I immediately bought Miranda Anderson’s book More Than Enough: How One Family Cultivated A More Abundant Life Through A Year Of Practical Minimalism after listening to a podcast that promoted it. I was floored by the concept and knew it was a challenge I wanted to embark on as well.
How We Got Here
Alex and I purchased our gorgeous ‘forever home’ in St. Louis last summer. We spent six months renovating every square inch, and by the time we moved into the house this past December, we were both completely burnt out from the renovations. However, since we tripled our square footage of living space, we quickly realized how bare the place was of furniture, art, and decor. So, the next few months were spent picking out area rugs, chairs, ottomans, couches, end tables, bed frames, cribs, dressers, mirrors, plants, and everything in between that we now found ourselves needing (for lack of a better term) to make the house a home. And these decisions were made immediately after all the purchasing decisions for the renovations. It’s beyond exhausting to shop and browse, and measure, and narrow down options, and measure again, and decide, and purchase, and track shipment, and follow up if there are issues with credit card charges (looking at you West Elm!) or items arrive with damage (oh World Market….), schedule delivery, follow up on delays, sometimes half the shipment accidentally gets rerouted to Detroit (ehhhhemm Macy’s), etc. It’s been SO MUCH and I’m so f*cking burnt out.
Now That We’re Settled
At this point, we’re mostly settled in our new home, with renovations and minor projects rapidly coming to an end. We have rhythms and routines established here, and it feels GOOD. Especially since the heavy lifting to get here is behind us. I can still name a handful of items we plan on purchasing for the house. But honestly, I’m fine waiting until 2022. I’m done. Absolutely done. The mental bandwidth it takes to shop, both in person and online, is too much and it’s not how I want to spend my time anymore. So we’re going to do without.
Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do, or Do Without
The main message of More Than Enough is to stop shopping for non-consumable goods, which is such a simple and glorious concept that speaks to me, especially right now. I genuinely believe my family is primed to ride out this challenge for the rest of the year. It’s going to be a fun and rewarding challenge. Missouri has a dozen state parks, trails, and hiking destinations we’ve yet to explore. And instead of dragging the kids to West Elm or Lowe’s on Saturdays, we’re going explore our new state. MORE ADVENTURE!
TL;DR I’m totally on board for less stuff, more adventure and experiences.
A huge thank you to Miranda Anderson for putting this beautiful piece of work into the world. Also, she hosts a podcast, Live Free Creative, that is even more incredible and soul filling, that I recommend as well.
Sidenote: More Than Enough was what I was hoping The Year of Less by Cait Flanders would be.