If you watch HGTV at all, you’ll notice that so many houses built before 1990 have smaller closets and kitchens and space for stuff in general. Have you ever wondered why the closets were so tiny? I mean, those closets not only held the little wife’s clothes, but the husbands as well!
I’m 30 years old. And while I haven’t amassed a fortune, made my footprint (other than carbon) on the world, or even done anything worth bragging about at my next high school reunion, I have amassed a wealth of knowledge on what NOT to do, buy, and spend my time and money on.
My New Years resolution this year was to waste less and to follow a kinder lifestyle. To my amazement, these things have easily fit hand-in-hand. By trying to eat only fresh, organic, locally grown food and spirits (ok this is cheating because I’m 20 minutes from Napa), I have learned not only where and how my food was produced, but what food really does cost. And the lives that are effected in the production of that sustenance.
I am kind of ashamed when I think of all the “stuff” I’ve bought and a year later thrown in the donation pile. Think about something you bought just because it was on sale. Do you ever find the price tag is still attached to the things you’ve already grown tired of? Yeah, some things we buy with the intention of being our salute to the national trend, but for the most part, shouldn't those things just accent our wardrobes and houses?
Wouldn't it be great to just LOVE our furniture, kitchenware, clothes etc. years after we bought them? To buy things that we feel good about tomorrow and next year? To fix the things we have that are broken -- maybe recover that chair or swap clothes with friends?
What advice would you give a young friend, maybe getting married and starting a new life or starting to build a family? What can you do to start wasting less, buying less, and being happier with what you have?
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