Day 38: The (REAL) Story of Stuff

Today we watched a video about 'the story of stuff'. We had seen this a few years ago but today it landed big time... we all sat here talking about things we could do.  

It doesn't getting any more real than this

I asked Sammi (12 years old) how she felt after watching this movie.. she said "sad, annoyed and cranky at the people who've made this happen". I said "what do you think we should do about it?" She said "let's recycle, make compost and a vegie garden, shop less and make good choices if we do shop...and become a non-consumer. She said "the last three are already ticked off...we are doing this now".

She was clearly shaken by seeing the unsustainable system which kicked off in the 1950's. We have all been sucked into the vortex of this machine. BTW there are no winners. Sure the fat cats are making the big money now... but it is only short term satisfaction... and it simply cannot last!

These corporates are going to lose eventually... quality of life, family, health, connection etc. Then what?


Click here to watch the STORY  OF STUFF video

We can reclaim happiness and connection right now

We made the choice 38 day ago to undo that which we have entangled ourselves in. We have become dedicated to the truth of this and are slowly but surely shifting all aspects of consumerism in our lives. 

The end result is we are spending less, and enjoying more quality time with friends, family and our hearts passions.

 

Yesterday we went shopping - can you believe it!!

We went to the shopping mall to go to the movies. This is a family (weekly) event given it is my husbands craft and something we enjoy together. We saw 'The Theory of Everything'. It was another reminder of the important things in life.

We didn't impulse buy anything. Yay us!!

We got out our online wish-lists and bought a few items on the top of the lists. 

Sammi - an umbrella, twisty towels for her wet hair.
Deb - herbal tea canister (and some tea)
Jerry - coat hangers (wooden), 2 x tea cups (as we only had 2 in the house).

We did however stumble across a good reminder of this crazy consumer world. The video 'Confession of a SHOPAHOLIC' caught our eye and we all laughed.

Just look at the STUFF on the shelves behind me... OMG!! It now makes me feel sick and overwhelmed looking at it. Thank goodness we are turning this thing around.

What went out - 32 items

Old plastic coat- hangers and some baby wooden coat-hangers (we will pass these on), and some junk from Sammi's room (yes more).  

What came in - 15 items

13 items from our wish-list plus two hand driven torches from a friend which tick off an item from Jerry's wish-list.

INSIGHTS

(1) We are part of a system and don't know it.
(2) The system thrives as long as we remain unconscious
(3) The current consumer system is unsustainable and therefore terminal
(4) We need a new system... let's create it together

TOTAL: OUT - 740  IN - 64

  

Day 26: Avoiding the Wet Weather Shopping Trip

Dragging my family to the shops on a rainy weekend used to be my favourite past time.

Strangely enough, I would feel overwhelm after a few hours but ignored this obvious sign. It really was a crazy way to spend our family time.

As a contrast, we spent quality time together this three day long weekend enjoying various passions such as playing music, beach combing, de-cluttering, playing games, cooking, reading, relaxing afternoon sleeps and some movies.

It was a great weekend and we all feel so much better for it.

Makes me realise as I write this that I have not been into a shop since 2014, other than food supermarkets.

Actually that is not entirely true... we browsed a home-ware shop at our favourite beach side suburb to buy our favourite vegetable soap.   

What went out - 69 items

14 more pieces of clothing from Sammi's bedroom left the building.

Plus we sent 55 of Sammi's 'keeping' clothes over to Steve's (ex hubby, Sam's dad) house to save him buying any this year. He was thrilled. We all love making life easier for each other. Perfect outcome!

What came in - 6 items

Shells and a rock from our rainy day beachcombing. One of these Sammi made into a necklace.

INSIGHTS

(1) Walking the beach in the rain is wonderful
(2) I have not experienced the urge to impulse buy - perhaps because I have not been seduced by the shopping centre tricks

 

TOTAL: OUT - 575   IN - 43

Day11: Dustin' with my Rainman

Woke up to a rainy Sunday morning...just gorgeous. So we planned an indoor sports day: cleaning up a little in the morning to add to the gone-ski box, delicious massage at 10am, off to the movies to see 'Into The Woods' in the afternoon and then home for a relaxing Sunday night with our family. It was a great day.

This new way of being in relation to consumerism coincides with a shift in other areas of my life. Not sure which is the chicken and which is the egg. Regardless there is a massive shift happening this year. I am sure my rather sore lower back is a reflection of this. Time will tell.



It is amazing when you focus on an area of life, how it changes, informs you and opens a window to other areas.  

What went out - 9 items

Again Miss Sammi stepped up and put 9 items into the gone-ski boxes - 4 in trash, 5 in gifting. We are over 300 now!! Woohoo!!

What came in - 0 items

Oh yeah, nothing! Ok... getting all smarty pants now....LOL

INSIGHTS

(1) The physical world is a direct reflection of the emotional world
(2) Experiencing something with our family is WAY better than buying 'stuff'

TOTAL: OUT - 304   IN - 4

 

Day 10: Birthday (Wallet) Bash

I totally busted myself in the consumer trance again. It was hilarious! And the funny thing was I didn't know I was in it until I was away from it. Boy this journey is insightful. Here's what happened....  

Birthday Dinner - Consumer ALERT woot, woot, woot!

We are planning a birthday dinner for yours truly. We walked around Terrigal yesterday and looked at a few places, grabbed some menus and made a tentative booking at two places. 



I got home and took a bath as my back had been sore all day. Sammi and I reviewed the menus whilst in the bath when it dawned on me.

WTF was I thinking!!!

This is not true to do, nor it is in line with what I really choose or want. Woohoo!!

So instead we are cooking up an BYO BBQ at Terrigal Haven. The cost will be heavily reduced. Instead of $60 to $80 plus alcohol costs it should be far less and we will enjoy more.

So over the next few days I will whip up an invite for my good buddies and see if they want to join us for an afternoon/evening of good food, great friends, maybe some games and most importantly, connection.

The interesting thing is to position the present thing so that folks don't give me 'stuff'. Keep you posted as I come up with the best way to say it on the invite.

Wish-List Time (for the family)

Yesterday we spent time on our wish-list. We started with the items for the house. There are many things we need, want and would love. It is interesting sitting around with the family with a lovely cup of tea brainstorming items on the list.

We took it in turn. Sammi wanted her wall painted purple and her room painted like the spare room, Jerry wanted a new stove top, I wanted a new front door. We kept going until we had exhausted our ideas. The list is large but functional. Next weekend we will spend time prioritising it. What will we work towards first. This should be a fun session. May need more than tea to get through this...LOL.

Next we will work on the list of things we would like to do, see, explore. E.G. holidays, weekend bushwalks, movies etc. This will be loads of fun.

What Went Out - 1 Item

Jerry put a desk trinket in the gone-ski box. It was a present however it was never his thing. It doesn't devalue the love of the gifting, it is just not true to keep a gift that is not something you love.

What Came In - 0 Items

Doing well here. We are very conscious about what comes into our lives.
 

INSIGHTS

(1) When you put your guiding principals first, your imagination will find the truest solution
(2) Connecting is a natural human state and we all want and love it
 

2015 TOTAL: OUT - 296   IN - 4 

Day 5: A Chardy in a Cardie

We decided to go to the movies... something we don’t do enough especially this is Jerry’s craft and passion, It is almost criminal that we don’t go more regularly to see something new and inspiring.

Anyway we both wanted to see Interstellar. The only session remaining was tonight at 6pm in the city, so we decided to go. On our way there we looked for food prior to the movie. We ordered a small meal and a glass of wine each. Seems innocent right?

 

It was scary how quickly I answered Jerry when he said “want a wine?”. Before my ‘I’m cutting back, good angel’ stepped in my ‘bring it on!!, seriously saucy, bad deb’ said “you bet, I’ll have a chardy”. Well, $40 later and not yet at the movies I realised how out of alignment this was. Brilliant! Note to self… WTF!!! Time to develop some personal principles. More on that later.

 

Wish-List to hold back the impulse buying

We spoke about the wish-list idea (guest blog coming very soon) and decided to explore it in its full glory. On the way home on the train I sat down and started creating my wish-list. How bazaar, I had trouble thinking of things I needed, wanted or would love to experience. I came up with a few things but in essence there was not much I yearned for….but get me in the shops and I can drain an account in no time. Crazy!

 

What went out - 4 items

Only a quick cull tonight as I needed to go to bed for an early start. So we hit the DVD cabinet and took out a few more we will not watch again.

What came in – 0 items

Again nothing. I wonder how many days this will last.
 

Insights

(1)    We can be smarter with our eating out. Need to plan in advance and take food with us.
(2)    Wine is a real escape for me…and I really don’t choose to have it, I just do.

TOTAL: OUT - 158   IN - 0

Day 2: Chicken soup for the sole

It wouldn't be a real blog about shoes if I didn't address this issue right here, right now!
 

What went out - 5 item

One pair of shoes were escorted out of the building today. Yes people, I did it!
 
But to be honest it was easy, not because I have no issue getting rid of things, but because they were falling apart anyway and really had to go. So the truth is, my shoes left on their own accord... I really had nothing to do with it.
 
Jerry and I also watched a movie: Wild Target - Bill Knighy and Emily Blunt. This was a great little comedy but definitely not a movie we will watch again. So gone-ski. We don't need it in our collection. This decision was inspirational. We had a quick look through the cabinet and three other DVDs were put on the gone-ski pile. Shutter Island, The Core, and Somewhere in Time. Makes you wonder how many other movies we will never watch again. I expect we will be going through the DVD piles over the next few days.
 

What came in - 0 items 

We DID go to a shopping centre (mall) today to pick up our dry cleaning (work suits/shirts) and to go to the movies... Jerry's passion and heart expression.
 
No desire to purchase anything!!
 
It was weird even being in a shopping centre. My eyes were looking at things very differently. I was repulsed by the whole concept of this place. I felt like an alien. I know I have been part of this collusion for so long, but now it is something I have trouble relating to.
 
Can it be so different so quickly? Can making a choice like this, change my view entirely? Or is this just a flash in the pan reaction and will I work my way back to the cha-ching consumer-aholic fixes of the past?

Insights

(1) I love going to the movies with my man. Today we watched Russell Crowe in The Water Diviner. Powerful movie. We will definitely be doing this more often... love snuggling at the movies.
 
(2) The colour red is used for ALL sale signs at the shops. A great impulse colour. Sales are not a reason to buy anything. The only reason to buy anything is if you really 'need' it. The definition of 'need' is something to explore... more on this for sure as we travel the path.       

TOTAL: OUT - 42   IN - 0