weaning ourselves from the attachment to ''stuff''

[Aurora]

I would really like for our family to live more simply. I want to cull the collection of unnecessary ''stuff'' we have accumulated over time, and really make an effort not to attract it in future! My DP is a real horder, he has a double garage full of things that I don't see as important or useful, yet he insists they are. One of those things is an old Holden ute which he claims he is going to do up someday, but it's extremely rusty and has been sitting untouched for a long time before I even met him. I find that being surrounded by junk affects my headspace, it makes *me* feel cluttered and frustrated. I also think that collecting and refusing to part with junk is not good for the environment, or for our family. We have less and less space to actually do productive things, eg I think the garage would be better used as a recreational space to let off steam via art, exercise, etc, but instead it's jsut chaotic and overwhelming. Any ideas on how we can compromise? How can we wean ourselves from our attachment to things and embrace a more simple lifestyle?

[Ayla]

I hear you! I am going through our house atm and I have boxes of stuff I want to get rid of in a yard sale. So much stuff :headshake

[Sarasvati]

It's a slow process for me and I still fight the urges every day! Some days I give in but thankfully we're not rich so that's not often and not a lot LOL. It's usually stuff for the girls, not the adults hehe. It just involves a lot of self-talk and reprogramming the scripts IYKWIM. Reminding myself that the majority of the world's people live without much stuff at all, I don't need xyz, I want it but it's a luxury etc. Or if I REALLY want of need it can I buy if fairtrade? the extra expense means I have to go without other things.

[~*heket*~]

I have a theory. If I haven't used it for a year, I don't need it anymore. Some stuff is hard to part with because I do form rather deep attachments to sentimental items .... and dumb ones, not beautiful ones, but aside fromt hat I'm really not that attached to THINGS I don't think!?

[Currawong]

I find whenever I chuck something out I need it the next day. :imateapot

[Ceres]

I'm more of a chucker than a hoarder anyway but I always find moving houses prompts a good chuck-out of unnecessary junk.

[Ayla]

I have a theory. If I haven't used it for a year, I don't need it anymore.

That's my motto too! "If you haven't used it in a year, chuck out the gear". I agree that sentimental stuff is different, I have a special box in the top of my cupboard for those things.


I always find moving houses prompts a good chuck-out of unnecessary junk.

I agree, problem is after years of renting we finally bought a house and haven't moved in 3.5yrs so it's all piling up :lol

[Beatrice]

:bump

We're about to have our first garage sale, although I can see us having another one in a while after we do another, deeper decluttering :lol

[~*heket*~]

I used to have a landlady that was WAAAY into garage sales. So I jumped on the bandwagon and joined in when she had one. I made about $70 or more each time, which was HUGE for a single mother! But the interesting thing was that my landlady knew all the other garage salers who vistited :lol It occurred to me that they all visited eachothers sales, bought up BIG TIME on junk and then re-sold it the next fortnight :rofl

[Beatrice]

I've never gotten into garage sales, weirdly enough (given my addiction to op shopping :lol). Maybe it's because I'd have to get up early :uhh

[~*heket*~]

:lol I always showed up late to our own sales ;)

GEE! I just realised there are two threads with garage sale crap in them :uhh

[GreenGully]

We are planning one for next weekend. J is a bit obsessed with thing being tidy at the moment (doesn't stop him from making a mess but he will do pretty much anything in the name of tidiness if we talk about it), so it should be pretty easy. We already have a huge pile of stuff sorted.

[Beatrice]

:uhh Well okay, maybe I'm a teeny bit preoccupied, Heket :lol