This marks the third instalment of an ambitious new weekly series in the Arts Life section. Each Tuesday, we'll introduce the week's theme with a feature story. On Wednesday, we'll bring you a first-person essay on the subject and on Thursday we'll turn our pages over to our readers.
Two days ago, Samantha Grice chronicled our ongoing battle in the war on stuff. Yesterday, Cameron Williamson, art director at Chatelaine magazine, described his minimalist approach to home furnishing. We asked for your feedback.
Do you have a basement crammed with useless stuff? Or have you conquered your demons with the use of giant plastic bins? Here are your responses:
Six months ago our family made the decision to sell our 3,000 sq.
ft. home with attached garage and move into a 900 sq. ft.
condo with our two pre-teen boys and large dog. This meant having to get rid of more than two-thirds of our belongings. While we were by no means pack rats, we had become accustomed to having "stuff.
" We had four TVs with four DVD players. We had six computers in total -- one for each of us and two additional laptops for the parents. We had rooms in the house that we seldom used but were also full of "stuff.
" The hardest part wasn't the packing; it was the mental preparation for the necessary purging.
For me, having grown up poor, most of my childhood memories are of moving from trailer parks and seedy apartments to small rental homes. What I discovered during this latest move was that, although I had become a successful adult, my psyche was still that of a little girl who didn't feel she had enough.
As a result, I had food in the pantry and freezer to last six months, I kept clothes I hadn't worn in years and I had kept all the toys from when the boys were younger.
His friends might think he's nuts, but Cameron Williamson can find stuff when he needs it.
His vodka, for instance, is in his freezer. His message that de-cluttering can change how you feel about the world resonated with our readers, some of whom have had similar experiences.
Brent Foster, National Post
Thoughts of, "What if I'll still need that?" ran through my head. Clearly, some items I would never use again.
Why was I holding on to a Christmas bib my youngest child hadn't worn in nine years? What I did do was to take photographs or computer scans of some of the sentimental items.
In our smaller, cozier home, we learned that IKEA wasn't joking when they said a family of four should be able to live comfortably in 1,200 sq.
ft. or less. Before we bring anything new home we give something away.
Our home is furnished with only our best things and since there's a lot less house to clean, it looks good enough for guests most of the time. We eat healthier meals together, and snack less because we only buy what we are going to eat soon.
The effect on our family has been noticeable.
The boys feel close to us as we're always "just in the next room," literally. We always know where everyone else in the family is. We spend more time watching TV together on our only TV set.
The boys spend less time on the computer and we always know what they're doing on it. Everything has its place, is close at hand and doesn't get lost as easily. Our home has a sense of calmness and closeness.
With the money we saved by downsizing, we were able to achieve our dream of purchasing a waterfront property in Muskoka much earlier and free up more discretionary income, which won't be used to purchase "things" but life experiences with each other.
Veronica Steele, London, Ont.
After reading the article from Cameron Williamson, I'm happy to learn that there are other people out there with my same minimalist attitude.
I also view myself as practical and I clear out anything that collects dust or doesn't have a purpose. My friends think I'm nuts, and I drive my husband and son crazy, but it sure keeps the clutter down in the house. I go to the grocery store twice a week, and coincidently, I have a bottle of vodka in my freezer also!
Please ask Cameron: "Do you think it's the vodka that makes us this way?"
Michele Stratton, Pickering, Ont.
About 10 years ago I was greatly inspired by a visit to my uncle's sister's apartment.
With the exception of a few meaningful or beautiful items that touch the soul, she only owned a minimum number of things and all were there for their functionality. Her home was like a breath of fresh air. I began removing things from my cupboards as soon as I returned home and have been de-cluttering ever since.
I really enjoy the sense of peace that having less material goods brings with it!
The most important strategy for me is not to buy something in the first place. If I do not need it, if I can do without, can use something else in a creative way or can borrow it, I will not buy it.
Also, if I do not love it, I will not buy it.
Another strategy that I feel can be very helpful is to exchange ideas with and provide mutual support to others who are pursuing similar, more noncommercial goals. To this end I very recently created a "Nothing- Does-it-Better Club" in Grande Prairie, Alta.
, with a Yahoo! Group (groups.yahoo.
com/ group/nothingdoesitbetter) for others who would like to join in.
Elke Haggerty, Grande Prairie, Alta.
Although for obvious reasons this is not a solution for everyone, the breakup of a relationship has the potential to be a great clutterclearer.
You move out. You move into your new place. You've got a whole new set of possibilities and among these is to swear to yourself not to accumulate stuff.
How do you do it? Simple, you leave all the furniture and other brica- brac with him or her (means fewer arguments about property division for a start!).
So, you're now in your new empty accommodation with just the clothes on your back and a couple of suitcases. What else do you really need? This is the moment to bite the bullet, to tell yourself you're going to acquire (not accumulate!
) only what you truly need to get you through the first month of singledom: a bed, a table, a chair and the basic minimum of kitchen gear.
Thinking simply at this stage has enormous practical and psychological advantages. It allows you the time and the freedom to gradually work out how you want your new life to develop.
It ensures that home for the next while is not an overly comfortable retreat where you run the risk of pining about the past, but merely a base from which to launch yourself into the world out there, to make new connections and forge ahead into the future. And by living KISSstyle for at least the first month you have a wonderful opportunity to prove to yourself that you can actually make do with fewer possessions and still have a life.
Neil McBurney, Vancouver
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