Trigger for simplifying?

[pinkytoe]

I seem to have a new trigger every decade. Initially as a teen, I watched a friend get rid of most all of her possessions and that left a mark. Then as a new mom, I began to question the time vs money dilemma. Was it worth it to sit at a desk all day for money if I was missing my child grow up? Then it was the death of father, mother and brother and having to deal with all their stuff afterwards. And now, it is an approaching retirement and a wish to let the past collapse behind me so I can start anew.

[Ultralight]

pinkytoe:

Eloquent. Thank you.

[rosarugosa]

Herbgeek: three

[herbgeek]

Herbgeek: three

HA! You're a member of the tribe.

More than you wanted to know: I do have 3 SAK's: 1 regular, 1 tiny, 1 picnic version, plus 2 Leatherman (one full size, one mini purse size), 2 knockoff multitools, and several other knives. (Opinel for the garden, Sypderco's for the purse). And a swiss army card that looks like a credit card. I'm sure I'm forgetting someone here. LOL.

[Gardnr]

We were on the front porch knocking on the door of bankruptcy.....HOLD the phone. not me-I got really mad and DH was willing to follow. We instantly became, use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without. We've never looked back. It helps that I'm not a sentimental keeper. IE: I loaned out my wedding dress in our first few years and when I couldn't find anymore borrowers I took it to goodwill so it could get used again. We've been in this houseover 24 years and still have empty space. (Let us not however speak of my quilt stash or hubby's wood stash-not so minimal there...but we work it every year

[Float On]

We had a lot of business debt and I just got tired.
I want to be free to pick up and go. I want experiences over things (I have macular degeneration and risk going legally blind if they don't find more help for this condition). I feel the weight of stuff.
I'm hoping and praying that my husband finds his trigger soon.

[Ultralight]

Gardnr:

The wedding dress story is a powerful one. Very few women would ever do that! My hat is off to you.

[Ultralight]

Float On:

Those are all very legit triggers! Very compelling.

What do you think would trigger your husband?

[Simplemind]

I have always been somewhat of a minimalist. I think it was because collecting/consuming/displaying was all important to my parents. The defining moment for me was deciding to be a single parent and always running worst case scenarios in my head during the first nine months. I liquidated anything that was non essential. I was such a frugal parent that my sister would come over to my house and state that there was no evidence that a child lived there. Joking of course because she ran a daycare and there was nothing but evidence of children all over her house.
There was a point in time that I realized that we had enough and I could relax a little. I found that I really felt better with very little. When I met my future husband it bothered him that my cupboards were somewhat bare and the bulb in the fridge bounced off a few condiments and a jug of milk. I had taken to strapping the kidlet on my back and walking to the store every couple of days. He clearly had Mormon leanings and would always come over with a sack of staples.
I haven't had the heart to post it yet but the last three years have been consumed with the liquidation of my parents estate. The past 6 months has been intense and we just had the estate sale that gutted me emotionally. Every step of the way we swore (like merchant marines) that we would never EVER leave something like this for our children to deal with. That said we put about a quarter of what we owned in the same sale in our first step towards downsizing in the future. The house is now up for sale and getting our lives back seems more than possible.

[Kestra]

I have been a simple liver and minimalist my whole life but I didn't always know what it was called, or actually live this way. When I was 21, 2 months into my first real job I started planning for early retirement. Then in '03 I found the Simple Living Forums (in a previous version) and learned that there was a thing called the Simple Living Movement and that other people felt the same way I did. I learned about Financial Integrity and the book Your Money or Your Life. The joy of finding like-minded people was life changing.
In 2008 I got married and tried to live like a "normal" person, who actually owned stuff and "settled down". This didn't work out for me and 4 months ago I admitted to my husband and everyone else that I needed to live differently. I left my marriage and my job, fully embraced minimalism and now don't have to lie to anyone or pretend to be other than I am.