I am reading a great book about Rightsizing by Ciji Ware. The full title is “Rightsizing Your Life - Simplifying Your Surroundings While Keeping What Matters Most.” Like many people cautiously watching the economy, I am looking around at all the Things (Stuff) I have and trying to decide if I need it or not. It seems the answer is more often - not. But, how do I decide a logical vs. an emotional argument.
Next, when I realize I may not need something, how do I get rid of it? Most items won’t ever bring back the full monetary value needed to obtain them. Most of our possessions depreciate and are valuable only to us. So when we need to let go of them, through Craigslist, eBay or purely through a charitable donation, we can’t justify the loss of value. So, we keep our stuff. It is an emotional decision really. Logically, we typically spend more money paying for the interest on, repair of, or larger home to store the things we hardly ever use. Kind of a never ending cycle of work hard to get more things and keep the things we have.
If a decision is finally reached to let go of an item, then is it a donation or a possible financial gain? The real value may not come in the resale of the item, but in the reduced clutter, gained space and reduced cost of upkeep or storage. Inherent costs associated with an item continue to build while it’s value may decline. Selling at a loss, may be a perfectly acceptable gain for the long run. It’s also perfectly okay to keep sentimental things, but understanding the why and associated cost are important. One of the exercises I have found from another blog involves a suitcase test. If you could only pack one suitcase and had to leave everything behind, what would you take? Do you really need everything else? It is harsh, and not a good barometer for everyday living. But, the Suitcase Test does make you appreciate even more what you have and realize how much we don’t need some of our cherished items.
One of the tips I found embarrassingly effective from the book Rightsizing was to justify keeping unused items verbally. If you can say it out loud, and convince someone else why you need the expensive dress that no longer fits, then keep it. But in the verbalizing, you may find you can’t even convince yourself. If not, consider other options.
As most families and individuals are scaling back on their purchase of things, or may be considering Rightsizing to a more comfortable and attainable size of life, check out local resources to make your living space sized to your needs. It can be a slow process, but take one room, one closet, or even one drawer at a time and begin to value the things you really enjoy and need. Enjoy what you keep, and enjoy letting go of the rest.
An open Letter from Michael Pollan on the coming food crisis and why it may be one of the most important challenges for the next presidency. It has not been a topic of the current campaigns, but the newly elected president will decide important policy regarding our food supply.
Organic gardening and producing your own food is quite a new movement. The United States has become an importer of food. We now import more than we produce. The cost of this will eventually be passed on to the everyday consumer.
I am working on the small backyard and raised bed garden to help supplement my families food. We enjoy the local farmer’s markets and have decided we want a bit more control over what goes in our own bodies.
This video from the Dervaes family is amazing, they raise over 6,000 pounds of food a year on about 1/10th of an acre of land. Wow.
Hurricane Ike just off the coast of Texas. We lost power about 30 minutes after this screen photo, and are still without power ten days later. When power returns, what worked and what didn’t. The short answer is we are doing okay, no physical damage and only downed trees and limbs on the fence and yard. House is in good shape and we are learning very much about camping in our own modern house.
Good Morning America featured a story today on grocery buying clubs. Great concept over the big box stores. Families combine together to purchase in bulk, have it delivered (save on gas) and then distribute among themselves for greatest cost savings. This idea works great for long term staples, but they don’t provide fresh produce or vegetables.
Here is how you know what you need for a hurricane or storm and the few days after when things get uncomfortable.
Pick a weekend, it can even be at random. If you need, tell your family ahead of time, but just shut off the power. Try it for 12 hours, a day… shoot, even a whole weekend. Put the car keys away, no shopping at the store, no internet… in fact, turn off the breakers at the electrical box. Ohhhh… this isn’t going to be easy. Nope. It is going to kind of suck. But, what if the power were off for 3 days from a storm and you couldn’t go to a hotel or family’s house? What would you need to be comfortable and safe?
If you really want to be strict, don’t use the water faucet’s either. Most major storms, floods, hurricanes totally jack with the water supply and it is usually regulated to a boil-only situation. Do you have enough water on hand for cooking and basic cleanliness?
You thought you were prepared and it would be uncomfortable, but you could hang. But, how about your family? How do you entertain the kids? Are there any special medications the family members need refrigerated or special diets to consider? Do you have a grill, is the propane bottle full? Extra bags of charcoal and lighter fluid? Can you unhook your garage door from the electric motor to get large items out?
The local energy companies in the Gulf region typically indicate that a small Category 1 Hurricane can leave residents without power for 7 to 10 days. A Category 2 can quickly extend that time to 2 weeks.
Mentally, run through this exercise a few times before the test and definitely before the real thing. Then, pick a day… you will feel better after the fact knowing how to keep your family happy and less stressed in a real power out situation.
We have been really focusing on food and back to simple basics. I figured if processed food is bad, then let’s keep working our way backward. Yesterday, we tried Wheatberries. They were freakin’ Awesome! Okay, maybe not that awesome, but definitely worth mention.
Wheatberries are the things we actually get from wheat, before it is hulled, cracked or ground to flour. How cool is that? I don’t think I am up for growing my own wheat, but these little buggers are available at most health and bulk food places. I grabbed these from Sandy’s in Houston. I soaked 2 cups of them for a few hours, then boiled with a little salt for about an hour on slow simmer. They have a wonderful texture somewhere between my grandmother’s tapioca and tabouli. I totally get the salad recipes where they are used instead of bulghur for a nice pilaf. I had these straight up for breakfast with a few fresh and sweet figs from the farmer’s market. They tasted like fresh wheat bread and slightly nutty.
Wheat berries can be ground to make your own flour and easily store as dry goods. Nutritional value is crazy good, and the price is a steal. Overall, healthy and local foods are rockin’ my chops these days. I am currently reading In Defense of Food, so you may hear more about this.
Tropical Storm Edouard is up and slowly moving West towards Texas while gaining strength. This storm seems to have caught most people with their pants down. It has formed and made the news within a matter of hours, not days. It is a perfect example of why planning early is necessary. I bet the stores will be a bit crowded Monday with a few people trying to buy last minute storm items including water and batteries. Help those that you can, many will be unable to evacuate if this storm strengthens and comes in as quickly as expected.
Top off your fuel tanks, grab a flashlight and NOAA radio, then settle in for some good rain and maybe a bit of wind. Read the Sci Guy at the Houston Chron’s blog for great analysis and interpretation.
