Simplify
Your Life By Wanting Less
How limiting
your desires can bring tranquility to your home
Hi,
my name is Leah and I want things. I want things I don't have the
money for. Things that I may never have the money for. I want a new
refrigerator even though my old one works fine. I want a new vacuum
cleaner because my old one isn't as good as this new one I've see
on TV. I want a new mattress set, and fresh paint for my bed room,
and a remodeled kitchen, and new floors for my basement, and...
I
could go on. This is the voice in my head and it never stops. It never
sleeps. It's a hungry monster that wants and wants and wants and is
never satisfied. Even when I get the object of my utmost desire,
I'm not satisfied because there are always ten other things I want
next.
I
recently realized just how much time I spent wanting things I couldn't
have. I would go shopping and see all the things I wanted and go
home angry that I didn't make enough money to buy them all that
day. I started working at 15 so I could buy all the "stuff"
I wanted and I realize now that I haven't really stopped and thought
about a purchase in a very long time.
I
realized my problem was a problem when I was in a crafting store and
saw one of those wooden word blocks. The word spelled "Simplify"
and I thought how wonderful it would be to simplify everything. To
just buy what I needed and not all this crap. I almost bought the
word block decoration, but then I realized that having to buy yet
another object, even one that was admonishing me to be simple, was
not the point.
The
point was to want less and buy less. Simplify.
Recently
I read an excellent book called 101 Ways to Simplify Your Life.
Now this book was written in the 90s and the author talks repeatedly
about the excesses of living in the 80s. I'm sure it's nothing to
living in 2008 when just the costs of food and gas are enough to max
out your credit cards alone. We have less money to spend on stuff,
but have we really cut back on any of it?
I
certainly hadn't!
I've
started to simplify, to whole heartily desire less stuff in my life
so that my heart and mind are clear enough to enjoy the things
that I already have. Here are some of the new rules I'm living my
life by:
- Unload
the junk - I'm planning a yard sale at the end of the month
to get rid of all this excess junk. There is no reason to hold
on to things that I never look at, never look for, and will absolutely
not miss when its gone. If it doesn't sell in the yard sale, no
problem! I can try to sell it onEbay or just donate all that stuff
to charity and be done with it for good!
- Shop only
once a week - I recently noticed that we were running back
to the grocery store 3-4 times a week. Finally I made it a rule
- if we didn't get it the first time, it wasn't worth getting.
Now grocery shopping is only done once a week and we have to make
do with the food we have until the next trip. Not only has this
saved a lot of money, but it also is saving us a lot of time too.
- Buy local
- Recently I stumbled across my local farmers market and was
tickled to meet several local farmers in my area. Now I try to
shop at the farmers market each week and buy more food there than
I do at the grocery store. Not only is this healthier, it's also
cheaper and less tempting than the grocery store.
- Combine
trips for everything - With gas prices at nearly $4 a gallon
we're seriously cutting back on our errand running. Now if I'm
going to a certain part of town I write a list of everything else
I can do around or on the way there. I've also cut out trips to
places that are far out of my way. Now whenever I leave the house
I take care of at least 3 things and don't have to leave the house
again for several days.
- Cancel
the gym membership - I talked myself into joining the gym
because it would give me a reason to get out of the house, to
exercise and be healthy. In truth, no amount of money down the
drain is going to make you exercise if you don't want to. I've
canceled my membership and have started doing yoga on my own in
the morning. If you really enjoy doing something you will make
it a habit every morning.
- Stop the
magazines - I realized recently that my feelings of dissatisfaction
with my life were not really based in reality. They were actually
the product of looking at magazines that depicted perfectly cleaned
and decorated homes with lavish gardens I couldn't even hope to
maintain. My subscriptions are cancel and a new "no magazines
allowed" policy has been created. I'm much happier without
them!
- Pay attention
to your feelings - I really started paying attention to when
I want to buy. Sometimes when I feel down or depressed I really
want to go shopping to bring myself back up. Now I notice the
feeling and try to do the very opposite. I go for a walk, play
with my son, or watch a feel good movie instead.
- Regulate
your friendships - I've come to realize that I have a serious
problem comparing myself to my friends. This is a problem because
most of my friends are much older and far wealthier than I am.
It's fine to have friends in different socioeconomic places in
their lives, but make sure it's not tempting you to behave in
certain ways. Never buy things to impress someone else. They don't
really care, and if they do, they aren't your friend.
- Drive
only one car - My husband and I both work at home, which is
a pretty unusual circumstance. We realized about 3 years ago that
having two vehicles was really silly when usually we went everywhere
together. Now we drive a very fuel efficient car and even when
I take trips out of town, we don't miss the expense and maintenance
of the second vehicle.
- Work from
home - Working from home has super simplified my life. I wake
up at the time that I want and I work the hours I choose. It's
not all golden days and rainbow mornings, but it's the best job
I've ever worked. I love not having to leave the house for days
on end. When I feel the need to get out of the house, I work in
the garden or outside on the house. There's always work to be
done and it's best to do it when you want to, not when you have
to.
More
than anything I've come to realize that more is not more. Happiness
cannot be found in stuff. Contentment is bred from being satisfied
with your surroundings. Constantly comparing yourself to everything
and everyone is never going to result in any form of happiness.
Less
is more. Simplify by buying less and wanting less.
