By: Revanche

Decluttering and mindful acquisitions

April 3, 2019

We’re developing a steady rhythm of moving things out of the house even as we add things that we need and use. I’m looking at a steady state that should trend lower over time.

This almost cleansing ritual is at odds with my borderline hoarder nature that wants, nay craves, the security of having everything I might need ready to hand. I hate having to buy things when they’re not on sale. But the purging is necessary.

Without this outflow, I’d feel stifled and overwhelmed by STUFF. I hate that feeling. I want to have stuff, I don’t want it to have me. I want to have our own purely practical Warehouse 13, but not live in it. I’m not sure that compromise is possible but nevertheless, I persevere.

Less stuff, more stuff, just the right amount of stuff: a lesson in mindfulness

Some things have to be pruned daily or they multiply LIKE TRIBBLES:

• Junk mail
• ALL of JB’s art which is sometimes represented by scribbles on 39284829 sheets of paper, a wad of paper taped up 17 different ways, or a stack of papers stapled together. If the latter, I secretly unstaple them and stash them in a bin of art supplies so ze can reuse the other side.
• Anything that’s been in the trunk of the car for five years but hasn’t been used (except the emergency gear).

We bid farewell to:

• A broken coffeemaker that’s been taking up room in the garage – with grateful thanks to our local disposal company
• 6 of 12 pairs of trouser socks. Haven’t worn them in 6 years, probably safe to assume I won’t in the next 6.
• We rarely get takeout for a lot of reasons but I especially like to see how long we can go without adding to our plastic takeout containers stash – we are down to an all time low of only 4 sets! They were used mercilessly, then sent home with potluck dinner guests filled with delicious leftovers.
• We use our clothes the same way we duel: to the death! Often, the things we’re ready to give up aren’t in any shape to be sold or donated. Any clothes still in good condition go into my Sale Bin in hopes of finding them a good home. About 15 lbs of clothes have languished in there for a year, it was time for them to move on.

Areas of concern

• We definitely have enough tote bags but I struggle heartily with not adding more to our collection. I can resist a great tote bag about as well as I resist street tacos. (Hardly ever and with bad grace.) I love the feel of sturdy canvas, the clever art, the easy breezy “shovel all the gear into the tote and go”-ness of a great oversized tote. The non-preciousness wherein you can sling it any old where, because it’s sturdy canvas, so no worries about scuffing. I resonate with a great tote bag.

With all this going on, it seems counter-intuitive to be adding things to the home, doesn’t it? But we have and it’s eased our day to day lives too. We’ve added:

• A good quality garden shovel.
• A pair of tough gardening gloves that actually fit my hands. Begone, ye thorns!
• An extra set of sheets – I don’t have to strip the beds, do all the wash, and remake the beds all in one marathon day! I can rotate our extra set in and take my time. It’s amazing.
• Three bowls and platters for dinner service. We’ve squished many a dinner into 2 solitary 1-quart casserole dishes for quite a lot of guests. It’s ok to make serving up meals a little easier. This is also a sideways investment in social capital. We are starting new traditions in the area with local friends, trying to build community, and one of them is having select groups of people over for dinner. By “tradition” I mean, we’ve done this once before and by golly we will try again. We might even host as many as TWO dinners this year! But even if we don’t, we have house guests every month so these items won’t be mothballed during the year.
• That new Pyrex set – I’m over the moon about it! It makes me feel warm and fuzzy and like an adult. We’ve had a longstanding need for more containers with lids that can serve many purposes, and these are just the ticket: oven safe, freezer safe, microwave safe, dishwasher safe. Now that my hands are less painful, I can actually use the heavy duty Pyrex instead of relying on flimsy plastic containers that aren’t oven safe and having to dirty an extra dish. I actually picked up two sets and I serve our dinners in them so that after meal cleanup is as simple as popping a lid on. It’s fabulous.

PiC continues to be our Craigslist selling whiz as well as the secondhand gear guy. I buy new but search every nook and cranny for bargains, sales, and savings. We try to be extra conscious of not resorting to the reflex to buy something to fill a need until we’ve considered all possible alternatives first.

:: What have you been buying, selling, keeping, or getting rid of? Are you happy with the amount of stuff in your home?

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