In keeping with the style of the bloggers who inspire me, I try to keep my personal angst out of what I write here. I'd rather this be a forum to share Amy stories, kitty escapades, home and gardening victories, and creative endeavors. However, I've had something "On My Mind" and I hope you won't mind a small rambling vent session from me today.
Money. Debt. Stuff. Too little of the first, two much of the latter. How do I change this? My husband is in the military, enlisted. We don't make much, but we make more than some. We live in a two-bedroom townhouse. Yard, garage, big storage closet. Not a huge house, but enough space for our little family. We are NOT extravagant people. Eating out is rare. We do not indulge in expensive gadgets or fancy clothes. I buy things on sale. Our cars are paid off. So WHY do I study my meticulously maintained budget sheet and find that EVERY MONTH our "out" is more than our "in"? The stress of this is enormous - I feel as though I am failing as family CFO.
Similarly, I am constantly weeding out books, clothes, STUFF to give away and yet I look around our house and garage and still feel overwhelmed by how much STUFF is everywhere. Neat, clean, organized, useful, pretty stuff, but STUFF all the same.
As Don and I think about our options in the coming year I would love to approach any big life changes with as little overhead as possible. The opening chapter of Little House on the Prairie comes to mind, where the Ingalls family puts all their possessions in a covered wagon and sets off for a new home. I wish all my stuff fit in a covered wagon. I wish we could feel confident enough in our financial situation to be okay with taking a risk to try something new.
How do I get there? Does anyone have the secret to the simple life? Not one devoid of life's small pleasures, but one where there is more room for them. How do I get from here to there?
One thing that has helped us on our road to simple is to find (and be inspired by) other simple livers. The first that comes to mind is Sara at Walk Slowly, Live Wildly (.com). She and her family went from a big house, to an apartment, to a smaller apartment to an RV. Check out her blog archieves for a some great inspiration.
ReplyDeleteWhen we moved into our little house (1/2 a duplex, 580 sq feet) Peter and I trimmed our wardrobes to fit in one three drawer bureau and one closet. No one seems to notice that we wear the same clothes more frequently and I do a lot less laundry!
I love this topic and would love to dialogue about it. I'm sure more resources will come to mind :)