I am just as guilty as anyone of being too materialistic, but that wasn't always the case. For example, my cousin likes to joke about how in college I lived in shit and I was happy. It's true. I lived in a "apartment" the size of a bedroom and shared a kitchen with three others. Those were the days!
When I got my first job out of college and moved into my first real apartment, it was infested with ants and again, pretty small, but I loved it! It was my swamp.
Ever since meeting my husband though, I have had a tendency to collect stuff, which I use, but arguably don't need.
I recently hooked up with an old classmate named Chris through Facebook (surprised he remembered me), who writes a blog about how and why he pared his stuff down to 500 things.
It got me to thinking what I could give up. I have mentioned in previous posts my need to de-clutter my head, but it will be easier to to that if I de-bulk myself of (some) material things as well.
First I should take inventory. It will be hard because we have a lot of crap, and not all of it is mine.
But it's easy to see places we could cut back, especially where electronics are concerned. I mean, do we really need four televisions and four computers? My son has toys he plays with once and then forgets about. We have books we haven't read since Sputnik. My son has books that we've bought him that he's yet to read.
So I could start by trimming down those things.
Off the top of my head, here are (some of) the things I wouldn't want to live without:
table and chairs
one TV
one computer
washer and dryer for clothes (if not in house than at least nearby)
one bed
one sofa
an end table of some sort
a car (although my seizures have prevented me from driving on occasion)
a fridge
Now I just need to get my husband and son on board. Right now they are playing World of Warcraft on separate computers, so this may take awhile.
1 comment:
Eden: I recently had to take our computer in to get something fixed. Not a big deal, but they had to keep it a few days. Imagine my embarrassment when I was like, "Oh, this will be tough, my son likes to do his homework on the computer" and they were all "I'm sure you or your husband will let him use yours." I was all "We only have this computer." I was promptly looked at like I was from some alien world! My husband, much like you were in the days of the college hovel I so well remember -- is "low use" in most things. It has never occurred to either of us to get more than one computer. We just all use the computer whenever we need it, those with the highest "need" win the time (Russell having homework trumping all else, usually). So just know you are related to freaks who only own ONE computer.... See, your Dad always knew those "east siders" were an issue. Too bad you had not choice but to hang -- you're related by blood!
Post a Comment