More is just...more.

                        

I want to be my husband.  He opens his dresser drawers and emerges 2 seconds later with exactly the item he opened his dresser drawers to find.  Me? When I'm looking for a specific shirt, it involves kneeling in front of the drawer, tugging it open, and making two or three stacked piles around me as I dig for that one thing that will make my outfit complete.  It's bad.  I'm not a hoarder per se, I'm a just-in-case sorta person.  It's hard for me to part with anything that has a shred of value left in it.   You'd think I grew up on a cattle ranch hundreds of miles away from decent shopping.  You'd think that we only bought clothes once or twice a year out of the Montgomery Ward catalog...oh wait...that's all true.  But still.  IT'S BAD.  I need to wardrobe purge.  The other day I allowed myself a peek into The Husband's bureau (always wanted to use that word), and I was astounded.  There were his neatly folded clothes, nestled up and resting on each other.  Nirvana.  My clothes tend to come out of the drawer looking like they've been through the Y2K we all prepared for. (Yup, still have 5 gallon buckets filled with emergency rations from that era.  Those cans are still GOOD!)

Have you heard of the Tiny House movement??  I'm a huge fan.  I want about 3 of 'em.  No seriously.  The forced minimalism of living with all your means airily ensconced within under 400 square feet really speaks to me.  It's a goal.  I got all fired up about this plan about a year ago.  Think of it! I chortled to The Husband!!  We could live on a trailer and use mortgage money to buy lots of land!  Along riverbanks in Montana! Up high in the snowy mountains! Snugged up against sandy beaches!  And we could just move our trailer to whatever lot worked for that season!  It only costs $9/mile to move!  I started gathering any and all info about tiny houses.  House plans, pros and cons from the many whom are embracing it, I dreamt tiny houses....I plotted....I planned.....and then.....I purveyed.  My bedroom.  Yes.  I realized that I have enough belongings in my bedroom to overflow a tiny house. 

So, in the spirit of making progress in the year 2015 regarding any and all of my goals, I am committed to simplifying my life.  Once and for all.  How many pair of jeans do I really need anyway?  I'm taking baby steps but they are steps.  And already I can see progress.  There are so many good sources of inspiration on the web.  I have several that I go to regularly when I get stuck on an item that is hard for me to give up.  Courtney Carver taught me about sentimental reasons for hanging on to stuff and how to mitigate it on her website www.bemorewithless.com.  She's amazing.

I've also learned a lot about minimal living from the family of Tico and Tina at www.ticoandtina.com.  They have a ton of good ideas of how to live minimally with a family.

And so I learn.  And I read.  And I sort and clean.  Just a few minutes a week, but at least I'm working towards a goal.  Just wait - one of these days you will be driving down the road on your way to your favorite diner and you will pass THE coolest tiny house EVER - on a trailer - on it's way to it's summer location on the beach.  And it will be us.  The Husband with all his current belongings, (cuz he's already got this figured out), and me, with my two bins full of clothes and 5 pair of shoes...doesn't hurt to dream does it?  I'm just SO GLAD that I won't have to part with any of my purses.  That's just too much to ask of a girl!!! ;)

Have a good time making YOUR dreams come true.  The journey makes the end result that much sweeter doesn't it??

Make it a great day!!