Anne here, and with only a few days to go until I leave my old house and move into the new one, I'm panicking slightly. So I hope you'll forgive me if this post is short, and not exactly book-related.
I was talking to a friend about how shocked I've been, realizing the amount of "stuff" I've accumulated over the years. Okay, I have too many books (and yes, despite those memes circulating that claim there is no such thing, there is such a thing as too many books! But there's also a lot of "stuff".
The thing is, I'm not particularly materialistic — I'm not much of a shopper, I'm not terribly fashionable and I have no interest in owning the latest of anything. And yet still I have too much stuff.
My friend is the same. She's only been in her house a couple of years but is feeling as though she already has too much stuff. She's also not much for buying the latest "must-haves" but what I realized is, we both love finding bargains or beautiful things at charity shops, second-hand shops and fetes or auctions.
So my theory is that at heart, at a bone-deep level, we're still hunter-gatherers. That's why in our society, most shopping is not so much a necessity, but a pastime, a hobby, a cultural social activity.
And it explains (I think) why for some of us, buying something from a charity shop, or a local fete or church bazaar is often more satisfying than going to a major store and buying something brand new. It's all about the hunt, you see — the lucky find, the elusive prize, the unexpected treasure.
(Photo by Kevin Andre on Unsplash)
Another friend, who also battles with "stuff" has discovered a 30% system. I'm still a bit vague as to how it works, but by following it, she has cut down her large wardrobe of clothing to 30% of its previous size. That's impressive.
A friend who has been helping me pack my many books into boxes told me the other day that she's found helping me with my "stuff" very helpful — she goes home and immediately casts around for stuff she can get rid of. It's not exactly flattering, being an object lesson, but I have to confess, it's having much the same effect on me. The more I get rid of, the easier it becomes.
Part of my problem is that I hate waste, so I can't just toss perfectly good "stuff" into the bin. I need to find it a good home. And keeping old family things, and things that evoke memories, and presents and . . . But it's weighing me down, so that's an attitude I'm working on...
Now the moving deadline is almost upon me, and I don't have time to sort -- just to pack, but the plan is to continue the sorting, decluttering and tossing from the new house. (I have this vision of me sitting in the house in ten years time, still not game to go into that room with the closed door behind with lurks a hundred boxes of"stuff" waiting to be sorted. <g>
So that's it, folks — not a particularly edifying blog, but next time you hear from me I'll be in my nice new home and hopefully in a calmer state of being. And with less "stuff"
Are you a hunter/gatherer at heart or not? Are you a shopper? Are you good at getting rid of "stuff"?