Getting rid of stuff

This past weekend we made some great advances towards de-cluttering our lives. First thing Saturday morning my wife and I headed down to the basement to start going through all of our stuff that was stowed away in boxes.

The very thought of that, stuff sitting in closed boxes bugs me. How long do I leave it in there before I surrender to the fact that indeed, I don't use this stuff. Rarely do I think about most of it, and even rarer still is when I actually use it. For some reason, I've been believing that there was good reason to stick stuff into boxes, stack the boxes is some far off, hard-to-reach corner of the basement, and then leave it. Seriously? What's up with that? Crazy.

We rid old collectibles (anyone have use for an 1852 printing of Noah Webster's work, the dictionary? - still trying to rationalize why I need this incredible book in my basement) old decorations and stuff that meant something to us at one time, but now simply bother me, as I have to move them around to access other junk in the basement.

It all started when we first moved from Strathmore to Rockyford several years ago. Moving will do that to you. Especially when you move to a smaller house. Even while in Rockyford, I was continually chipping away at my collection of worldly possessions. 5 pick-up loads in a year! That's a lot of stuff. That was just the start.

After moving back to Strathmore, we again did some major purging so we wouldn't have to just move stuff and stick it back into hiding, and I would say that compared to most (always a terrible measuring device - other people) we don't have that much junk we don't use. But to me, still too much. We had two food dehydrators. We've only ever had one going at a time. Why have two?

Since making the switch to a mac computer, I thought I should keep my PC desktop and laptop just incase I need them for some obscure business software I couldn't live without. A year now and the need for such software hasn't arisen. After I remove the personal information, I'll have two decent computers in need of a good home. Even on my mac, I'm becoming ruthless at keeping the desktop clean. I'll try out new programs, but if I don't use them actively, I uninstall. All my image files I'm working on are stored in multiple hard drives (took about a year to figure a fast, secure means of processing my digital work) and it keeps my computer free and clean. When I need to find something on it, there is no scrolling through useless or misplaced electronic information. I know where stuff is, and I can access it very fast when I need to. All that is a result of conscious sifting, and removing.

Whether it be electronic data, or cheap junk at walmart, we seem to be so given to consumerism. The idea seems to spread that just because we can have something, we should. Widget this, doodad that. All these things that we don't need, but since we can "afford" them (and I quote un-quote afford, because if you aren't paying cash, you probably can't "afford" it), and they were offered to us, we should indeed purchase them, take them home, and then stick them in boxes in our basement, or store it in a folder on our computers.

I've been calling it minimalism as of late, but it's more than that. While I do love the minimalist aesthetic, and the ideals, it also has a lot to do with attitude. Contentment. Being happy with what you have, and not want want want more. I used to think of contentment as settling. After fighting it out with junk in my basement, I now view contentment as a superior train of thought, and one that I now seek out with passion.

I'm trying to work my way to 100 personal items. Not sure I'll ever get there, but that is the goal. Not just for the sake of making a particular goal, but rather simply because the more stuff I'm getting rid of, the clearer my mind is, the less time I waste organizing junk, and the more liberated I feel.

To have less to worry about and fret over is a good thing isn't it? Then own less and ride a bike. See?!

Minimalists Ideals start to take hold

Over the past year or so, I've been really contemplating the idea of minimalism.

Minimalism isn't really new or revolutionary, nor would minimalism necessarily be the best way to describe the thought process. Maybe it is, but minimalism seams to be more of a title to counter-act the consumeristic lifestyle that we as North Americans have been so caught up in. Always need the latest and greatest, always need more. Why? The thought process of minimalism is to pair everything down to the smallest amount that we can comfortably get by on. Try to do without the latest and greatest. Be content with what we have. My motivation for minimalism has stemmed from my frustration with trying to keep all of my worldly possessions in order. My life, may not even look minimalistic yet. I've always been a bit of a collector, and even as a kid, I would hate to get rid of anything, "in case I might need it later." Classic.

A lot of my life and my stuff has been very easy to pair down. Stuff that I've had for years, I've given away over the last year. I've kept track and I've hauled 8 pickup truck loads (and I mean completely loaded truck-fulls of 'stuff') in the past year and a half. Most of it is easy, and I've gotten my personal belongings to a much more manageable level. Still not near done, but I've made some real progress. One area that I thought would be completely unaffected by minimalism was my bicycles. Turns out, I was wrong. Yesterday I gave away 3 bikes and my old trusty trek frame (which was pretty much the starting point of my bike commuting and this blog). Today, I put up the fixie for sale.

I'm trying to pair my bike collection down to as few bikes I can have, and still partake in my favourite styles of riding. The fact of the matter is that I don't need a great city bike with a front basket for the one day a year that I make a wine and cheese run before enjoying he sunset with my wife on the back deck. I did that once last year, and I've romanticized the ride ever since. It was probably the biggest reason I kept that bike so long. Hadn't ridden it since. Get rid of the bike, keep the memory.

My bike collection to meet my style of riding should be quite nicely accommodated with the following: my LHT, my Karate Monkey, my Xtracycle, and my Rockabilly Boogy. Those are the bikes that I ride the most. There is also the 'mystery bike' (which I should probably get pictures up here) that would have it's place, but most likely will go. That will still leave me with 4 bicycles, which is quite a collection to the average person. To a cycling fanatic, it's hardly respectable, but to a minimalist, it's plenty. Who knows, it may be culled down even further, but my thoughts are this. My LHT is a great bike for errands, long relaxing rides in the country, and for road rides. My Karate Monkey has been my evening bike ride 'go to' for quite a while. This was very different than what I thought when I bought it. I didn't think I'd ride the Karate Monkey near as much as I do, and it's just such a great bike. Soots (Xtracycle) is obviously for hauling kids and groceries and running whatever other errands I might need to run. And lastly, the Rockabilly Boogy. This bike is just for fun. Since my wife has a cruiser to match, it's a bike that I'll hang onto, even though it's mostly a novelty. Every other one of my bikes is a better, more efficient ride, but sometimes it's fun to just cruise with my bride (of 9 years now!) and go no-where important slowly.

I've been told by people that I'll regret getting rid of my bikes. If I truly do find that I can't live without the collection I currently have, I can always build it back up again. But I don't think that'll be the case. The fact that I'll have fewer bikes to maintain accessories and ride makes me worry that I'll see how great simple is, and be tempted to further reduce my fleet. That, wouldn't be a bad thing.

To the fixie. I'm gong to try and sell it locally. Shipping is a royal pain in the butt and quite expensive to anywhere south of the border. So, locally, I've got it listed for $650 with a few options.

Life is getting simpler and I'm liking it.

On minimalism

Over the past several years or so, I've been taking steps toward simplifying my life. Every aspect of it. Not that it was ever really complicated, and this move wasn't born out of stress or frustration. Rather, it was an idea I'd stumbled upon and was really taken with. Less is more. I've been a pack rat my whole life. I used to keep stuff just in case I might need it. I used to have hundreds of pounds of scrap steel in my garage in case I needed it for the next project I took on. Never know when you'll need a small bit of tubing, or some stainless steel sheet metal right? Well no. It was a complete waste and a complete headache.

Moving really brings into light the junk that you have but never use. I would say that in the past 4 years, I've rid over half of my belongings. Yet I still have too much stuff. As of recently I've made some hard cuts. I threw out a cabbage patch kid I got from my grandma when I was about 4. Fairfax Bouris was his name. Why the heck would I keep such a toy? Sentimental reasons. The argument there is in the memory, not the object. Take a photo of it and chuck it out.

My main source of inspiration on minimalism is mnmlist.com. A great site with some great thoughts. I have been so impressed with how good it feels to let things go. To free myself from the obsessive consumerist model that has been placed on us. To go through the basement and come out with literally 4 pickup truck loads of stuff, even after we’d moved, feels excellent. I’ve given much of my stuff away to people I know would want or need it. The rest has gone to the local recycling yard.

I challenge anyone reading this to give the idea of minimalism a moment to sit on your brain. Think it through a little. It’s not like you have to start drastically and get rid of everything less a blanket. Maybe start by going through your closet and seeing which clothes you haven’t worn in the last year. Any chance you’ll wear them in the next? Hmm. If you can’t bring yourself to actually get rid of stuff, maybe box it up and put it in the basement for a while. You’ll have started the detachment process. If you haven’t missed it in a few weeks or months, maybe you can get rid of it. My sister in law is trying this, and so far she’s impressed.

Without to much of my own babbling on the subject, I’ll turn it to Leo Babuata, who has written the below. It has been copied straight from his mnmlist website and is copyright free, so it is here, in his words, just as it is on his website. Enjoy, and thanks Leo for the great work you’ve done on your site. I will be sharing more minimalist posts from his site here, just to get them out there, but this bit is a good start. Cheers.


mnmlist: the essentials
How to do minimalism in steps
You can become a minimalist overnight, by not only changing your mindset but renouncing all possessions.
Of course, that's not a realistic approach for most of us. We have families, jobs, lives, and unless we're willing to give up those lives, our approach won't be so drastic.
Slow change is best for most people.
And so I recommend you do it in steps, as I've done. Here's what these steps might look like:
1. Stop buying unnecessary things. This step was important for me as I was trying to get out of a mountain of debt (achieved, btw). Only buy the necessities, and always ask yourself: is this truly necessary? Stop the bleeding first.
2. Get rid of the obvious things. Stuff that's getting in your way, that you rarely ever use. You can often fill up a few boxes immediately, put them in your car, and donate them to a thrift shop or to friends and family the next day.
3. Get rid of more obvious things. Now that you've cleared up some of the clutter, you can take a look around and start seeing other things you rarely use. Box these up as well.
4. Clear the clutter on your floors. If your floors are barely visible because you have clothes and boxes and different items all over the place, start clearing your floors.
5. Clear other flat surfaces. Shelves, table tops, counter tops. They don't have to be completely clear, but should only have a few essential objects.
6. Start going into closets and drawers. One place at a time, start clearing out clutter.
7. Cut back another third. At this point, you should have simplified drastically, but you can revisit what you still own and see things you don't really use that often.
8. Start letting go, emotionally. For emotional reasons, there will be things that you "just can't part" with -- clothes or shoes or books or mementoes or gifts, childhood items. This is difficult, but given time, you'll learn that such attachments aren't necessary.
9. Get rid of another third. At this point, you're pretty minimalist, but you can cut back more.
10. Et cetera. The process will never end, until you actually give up everything. I'm not there yet.
These steps are just a rough outline of what I went through, but it's a look into a process that might help.