things you thought you couldn't do without...

[lucas]

Hi there my simplicity-loving friends,

I've come to believe that there are two kinds of simplicity-lovers.. There are the 'natural' minimalists, who've always seen the wisdom of living without too mucho unnecessary junk, and then there are the 'recovering consumers', who have followed the road of overconsumption into a land of soaring debt and general chaos before realising that constantly aquiring new 'stuff' is an obstacle to, rather than a sources of, happiness... and I fall into the latter category! I was a consumer monster for years! Anyway, some months ago I got rid of my cable - I'm so glad I did and looking back I realise how crazy it was that I found getting rid of it so hard - I really struggled with the decision for weeks on end! So I thought it would be fun to hear from others about the things you found it hard to part with, and whether or not you think you made the right decision. What was most difficult for you to 'give up'?

Hugs,
Lucas

[KayLR]

Hi Lucas, glad you are feeling good about your "recovery!"

I've been living pretty simply for some time, but the most recent thing I've discovered I like living without is a dishwasher. Until 4 months ago I had one, but since moving, I do not, and frankly I don't miss it. I kind of like the routine and ritual of dishwashing now, and it gives me a good reason to indulge in some lovely hand lotions I'd just kind of closed away in a drawer!

Not only that! Now that the cold has set in for at least the next 6 months, that dishwater just feels good on my cold hands every night!

When I first moved into this apt., I thought to myself that the one downfall/possible dealbreaker was "no dishwasher." Now I don't care whether I have one or not.

[pinkytoe]

This is a weird one but has been very liberating....toenail polish. For years I felt that if my toes were bare, they had to be polished. Got tired of the ritual and don't miss it one bit.

[Simplemind]

DH just loved buying VHS and DVD copies of movies that we liked. There were hundreds "just in case we want to watch them". Storage became a problem and he stopped buying them and we sold all but a handful at a garage sale. Haven't missed them, nor have we watched the few he kept.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

With encouragement I found here, one of my biggest "give ups" was fabric softener. A few years ago I never thought I could wash a load of laundry without using fabric softener, but after researching all the chemicals it contained, and then with others here telling me they were fabric softener free, I went cold turkey and never looked back. That was probably a year or so ago. As for simple living in general, I have been practicing that for many years. Of course, simple living means different things to different people, but as for me it was living below my means, not being influence by media/advertising, using less throw-away/disposable items, looking for alternative ways of doing something rather than "oh, just go out and purchase so and so", and the list goes on.

[Blackdog Lin]

lucas - I am also a recovering Simple Life-er (and off-topic, LOVE your avatar, as I am also a huge Tigger fan.) For me, it was new clothes/Fashion - even though I'm not very fashionable. But it was a difficult journey for me, realizing I could - and needed to - do without new clothing articles all the time.

Along with training myself to hate shopping, I learned to ask myself "The Questions" when thinking about say, ordering something new online: (1) where would you wear this?; and (2) if you didn't have this to wear, do you have something suitable already in the closet? 95% of the time the answers to these two questions tell me I don't need to spend the money on the new clothes.

But sometimes a woman just wants something NEW, something DIFFERENT. So I added the strategy of using Goodwill - I've found that two trips a year will fulfill my jones'in to fill holes in my wardrobe. Two trips @ $20.00 each, vs. geesh, don't wanna go there on how much I spent before on new clothes.

It has definitely been the right decision - I was definitely wasting way too much money on new clothes that I didn't need. I feel good about it.

And welcome, lucas! Hope you stick around and enjoy our little community. This little community saved my financial life, many years ago.....

[Tussiemussies]

Hi Lucas, This is a great thread, I'm reading along trying to think of which was the hardest....

[Jilly]

I do not think that I am either of those choices. I do not consider myself to be any kind of minimalist, but I have never been a big consumer either. Just another area of life or whatever where I do not fit. Huge surprise.

[pony mom]

It's a silly little thing, but I gave up shampoo. Since I've been washing with baking soda and vinegar, it seems silly to use or buy shampoo. My hair looks just as nice without it.

About 17 or so years ago, I gave up eating beef and pork. The smell of a steak is still yummy and I really REALLY miss bbq baby back ribs, but I can live without them. Being a picky eater, it was hard for me to find other things to eat, which is why I still eat poultry (with some guilt).

[Polliwog]

This is a great thread. I am the 2nd type mentioned by the OP - recovering yuppie consumer. I have learned most of what I need to know from these forums (and the original one). I live pretty simply now, but the hardest thing I gave up this past summer was T.V. It was so hard, in fact, that I had my satellite restored. I decided that I really love T.V. There, I've said it. I LOVE T.V. I live alone and so I realized I was asking too much of myself to give it up. But I am selective: mostly PBS, Free Speech T.V., etc.

Like Kay said, I could do without a dishwasher. Maybe when mine bites the dust, I'll store things in it. I'll let you know...