Minimalism

When I wrote my last post, I had just discovered the becoming minimalist website after a friend happened to post something from the facebook page. Over the past two weeks or so, I've been eating up anything posted from becoming minimalist and I discovered that my desire for a simpler life aligns perfectly with minimalism. I didn't know it. I had always had it in my head that to be minimalist meant to be on the extreme side of simplicity, but now I know that it's not true. There are people who go the extreme route, but the general basis of a minimalist lifestyle is to have what you need, to not spend money on unnecessary items (putting yourself in a better place financially), and to limit the amount of clutter in your life. That is what I want and what I have been striving for.

Yes, it flies in the face of our society "norms" and I think I've already weird-ed out a couple of people by proclaiming my new found interest in minimalism. In fact, one person I know has barely spoken to me since I began my simplicity journey. As soon as I made the decision to not take part in the over-scheduled "mommy wars", I was shut out. And that's unfortunate. I'm not doing this to make myself feel like I'm better than anyone else or that I take care of my family better than other moms. It was a personal decision based upon the realization that my family suffers when I am overwhelmed and stressed out, and I didn't want to live like that anymore. Not everyone functions the same way I do and I can absolutely respect that, but I also know that my decision might make some people uncomfortable. I may lose more friends on this journey and I may gain some - who knows?

I don't see myself becoming an extreme minimalist. I have kids and they have toys, I like to own lots of books for mental stimulation, and I own more than two pairs of shoes. But I find joy in reducing our belongings and getting rid of the things we don't need - the things that clutter our lives and take up space. If it doesn't bring me joy, it doesn't need to be in my home. I enjoy seeing our bank account become stronger because I've cut down on our purchases. I want to travel with our kids and I know that the less I buy, the closer we get being able to afford those travels (without debt) and the memories that will come with them.

That's why I'm on this journey.

Unclutter

I want to share this post from Becoming Minimalist. It is simple, true, and focused.

I had a large pile of things to get rid of just sitting in the corner of our bedroom. Sure, I felt somewhat accomplished because I had sorted it out to be things that we no longer needed, but there it sat and I did nothing with it. Was I going to sell it or give it away? I hadn't thought that far ahead. I kind of wanted to sell it - I mean, it was in fine condition - but that was going to take some work and I just couldn't find the time to sit down and take care of two boxes and one garbage bag full of things. It was on my mind every time I entered our bedroom and I didn't like that. Your bedroom is supposed to be a place to relax and forget about everything else that needs to be done. The pile was not helping.

Then last week, I found a flyer on the front door from an organization who was going to be coming through the neighborhood in a few days and they wanted donations of clothes, household items, toys, anything. And all I had to do was set them on the front porch to be picked up. So I did. I kept a few items that I wasn't totally sure that I wanted to just give away, but most of it went out on the porch on Tuesday. By the evening, it was all gone. Gone from my life and gone from cluttering up my bedroom. By next Tuesday, I'm going to revisit the five or so items I kept out and decide if they are really worth attempting to sell, or if I would prefer to just get them out of my house. And it feels great. My bedroom no longer stresses me out and I really do feel free.

The Car and Debt Issue

One thing that I always hear about living simply in a financial sense is to drive an older, paid-for car. I do this. The car I drive was made when I was 7 years old. We have no car payment on it and that's a great thing to not have to worry about. However, my car WILL die and probably within the next couple of years. Here's where I start thinking that a car payment wouldn't be such a bad idea, and I'll tell you why.

1) Maintenance on the car can end up costing more than the car is really worth. The radiator exploded about a year ago - and I do mean exploded. There was fluid shooting out of any part under the hood where it could escape. We paid for a replacement, which ended up costing only $200 less than the car is currently worth.

2) The car continues to act up in various ways. It will occasionally sound as though metal is grinding, or there's a belt slapping against something. It will sometimes shudder its way down the road, or the engine will simply turn itself off when I come to a stop. Sometimes when I step on the gas pedal, the car will hesitate and then rush forward. Sure...that's totally safe. These things are never constant and the car rotates through which issue its going to have one at a time. These things make me wonder if, when I turn on the engine, it will be the last time it ever runs. I also refrain from driving anywhere in this car that isn't in our immediate area because I'm afraid the car will die and I will be stranded an hour away with two small children.

3) It is a gas guzzler. This car is a beast - which is probably way its lasted as long as it has, but seriously....."road boats" do not get the best gas mileage. Even the minivan that we rented for a trip got better gas mileage than my station wagon. Not cool, man.

4) There's no air conditioning, it has a terrible turn radius, and it is old. Not exactly the most stylish for a hip, young mom on the go. Now, these are selfish and are not reasons to buy a new car (unless you live in in Texas or Arizona or somewhere where you really do need AC in your car).

So here's the dilemma: Do we wait until the car kicks the bucket? Or do we avoid the most likely inevitable event of the car dying mid-intersection and purchase while it still runs? This is one instance where living simply gets a little tricky.