I had a kind of epiphany over this issue about ten years ago and I've been striving (with more or less success) to destuff ever since.
The hardest to let go is always the books. I go through binge/purge cycles over books, but I'm a lot better than I used to be.
Increasingly I feel that stuff is not just a burden on me. It's a burden on the planet in terms of the oil burnt and pollution generated in order to produce it. This makes it easier a) Not to get stuff and b) to encourage people not to give me stuff.
Sadly my old mum has not learnt this important lesson. What could be a nice family home is groaning with stuff - My minimalist tendencies make it increasingly hard for me to go there. She can't accept that it's a problem despite the fact that cupboards are heaving with multiple copies of things she will never use and more comes in the post every day.
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Date: 2009-11-09 02:35 pm (UTC)I had a kind of epiphany over this issue about ten years ago and I've been striving (with more or less success) to destuff ever since.
The hardest to let go is always the books. I go through binge/purge cycles over books, but I'm a lot better than I used to be.
Increasingly I feel that stuff is not just a burden on me. It's a burden on the planet in terms of the oil burnt and pollution generated in order to produce it. This makes it easier a) Not to get stuff and b) to encourage people not to give me stuff.
Sadly my old mum has not learnt this important lesson. What could be a nice family home is groaning with stuff - My minimalist tendencies make it increasingly hard for me to go there. She can't accept that it's a problem despite the fact that cupboards are heaving with multiple copies of things she will never use and more comes in the post every day.