by nature, i want to be a minimalist – practicing it is harder than believing in it. after traveling now for 8 weeks, here are a few things that i could do without. i look forward to jen putting together her own list.
- a dishwasher (jen will disagree) | i have done my share of dishes & with few exceptions, it has usually been a good time to grab some conversation as well
- extra storage| like most, i have things in my attic that i never use but hold on to; remarkably we have brought 2-3 boxes worth of stuff & 1 tv on this trip that we haven’t really needed
- random tools| everyone needs the basics; a monkey wrench, a socket set, screw drivers, allen wrenches, a hammer (not for your bike though). i have lots of tools at home that i am now thinking about getting rid of.
- toys outside of the top 5| our kids have their favorite toys, including legos, wii (which i am glad we left at home), play swords and weapons, but they also have a lot that they never touch except for on ‘opening day’. jen just ‘donated’ a bunch of toys last night to trash that were taking up space. aren’t adults the same way — we have our favorite games and the rest we can do without.
- fine dishware| we bought all of our trailer plastic-ware & cheap utensils for less than $20 at Ikea before we left; remarkably our food still tastes the same.
- a second car |i know i am weird in this area, but out of the 14 years we have been married we have only had 2 car at the same time for about 4 of them. being back down to 1 paid for car has been great; when i get another 2nd car i think i be a bit disappointed (really, i am not an emotional guy) – i would rather ride my bike.
- shoes |ethan NEVER wears them unless we make him & mostly we just wear flip-flops. i really think i only need shoes to please other people, ride my bike and run/hike. OK, so we probably need them, but i wish we didn’t. does that count?
- tv |i don’t miss tv but it also isn’t SUNS season yet. i would keep the flat-screen for movies though. we have been watching ‘LOST’. we had never seen it and now we are hooked; mostly done with season2 now. my trip to the laundromat this morning confirmed this cause i couldn’t get Maurie Povich off the tv; humanity is depressing sometimes and tv only makes it harder to avoid.
*** coming soon: ‘things we have to have’
Oh my….we just finished season 2 of LOST! GREATEST SHOW EVER!! Paul and Katie told us to give it a try. We are hooked! They just released Season 3! Speaking of the Wii, hope you don’t mind that we have played it a time or 10! I am quite the pro at bowling! Peyton is really enjoying Star Wars! Hope that’s ok! Dave and Peyton are doing their best to convince me that they ‘need’ one before Christmas.
See ya Soon!
I agree. we could live without most of these things.
Stephanie is pretty convinced we could live without a dryer. Since we live in AZ, all clothes get hung on the line, and dry in minutes for free.
i’m wanting to hang on to the dryer for who knows what reason, but i feel weird about getting rid of it.
So, so true. I’ve been slowly trying to gather the courage to just junk it all. Have you ever heard the George Carlin bit about our “stuff”, and how we then have to clean, maintain, and store all our “stuff”? That really hits home with me. How much time do I spend taking care of our stuff vs. taking care of my kids or Dan or myself even? I’m so glad for all of you that you’re getting such precious time together with no “stuff” to come in between!!!
I could agree with you on most of these. Living as a college student in Australia definitely has taught me how to live economically! I think Ethan belongs in Australia. During the summertime, most guys don’t wear shoes anywhere.
Oh and props to you for choosing to watch LOST. You won’t be able to stop!
Well, Jen . . .
When you decide to get rid of your beautiful – good – white dishes, let me know. I will be happy to take them off your hands.
Mom
I guess you didn’t catch on that this post was from Ryan – I love my beautiful white Mikasa china. I won’t be getting rid of them anytime soon! -Jen
i’ll take your tools, bro. just let me know when you want me to pick them up!