My daughter was raised with lists and organization and planning and thrift.
Her husband wasn't.
He loves that she is organized, but it drives her mother-in-law crazy. Her mother-in-law, S, is also a spend thrift and loves to buy lots of stuff. Their house is filled with stuff!
S expects my daughter to go shopping with her to the grocery store every day, and to do some shopping somewhere every day. That's alot of shopping!
One day they were out at one of the big stores and were looking at all the stuff that was on clearance. Of course, S was accumulating more stuff because it was on sale.
My daughter doesn't really want to buy anything right now. He doesn't have a job yet, and neither does she. And they don't have a house yet, either. Everything they own is in the back of their trailer, which is parked at our house.
After lots of prodding to buy Christmas stuff because, "It's so cheap and it's on sale!" my daughter finally looked at S and said,
"I have a whole trailer full of 'cheap and on sale' I don't need anymore!"
Not much else was said--and she didn't come home with anything new!
I shop at the local thrift stores. My goal is always to bring a bag of donations bigger than what I bring home. Most of the time I manage to accomplish that--getting rid of more stuff than what I am bringing home. I like that!
I've got lots of stuff, like most Americans, but I try to keep the stuff that is either meaningful or useful. And if I can make do with what I have or fix what I have, then that's what I do because it is more satisfying to me than running out and buying new stuff.
2 comments:
Stuff can sure take over one's house. We don't collect much 'stuff', my step children always thought it odd that we did not have decorations for every single holiday on the calendar, unlike their real mother and my MIL. And craig's list is a great place also to put unwanted or unused 'stuff'. I have recently put a lot of horse show 'stuff' on craig's list and it does my heart good when it goes to someone that will use it again. It has been sitting in my house for over 6 years!
Practical stuff, that is what I like. :)
Me, too! I love the stuff that I can use! But I do have things from my mother, grandmother, and others who have passed on. And a few things that my kids have given me. Those things make me smile :)
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