Simplifying Life

needmoney

rosieben wrote: »

I love the idea of yurt-living (and I love the hobbit house) but I’m too old for such a major change.

I still have a ridiculous amount of ‘stuff’ despite several major decluttering sessions. Two wardrobes of clothes (and the one wardrobe is rarely opened), cupboards full of china and pretty serving dishes for family visits. Now most of my family are abroad and my son isnt the type to be impressed by fancy gravy boats! I just gave away 1 dozen 4-piece place settings of cutlery and my cutlery drawer is still too full to keep tidy. I’ve promised myself that at least half of everything has to go – clothes, cutlery, china, books…. I cant envisage my life without the computer though – that would be the other side of simplicity.

I'm hoping to move some time in the spring and so I have an extra motivation for junk-dumping!!

Am I the only one that has this contradictory feeling around the computer – dont want to need it, but cant imagine living without it?

I have a love hate relationship with it I spend far too much time on it reading mse and other things.
If I wanted to know something I would find it out somehow usually books now I'm lazy and look it up on the net, it's so informative and fascinating.

rosieben

needmoney wrote: »

...
If I wanted to know something I would find it out somehow usually books now I'm lazy and look it up on the net, it's so informative and fascinating.

My son says that the answer to any question 'where can I find out about ....' is 'the internet'. it is fascinating though isnt it? if we didnt have it I suppose we would go back to looking things up in books.

Aril

Blimey loads more fab replies since I last dropped by. We've sorted out a load more clutter since I last wrote which is going off to charity shop/jumble/freecycle. The small person has sorted out 100 books. Most of these have been pocket money buys from the charity shop or book sales at school or ones that he's simply outgrown. He's very proudly filled the space with his charity shop bought Beano annuals.
I think taking a step back my major area is books. I love them. I'm a lot better in that I haven't bought new full priced books in ages and I really do use the library a lot. However, I'm still inclined to buy lots from the charity shops which sit on my shelf and smile at me. I never finish one before I'm thinking of the next couple of books I'm going to read so I have a permanent pile next to the bed and it drives me frankly potty. The other thing I think I'm going to stop is picking up the freebie mags in Tesco and Waitrose [I initally started this as a compromise when I stopped buying glossy mags like Country Living] However, I rarely sit down and read them and then that's another thing so sort out and recycle!
Keep the ideas coming
Aril

JenniO

Speaking of de-cluttering, I used to be one of those who always used the 3rd (box bedroom) as a dumping ground for anything I couldn't find a home for. I also kept a HUGE wooden wardrobe in there and a dresser and frankly you couldn't move in it. SO over the last 48 hours and after a lot of selling on ebay, charity shop giving, my OH and I were able to re-decorate it (for only £85) into a full blown 'workshop' for me to do my crafts, sew, etc and now I can envision starting a cottage industry for myself to earn money!

It simply occured to me on boxing day that my 3rd bedroom was adding at least £10k to my property value and yet I'm using it to store cr*p and a giant wardrobe. Shouldn't I be using that valuable space more wisely?

So I am thrilled and very motivated now to STOP perhaps being on the computer so much (although I love MSE) and start earning myself an income in my beautiful little room.

ceridwen

Theres some cute little (and I mean LITTLE) houses on a website link I got from the Live Wildly blog:

www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

Having watched videos of people living in these - I gather one has to think in terms of "outsourcing" various home functions - like clotheswashing (to a laundrette), entertaining (to a pub, friends home, etc) to be able to live in them. Might be an answer for some people temporarily though.

[Deleted User]

rosieben. I had a similar problem re getting -rid. I sold all my silver cutlery on ebay and got a decent price. I now have one set in stainless steel. The lovely fancy china tea set went to oxfam with a proviso that it was sold for a proper price.

I have now ordered jamie oliver, white crockery to replace my royal doulton, which is also going to oxfam, along with fancy tablecloths and table mats.

Eating will now be on white (replaceable) crockery on woven, simple tablemats. so that is a start at least

we downsized to a new townhouse and it was terribly hard to make myself give away my fantastic golden oak ercol. I did though and have replaced it with modular pale oiled oak. This will be good if we ever downsize again

Linen is now down to what we need ourselves and enough for two guests plus extra towels.

Kitchen linen, cloths, dusters, aprons etc are now in two small drawers

I am getting there, eventually but my biggest clutter is to do with cooking and making food from scratch. My dh shelved the understairs cupboard so it can take dozens of lock n lock boxes but I NEED to stop myself buying things like flour, herb teas and so on. I have far too big a stock for two of us

I also confess to hoarding a BIG knitting wool stash and am determined not to buy now until I have used it ALL

jane130

I loe those houses and what a great idea I' not sure they would be too practicle with 4 kids though we are pressed enough for space in our average sized 3 bed ( 2 and a box room) and I don't think any amount of simplifying will help there !

the most major step we have taken to simply our lives happened about 6 months ago, our car needed some working doing that we couldn't really afford so we gave it away to a freind who felt they needed one and were prepared to spend the money on it. the difference it has made to our finances is huge and it has given us some financial freedom that we never had before. yes it an be ard at times , getting a weeky shop for 6 home is a little on the hard side but we manage.

I am in constant battle to declutter just yesterday i cleared my boys wordrobe and removed 2 black bags full of clothes that were too small with a vow to only replace them with what is needed. yes I have replaced them while the sales are on but my boys now only have 5 outfits each which should be pleanty and reduce the amount of washing I have to do and they all fit in their wardrobes.

the girls however are a different story the 17 year old shops for herself and the 12 year old gets bags of handmedowns regularly which I definatly have my say on before any of it makes it to her wardrobe and we only keep the good stuff that fits before passing it on.


we grow some of our own veg though due to health problems our veg patch has overgrown a it in the last few months but that can be easily solved with a days hard work once this baby is born.

I think the main thing i have done to simplify my life is stop worrying about tomorrow , what happens will happen you can do your best to prepare for it but ultimatley life will throw you a curve ball and you just hve to deal with it the best you can , you can either get on with it or sit in a corner rocking and I spent to many years doing that so I am living life enjying each day spending time with people I love, fullfillng lifelong dreams and making memories that will last me a lifetime.

I am defiantly a happier person than I was 2 years ago now all I have to do is decluter this house LOL

jane130

I just wanted to add that ou internet was down for 6 days over christmas and our huse was a much more social place , while we coudn't wait to get it back this little part of me wishes we had never had it in the first place we have become far to dependent on it.

I need to work out some way of keeping it but at the same time not letting it dominate our lives .

ceridwen

kittie - and a thought re downsizing/making better use of small amount of space. It helps to have furniture that is versatile as possible. Think the single best item I have there is a dining table that folds down to big enough for 2 or can fold down totally to a shelf width and the 4 chairs fit inside it. Entertaining is possible when required and I have most of the space it would take up otherwise.

rosieben

jane130 wrote: »

... life will throw you a curve ball and you just hve to deal with it the best you can , you can either get on with it or sit in a corner rocking and I spent to many years doing that so I am living life enjying each day spending time with people I love, fullfillng lifelong dreams and making memories that will last me a lifetime.

I am defiantly a happier person than I was 2 years ago now all I have to do is decluter this house LOL

Could have written that myself! I'm only just coming out of the corner but I know exactly what you mean.

After many years of top salaried jobs and the accompanying lifestyle I've had a few years of illness and depresson; I can honestly say I am more contented now that I have ever been in my life.

I'm decluttering today!! :j