Tag Archive for 'voluntary simplicity'

Amy’s Journal – The 100 Thing Challenge: Introduction

amy published on August 12, 2010 in superforest journal and zeitgeist. 13 Comments Tags: , , .

I’m taking The 100 Thing Challenge, wherein I slowly and thoughtfully whittle my belongings down to 100 Things in an effort to simplify my life, become a more conscious consumer, gain a little clarity, loose some clutter, save some money, and find some peace. Want to join me?

Hello SuperForest! I’ve missed you.

As it tends to go, life has gotten overwhelming busy and I’ve been struggling to find a way to keep up. In a nicely timed occurrence, I came across this article, from the New York Times, which tells Tammy Strobel’s story. Inspired by this guy, Strobel seriously pared down her possessions in an effort to simplify her life and find the kind of happiness you generally don’t get from the 9-to-5 grind. (And, before I ran across these links in internet-world, SuperForester Carla shared this very applicable tip with us earlier this summer.)

Sounds like a good idea to me! So, let’s experiment, shall we? I’d like to draw inspiration from their stories and make some changes. I will evaluate what I own, what makes it important, and it’s true value to me and my lifestyle. Hopefully, this will lead me to make more conscious decisions about the Things I allow into my life.

Want to do this with me? Let’s do it!

Goal: whittle my material possessions down to 100 Things by January 1, 2011.

Here are my guidelines, some borrowed from Dave Bruno, and some my own. Use them if you’d like, or modify them, or make up your own!

  1. Nothing gets tossed. Things I choose not to keep will be given away, gifted, donated. Hence the lengthy timeframe and the January 1, 2011 goal. I will be thoughtful.
  2. Start small. Sort through a drawer before tackling the whole wardrobe.
  3. Some things will count as one Thing. Socks, for example, will be one Thing. My laptop and it’s charger will be one Thing.
  4. Communal Things don’t count; living with a roommate dictates this necessity. This means dishes, living room furniture, etc. won’t count. For now.
  5. Regarding books: Hmm. Haven’t quite yet decided about these. I can’t bear the thought of loosing any of my books, but that’d put me over 100 Things pretty quickly. For now, I will sort through and keep only the ones that I plan to read again. The favorites. This will be one of the tougher ones…
  6. Regarding non-physical Things: Netflix? Gym membership? These count, because I am actively spending money on them and they are not a necessity.
  7. Food doesn’t count.
  8. I can get new Things, but an old Thing must then be given away, gifted, or donated within one week.
  9. If someone gives me a new Thing, Guideline #8 applies.
  10. Guidelines are not rules. This is a learning process.

My biggest challenges are going to paring down clothing, and books, and DVDs. I can already tell; I’m feeling panicky just thinking about it. But that’s the challenge, yeah?

Part One, for me, will be to make a list of all my Things. I’m fairly methodical, so this seems like a good place for me to start. I’ll be back next week to share my progress with you, and you share with me, and we’ll learn from each other! We don’t need Things!

(P.S. The photo is from Valentine’s Day in Portland this year. We have a Valentine Phantom. So cool.)

SuperForesty Tip: “If it’s not important to you, don’t consume it.”

carla published on July 1, 2010 in zeitgeist. 4 Comments Tags: , , , .

In searching for some good books to read over the summer, I came across a review (of another review) for Duane Elgin’s Voluntary Simiplicity that shared a quote on an issue that is at the core of a lot of the things we discuss here at SuperForest: consumption. We do it every day. Both you and I are consuming right now, and while it isn’t anything we can avoid as living beings, a very simple, yet profound, quote from this book tells us it is something we can definitely approach with greater consciousness.

“… you don’t have to overconsume in areas that aren’t important to your life.If you don’t watch television, don’t buy a television or have a cable box. If it’s nice outside, don’t run your air conditioner. If you’re not into clothing, wear clothing until it’s actually worn out — and then even consider mending it. In other words, if it’s not all that important to you, don’t consume [it].”

If you’re anything like me, you probably notice yourself simply doing things out of habit rather than necessity. And while the ideas displayed in the quote seem like a real no-brainer, it also seems that as of late, it’s been a concept that our society has had much difficulty grasping.

Luckily, on an individual level, it seems like a habit that should be relatively easy to fix (with a little bit of practice, of course.) Broken down, it’s all about recognition, acknowledgment, change in activity, and repetition. Next time you catch yourself staring into an open refrigerator looking for something sweet out of sheer boredom, stop and use that time to do something you really enjoy instead. Piece of cake, right? (No pun intended.)

Love,

C