A Year of Less - starting now
Hat's off to Cait Flanders
Happy February, Folks.
I don’t know about you, but January felt like the longest month of my entire life. I’m just exhausted. I need a day of recovery.
Over the past couple of weeks (months, really) I’ve been having a gnawing in my gut that it’s time for me to make a change. As a woman in long term recovery, I often take stock of what I’m feeling in order to examine my behavior for places I can modify and upgrade for deeper peace and long-term satisfaction. I took a one-day class a couple of years ago with one of my reiki teachers and mentors on how to declutter and was inspired. I’ve done some junk removal, but guess what? I still have the same amount of junk because I replaced it with more. So, while decluttering is definitely “on the menu,” I knew I needed to dig deeper than just stuff removal. I need a completely different system of living.
Enter The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More than Anything You Can Buy in a Store, by Cait Flanders. I haven’t yet finished reading the book, but I knew the second that I started, this was IT. I was going to make the yearlong commitment to only purchase necessary items like food, cleaning products, toiletries, etc., and stop adding to the never-ending pile of books, jewelry, crystals and other junk that I completely don’t need and is taking over our house and finances.
Basically, you start by making a list of the things that are on the “approved spending” list (groceries) and things that are on the “unapproved” spending list (another handbag) and you stick to it for an entire year cycle. Things like gifts for others is approved (but need to be modest) and you can plan ahead for things like travel or a class you know you’re going to take. But outside of that, no new clothes, shoes, books, jewelry, bakeware, nothing… and you remove the things you don’t need and aren’t using as well. You can sell, toss out or donate them, but you have to go room by room and get rid of all the extra stuff. It’s complete pairing down to live simply and modestly, cut down on all the Amazon delivery trips that are not environmentally friendly, and unsubscribe from streaming apps, memberships, and accounts that you don’t need. If something you do use breaks, like a cell phone, you can replace it, but you have to get rid of the old item. You can’t buy a second item.
I have my work cut out for me. I have one family vacation that I’ll be saving for in September (planning to take the grandson to Disneyland), and some self-enrichment courses I’ve already committed to, but as of today, no more buying. I did a brief scan of things I might need and got a t-shirt for summer weather, a pair of clogs I’ve been eyeing for ages, and a juicer, because I’m going to focus on my health and have discovered “juicing.”
Being a Behavior Analyst though, I’m well aware that you can’t just “remove” a behavior that is an ingrained habit without replacing the behavior with something else that serves the same function. So if previously when I was feeling stressed, I used retail - therapy for the dopamine hit that I would get finding just the right (insert item name, book, shirt, pendant) I know that my wiring is still going to look for that relief and satisfaction, so I thought about what I could do.
While saving money and paying off debt is a big target, I know that I currently far outspend the cost of a dinner out on each paycheck with a stack of books from Amazon and other “rewards.” So instead of buying “stuff” I am going to treat myself and my husband, and likely the kids too, to a dinner out every couple of weeks. This is on the approved spending list and gives me something to look forward to that makes memories, and I can research and plan for new places to try instead of researching and planning who has the best “tunic length” top to add to the closet that is bursting with clothes.
It is also my intention to check in here about what I’m doing and how it’s going, for my own documentation and accountability. So look for updates, because once I hit “post” I can’t go back. It’s already out there and I’m on the path to recover a spacious life where I’m not owned and tied to a bunch of things. I’m looking forward to the freedom and what it might bring.