Homesteading: A Woman's Journey

Striving for Simplicity

There are no two ways around it.  I absolutely hate clutter.  Unfortunately, in an 1890 home, built in closets and other storage areas, so popular today, were not available in homes.  They had free-standing cabinets and furniture to store their belongings in.

This week, I am taking each room, one at a time, and packing up everything that we haven't used during the past 2 years since I moved into the house.  Much will end up being donated or Freecycled.  Things that Joe may want to sort through will be gathered up in a box or bag and labeled so he can go through them at another time.  Either way, I am basically emptying out the house of anything we don't need or actually use.

Bless his heart, Joe is great about it.  I teased him that by the time he gets home, our house will look empty as though we had been robbed.  He is taking it all in stride though.  I am sure that he is ready for the house to be cleared out also.

I have been striving to find a way to living a more simple lifestyle.  Removing the excess from the house is a good start.   It will make the rooms look larger, easier to clean, and make my life alot less stressful.  When you have alot of clutter, it can really depress or overwhelm you.  When you sit in the room and see all that needs done, you look at it and wonder, "where do I start"? 

I start by sorting things into 3 piles....keep, donate, toss.    The items being kept are separated further in that items that Joe needs to sort are being packaged up with like items together & put into our storage room.  Donated items are being Freecycled or given to charity.  This is becoming very liberating for us.  When finished, the only items left will be the things we really do need. 

Joe and I are really simplistic in that we are not materialistic at all.  We prefer to live a plain lifestyle.  We don't see a need for many of the things others use without thought.   Anything we collect has to be useable.  For example, we collect oil lamps & cast iron.  I also collect antique kitchen items.  Not to have as display pieces, but to use.  If I had my dream, I would get rid of most everything that we have that requires electricity and use the non-electric alternatives.  I love using the non-electric things.  I can work around the house and not have a motor running that wakes Abbie from her naps or upsets her.  After I clear out the house, I am going to start watching for the non-electric alternatives.  If I see something that I know will get alot of use, I will consider getting it.

Joe and I have plans to fix up the house to make it look as close as possible to what it may have been like in 1890-1910 when it was built & added on to.  Having the non-electric kitchen utensils, butter churn, etc, will make the kitchen look more like that time period.

Hmmm.........wonder if I can talk Joe into taking a step back and putting in a dry sink with a hand pump in our kitchen......  

simple life

04:56, Monday, July 9, 2007 .. Posted by Anonymous

i married a man that lived in an old house like that. one bookcase with sliding glass doors and one cedar wardrobe for his clothes and bunk beds was all that was in his room. they had no indoor plumbing. the kitchen was a separate building; and the electricity was a single light bulb in each room hanging from a wire strung across the ceiling and hanging from a nail in the center of the room. his house was empty compared to mine but clean i thought; only because it had no stuff in it. only 4 walls in each room; no closets; and there was a fireplace in each room too. that's all the heat they had ; and that was well into the 1960's. no telephone either.

Me too!

11:42, Monday, July 9, 2007 .. Posted by Sara

I am doing the exact same thing this week. Decluttering! I also am working towards collecting non electrical and cast iron items.My birthday is next month and I have asked for a cast iron dutch oven and a new Bible from my husband. He's so sweet, he used to think I was weird the way I thought about things, but he's learned to accept that his wife is a bit different, especially since it's saving us money.
Blessings,
Sara