As North Americans, we are a consuming society. Wardrobes are updated seasonally, if not monthly, or weekly. There is always a new tool available to make life easier. A new barbecue, sporting goods, pots and pans. We need them, or do we?
My family and I never stay in one place for long so you wouldn't think we would have collected so much crap, however, every time we move, we bring said 'crap' along with us. When we can't find an item (because it's buried under all the crap) we just buy a new one, and so the cycle continues.
Deciding to change how we lived, along with where we lived was no small effort. Simplifying takes time, it is not a 'simple' process. Over the course of a couple of years we starting making changes. We donated, gave away, or sold items that were not necessities. Made any repairs that were needed to items in order to sell, and pushed forward with our plans. I can be a bit sentimental so the hardest part, for me, was giving up items that had meaning or memories attached. I kept a few items, of course, but I had to view things realistically. If I'm keeping an item in a box and haven''t looked at it for years, do I really need to keep it?
Instead of saving memories in a box, kept unseen for years, we plan to make memories to be
experienced and fondly discussed. Perhaps around a fire, on the beach.
Look for tips on minimizing all the crap in a future post.
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