Clutter is very much about being keener to acquire than to let go. We acquire things we need, or more likely just want, but once their usefulness to, or novelty for, us has expired we hang on to them. I feel that there are four main reasons for why we hang on to this clutter and they are, laziness, confusion, fear and indifference.

Laziness of course refers to having the stuff there, being aware that it is a problem but refusing to deal with it because you just don’t want to make the effort. The problem is this is that while you are “ignoring” it it is gnawing away at your peace of mind. So best to just get on with the job. It doesn’t have to be difficult which is what 365 Less Things is all about.

Confusion is the problem of not knowing how to responsibly get rid of the useful yet unwanted stuff that we know we need to get rid of. To help with this issue here is a link to one of my guides on how to Recycle or Donate you unwanted stuff. There are no doubt other options open to you in your area but at least this guide will give you some clues or maybe even get your imagination flowing on more novel ways of finding new homes for your stuff.

Fear is all about thinking you might need it some day and keeping it just in case. Or because we fear we are letting go of something sentimental and that doing so is somehow an affront to our history or to those who may have given an item to us. Use this link which will send you to a list of posts with the subject of Personal Attachment. These posts might help you let go of some of those attachments to stuff. 

And indifference is being aware that you have clutter but don’t mind, don’t care or even like it that way. It can also be that you don’t even notice because you like being surrounded by stuff. And that is fare enough if that is how you like to live. However I don’t suppose you are here reading my blog posts if that is truly your attitude. But I will mention here that constantly acquiring new stuff or even hoarding stuff that could be useful to someone else is not a very environmentally friendly approach to taking care of the planet we live on. 

Which leads me to the issue of acquiring stuff. The clutter would not build up if we stopped bringing it in in the first place.  I have said it before and I will say it again, and again and again, that one of the best thing that happened to me during my mission to declutter was losing the desire to acquire. It is not only good for your finances, and better for the environment, it is also a fool proof way of achieving your decluttering goals sooner and remaining uncluttered once you reach your goal.

I am not saying that I never acquire anything but I sure am very discerning about what I do acquire. I would rather go without than end up with an item that doesn’t live up to the function I bought it for. I never buy anything on the spur of the moment and usually what I do acquire is to replace something that is worn out that I use all the time. I buy very few material gifts for people, I prefer to buy consumable items or give experience gifts or the gift of my time in some way. And for those who insist on buying gifts for me, I request that they are consumable.

It is amazing how freeing it can be when one overcomes the desire to constantly acquire. I am amused but mostly appalled when I see the ridiculous advertising slogans and enticements companies use to con you into buying their products.

It is also nice to own mostly things that are useful to you or beautiful. I get so much satisfaction when I use the items in my house that have proved their worth and the space they take up in my home.

So consider your acquiring habits if you are truly wanting to set and reach a level of unclutteredness within you home.

Clutter is very much about being keener to acquire than to let go. We acquire things we need or want but once their usefulness to us has expired we hang on to them. I feel that there are three main reasons for that and they are laziness, fear and indifference.

Laziness of course refers to having the stuff there, being aware that it is a problem but refusing to deal with it because you just don’t want to make the effort.

Fear is all about thinking you might need it some day and keeping it just in case.

And indifference is being aware that you have clutter but don’t mind, don’t care or even like it that way. It can also be that you don’t even notice because you like being surrounded by stuff. 

I don’t intend to elaborate on that, the purpose of this post is to have a discussion ~ inspired by a situation in my life right now ~ about the insanity that acquiring can be.

So here is my story. As I have mentioned here more than once, I have an art space where I sell my handmade cards and, at the moment, beaded spiders. My space runs as an artist collective of, at present, six artist/crafters. Our price range begins at $1, for a handmade origami gift bow, and goes up to as much as $500 at times for and original acrylic painting. So as you can see our creations are many and varied as are our members.

There has been some contention recently, both internal and external, about the integrity of the value of an artists labour and real art v kitschy craft. And one of the issues is that people coming in to the venue, which also houses ten other art spaces, might opt to purchase one of our least expensive items rather than opting to buy something of greater value, either within our collective space or the venue as a whole. It boggles my mine that anyone would think they might be losing the sale of, for example, a $200 fashion item to a $5 string of origami cranes. I could elaborate more on this situation but that would just be expressing my emotional turmoil and discontent, so I will leave it at that as a lead into my the point about the strangeness of acquisition.

So let us assume that no one in their right mind is quietly making the choice between a $200 or $5 purchase and that they are purchasing the $5 item…

1. …because they actually like it or…
2. …they feel obliged to buy something while in the space and just choose the cheapest item they like the look of.

The second reason above is one of those situations where the better choice would be to buy nothing.

This of course got me thinking about the futileness of acquiring stuff just for the sake of it. It brings to mind the clever marketing many companies like Tupperware, and the like, who almost exclusively sell their products via party plan. In the past even I used to felt obliged to buy something when attending such parties. The host is your friend, they have provided a delicious spread for the event, and how much of a heal would you look if you just walked away satiated, entertained and empty handed ~ well orderless but same thing.

Then there is recreational shopping, where you just go shopping with no real need in mind and end up finding all sorts of things you didn’t know you “needed” and go home with a whole lot of potential clutter on your hands.

All these scenarios above are where most of the clutter comes from in your home. Combine that with the three reasons I also stated as to why it is not being removed and you can end up with quite a mass of clutter on your hands.

So the moral of this story is, don’t acquire for the sake of acquiring. Stuff doesn’t make you happy, at least not for long. If you curb your shopping habits you will also reduce the likelihood of clutter buildup in your home. And removing clutter only to replace it with more clutter gets you no where on your decluttering mission. That is the first lesson in avoiding clutter and it won’t do your bank account any harm either.

As the saying goes ~ “Believe and the Universe will provide.” Whether you are religious, spiritual or neither there is a good chance that this saying is true for you. It sure has been true for me, and that is why I never worry about letting go of the things that I don’t use. I hold on to very little in the way of things that I only think I might need some day because I have no doubt that…

1. …I probably won’t and never did “need” it in the first place and…
2. …and anything I do need want can be easily replaced at a later date.

One of the reasons I believe these this is that I am very good at improvising so can often do without things by coming up with ingenious ways to make do. And that so often, for me, when I “need” something it has a habit of “miraculously” falling into my hands. I’ll give you some examples.

My daughter has always wanted a Magic Bullet Blender  (Too much exposure to infomercials on television in America). I have often thought of buying her one as a gift but never did for various reasons. Last week my friend Wendy was about to take one to the thrift shop but when she found out Bridget would like one she gave it to me to give to her.

A while back I was in want of some double sided scrapbook paper to make pinwheels for my handmade cards. One day I went to a yearly huge car boot sale (flea market) and, lo and behold, one stall had some offcuts for sale which were reduced to half price. I have since used it all up and made some nice pocket money in the endeavour.

Some months back my son mentioned that he would like a handheld vacuum (dustbuster, whatever you like to call it). The very next time I did a shift at the thrift store one was donated which I bought for him for a mere $5. My daughter also mentioned she wanted one of those plastic kids sandpits to use as a dog pool. The very next day I picked one up for nothing from a bulk rubbish pile on the side of the road. The same thing happened when she mentioned she wanted a clothes airer.

This kind of thing happens to me all the time and sometimes with the strangest things. But even if it didn’t I am confident that I would either, never again need an item I have decluttered or I will be able to afford to replace something should it be necessary. Luckily that has rarely happened. I don’t know if this is because the Universe truly does provide if you believe it will but either way I am content to believe that there is nothing I need be afraid to let go of if I am not using it.

It always intrigues me that among a community of people with an abundance of items, that we are all endeavouring to declutter, that any of us could possibly believe that one day life is going to come to a standstill because we might have to go without items we never really needed in the first place. So please don’t hang on to trivial unnecessary stuff in the fear that you might need it someday. Have faith in yourself that you will always be able to provide, even if you don’t believe that the universe will, and just let go of things you haven’t used in a long time and probably never will.

Today’s Mini Mission

 Declutter five food items that have been in your pantry for a while by making meals out of them this week.

Eco Tip for the Day

If you see things going to waste, rescue them and find them a new home. I do with from the recycling bins at our apartment all the time. It is amazing when perfectly good items people through in the bins. I take them to the thrift shop where they are sold on.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

I was chatting with an acquaintance recently about clutter and being environmentally friendly and she chose to share a story with me. Below is my rendition of the story as I remember it.

The hot water system at her home went on the fritz and had to be replaced. Her husband, being a bit of a handyman, insisted that they buy one and he would install it. Being a busy fellow the weeks went by and he hadn’t got around to doing the job.

This acquaintance was born and raised in the Philippines where, for her family, the bathing routine consisted of a bucket of water and a cake of soap. One would wet themselves by splashing water over themselves from the bucket, then soaping up and finally rinsing off with the remaining water. So boiling the kettle to warm a bucket of water and bathing in this way was no big deal to her. I guess her husband also happily complied because a year later the hot water system still hasn’t been installed and they are still bathing this way. Needless to say they have made great savings on electricity and water.

So where does the perspective on need come into this story. Just think of how important a hot water system is to you. Then consider how much less important some of those other things cluttering up your home are in comparison. Use this example as a guide to tip you over the edge on those items you are on the fence about.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter at least one fabric item that just sits on or drapes over furniture or hangs on a wall. Cushions, throw rugs, curtains, embroideries etc fall into this category. If they aren’t being used chances are they are collecting dust and slowly perishing.

Eco Tip for the Day

Challenge yourself to put every piece of recyclable material in the recycling bin no matter how small.. It is easy to be blasé about small pieces of paper or plastic but so long as they can be recycled they are best kept out of landfill.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

This week’s mini missions are all about getting rid of things that were acquired out of choice not necessity. Items that, if you are trying to reduce your belongings to just the things you really like or need, should be quite easy to part with. Unless of course you love all the items in these categories that is. If that is the case then these items aren’t clutter, right? 😉

Monday РDeclutter a d̩cor item.

Tuesday – Declutter a souvenir.

Wednesday – Declutter a fashion accessory.

Thursday – Declutter a piece of jewellery.

Friday – Declutter a book.

Saturday – Declutter a rarely used kitchen gadget.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

Be very selective about what you buy so that you are so satisfied with the product that you will use it until it wears out and not trade it in for something else soon after.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

A place for everything and everything in it’s place!

• If you always know where everything is you won’t need to replace it because you can’t find it.

Know the difference between need and want

• It is easy to convince yourself that something you want is something you need. Don’t be fooled by this.

Only shop for what you need

• This one speaks for itself, if you aren’t bringing anything you don’t need into your home it will stay uncluttered.

Make it clear you don’t want clutter gifts

• It is possible to convince most people not to buy you gift or at least insist that people only give you consumable gifts or gifts of experience such as movie tickets etc.

Remove clutter receptacles in your home

• Adding clutter is difficult if you have no where to store it. Things such as bookcases, display cabinets, baskets, shelves and storage containers are clutter receptacles. Get rid of them as soon as you get rid of the clutter that was in them or you may just fill them up again.

Don’t sacrifice your principals for the desires of others

• Don’t accept other peoples clutter just so you don’t hurt their feelings. Your feelings matter too and you shouldn’t be expected to sabotage your lifestyle in this way.

Remove any items that become useless immediately

• Lifestyle changes are inevitable as time goes by. Once an item become of no further use to you remove it from your home or once again clutter will start to develop. Just because something wasn’t clutter once doesn’t mean it won’t become clutter in the future.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter the kids toy area to make room for the inevitable influx of new fun things. Regardless of how much you manage to contain the influx you will still need room. Kid will be kids and it is there job to have fun.

Today’s Decluttered Item

 It is amazing how little stationary one needs when most all data, correspondence or bills that comes into your home comes in digital form. Needless to say these folders and filing supplies are no longer needed.

Stationary

Eco Tip for the Day

When entertaining, rather than resort to disposable crockery and cutlery, use all the non-disposable items you have on hand, if necessary borrow more from family, neighbours or friends or get the guests to bring their own. I put on the occasional neighbourhood get together and all guests are instructed to bring their own cups, plates, and cutlery. They never turn down the invitations so I guess they don’t mind.

Clutter is often the result of buying now rather than wisely. This can apply to all sorts of products for various reasons. Here are two common reasons for purchasing this way. The first being that the item has bargain price you’d would be mad to pass it up. And second, the item may not be available later so you would be mad not to grab it now while you have the chance, avoiding future regret. Sound familiar?

Here are some examples…

Scenario ~ Sally was at the thrift store and saw a microwave oven plate that exactly matched the one for her oven and it was only $2. She had recently broken her plate and it had cost $25 to replace. She would be mad not to buy this one now at such a bargain price just in case the same misfortune reoccured.

Argument ~ Sally is thinking only of the pain of having just spend $25 on the replacement she bought while this plate is only $2. She is not taking into account that this is the first time she has broken a plate in 25 years of owning and using a microwave oven. Don’t buy it Sally or it could be cluttering up your kitchen for the next 10 years and that would be mad.

Scenario ~ When my family was leaving America to return to Australia our daughter was to be going off to college in another city soon after our return. Because we assumed household items were less expensive in the US we bought a selection of items for her to take when she moved out. We would have been mad to pay Australian prices right?

Argument ~ She moved to another city alright but lived with her grandparents because it made economical sense. She is still with her grandparents almost five years later. Meanwhile I am still storing two large plastic containers of household items in my garage. I am sure I could buy the same items at much the same prices now right here is Australia and not have wasted space in my garage for years.

Scenario ~ I used to do a lot of papercraft and I worked in a large craft store. It was so easy to stay up to date with all the latest trends and I got to see all the new stock as it arrived at the store. Paper in particular was hard to resist as the patterns changed all the time and it would have been crazy not to purchase the ones I liked while they were available, right?

Argument ~ Wrong! I was mad to stock up so much on supplies when I had no idea how life would change down the line and leave me with less time and less enthusiasm for the craft. Especially since I have a track record of switching from one interest to another. Not to mention all the storage systems I had to purchase to organise it all that I am now also decluttering.

Scenario ~ At the end of the season you would be mad not to stock up on clothing the next size up for your child for the coming year. At 50 – 75% off it is a bargain too good to refuse.

Argument ~ What if ~ 1. Your child has an unusual growth spurt and is too big for the clothes when next year comes around. 2. Your child’s growth pattern slows and is too small for the clothes when next year comes around and then too big the year after. That’s two years of storing these clothes for nothing. 3. Fashion trends change and the clothes would have your child looking and feeling out of place. 4. The child develops their own style and refuses to where the clothes you chose. 5. Next year you could have had an unexpected move to a different climate zone and then the clothes may not fit when needed. I will leave it at that although there are many more reasons why this could be a bad idea.

The potential for future clutter also exists when you purchase something on sale you only think you might enjoy or get use out of. I have photographic proof of endless garage sale bargains, over enthusiastic craft purchases, use it up decluttering missions on toiletry items, must have half price gadgets and regretful purchases of substitute items that were almost right but a lot cheaper than the items I really needed…for all to see here on my blog. So trust me, I speak from experience. Luckily I have also learned from the experience

The one thing I have discovered over the years is there is always another bargain around the corner so if you don’t need the item now it will probably be on sale again by the time you actually need to make the purchase. So stop cluttering up your cupboards with backups, regrets and wasted money and only purchase what is necessary when it is necessary. Thats not to say you can’t enjoy a frivolous purchase every now and again just not every time you see something you think you would be mad not to snap up.

Today’s Declutter Item

Here is a perfect example of buying in advance because they were a bargain too good to refuse. Of course I thought at the time “I will use them one day” and at 75% off what did I have to lose? I’ll tell you, about $6 and space in my craft room for five years. I am giving them away to an artist friend of my son.

Spiral Scrapbooks

Something I Am Grateful For Today

No less than six of the items I donated to the thrift store yesterday were sold before my shift there was done. I love that I have decluttered, the store has made money and the customer is happy. Although I do wonder if they have just fallen for one of the scenarios I have mentioned above.

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

The Overspent American: Upscaling, Downshifting, and the New Consumer by Juliet B. Schor was published in 1998, but the information seems as relevant today as it did more than a decade ago. The book is geared toward middle and upper-income families, who seem to be caught up in a never-ending cycle of keeping up with the Joneses, no matter who the Joneses are.

“The Joneses” are our first error, according to Dr. Schor. In the past, our Joneses (or reference group) would be our neighbors, who all lived in houses about like ours, drove cars similar to ours, and likely had two adults and only one income. However, Dr. Schor asserts that today, our reference group is no longer our neighbors, many of whom we do not even know. For many people, the new reference groups are our colleagues and coworkers, who may hold financially very dissimilar jobs to our own, and our media “friends” that is, the fictional people we see on TV and relate to. It’s not uncommon for someone making $50,000 to compare their financial prowess to someone making well over half a million.

Dr. Schor also discusses the brands and types of items we buy as a way that we identify ourselves and show our “place” in the complex world. In my peer group, nearly all my friends have iPhones (“regular” cell phones are no longer good enough for us) despite the fact that they cost a minimum of $70 per phone per month, in addition to the purchase price. Everyone has a laptop, including the kids, many of whom have their own iPhones, as well. (Often the model that their parents have already upgraded from.) Plenty of our friends go on overseas vacations regularly. Frankly, it’s a lot to think about keeping up with. I’ve had several conversations with my daughters reminding them that because they attend a private school, they are automatically surrounded by people with more money than is typical, and that a trip to Africa or Denmark is not something that most families take on an annual basis. (In fact, I dismissed one expensive private school, which really was out of my financial league, in part because a European school trip is mandatory for all high school students. I didn’t go to Europe until I was 33, and I’ve only been a two overseas trips total. I don’t want my child going to school where it’s thought that such an experience is a must for teens.)

Finally, Dr. Schor talks about “The Downshifter Next Door.” This chapter focuses on telling the stories of various individuals who have moved away fromconstant pressures to spend – from people are embracing voluntary simplicity to people who have made commitments to stop buying so many material goods and services. I think this is the group that most 365 Less Things readers are trying to become a member of.

The last chapter contains nine points to help turn this financial, emotional, and environmental quagmire around. They are:

1. Controlling Desire – Stay away from places where you’ll spend.
2. Creating a New Consumer Symbolism: Making Exclusivity Uncool
3. Controlling Ourselves: Voluntary Restraints on Competitive Consumption
4. Learning to Share: Both a Borrower and a Lender Be – Love this one and definitely practice it.
5. Deconstruct the Commercial System: Becoming an Educated Consumer
6. Avoid “Retail Therapy”: Spending is Addictive
7. Decommercialize the Rituals – Christmas is a religious and family holiday. Don’t let the mall tell you how it should be.
8. Making Time: Is Work and Spend Working? Cut back on your spending and maybe you can change how and where you work.
9. The Need for a Coordinated Intervention

Lastly, I’ll leave you with this discouraging thought - which to me especially embodies the politics of the state that I live in – although remember that knowledge is power:

“The intensification of competitive spending has affected more than family finances. There is also a boomerang effect on the public purse and collective consumption. As the pressures on private spending  have escalated, support for public goods, and for paying taxes, has eroded. Education, social services, public safety, recreation, and culture are being squeezed. The deterioration of public goods then adds even more pressure to spend privately. People respond to inadequate public services by enrolling their children in private schools, buying security systems, and spending their time at Discovery Zone rather than the local playgrounds. ” (p. 21)

By Cindy

Recreational shopping, I wish it was an oxymoron like – unbiased opinion or seriously funny- but unfortunately it’s not. As the title suggests, people do approach shopping as a form of recreation. Sadly, having disposable income isn’t always considered a necessity in the pursuit of such entertainment. Hence the abysmal levels of credit card debt in the Western world. Although I can’t claim to be innocent of taking part in the past, I can honestly say that I did not contribute to the credit card debt statistics. Never the less, it is something I am not proud of and I am glad I learnt to be a more responsible shopper.

Shopping is one of those temporary feel good activities, like  over eating or drug use, whose high does not last long enough to outweigh the cost. The subsequent problems only perpetuate more grief.  The habit of over shopping, whether you just like new stuff or to self medicate against life’s other disappointment, is a fool’s game. Why…

1. No sooner do you have that new item than the novelty wears off and you just want more.
2. Credit card debt is only going to add to your problems if you don’t have the cash to pay for these highs.
3. Even if you can afford this habit, no amount of possessions will ever replace emotional deficiencies in your life.
4. If you start to rely on shopping as your main form of recreation then there is a good chance you are ignoring other much healthier and worthwhile pursuits.
5. Whether you are happy to ignore the environment or not, everything you  buy is placing a strain on the planet’s natural resources.
6. Even if the natural resources were infinite, the pollution involved in producing these products is not good for you or the environment.

If you think you have fallen victim of this insidious modern day scourge please consider replacing it with a more productive activity. I would suggest a regular exercise routine or sport, a hobby or volunteering your time to help others. All of these activities are a much more valuable use of your time.

P.S. Thank you Bobbi for suggesting this post topic.

ITEM 290 OF 365 LESS THINGS

Another of my husband’s computer games to be donated. He decided that this item wasn’t just wasting space but also his precious time.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Spending the day with my parents yesterday.
2. Comments from my readers – I haven’t had the time to read yet but I am looking forward to doing so tomorrow.
3. No weekend work shift for the first time in three years.
4. A $7.90 train ticket that used to cost 2o something dollars – Score one for encouraging people to use public transport.
5. Everything I have learnt in the last ten months about pointless shopping.

I wanted to do follow up on yesterday’s post with some practical advice on children’s wardrobes. I would like you to keep in mind that my children are 21 & 19 now and it has been a while since I had control over what they wear.

When my children were small, well actually they are still small but we will come to that soon, I was very lucky that I really didn’t need to buy much for them in the way of clothing. Both my mother and mother-in-law are very good at sewing and made most of the clothes they needed. My MIL would buy good second-hand clothing and shoes for them on occasion as well. I don’t recall them being inundated with more clothes than they needed so there was no out of control spending that’s for sure. Also because they were small the fabric required was minimal and were often off-cuts so no waste there much either.

As I mentioned, both my kids aren’t big. When they were little I could never predict what size clothes they would need for the next season because their growth rate was not the average. So I never took advantage of end of season sales. One of the advantages of having small kids is that they tend to wear their clothing out rather than grow out of them so that was my savings advantage. We also lived in the tropics for four years of their young lives so there was no seasons to buy for really.

When my daughter turned twelve I copped the usual teenage girl desire for name brand clothes and going shopping with her became a nightmare. I did what all smart mothers would do and gave her a clothing allowance. It didn’t take long for her to realize that the money I gave her would not buy much unless she settled for sensible brands with reasonable prices. She soon learned how to find a bargain and that she was cute enough without doing free advertising for companies whose clothes were not that well made anyway.

My son however has always been hard to fit because he has always been a skinny little thing so he tends to find something that he likes that fits and wears it to death. He still wears his little league t-shirts from when he was twelve he is now nineteen. Says a lot for how well they catered for sizes at his little league club but that is another story. He mostly lives in skinny jeans, t-shirts and button up flannel shirts these days because that is the skateboarder fashion. His one weakness is skate shoes but now that he is responsible for paying for them himself I am sure he will be more careful with them. Oh and he will not part with any band t-shirts or hoodies that he has ever owned and they are stored in a box in the garage. I am not happy about that.

Sure there were times where they had more than they needed. Sometime an item was bought that they didn’t like so much and didn’t wear to its full potential. Every now and again there had to be the “only for good” outfit that they grew out of before they wore out but for the most part we didn’t do too badly.

The moral of this story is we all know our kids well enough to know the style of clothing that best suits their everyday needs. We pretty much have a handle on their growth rate and their personalities. We know if they are the rough and tumble type or the gentle variety. We know how often we have time to do the laundry and the type of climate we live in. We know the kind of social lives we lead separately and together as a family.

All our kids need is enough clothing of the variety that best suits the needs of the categories above and no more. If something wears out it is easy enough to replace it so there is no need for multiple back ups. If you are lucky like I was and someone else is catering well to their needs in this area just be grateful of one less financial pressure. If that leaves you with extra funds maybe you could funnel the savings into a college fund or something else that suits their immediate needs. It is best to teach them now that excess is not necessary for a happy life, they will thank you for it in the end.

I am not going to be a hypocrite and pretend that I taught my kids all the right lessons when it comes to being frugal. Hindsight is a great thing but often too late. Suddenly having an independent income can go to their heads when it happens no matter how well you think you taught them. I just hope the fundamentals are locked in their somewhere and they will settle into it.

ITEM 22OF 365 LESS THINGS

This Thomas the Tank Engine train set was a Christmas gift to my son many years ago. He kindly allowed me to give it to his young cousins who are Thomas fans.