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I must confess, I don't read books like I use to. Instead I read blogs. Blogs have filled my need for books and for magazines for that matter. Every once in a while I run across one that is like a good story and I look forward to what will happen next. One such blog I enjoy is NATALIE. Natalie and her new husband Luke are such a sweet Christian couple enjoying life and young love. After being married 21+ years ourselves now and rather set in our ways, it is fun to read and enter into their lives and remember the freshness of young love and what it was like to have and plan your entire future ahead of you. Plus she takes some beautiful photography and has a creative bone in her body like me.
Another blog I recently ran across is miss minimalist. Her and her husband have taken a job overseas in the UK and I can completely relate to their downsizing. When we moved to Germany I had to do much the same (but not quite to her extent). miss minimalist also has guest bloggers who live a minimalist lifestyle. I don't know why but I find it fascinating that people can live with five or less pieces of furniture or live in a 10 x 15 foot apartment. I guess I really didn't realize people lived such a minimalist lifestyle by choice but I can understand and appreciate the benefits that it can have.
The care of all our "stuff" is something I've been thinking about for the past two or three years now. Every time we bring in more stuff there is more to store, more to dust, more to maintain etc. etc. etc. I really do like (love) my house. We have lived in this same house now over three years which is a long time for Mike and I. His job has moved us around quite a bit. I must say though that I hope we retire here and live the rest of our lives here because I'm quite happy. That said, after three years, we have accumulated and filled our space. With no plans on the horizon to move, this means it is time to go through things again. When we move it forces me to go through all we own and decluttering just naturally takes place.
It's been funny, not funny ha ha but funny interesting, I'll read a post from miss minimalist and then I've gone and purged something like the drawer in my nightstand, or our medicine cabinets, or a shelf in the closet. I could never live with just the very bare minimum, (I think an extra set of sheets is a necessity) but getting out some of the old and looking at the things we really use and enjoy has been a breath of fresh air lately.
One of the things about Mike and I and the kids is that we enjoy a LOT of different activities. I for example enjoy basket weaving, cooking and all things creative as well as gardening and camping. All these activities require "stuff". I'm trying to be inspired by miss minimalist and others like her who she interviews. I'm not going to strive to live with the very bare minimum, that's not my style, but I am going to strive living with only things we love and use. In going back to reading blogs vs. books and magazines, I must say that I'm rather proud of myself as even though last week I bought a couple books on fibromyalgia because of Emily, I haven't bought any books for myself since October when I got THIS book and I have let my magazine subscriptions expire and I only bought a couple before Christmas. Gosh I love to read, just add that to my list of hobbies.
Thank you, all you bloggers for fulfilling my need to read while yet helping to keep my home clutter free by reading about you on the computer and not in a book.
Do you have any special tips on how you handle all you accumulate?
Baskets of Blessings,
Nancy
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7 comments:
It's funny you should post this today....I've just been thinking about how to get rid of stuff. We have way too much junk, and the basement is packed. Sometimes I take things to a local thrift shop. The money they make selling what people donate goes to a worthy cause. The trick for me is to not get so overwhelmed that I can't even begin....not so easy!
Hi, I have pleasure in passing on a Sunshine Blog Award to you. I find your blogs amusing, down to earth, informative. Look forward to spending time checking out your tutorials too.
I just recently started my Throwaway Thursdays. Every Thursday I find something during the day to either throw away or giveaway.
My grandmother raised her family during the depression and passed the "keep it, you may need it later" montra(sp?) on down to my mother and myself. Having taken care of my mother (and her things)for the last 5 years of her life, I have "stuff" from the previous 3 generations! Time to pass it on down! Don't want my son to have do it later on.
Oh, another way I get rid of stuff is a corner by the front door. I put things there I don't want and when family comes over they go through and take stuff.
After we moved into our home (when the kids were little) we didn't have enough furniture for all the rooms, as we basically doubled our size.
Our living room had a couch and a chair and an end table. That was it!
I remember not liking the living room because it seemed so "cold" and sparse, but now I wish I had that much space again! Thank you for linking up today.
I have two kids so we have lots of stuff ( or toys) in our home! Every now and then it bugs me but then I relax again about it! The kids books have taken over part of my house as well! My home will never be minimalist until the kids have moved out.
love Collette xxx
I've been on the same journey. We moved into this house 4.5 years ago and Superman is thinking of moving us overseas in another year and a half. I guess that is why I've been lead to get rid of stuff over the past three years. The charity truck makes a regular stop at our home these days. I just take a good hard look: Have a I been using it? If not I either give myself 30 days to start using it or I donate it so someone else can use it. Yes, we have lots of activities, but we also have stuff for activities we don't do any more. I can't tell you how wonderful it is clear the extraneous stuff from our home...I look around and know the stuff we have is stuff we use...no dust collectors at our house. (Oh, and yes, our closets are kind of empty looking, but all our clothes get used...how weird is that?)
I've enjoyed this post and the comments! We have lived in our home for over 20 years. Through those years, I have let much stuff/junk go, but need more structure when it comes to dealing with accumulation of things. Thank you for sharing today and also for the links, I will be going over for a visit!!
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