2011 Stuff

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Thankfully that image is not ours!  Each year our family has a goal of 100 things that must go. This goal reminds us that we desire not to be materialistic hoarders of stuff.  It also reminds me that at some future stage in life I will not be tied to this house, I will be free to spend time travelling the world.  It anchors me to my longer term goal of financial independence.

For the bigger people in the family who are no longer growing out of their clothes, the rule is a one for one swap.  For example if I buy or receive a new shirt, and old one must leave to allow the new one in!  This also helps with reducing new acquisitions, if I am having trouble deciding which one needs to leave, then clearly I do not need any new ones!  We also then take the opportunity to bag our old clothes and drop them down to a clothing bin, this stimulates conversations about the poorer people in society that we can help.

For other surplus items, or even brand name clothing that is outgrown before being worn, we use eBay.  Maddy is familiar with the concept of not keeping, and disposing through eBay.  Last weekend we got to say good bye to the infant table and chairs that has not been used in many months.  This gave us the chance to talk about people using the Internet to shop for bargains, and the ability to reduce our environmental footprint by recycling to other families who can continue to get use out of our items that we have cared for.

We have finished our 100 items for 2011, and made a start on the 2012 100 items.  The actual process of de-cluttering is quite addictive.  It also leads to an increase in motivation and organisation, as you progress through your house and constantly balancing the contents.  It is a fantastic concept to understand NEEDS versus WANTS, something that all parents struggle with, and some adults!