Thursday, May 10, 2012

How we down sized even further...



When we moved out of Stowe, we felt like we wanted to downsize even further.



1.      Clothes/Shoes

a.       Really look through your clothes. Make sure they fit. If they don’t donate them or take them to a consignment store. You may think that you will lose weight and be able to fit into some clothes. Just get rid of it!

b.      I tend to collect free t-shirts. You don’t need all of them. A couple is fine.

c.       I was keeping onto clothes that I could use to do dirty work like painting, working in the dirt, etc. Just keep 1 set of “you can get dirty” clothes.

d.      Shoes: Girls, I know you love your shoes but do you really need 5 pairs of high-heeled shoes? I donated all of my shoes except for my chacos, sneakers, and hiking boots. I did just order some vegan black danskos which I LOVE!!!

e.       You should be left with a couple of jeans, 2 nice pairs of pants, about 4 pairs of shorts, workout outfit, about 4 long sleeve shirts, about 4 t-shirts, about 7 nice shirts, a rain jacket, a medium jacket, and a warm winter jacket.

2.      Nick Nacks

a.       There is no purpose to having nick nacks except to sit on a shelf and collect dust. I got rid of all of my nick nacks. For decoration we have framed pictures, a tapestry, and photographs to hang on the wall. I do have a stuffed elephant that Kyle gave me and a Buddha statue.

3.      Sports/Outdoor equipment

a.       I ended up getting rid of my skis because the ski resorts are terrible in North Carolina and we don’t plan on going on any ski vacations.

b.      Our sports equipment consists of 2 bikes, a slack line, tennis rackets, ice skates, weights, Frisbees, a tent, sleeping bags, and an outdoor stove.

4.      Kitchen supplies/equipment

a.       Think about what you use on a daily basis. Get rid of the rest. We only have two plates, 4 bowls, 2 of each utensil, cast iron skillet, 2 saucepans, 1 baking sheet, 1 muffin sheet, essential utensils like knife, spatula, etc., blender, food processor, hot air popcorn popper, sprouting containers, 4 glasses, a couple of mugs and a  cutting board.

b.      We do not own a microwave or a toaster and we do not have a dishwasher.

5.      Books/games

a.       We only kept a couple of books that we really liked. We figured we can go to a library to get books. We kept our favorite CD’s, movies, and computer games.



We live in a studio apartment which measures 16 1/2 feet by 18 feet. It is the perfect size for us. We have 1 closet, a bed, a dresser, a nightstand, 2 lamps, a couch, a coffee table, a bathroom, and a breakfast bar with 2 chairs. We do not have a television. This is all we need. Even if we became rich and famous we wouldn’t need anything more. We have our basic necessities. We do not need a house. A house comes with a lot more responsibility. There is more to clean, you need to buy more stuff to fill all of the rooms, you have to take care of the lawn/garden, and there is more that can go wrong. Some people may think that this is no way to live and that we are depriving ourselves. However, there is a certain freedom to living simply. We have more time to do the things that we love like taking walks, going to festivals, listening to live music, reading/writing, and watching television shows on hulu.

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