Paring Down

Remember this post I wrote long ago for Apartment Therapy?  (And this earlier one too).  It was right after a wonderful vacation we took.  Staying at a beautiful vacation home really makes you realize how little you can live with - how little the kids can live with - and still be completely happy.  It's nesting weather and I had a sudden desire to start purging.  The front of our house is piled high with boxes of books, clothes, DVDs, and tchotchkes that we are going to give away.  We also got rid of our old kitchen table. Before we make the final run to the Goodwill, I'm going to go through my closet again and the linen closet.  The thought of maintaining the house would just be more doable with less stuff.  We also made a dropoff at Toys for Tots and we'll be making another soon.

One of the most difficult things about cleaning and organizing is the fact that I don't live alone.  I suspect this is a difficulty for lots of people.  If you live alone, you can easily decide what to get rid of.  But with a spouse, you've got to get approval, consent.  I know C definitely feels this way.  And if you have kids, there's further considerations plus you just have more stuff.

Luckily, C and I are in a moment of synchronicity on this right now.  We both want to pare down. The difficult part is doing this during the holiday season.  I take a look at the wonderful seasonal decor, the Black Friday sales, and of course the gifts I need to get for the kids, and I'm already mentally in the hole.  But I suppose wanting to purge and NOT replace it all with new stuff is a good thing to feel during this most consumerist time.  This isn't a budget issue for us at this point.  I mean we still need lots of furniture and accessories to complete the house so we are not going to be on a spending freeze anytime soon. But I'm going to focus on the large items we need, and forego the small decorative items I want.  As a starter, I'm not going to buy any new Christmas decorations for the season that aren't live greenery (e.g., our trees, wreaths, garland, mistletoe!).  This year I'm going to focus on gifts for the kids (some of the things on their list are things they need), food and treats for family and friends, and time together doing things.