Not only does "less" save money, but time. You can spend half your week on the maintenance of your belongings - landscaping, household machinery repair, house stuff, automotive stuff, computer fiddlings, cell phone fiddling, bike repair, shopping for this or that or the other things.

Absolutely! "Less is more" is a cliche I rarely utter (except to myself) because it's a cliche, but I remind myself of it at every turn.

Back to Thoreau:

Thank God, I can sit and I can stand without the aid of a furniture warehouse. What man but a philosopher would not be ashamed to see his furniture packed in a cart and going up country exposed to the light of heaven and the eyes of men, a beggarly account of empty boxes? That is Spaulding's furniture. I could never tell from inspecting such a load whether it belonged to a so-called rich man or a poor one; the owner always seemed poverty-stricken. Indeed, the more you have of such things the poorer you are.

As to furniture itself, you would be surprised at what a good table a cardboard box can make!

...I needed so much
To have nothing to touch
I've always been greedy that way...

Leonard Cohen


Very pleasurable getting rid of things, liberating, I find it more enjoyable than aquiring things.  My local tip is a very busy place on a Sunday!

Desiree, I buy a lot of 2nd hand clothes too.  Get them from my local charity shops.  it's a nice feeling  - you get some bargain-priced gear and also the satisfaction of knowing the money's going to Red Cross, Oxfam, etc.  Also sometimes with 2nd hand gear, you're getting a top brand-name in good condition which is somehow more appealing than buying new clothes of an inferior label/brand.

Cardboard boxes.  Now that makes me feel normal.  Glad to know I'm not the only one who saves and uses them.  I love 'em all shapes and sizes.  Use them for storing all kinds of stuff, and on days when I'm feeling crafty I paper mache them, which makes them stronger and prettier, paint them, section them off for filing, use one side of a box for framing--the list goes on and on.  I remember loving boxes and playing with them when I was a little girl.  They make great doll houses.

Old books are the same way, if I don't want to keep them.  I'm embarrassed to say I'm a hoarder of all kinds of books.  I've learned to throw away magazines and newspapers--gosh, what a mess.  With books you can reuse the covers for art or framing, and use the pages inside for different decorative ideas, as well as digital art.  As writers go, I suppose, I love just about anything with the written word on it.  I may end up throwing it away, but I have to read it at least once.

This just in from another source:



Thanks again, Mango

quote from Jay "Ah, yes. As summer approaches, it might just be a good time to revisit Walden, a book I have not read in years. Summer is the perfect time for it."

I just peeked on my bookshelf and saw that my old dog-eared copy of Walden is still on the shelf -waiting - it is the copy I had in high school and it is all highlighted and written in......can't wait to take it down and revisit it!  It has been a long time.....

Michelle

 :D  ;D

A fear of barbers began when my mum used to insist I went once a month or so to a guy with nicotine fingers who discharged me like a bowl had been put on my head and cut around, and in adulthood I've never happened on a place, like in the movies, where the barber greets you by your first name, and knows exactly how you want your hair cut.  Now it seems to be unisex joints or young neo-rock'n'rollers who always ask me where I'm going on holiday this year. 

You too look to be doing a good job with the 2 mirrors, Silent.  As to my icon, now that would be telling!  ;)   :o

dear Peter

i saw this barber shop film Le Mari de la coiffeuse
when it first came out in 1990
and feel you might enjoy it.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hairdresser's_Husband

It won Patrice Leconte the Prix Louis Delluc.

In 1991 it was nominated for "Best Foreign-Language Film" in the British Academy Awards.

~~~~~~~~~~

Have enjoyed this thread.  Nice to hear from you, Jay.

Less is more, and somehow, it's always the rich that say so.
Which begs the question....How would they know?

SL- Enjoyed the Yogi quotation. A good dieter's joke as well.

Peter- Thrift stores in the U.S. also benefit charitable organizations, and some of them employ disabled and mentally
challenged citizens. One does get a sense of helping the community. I have never felt compromised by shopping the used market. I think of second hand clothing as having been field tested for wash and wear. Whatever dye will bleed has bled. The zipper has upped and downed without coming off its tracks.  All that a good ironing can hide is found. Less lint clogs my dry cycle, and shrinkage is unknown.

Cheryl- My boxes are not as diverse as yours. Mostly I use them to haul stuff to the very places I buy from. 

Has anyone watched those reality shows about hoarding?  Just one episode can make you want to clean the garage.

Looks good.  I shall keep an eye out for that.  Thx SL

I cut out land lines for the phone a couple years back and used cells only. Two weeks ago tried the magic jack and after finding it works well I cut minutes on the cell phone plan. Look to save about $100 a month.

I too like the minimalist approach on "things" but can't seem to get the famdamily to concur.

JC

Love this thread.  So frugal, I count a found penny as income!  Keep track of every cent I spend.  Am always over budget but getting better.  Buy no clothes new except underwear, except this weekend I splurged on the Blue Crab Festival in Palatka, FL.  Bought myself the seagrass straw hat I have always wanted and three Andean music cd's.  And of course, a few bottles of lager while I watched and listened to the bands at the Downtown Blues Bar and Grille in Palatka.  11 hours of blues and rock and roll.  Was in heaven.
Sharon
 ;D