07. Simple Selections.
Spring thoughts, a trick to not buy something, a book and a new video.
Spring Thoughts
For as long as I can remember, fall has been my favorite season. I’ve always loved the crispness of the air and the promise of rest, but I feel my affections moving more towards spring lately. The air feels ripe with newness and possibility. Things that were dormant are coming back to life and making the once bleak landscape vibrant again.
I also feel like I am coming back to life. My energy levels felt pretty low this winter and instead of fighting against it, I leaned into it. I gave myself permission to rest and to just focus on the essentials.
In one week, I will hit the 6-month mark of my no buy year. It’s hard to believe that I’m halfway through this challenge. What began as a challenge to my compulsive shopping tendencies has turned into more than I ever expected. Removing shopping from my life has opened up the time and space to explore “why” I spent so much money on material things, money that I sometimes didn’t have.
And I keep coming back to how I never felt worthy. And how stuff gave me a sense of worth.
I’ve spent a lot of time during these 6 months with my journal and a pen, untangling my own sense of worth from those of material things. It’s an ongoing process that I hope to share more about in a later letter as the ideas bloom into thoughts worth sharing.
A trick to not buy something. How did I not think of this sooner?
Before my no buy year, I used to visit my favorite antique shop on a weekly basis - usually on a Sunday and with the rest of the family in tow. It was just a stop on our Sunday family outing.
Once I decided to do a no buy year, I stopped going into the shop. I felt like it was too big of a temptation, especially as they had expanded their vintage clothing section.
But as I enter the 6th month of the challenge, I’ve reintroduced my weekly trip to the antique shop.
On the Tuesday of spring break, my husband and I decided to drop by the shop in the middle of the day, sans kids. He wanted to look for some small vintage ceramic pots that he could use to plant succulents in. Almost as soon as we entered the shop, I noticed they had quite a few things that were new since we were in 2 days prior.
One of those items was a gorgeous dark wood book shelf with glass doors and a lock. It was approximately 5’ tall and 3’ wide. As soon as I saw it, I thought of 2 possible locations that I could put it…on a blank wall in the living room or on the wall opposite our bed in the bedroom. I envisioned lining all of the shelves with books.
As my husband was looking in the ceramics section for his pots, I was wandering around the shop, still thinking about the bookshelf. Before we left, I looked at it again and seriously considered paying the $350 that it cost.
But then I had a realization:
Once I paid for the bookshelf, I would then be responsible for it - bringing it home, cleaning it, moving it, and eventually getting rid of it. The joy that I felt over discovering it in that moment would pass and I would eventually feel burdened by it.
It wasn’t something that I NEEDED. I don’t even own enough books to fit across one of the shelves and there are 5 of them.
So, I saved myself $350 + the cost of books to fill the shelves + the cost of ownership.
And now that I’ve had more time to think about it, I am happy that I didn’t buy it. I know that I’ll move someday and I’m glad that I’ve saved myself the hassle of moving or selling a huge piece of furniture.
So, the next time that you’re tempted to buy something, especially on an impulse, ask yourself this question:
Do you want the true cost of owning the item - the purchase price, the upkeep and care of the item, and the eventual removal of the item?
A Book (or 2)
Sometimes, when I clean the house, I listen to an audiobook. One day, as I was listening to “Homecoming” by Kate Morton (highly recommend if you enjoy mystery & thriller novels), something that one of the characters said really struck me. The character, Percy Summers, unable to leave his hometown, as he had once dreamed of doing, mentioned how he loved reading because it was a way to travel without ever leaving home (or something along those lines).
This will come as no surprise to those who know me well, and you can now count yourself in this group, but after traveling to Scotland in 2018, I fell in love with the country and it is a dream of mine to live there someday, or at the very least, have an extended vacation, preferably on an annual basis.
But, that isn’t in the cards for me at the moment, so I have decided that if I can’t experience Scotland first hand, I will do it though books.
After searching for Scottish authors at my local bookshop, I came across Alexander McCall Smith and his novel, 44 Scotland Street. I didn’t devour this book in one, or even five sittings, but instead I savored it slowly over a few weeks, reading a bit at a time, usually before bed.
I enjoyed all of the characters and how their lives all intertwined, most of them being residents of 44 Scotland Street.
I am looking forward to picking up the sequel, Espresso Tales.
Goodreads: 3.61/5; Amazon: 4/5
A new video
Today, I posted a new video on YouTube. It’s the first video that I’ve posted since January 22.
While I’ve filmed a few videos over the winter that I had intended to edit and upload, I couldn’t find the energy or drive to do so. As I mentioned earlier, I leaned into that feeling, knowing that when the time was right, I would get back to it. I have never allowed myself that kind of grace before and I think that it’s a result of either getting older, the pushback on hustle culture that has been happening lately, or both, that made it okay for me to give myself permission to rest.
But, with the nicer weather, I’ve been wanting to do a spring closet reset. Thinking that other people might also be feeling similarly, I found the motivation and energy to film and edit a video where I pulled everything out of my wardrobe, properly cleaned my closet, and then I sorted, decluttered and organized my clothes.
I didn’t declutter a lot of items this time around. After 2 big closet declutters last year, in addition to not buying anything over the past 6 months, I’m really happy with what is left and the amount of clothes that I have.
If you enjoy closet resets…
I hope you have a great week!
Yes! The question of "Do I want to shoulder the burden of ownership of this item?" is such a good question. I don't always remember to ask it tho!
I do like the trick of thinking how you will care for and eventually dispose of a new purchase. It is a great way to slow down and really consider if the purchase is a wise one. I loved the book case and wanted to buy it myself so well done on being so thoughtful and passing on something so beautiful but not right for you.
I love the works of Alexander McCall Smith! I enjoyed the No1 Ladies Detective Agency years ago. It was made into a tv series that was a lot of fun. I think I will have to visit the library and read more of his books.