LOVING AND LETTING GO

We all have things we "love" - music, books, knick-knacks, fabric, you name it - someone has a "collection" of it somewhere.

I'm continually challenged with the desire to have and the guilt of having too much - or feeling I have too much. "Having" is great - there is a sense of comfort in being surrounded by the things that make you feel all warm and fuzzy, but with the "having" has to come the "balance".

I like a bargain. I like to be creative. I like to re-purpose things. I don't like to be wasteful. I don't like leaving "money on the table", as they say. My continuous challenge has been about the "balance". That fine line of having and having too much. When is having too much?

Well, for reasons already stated, I was drawn to the new TLC TV series called "Extreme Couponing". Prior to watching the show I thought the premise was going to be how to take your saving to the highest possible level using coupons. Boy, I was so far off the mark on that one.

After watching a few episodes I was disgusted. I wasn't really impressed at all. Definitely an example of how the need to "have" crossed the line. True these people have mastered the art of saving money at the grocery store using coupons. However it was merely "organized hoarding" if you will. Come on, people! If you are spending all your waking moments clipping, organizing, searching, analyzing, shopping, packing, unpacking, stocking your "stuff" - when do you live? Seriously.

As far as 'saving money'...well...if you have to "buy" coupons to get something for 'free' - is it 'free'? If you have to buy shelving units to store all your "free stuff" is it really free? Then there is the gas it takes to get to these stores, the wear and tear on your vehicle - there is a cost there, ya know...AND what about your time? Now.........if these folks were sharing their good fortune with others instead of piling on more items then they could possibly use, I may have a different view. I don't know - I wasn't impressed at all. Back to the idea of "balance". These people were definitely out of balance.

I've spent the better part of the last year cleaning clutter, organizing, learning about organizing and such. I've been asking myself tough questions about what I value most and how I want my time spent. I've lost grandparents over the years and through that process of seeing what's 'left behind' for others to deal with - it's really help me fine tune my decisions about my 'stuff'. It's a challenge. I want to enjoy my things, but I want to be responsible about it.

There are lots of "Downsize Challenges" and campaigns out there - lots of people spewing "over consumerism" mantras and such - but do we really put it into practice daily? Minute by minute? I don't think even the most efficient of all American's have really been able to conquer the 'gotta have' bug. Seriously. Spend some time in a less developed country and 'maybe' you'd get closer.

I've been working on a project now for about a month - converting all my music to digital media and storing on a portable hard drive. The hard drive is labeled and the CDs and LPs where the music originated from are being sold at used music stores, online or given away. Why? Well, I enjoy my music, yes, but I listen to it 1) on the radio in my vehicle, 2) on the radio in my kitchen, 3) on my computer or 4) on my iPod. So why do I want to take up valuable shelf / living space with countless plastic CD cases and LPs from the 70's? I don't. I did away with the plastic cases years ago - placing all my CDs neatly in a drawer - alphabetized and categorized - and the LPs have been taking up real estate in my garage now in a crate for years. There is new music everywhere and countless downloads of almost anything you can imagine. I'm not feeling left out by not having these things in my house.

Books. Oh how I love books. I've done well there, though, too. I've culled through many of the books I had (including cook books) and sold them on Amazon.com or gave them away to the library or Goodwill. I even put a few 'out into the world' via BookCrossing. The Library, I've begun a relationship with my Library again. It's so convenient now - online access to search - notifications by email. Then there are audio books and eBooks. I have many. They fit my life much better. This was a tough area for me. I LOVE books! I've crossed over now, though - I'm o.k. knowing that I will never have the time to get to all the books I want to. I ran across a GREAT article - please read...it's called "The Sad, Beautiful Fact That We're All Going To Miss Almost Everything".

Magazines. Now there is a hard one for me. First, let me say, I have many subscriptions - but few subscriptions I've actually 'paid' for. One was given to me as a gift and one other I paid for but got a GREAT deal on. The rest are free. Yes, free. Some may say that magazines are not a "green" choice. Well, I disagree. I get DIY ideas from them, ideas for re-purposing things, coupons for saving money, I read about time saving techniques, and on and on. I share the magazines with others and those I'm not able to find homes for get recycled!! I use to hang on to years worth of magazines which would line the floor of the closet in our spare room - did I EVER look back at them? Not! So one day - out they went. Sounds funny, but it was painful! All those beautiful photos and ideas - gone! Do I miss them? Nope! I have great closet space now!! Easy to vacumm now! As far as the ideas go? Well, I have the Internet. Google is my idea friend!

Well, I could go on but I won't. I'll just leave you with a challenge of my own - let me ask you this? What can you do without? Really now - when was the last time you took that book off the shelf you got from the college bookstore 20 years ago? Got LP's? Why? When was the last time you listened to them? How's the CD collection - tired of dusting it yet?

It's all about the balance.