Living simply

For a while now I have been wanting to live simply. My definition of that is to have only the necessities, to eat fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden (not likely to happen though, check out the potato I dug up from our garden the other day), be healthy, happy, have chickens, a goat - okay I'll stop. I know it is rich coming from someone who always writes about things that she loves and things she has purchased for the home.

Truth is, there is so much I want and it can cloud the things that I actually need. Although I don't have that many 'things', I feel suffocated at times by what I do own. So I pack away into storage, donate to charity and it makes me feel better. I can breath again. But my wish list still grows.

I have been thinking about how to consciously separate the things that I need vs want and then I came across the Dottie Angel challenge which is to only buy secondhand or handmade for the home or your closet for 365 days. Great idea don't you think?

At first I thought I can do this and then I starting thinking, what about food? Undergarments? Socks and shoes (I don't like secondhand shoes)? Things for the shop? I started placing my own boundaries on the challenge and making my own exceptions which is fine to do and most people that have taken up the challenge are doing the same thing.

It would be an interesting challenge though and one that I am still considering. Buying secondhand or handmade wouldn't mean that I can't buy the things I want but it would make me hunt for them more and that in turn may lead me to only concentrate on buying the things I really need. It would also give me an opportunity to browse the markets more, to be creative and to reuse what I already own. All positives things for me but I'm still not quite at the stage where I can say to myself - yep, let's do it! I would really like to try it one day though. For now, I am going to follow Tif's journey through her challenge and admire her creativeness.

Could you do it? Could you only buy secondhand or handmade for you home or closet for a year?

PS: Tif of Dottie Angel is full of creative ideas and has a beautiful home. When you have a moment do check out her blog here. It is also listed as the new 'Must Read Blog'.