I so want to be simple.....

Published on February 1, 2006 By dharmagrl In Misc

I'm trying to be simple.

No, not simple minded. Simple. As in living simply.

I don't want to have clothes spilling out of my closet. I don't want to have a shoe rack that's full. I don't want to have gadgets for this and that and the other. I don't want to have a tub full of cleaning products. I don't want to have 'stuff', period.

I want to have a few things that I like, that work well and that serve their purpose. I want to get rid off the fluff, rid of the bits and pieces and this and that's and all the extras that come with living in modern society.

It's hard to be simple. Actually, it's not hard BEING simple, it's hard getting there. Everywhere you look, there are advertsiments telling you that you NEED this, that you MUST have this or that or the other, that this will make your life so much easier, that this will make you look so much younger, thinner or healthier, that this thing is bigger and better and faster than the one you have and that if you don't get it you'll be left behind; you'll be a societal reject if you don't buy what they're selling.

There are even adverts for things that claim to make your life simpler. Yep, instead of getting rid of stuff to simplify, they want you to get MORE stuff. Sometimes the stuff you get CAN make your life simpler because you can get rid of three or four things and replace them with ONE thing, but...some of the stuff they try to sell you under the banner heading of 'simplicity' is unreal. Some of these companies advertising dudes are stretching the limits of reality with their claims. Either that or they have a different version od simplicity than I do.

It's hard to get a simple life. It's hard to get rid of stuff. I know that once I do I'll feel better, but man, it's tough. I'm still in the mind-set that we have no money and that I have to get stuff whilst it's on sale because we won't be able to get it later. We're not rich, but we're better off now than we were back then. I like to sale-shop, yes.....but I don't HAVE to. Ridding myself of that way of thinking is hard. I don't want to let go. I don't want to give things away or sell them. I'll get rid of them and then panic because we have no stuff and then I'll go buy MORE stuff....and so the cycle repeats. Rid, panic, buy. Again and again.

So, I guess the real challenge isn't getting rid of stuff, it's NOT getting more stuff. It's getting myself out of that way of thinking, and just as importantly, setting safeguards so that I won't fall prey to media and societal pressure and go buy buy buy again. THAT'S the solution. THAT'S what my goal should be. Not just to rid myself of stuff, but to break the cycle.

That's going to be hard. But I guess if I want it enough, I'll do it.

And I do want it. I want to be simple, to live simply. I honestly believe that your life and house should be a reflection of your mental state. My house right now is clean, but untidy. I feel like I have to battle stuff everyday, I have to corral it and get it in its place before I can get down to the cleaning. I'm starting to detest that, which is a motivating factor.

The question now is, which comes first? Do I get rid of stuff to clear my mind, or do I clear my mind and then get rid of the stuff?

Hmm. That's quite the conumdrum.

Comments (Page 2)

lifehappens

on Feb 02, 2006

If you are concerned about throwing away things that you may later regret, try this. Sort stuff (as you are decluttering) into groups....give away/sell, throw away, keep and quarentine. The quarentine stuff is things that you want to ditch but think you may want later. Take them, put them in a box somewhere that's less accessible. Seal and Date the box. IF you haven't needed or wanted anything that is in there after a year, you throw the box away, still sealed. (If you open it, you may rethink the items and bring them back into the house)

Your mind didn't clear in a few days and neither will your house. Remember to tell yourself that!

And i'm making this reply really long, so pelase forgive me, but I have a sticky in my computer room that I haven't thought about (because it was covered with papers)

*Give up as much as you can, not out of martyrdom, but to have the space and visual calm you need to give yourself a higher standard of living.
*I'm only being selfish if I insist on keeping something that I don't need when someone else could use it.

Thanks for the mental boost to me as I strive for that simpler life.

KarmaGirl

on Feb 02, 2006

I want to be simple...except for the shoes. I *love* shoes. I have a whole bunch of odd shoes, some of which I've have for well over 12 years. I guess I could get rid of some of them and just not buy more....maybe.

I am working on getting rid of the extra "stuff" in our house. I have boxes that I never opened from our last move, which was over 6 years ago. I feel like just throwing them out, but there are a few "memory" possessions that I still can't locate.

I have been losing weight, so I plan on donating all the clothes that i shrink out of and only buying some well fitting clothes that I will wear all the time.

It's a lot of work to get "simple", but I think it is worth it.

Chaos Manager

on Feb 02, 2006

Tova:

Every time we move and I wave good bye to everything we own, as the movers are driving down the street....I feel FREE. We joke and say we are "homeless" now, but the weight of all that crap is GONE. It is so nice.

Then when I am unpacking (often several weeks later) if I don't "love" it as I unpack it, I get rid of it.

My wife and I are going through this now. We sorted through a lot of stuff as we packed it up, but there's still all kinds of "stuff" that we need to address.

As we unpack the boxes in the new apartment we're looking at things - if we don't use them regularly (there's lots of stuff in the boxes that we've not unpacked yet that we've not even missed) then it's going back into another box for donation to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. So far - it's about a ratio of 3 boxes unpacked to 1 put away, 1 trashed outright (broken stuff or obsolete papers and stuff that I wouldn't even give to Goodwill), and 1 box of stuff to be donated. The trash guys love us.

Now, if I can only remember to get receipts for all this stuff we donate so that we can use it as a charitable donation on the tax forms next year.

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!