I've been playing around with this post for several months- since after Willow's 3rd birthday, in fact. I've written several drafts but never posted them. I couldn't find the right words, or tone, or explanations. The posts were always too long, too wordy, too complicated. So then Christmas came, and Willow was drowned in gifts again, and I've decided that I need to write this post, once and for all, before her next birthday.
So here is the thing. We have a lot of stuff. Most of us do. We are privileged, because we are the top of the food chain. We are a consumer society, we know this, but few stop to think where our crap comes from, and where it's going. As the Story of Stuff explains so well, we work on a linear system. Our privilege is built on other people's suffering, on their low wages, on unsafe work conditions, on children working, on slave-like conditions (or outright slavery). And for what? So I can buy Willow 2 tops for $5 each?
I've been decluttering for a while. I started on Willow's toys first, since 90% of our battles with her are over material goods. I think I've op shopped 2/3rds- about 8 large garbage bags, although we got a LOT more over Christmas, yikes. The less stuff Willow has, the less arguments we have, and the better kept her toys are ie it's easier to find a missing puzzle piece. She's also much better behaved. I've been moving through our house, and it's so much better. Truly. Easier to clean. Less dust.
We also want to buy a house so badly. Willow wants a brick house with a beautiful garden. I want timber floor boards and a beautiful old house on a large block, and M wants something modern and not haunted. To go cold turkey on consumerism will help up save for our dream home, and as a bonus, it will make moving easier!
Anyways, here is what we've decided.
- Max one item per family per event. ie Mr and Mrs Doe and their kids Jane and Joe can only give her one thing for Christmas, and one for her birthday, instead of a gift or two each time. This applies to everyone.
- No gifts throughout the year, "just because."
- I'm going to cull my wardrobe down to 60 items. That's for another post.
- Cull Willow's toys down again. M and I both like Willow not having tons of toy "accessories." The best example I can think of are Barbies, with their dozens of shoes, hair brushes and various other stuff. She doesn't lack for toys, but no child really needs to have their own toy shop worth of toys.
- Cull a few other things we have lying around. Like, some stuff in the kitchen that we never use, or bed sheets we never use because I don't like the colour.
- I'm not going to buy anything new this year for Willow or myself. There will be exceptions ie, uniforms, textbooks (which I try to get second hand anyway). But... I can make a lot of stuff (trying to not buy more fabric as well) and we get a lot of hand me downs, so clothes from last winter should still fit her. I'm not going to let Willow freeze so mummy can make some political statement.
- If I do need to buy something, it will be second hand. For example: navy coloured pants for uni. I'm not going to sew them because a) I hate sewing synthetic fabrics and would rather jab a needle into my eye and b) buying synthetic fabric then sewing it isn't all that cost effective. On the other hand, I got a lovely pair of second hand navy pants off ebay, Portmans, and made in Australia for $15.
- Buying local is a priority for us. If not local, than second hand.
Anyways, this probably seems crazy to some people. But I'm ok with this. I feel ok with this. I've been doing this for a month now. I've only purchased a new pair of shorts, because I only have one pair of shorts, and heatwave, so yeah. (Reasons why I got rid of a lot of dresses and skirts to follow in a later post, along with more explaining about why I'm doing this.)
So, have you made any new year resolutions? Have you kept them into January?
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