Since we have returned home from Addis, we have found that we are seeing some things with different eyes. I guess its part of the reverse culture shock.
Some aspects of our culture have seemed ridiculous to us for a long time – like the section of the junk mail catalogues that come in the letterbox, with pages of small appliances that do one specific thing yet take up oodles of space in your home (usually your kitchen). Personally, I feel they are such a waste of space and money. After all, we all need a hotdog warmer, a pancake maker, a pizza oven, a pie maker, a juicer, an electric massager…
One of the first things my husband noticed when we came home was how “full” our home is. There is just so much stuff. We lived for 3 months in a very sparsely furnished apartment and really didn’t want for much. So why do we need so much stuff here?
I guess people who move house often go through a good purge when they move. But we haven’t moved in about 10 years, and we didn’t have much stuff then anyway.
We have lots of things that we haven’t used in years. If we haven’t used it for so long, do we really need it? It may be nice, but its really not necessary. So we have begun a purge. We have a hard rubbish clean up in a few weeks time, where we will put out some furniture. We plan to join OzFreecycle to pass on things to others who might want them, and we plan to chuck out/recycle a whole lot of other stuff.
Friends of ours went to live in Scotland for a year about 4 years ago. Before they left, they sold and gave away practically everything they had. They took about 4 suitcases of things/clothes etc with them, and apart from two bookcases that they left with friends to mind, that was pretty much all they had in the world.
They said it was wonderfully liberating. Now, I am not expecting that we will get down to only 4 suitcases (!) but we could really do with having a lot less stuff here.
Has anyone else done this? How did you find it?
White Threads is the blog of Yvette Stanton, the author, designer, publisher behind Vetty Creations' quality needlework books and embroidery products.
I’m in the process – despite moving from Illinois to Michigan six months ago when I thought I re/freecycled a lot of stuff I am amazed at how much is in the basement of our new home not being used! I don’t have much in the way of unused kitchen appliances but I do agree that they can take up space and only perform one function. I think I need to start posting on the house blog as I get rid of stuff, just for encouragement! Good luck with your purge, Yvette!
I started doing the same thing a couple of weeks ago and so have some other friends! Maybe we need to have “autumn cleaning” in the southern hemisphere?
We also haven’t moved for 8 years and that was after a fire where I did have to throw some things out but still held on to all sorts of soot covered things!! We also didn’t have children – why do they own so much?
Our hallway is filling up with unused and unnecessary things. I have a stack of old towels and sheets going to the RSPCA shelter where they use and rewash them until they fall apart. We take a lot of our baby and kids toys, clothes and furniture to Dalmar, part of the Wesley mission. The Salvation Army also get given things. I’ll look up OzFreecycle too.
Some things I may sell, but most will be given away. Why do we want to live with so much? I would love a bigger house but I am sure it would only get filled with more things.
Now why am I looking at getting built-in wardrobes??? Storage!!! I guess there are still things you do need to keep and store somewhere!
They do say that clearing clutter is liberating and the clear space left behind certainly liberates time from cleaning for much more interesting things – like craft!
Happy clearing!
When I moved to Italy I sold everything I could. I’ve been home for 10 years now and I haven’t replaced even one quarter of the things I had! I just did without and have not regretted it. It makes life (and dusting!) so much simpler!
😀
Good luck!
Jeanine in Canada
We are thinking of doing this, but so far we’ve been so busy keeping up with what people want us to do that purging the household is coming last on a very long list.
I know it would be good for us, though!