Nov 26th, 2012 by Jennifer Lynn
Officially I am in this vigorous declutter-all-of-my-stuff zone. Witnessing an orgy of insatiable consumerism (propelled by events such as Black Friday) stimulates me to be cognizant of at least one thing:
I have too much crap all ready. And I am so, so tired of the endless string of commercials and email blasts, urging me to:
“Hurry, for a limited time only! While supplies last! On Sale, must act now!!”
The holidays have become more than a little sullied and everything sounds like a colossal fucking infomercial, deliberately designed to create this irrational and false urgency to consume. It is beyond vexing. Enough, for crying out loud.
A minimalist is something I aspire to be. Relieving myself of unnecessary stuff makes me feel less stressed out. More grounded and in control. I like being more efficient, less wasteful. This brings me immense comfort and I can breathe easier.
My mission before the new year is to unfetter myself from all of the useless crap that slyly festers in obscure nooks here. In my own disorganized way I will fuss over each room of our apartment and challenge myself to find several objects per corner that immediately can be thrust out the door. Sayonara!
In conclusion: it was a pleasant respite to engage in amazing food over some hearty laughs with family during this holiday weekend, and I am tired of being a slave to some cultural expectation that consuming is what we all ought to be doing this time of year. It is a bunch of bovine fecal matter, to put it bluntly. (Bullshit.) I am so over it.
Also, I can not believe how quickly this year is hurtling by.
=^..^=
Great initiative! Start with what hasn't been used in a year or more and you should already trim a lot.
Great post. All of the consumerism is insane ! And this year is really flying by, I cannot believe it.
I hear you. That's part of the reason why I am avid opponent of fighting the throngs on Black Friday. My wife and I work in advertising, so I know that those ads are meant for one thing…to get you to buy their crap.
On a side note, I think when you have kids your crap-o-meter goes up exponentially. Having three now, my skin crawls at all the crap we have.
You could always move to the boonies of Montana, get rid of all TV's / internet and enjoy the peaceful prairies and occasional wild fires
I'm happy to hear you enjoyed your Thanksgiving! Kind of curious on your take about Christmas shopping…
I hate stuff too. Good job decluttering. My stuff always creeps back up on me too even though I am constantly getting rid of things. We have to stay on top of it!!!!
Have a great week, Jennifer!
This time of year makes want to sell stuff on ebay, and we have been seriously decluttering this month. I even made an attempt at my file cabinet.
Try moving to the great White North! My hubby and I always feel overwhelmed by the ads when we travel to the States. It really is exhausting
It is a lot. A lot, a lot. We didn't do Black Friday because we didn't see anything we needed or really wanted to get anyone else in the ads. Shopping for the sake of shopping is asinine.
Although I can't honestly claim to be a minimalist. I don't buy a lot, but I hold on to the few things I do. For a long, long time.
Not sure if you saw the WSJ article that did a multi year study and concluded that the best deals aren't even on Black Friday. None the less good for you for living the minimalist lifestyle!
Most stuff in our house if it hasn't been used in 6 months gets sold, given away or tossed in the bin. If there is one thing we can't stand and that's clutter. More to clean and the house looks junky IMO but everyone has different opinions and beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say. We have gotten rid of tonnes of things this year.. thank goodness.
It used to really bother me too, but then I realised that we live in a world of finite resources and therefore this rampant consumerism will stop one way or another.
Great post!
I definitely feel like living with less stuff gives you more freedom. For instance, say you want to up and moev somewhere. Well it'll be a heck of a lot easier without hoards of stuff! The minimalist life is definitely something I try to do.
While I definitely can appreciate your viewpoint, I just bought a new house and needed a stepladder and shelves
This year I vowed to spend as little as possible. I have ton of family in another state and I will be sending them cards and pictures!
For others, I plan on making ornaments!
I feel less stress already.
I hear ya!
@Pauline, that sounds like an excellent starting point. It is staggering all of the stuff I have accumulated over the years that barely has been used.
@Gillian, thank you for stopping by. This year I will minimize our Christmas spending binge to focus instead on home-made gifts and providing enjoyable experiences for loved ones.
@John S., our rate of clutter certainly has accelerated since our baby was born. It all began with a polite acceptance of hand-me-downs from relatives and has just spun out of control. We are being buried alive in our apartment.
@V, hah, ironic you should suggest that. Actually my brother-in-law moved to the mountains of Montana and built his own secluded log cabin, complete with an outhouse!
@Holly, have a great week as well, much appreciated. It is astonishing how quickly those clutter piles form, isn't it?
@Kim, you are brave to tackle the filing cabinet. I stopped staying on top of mine when the baby was born and now it is a horrendous mess. Groovy idea about eBay (and a great way to recycle.) I may try this approach in conjunction with Craigslist.
@Mandy, is the Great North part of the UK? Truly an apt remark, it IS exhausting.
@Femme Frugality, this is my philosophy. I enjoy buying quality items and tend to hang onto beloved items forever. I am 32 now and my favorite pair of jeans was bought in Sweden…when I was 21! (I was over the moon when I snugly could fit into them again post pregnancy.)
@Marvin, thank you for stopping by. I'll have to scrounge up that Wall Street Journal article. Thanks for the heads up. And although I wouldn't completely label myself a minimalist yet, I do feel I need to move toward that direction more.
@Mr. CBB, now that's the spirit! I love how methodical you are about approaching this, and that is a productive solution. Clutter doesn't stand a chance against you and Mrs. CBB.
@Glen, quite the profound remark. And…comforting. Thank you. When I feel discouraged (such as when I posted this), I will envision Ricky romping near the garden and smile.
@Mo', exactly. I feel way too restricted by stuff. Friends were always amazed at my ability to travel overseas with a few light dresses and toiletries stuffed into a teensy shopping bag. But traveling light always made the journey considerably less stressful.
@DC, gasp. A house? And…shelves? You dare come here with these roguish ways?! Charlatan!
@Debtgirl, I immensely am looking forward to your crafty home-made gift ideas this holiday season. (P.S. Your dressed-up glitter-y cards are waayyy cuter than any fancy-schmancy expensive ones. Loved that post!)
I'm pretty sure we could all use a little purge from all the junk we've got. See you next spring Garage Sale!
That's funny! I only say because I stayed at an acquiescence' house in Montana for a few days and loved it. It was away from any sort of "civilized" life and had beautiful views. We had to evacuate after a wildfire threatened the area though. Luckily his house and property weren't touched.
I'm with CBB – if it hasn't been used in 6 months I seriously consider getting rid of it on eBay.
@MMD, sounds like a plan!
@V., that is pretty cool. Sounds like an adventurous yet relaxing trip. Before nature struck.
@James, smart of you. May as well make a teensy profit from accumulated, unused stuff if possible. I bought a french press from Craigslist for a few bucks and LOVE it. The previous owner was moving, however, and thankful to be rid of it!
We've been trying to declutter and get rid of more stuff as well. It feels hard, and then I realize how little I've used many of these items (sometimes not at all in over a year) and that makes it easier to part with.
I really enjoy living with less things, clothes etc…I grew up in a apartment full of beautiful furnishings but way too many of them. I'm glad that both my husband and I agree that less is more.
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