then, my distance started falling off. I am thrilled that I finally decided to try. Now, what is next? Stay tuned.

Have a beautiful week my friends!