And yet here I am, doing it again.
I've been reading different "Minimalist blogs" and I find that minimalism and frugality is NOT the same thing.
When I've tried to be frugal and it's resulted in me HANGING ON to STUFF just in case I need it later.
It would be a WASTE of money if I threw it out and then needed it later...right?!?!
Also, in my attempt to save money, I would do the estate sale, Goodwill, Restore thing and drag home MORE stuff. It doesn't help being the CREATIVE type. I pick up stuff and SEE in my mind what it could be. Problem is, I never seem to have the time to CREATE what I've envisioned. I'm too busy cleaning or moving my STUFF around.
OK, that's not all I do. I work in the GARDEN and I care for my pets and I spend an incredible amount of time on the computer............
ANYWAY....I won't be doing FRUGAL FRIDAYS anymore.
(Maybe a Minimalist Monday? LOL!....maybe not.)
Besides being REALLY frugal isn't buying the cheapest or the best buy. It's about not buying it at all.
This will be hard.
I've spent so many years of being addicted to stuff.
But I know that I am not alone. I remember that when I drive by all those storage unit garages.
I recently bought some containers for some of my things but that's just "containing" it. It's still taking up space, it's just hidden inside plastic.
So, I am going through my home, trying to keep in mind the "Keep only what you believe is Beautiful or Necessary" rule.
Last week I was surfing around on Craigslist and checking out Goodwill for an another dresser. I always put away all my clothes but I seem to have 1 or 2 laundry basketful's setting in the laundry room waiting to be put away... but my drawers are full. Then I got to thinking, I pretty much wear the same things over and over again. Sure, I have some items that I wear only occasionally. A few nice things for going out to dinner or some celebration. A few black things for something serious. But I have a lot of gardening, painting shirts and that type of thing. Clothes that I hope to never be caught dead in, ya know...the stuff the women on "Cops" are wearing while standing outside screaming as the cops drive away with their baby-daddies.
I did a clothing-purge a couple of years ago. I donated all my nice work dresses and "interview" clothing and "some day I'll be that size again" clothing. I mean really, If I was that size again I'd want to wear something that didn't have shoulder-pads in it.
I read somewhere that in France the women will spend a HUGE amount on maybe 5 perfectly tailored outfits and wear them forever.
I scheduled the pick-up and other people must be doing the same because I had to wait 2 1/2 weeks.
I had already dragged Blue's loveseat down the steps from my bedroom and pulled into the backyard before making the call. It's been sitting there, getting rained on and no doubt someone has probably lifted their leg on it by now.
Thank God it's behind the privacy fence!
apartmenttherapy.com
(who is that man in my yard and I can't believe he brought his dog!)
Then there's my kitchen. I'm not quite ready to take the doors off the cabinets and have open shelving, but I'm thinking about it.
I definitely can't do it with the upper shelf because I have a zillion little plastic containers strategically jammed in there, which all tumble out when I open the door.
I have tons of mis-matched glassware and odds-n-ends array of coffee mugs....and I live alone.
How many do I need?!
I need to donate my collections and just save what I use and/or love. (yes Denise, I LOVE those mugs! and the black stripe glasses are perfect in my kitchen) but the "don't need" additional stuff has got to go!
Wish me luck!
I only have 2 days left until my special pick-up!
4 comments:
Go Cindi! Donate until it hurts! I just went through this at my mom's condo. One small woman had an INCREDIBLE amount of clothing (of course, if I was small, maybe I would, too -hahaha). I donated a TON of clothes, and I think about 35-40 coffee cups. I could not believe it. And I have clothes in my closet that I keep thinking I will 'fit' into again (yeah). I'm going to donate them all. You've inspire me to do a purge. :)) xox! Pam
I have done the same. Purging what I don't need. I'm trying to avoid becoming a hoarder, but oh is it hard! I'm a mug person too and have a whole cabinet full but am the only one who uses them!
I have a whole closet full and I mean to the ceiling full of stuff I was going to sell on ebay but just don't want to make the effort. I need to get in there and purge it all. I know exactly how you feel and I wish you luck!
Thankfully my cottage is so small that it is impossible to save to much stuff :-) I have only one closet and I have all my plants that can´t spend winter outside here in my cold cellar :-)
And I really can´t remove the doors in my kitchen because everything in there would get covered in soot since I use my fire heated stove so much during winter :-) :-)
Have a great day!
Christer.
Yes, I think the ultimate frugal is just not to buy. That is what I do. I used to shop to cheer myself up but I just can't do it any more. I can't afford that. And I DON'T have room for stuff. Right now I'm really questioning the fact that one whole room in my house is pretty much taken up with storage boxes full of Christmas and Halloween. That is kind of ridiculous. I have a friend that rents a storage facility for all her Christmas so that she doesn't have to deal with it at the house.
I can't afford a storage facility but I am so tired of having so many storage bins full of stuff I used for one month a year. That is ridiculous. Not sure what to do about it.
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