A Year of Living with Less

Two things happened this past January that made me re-think the way we've been living.

1. Christmas presents

2. The writer's strike

I got pissed. Really pissed. Something had to be done. We've embarked on somewhat of a social experiment. Our "Year of Living with Less". Before we buy anything, we stop, look at it, think about it, and decide if we really need this. We have so much, in both clutter and unused items, that it drives me crazy. Mainly because I'm the one who has to pick up and find a home for everything. It's just not necessary. The junk mail of our lives. So from now until the end of the year, we're just doing without what we don't already need. As for gifts, we're going the handmade route. I don't care if it's a drawn picture, or a rock that was found outside, it means much more to me if it was something that was made just for me. It means that a little thought was put into it - instead of the time spent at the mall thinking, "I have to get something for Mom".

Every year, I get in a tizzy about the amount of birthday/Christmas/Hanukkah presents that the kids get. It's unreal. Santa was smart this year, and brought each of them 4 things. That's it. I could tell that Nina was a little disappointed, but I knew what was going to happen. In one word - Grandparents. Both of our parents are divorced, so there are 4 grandparents buying stuff, not just the two. And it seems like they have nothing else to spend their money on. I turn myself blue each and every year - pleading them not to buy too much. It falls on deaf ears. So, this year, I'm putting my foot down. Hard. Each child may only get 2 gifts per set of grandparents, no matter the size or cost, and anything over that amount will be donated to charity. Period. If they really have THAT much money to blow, then put some money into their college account. And yes, I know that you all read my blog, so please, please pay attention. You are not depriving your grandchildren if you don't get them every toy that's on the market.

And then there was nothing on T.V. Our cable company has a monopoly in our area. It's the only game in town, other than Direct TV. We were paying well over $100 a month - to watch nothing. So, I disconnected the cable in the basement and the playroom. Nina was shocked. Blake went on Zoloft. I didn't care. It's been 2 months without cable, and the strangest thing happened. The kids are fine watching movies from the library, or one of the dozens that we own. Nina has not asked to watch regular TV once. And, as a bonus, her behaviour has improved because she's not a TV zombie in the evening. I kept the cable in our bedroom, but as of Monday, that's gone too. We joined Netflix, and it seems to be a good match. Of course, a month could go by, and I don't turn on the TV, so it was no big loss to me. We're spending more time together. We take walks. We dance. We color, draw, paint. We build couch cushion forts. We connect with each other. It's been nice. It's also been a lot of work on my part to come up and seem excited about all these activities. If I could, I would remove the whole TV, but I don't want to make my husband cry.