Reply I left over at Miss Minimalist
Consider the thought of simplyfing your finances…I don’t mean one bank account, one credit card. That’s obvious.
In the could you, would you walk away sort. I saved enough money to divorce amicably without any debt, send myself to get a BS (that it is) degree in business, support myself and my teenage son alone and do a study abroad in the south of France. All on a very modest income.
I have enjoyed an amazing time these past five years.
This past year I lost all my money and am in debt for the first time in twelve years. Here’s where it gets interesting, I’m no different in my thinking about money as a tool to be levereged to suit our lives and nothing more nothing less.
I still spent a month and a half visiting my family in New Orleans just enjoying my time. I’ll admit that because of current budgetary restraints I took the Sunset Ltd back to California with a coach seat. I voluntarily slept in my sweats in the lounge car along with two other women and the train marshall. I may not have had a room, a proper bed or a private toilet for two days, but I had the adventure of a lifetime. I met some wonderful people!
Money is like water…we need it, but we don’t need to stockpile it, we need to seek out freshwater streams and our needs will be met. Could you walk away from your savings and still absolutely know you will be alright?
Minimizing While Paying it Forward.
A friend of mine recently joined a FB group called Pay it Forward. I think it is a great idea, in fact I live my life daily by this principle. So it occured to me that when we keep our useful but not used belongings we are not allowing them the full play which should be their destiny. Things were created to be used hence the term consumer.
Now as I scour through my remaining belongings I think of who might really enjoy this versus my squirreling it away for another day in my closet or drawer. I am especially guilty of not going through all the clothes. My shoes and clothes are very personal as for some years I was overweight (hoarding calories) and could not wear beautiful frilly or sexy clothes. So for the past five years I have been reasonably fit and enjoy wearing clothes again. The problem is I still only wear 20% of my wardrobe 80% of the time. I won’t wear some of my prettiest clothes beacuse I don’t want to wreck them, but isn’t that silly? Instead I often wear my jeans and a grey tee-shirt. This is my working outfit, but it too often becomes my all day outfit and it isn’t very attractive.
So now I’m making an effort to wear my way through my closet to see what fits, what still looks good and the rest is paid forward to the next lucky recipient! My friends seem to like the plan and strangely every time I give away things which had been tough to give away in the past, magically stuff I need shows up.
So I’m off to help a friend who is Ebaying off her and her man’s excess in order to travel more and enjoy their home space more. They have many beautiful dust-ables occupying space. Wish me bon chance!
Why I need less stuff and more room to do what I enjoy.
Operation dresser download stage three…recipient found. Sonny needs a dresser and happily committed to coming to get it this week. It is empty and ready to remove from my room so I can put in another work table for the seaglass and hemp jewelry in my non attachment line of recycled vintage abalone, glass, shells and coral on hemp. All designed to one day break and the parts moving on to be reborn again.
adjustable hemp
A real benefit of getting rid of things which you serve and are no longer serving you is they make room for what you really want more of in your life.
I’m getting better at identifying those things which need to hit the road. Often we keep things for irrational reasons and learning to see through one’s own bs is no small feat. The blow dryer I’ve used a half dozen times in three years…Craigslist $5. I’m looking forward to having the space to put up my red glass mosaic table to work on : )
Marseille seaglass
These are my recycled seaglass hand gathered by me and dear friend Esther in Marseille France while we were on study abroad. I am also making New England, and Orca’s island Washington pieces.
Marseille seaglass on hemp
This is my hemp and Marseille seaglass necklace. It will break after a period of time. How long you ask? I don’t know?
So now dear reader are also a little further down the rabbit hole which is my life. I am truly enjoying the clearing in my external world and my inner world.
Zen Life 