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Motivation to reduce consumption and clutter!

Published by Crystal June 1st, 2008 in Inspiration. 3 Comments

If you need some strong motivation to reduce the clutter in your home and life, I recommend checking out this short (and very entertaining!) 20-minute video called The Story of Stuff. In a fun and interesting way, this short movie teaches you a great deal about how factories, governments, consumer marketing and the environment are all connected. Very inspiring!

CRYSTAL SAYS, here are some key actions we can take to reduce our consumption and clutter:

Spend quality time with our children. We can teach them that the things of value in life are love, family, community and leisure time – rather than STUFF!
Surround ourselves with people who live out values of simplicity, care for the environment and make us feel good without regard to the STUFF WE OWN. Our neighbors, co-workers and friends can influence us in ways we don’t realize. It’s so much healthier not to have people around you who make you feel inadequate. Feelings of inadequacy leads our society to shop!
If we feel the need to buy something new at the store, let’s ask ourselves (1) “Do I really need this thing, or do I want it?”, and (2) “Why do I want this thing?” We should take some time to very honestly and thoughtfully consider the answers. If you do indeed feel you want the item, wait one week before purchasing it. Then ask yourself the questions again. Imagine your life without the item. Would we feel an emptiness, and could we fill the emptiness with something more fulfilling and long-lasting, like spending time with a friend, calling your sister on the phone, going on a walk, or volunteering?
Consider whether we absolutely must have a brand new item. Could we buy a used model instead?
Consider whether we absolutely must have this item all to ourselves. Could we borrow this thing from a friend, or perhaps trade them for it in exchange for something else? Could we split the cost with others and share it?
Consider reducing the amount of time we spend watching TV. Television, with all its ads and shallow messages, makes us want to own more stuff.

Do you have additional thoughts? Write to Crystal and let her know!

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How to deal with (literal) emotional baggage

Published by Crystal February 10th, 2008 in Inspiration and People and pets. 0 Comments

One Sparkleize.com reader writes:

Dear Crystal,

What should I do with stuff that I feel an emotional connection to but don’t really need? Case in point: what to do with my deceased ex-husband’s ancient, really long skis?!

Signed,
Nostalgic in New Hampshire

Dear Nostalgic, here are some innovative ways to organize (or ship out) those items we truly cherish but definitely don’t need:

Take a picture. I used to save all the free t-shirts I received when I signed up for local runs and walks. I thought it would be unthinkable to throw them out – I had earned them, after all! But years and years passed by and those shirts stacked up. Then I had an idea: I took a digital picture of every shirt and saved them where I could always look at them. I even plan to make a cool photo album (“Crystal’s Amazing Races, A Decade of T-Shirts”). Then I gave away all the t-shirts to charity, and I have never missed them since.
Put it on display. Why hide some treasured item in a dusty box in the attic when you can show it off? Companies like this one can make memory quilts out of your t-shirt collection. Mount those skis on the wall of the den. Frame your children’s masterpieces with these art frames!
Make something useful. Take your momentous items and construct new practical objects. For example:
Create a “saying goodbye” ritual. Invite all your friends and make a party out of the occasion. Then get rid of the object. This will help you create new memories and replace any old ones you may not wish to keep. Consider it a new chapter in your life!
Give the items a new home. Yes, I mean give them away or sell them. Someone out there in the world will very likely love to have your stuff. Maybe they even need it. Try Craigslist or Freecycle. Friends and relatives are also handy if you need others to haul your emotional attachment items away for you.