Article by Norma W. Beaird
Photography by Curtis and Norma Beaird
For the past few years, there has been a trend towards minimalism and frugality. Of course, when you lose your job or you're living on a tight budget, that trend sorta creates itself out of necessity. However, once you hit about forty years old (give or take a few years), the trend towards minimalism becomes a fantasy instead of a reality.
Plus, once you hit about forty or fifty, there's a good chance that you have collected a lot of stuff, had yard sales, bought more stuff, moved to another house, condo or apartment, etc. etc. During these moves or clean-out sessions, you begin to realize that you have bought a lot of things over the years that you really didn't need. Things that you thought you couldn't live without finally became dust-catchers, thrift store donations or flea market treasures.
Life was not meant to be spent in a mall. When you're younger and full of energy, buying stuff and then moving it, storing it or even cleaning it is not a big deal. However, when you're older, you realize that the extra load of stuff is not worth the time, the worry or the aggravation.
Stuff can become an emotional "ball and chain"
just as much as........a physical "ball and chain".
You begin to relish the thought of walking into your house and seeing only what you truly need or appreciate. You long to see white space on the wall. Clean and cleared out. Less becomes more and more becomes, "Where can we put this for now?"
Therefore, Curtis and I are on a mission to minimalize, declutter and alleviate the worry of storing stuff in a climate-controlled storage unit. God has given us an affinity for writing and photography; and through our love for nature and all things beautiful, we have learned that we honestly don't use about half of what we have in our possession, to include furniture. Seriously......look at the things in your house. How many things do you use on a daily basis? How many things could you live without and never, ever miss?
One of the last times we had a vacation rental on Tybee Island, I remember walking through the door and seeing the living room completely free of clutter, magazines and endless figurines. It was mentally freeing, to say the least. If you ever want to get inspired to declutter or downsize, lease a vacation rental and walk through the door.
The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:11........
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
The same philosophy can hold true with buying groceries, clothes, magazine subscriptions, cell phone contracts, cable or satellite television extras, GPS systems, etc. How many gadgets or features do we really need on our electronic devices? Do we really need that uber-expensive cell phone? Do we need a cable television bill that rivals our electric bill?
Is a GPS necessary when it's just as easy to read a map? There was a day when folks had to rely on maps instead of GPS. Reading a map forced us to focus, pay attention to the small details and figure things out, instead of being told what to do. By the way, if you don't have an old-fashioned roadmap, Mapquest is free on the internet.
After a while, every little thing begins to add up.
Consequently, before you know it, you're paying huge sums of money for things you don't necessarily need. There are cheaper cell phones, smaller TV's, basic cable......well, you get the picture. Over time, the "bells and whistles" will empty the checking account, unless you're Donald Trump or Bill Gates.
We could save more money and have a lot less stress if we would follow Philippians 4:11.......IF......we actually would. Who cares what friends or neighbors may think about your frugality? Are they paying your bills? Of course not; therefore, it's necessary to do what's right and beneficial for you and your family.
Curtis and I have managed to free ourselves from the worry of "having to have" the expensive cell phones, satellite television contracts, etc. We've never worried about those things anyway, so we have a modest-priced cell phone and contract and we have the least expensive satellite television package because we watch very little TV.
Why am I writing this article? Hopefully, we can all free ourselves from the bondage of "more is better". Hopefully, we can all encourage each other in the practicality of having only "what we need" as opposed to "having it all".
Remember, when you "have it all", it has to be maintained, cleaned, dusted, insured and protected from the elements or burglars.
The guy in the following link has inspired us: and hopefully, he will inspire you, too! His entire website is dedicated to living a minimalist lifestyle. If you've never read his material, this is a great place to start!
Leo Babauta's Simple Living Manifesto
Copyright 2013, Norma W. Beaird. All rights reserved.
