live simply

I’ve read some posts by others with this goal. I like the idea of not wanting so many things. I also need to let go of stuff. I’ll be gathering some stuff for a yard sale at my mom’s. I heard on a radio interview with an organizing expert that people with clutter and “stuff” have a fear of scarcity. As if letting go of something means you’ll never get it back.

After some thought, it makes sense. Most information I have in papers is duplicated somewhere. Bill collectors will still send bills. There will always be another sale. Most email is crap anyway. There is stuff I haven’t used or seen in years that is there because of some fear of chucking it in the trash. It’s insane! There is no shortage of junk, so I should rid myself of it.

And, I should also stop wanting things for the sake of wanting them. Better to stick to what I really need.

I sold my pickup, so that leaves many far trips out of the question. My wife and I are sharing her van, so if I really need to do something out of town and not get there all sweaty, I can drive there. For day to day things, I can bike. In fact, I’m thinking about getting a job in town at a video store or something similar. I am saving roughly $40/wk on gas. That’s $160/mo or so plus maintenance and insurance. By biking, I cut out the need to earn that money to feed the truck. If my bike breaks down, fat chance, I have a spare.

I think that going to bed early would also simplify my life. By going to bed early, I would get up early and be able to take care of stuff in the morning.

My reasoning is, if I wake up at 10 or 11 or 12, by the time I eat and get ready to take on the day, I only have a few short hours to get it done. On the other hand, if I get up early, I have ALL day to take care of my business and do fun stuff. Staying up late for no good reason complicates things during the day.

I am taking a step towards simplifying my life. Lately, I’ve been unsubscribing to non-essential emails that I get. I was subscribed to some political newsletters, financial newsletters, and some other email updates. I figure that if I want that information, I could just visit the site. So, that’s one step towards simplification.