The Less is More project: Week 0 - First impressions

MacLauren70, Flickr

January is upon us. I feel similar to when I stand behind the start line on race day: a little nervous. (What did I get myself into? Am I ready for this?) But mostly excited. Only one week of "challenge prep" and I'm already becoming aware of all the things I had been taking for granted.

Which takes me to one of my current preoccupations: privilege. It only took reading a handful of articles on minimalism/frugality/simplicity to realize that making the decision to not spend is actually a privilege. As Meg Hourihan, another proponent of buying less, put it nicely:  “I’m not comfortable with how easily I spend money and buy things on impulse, simply because I have the luxury to do so." 

Voluntary simplicity: the term says it. It's a choice.

If I wanted to, I could go shopping. (Plus, the bank just offered to increase my credit card limit. How ironic.) I have not been coerced into buying only the essential. At no point have I (and will I, unless something goes awfully wrong) worried that my children would not have enough to eat, or that I would not be able to make ends meet. I fully appreciate that. 

As soon as you evoke the benefits of a simpler life, such as working less in order to focus on what really matters (spending quality time with loved ones, reading, meditating, spending time in nature, exercising, etc.), you add another layer of privilege. I never want to forget that some people simply do not have that option:

"People at the bottom of the social ladder are pressed for time not to go earn high incomes but to juggle all the different balls they have to keep in the air at the same time (child care, commute, lack of health insurance and physical safety), to barely keep afloat on low incomes. The kind of consumption that [minimalists] say we can do without is that of those who are already privileged." (source: The Global Sociology Blog)

I am worried about that "privileged brat" side of myself. Is it going to pop out unexpectedly? Come the middle of the year, am I going to whine about the fact that I haven't been able to drink a decent wine for the past 6 months? If you catch me talking like that, kindly guide me back onto my path, will you?

WEEK 0 IN REVIEW

Temptations 

1) The ever-tempting pharmacy

As part of my plan to replace some personal hygiene products with a homemade alternative, I went to the pharmacy to do what I envisioned would be my last purchase of the year: a small bottle of lavender essential oil (I will explain in a later post what this is for). Even if it wasn't January yet, I was on a mission to not buy anything else. I figured it would be good practice. I also thought it would be easy. I was mistaken: pharmacies are filled with temptations! There's all the cosmetics, nice soaps and lotions of course (not that I need any). There's the food aisle (chocolates, anyone?) And worst of the worst, there's the Sales section. Oh god. I fell for one thing. I bought mascara (even if I still have some - maybe I got scared it's not a true need, and unconsciously wanted to stock up). Then I quickly rushed out of the pharmacy before something else caught my eye!

2) So much bling

I had to take my watch for a battery replacement. I figured I would be in and out the jewelry store. I had not occurred to me that this store sells Pandora charms. I happen to have a Pandora bracelet. I started browsing the selection. Luckily for me, the salesperson was really not helpful - may I say she was borderline unpleasant? (I know, I know, this is a stressful period for salespeople.) In any case, it kind of turned me off. I left the store with nothing new except that battery in my watch, as planned. Pandora charms hardly qualify as a need!

3) Sports fans beware

Ever the basketball enthusiasts, we went to see a game. Afterwards, I caught myself browsing the Rainmen t-shirts. Some were nice. The price was reasonable: taking $20 out of my wallet surely wouldn't make a huge difference in the long run. And I do want to support the team. Slight detail though: I definitely do not need any more t-shirts!!! I walked away. 

4) Free... until proven otherwise

As a nice, free activity for the whole family, we visited the new central library in Halifax. Once we were there, though, I remembered the Lululemon store right across the corner, and also felt tempted to go to a restaurant afterwards. But those thoughts only briefly crossed my mind: I busied myself with finding books, and when we were done, we went back home and made homemade pizza instead! (which was delicious, by the way) 

5) Accidents happen

One of my favorite pairs of pants ripped beyond repair. I had to throw them away. In "normal times", I would probably have gone shopping to find a similar pair as a replacement (I liked them a lot). But I won't, because I don't need any more pants than I already have. 

6) Gifts

My friend S offered me a shoe rack. Free stuff is hard to resist, but I said no, thank you. I did accept, however, the ruled paper and erasers she handed me: they will go toward next year's school supplies. I hope I did not violate a rule by taking those.

Money saved this week: between clothes, jewelry and other random items... more than I'm willing to admit. Luckily I don't hang out in those places on a regular basis.


Donations

A few times a year, I fill a bag of clothes and donate it to some charity (or friends with younger kids who appreciate hand-me-downs). In the past 2 years, prompted by some books I read as well as by a basement flood, I also got rid of a lot more things, e.g. baby gear/toys, duplicate kitchen supplies, some furniture. Whatever's left right now are things I have a harder time parting with, so this should be interesting. To be completely honest, however, there are things in this house that we took with us (a 1500 km trip) when we moved to Nova Scotia, 7½ years ago... that haven't been used once.  I think it's time to say farewell. Apart from a few baby sweaters that my grandmother knitted, that fit into one small box, and that I want my grandchildren to inherit, what else should I keep if it's not currently being used? Nothing!

In the past 2 weeks, I donated:

• kitchen supplies (a variety of containers, a tea infuser, some towels/place mats/oven mitts)
• recipe books
• an iron
• some clothes (including workout clothes - I could train every day in different ones and not have to do laundry for 2 weeks!)

Good riddance - the things that are in too bad a shape to even be donated: I got rid of children's footwear: 2 pairs of sneakers, 1 pair of boots, 1 pair of sandals and 1 pair of water shoes. I also got rid of the abovementioned ripped pants.

Observations

I realized that:

• I own eight different tubs of lip balm: 2 in my bedroom, 2 in my office, and 4 in my purse. How on earth did that happen? Lip balms are an easy buy because they are not expensive. This year I will make sure I use them all before I buy any other.
• I own four bottles of facial moisturizer, and as many of body lotion. In case you were wondering, no, my skin is not that dry. From now on I will wait until they are all empty before buying any more.
• My kids are the only kids I know who did not receive any electronics for Christmas. 
• I cannot afford to gain an ounce this year, lest I have to buy clothes in bigger sizes. 

Cogitations

I'm about to run out of chai tea. Is chai tea a need? I only have 1 pouch left. Will I have to assemble my own chai tea from now on?

What did you resist this week? Did you donate or get rid of anything? How did that make you feel? Please comment below! And...

• Become a follower of the blog (top left corner of this page)
• Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happinesssavouredhot
• Subscribe by email: mleuxj@gmail.com

Happy New Year to all!