This is my project: to live with less. In the height of a broken economy--that has been broken for quite some time--I am continually amazed at how much stuff we just "cannot live without."
Smartphones with their 80-120 dollar monthly bills.
Cable.
TVs.
Clothes-shopping like its a hobby.
Gourmet grocery items.
manicures, pedicures, facials.
makeup.
new dishware when we get tired with the old set.
Stuff, Stuff, Stuff. After almost 27 years of super-indulgence, both lavished upon me and self-lavished, I have had enough. I'm determined to shed a lot of my things as well as the mentality that I need more or will acquire more as I age.
If you've looked around, you've probably noticed a big, biting sort of hypocrisy among the 18-30 somethings who occupy Mainstreet, are self-professed avid environmentalists, or even rally against the monumental expenditures of government. We all just can't get
enough of the newest mac product or latest fad yogurt shop selling gut-busting yogurts at 6 dollars a serving.
Maybe I'm wrong about the rest of my generation, but I'm guilty as charged. And I'm not saying that those who work to end corporate abuses, environmental harm, and political dysfunction are wrong, either; quite the opposite is true.
I just believe that our good works ought to begin at home. We can take a look at our own lives and ask ourselves not "wouldn't it be great if everyone had one of these?! It will make my life so much easier to organize!" but, "Can I live without it?"
What better time to begin to live lighter than my upcoming move?
I will keep you posted as I eat through my pantry!
