Why I want less in 2016

It seems that we are always chasing more. More money, more things, more activity, more of everything. I once read that that when asked how much money would they need to be happy, almost without fail people said that they needed 10% more than they currently had. Both rich and poor said the same thing.

So, for 2016, I want less. 

Less Stuff. We are currently going through our house and letting go of roughly half of our belongings. Half of my wardrobe doesn’t get worn, half of our games the children have grown out of, half of the utensils in our kitchen are doubles, and on the list goes on. Last night, we went through our bags and cases. It’s amazing to see when we collect them from all over the house and put them in one place just how many we have! We kept what we need, and threw out the other nine. We’re running at about a car boot full a day of excess stuff leaving the house.

Less waste. I have been toying with the idea of zero waste, and looking at what would be possible in our little town, in our household, and with the he time we have. We will continue to recycle and compost, as we have done for years, but will now try to cut down on plastics and packaging.

Words. I’m will attempt to use only the kind ones, and to listen more than I speak.

Craft. It’s  hard to believe, but I have enough craft stuff! For 2016, I will buy nothing new, and make use of what I have. I’m hoping to do “One product 10 ways” to stretch my creative side. 

TV, and while I’m at it, wine. There’s nothing to stop me in my tracks like sitting down in front of the TV after dinner with a glass of wine in hand.  I just can’t seem to get up and get on with the things I had planned to do that evening! So this deadly combo will have to go. Our TV is in our main room, and I’m sure my boys will still put it on, but since their tastes and mine in TV are wildly different, I think I can handle it. The wine, though will have to go cold turkey. Mr Gorgeous and I successfully gave up Coke cold Turkey  in 2015, and haven’t regretted the decision once, or taken it up again in 2016.

Melbourne. I want to shop more locally this year. I’m not a huge shopper, but I did enjoy getting almost all my Christmas presents locally this past Christmas, and want to continue the trend. 

Purchasing new items. I will mend, use local op shops, shop on gumtree, and try to have a less disposable attitude to my possessions. To celebrate this resolution, my Bellini has broken yesterday, and so far four phone calls have failed to locate anyone to fix it. 

Plastic. The more I read, the more I worry about this one. I have now discovered that teabags are part plastic! Anyway, my aim for 2016 is to phase some of the plastic out of our lives. Our glad wrap ran out at the end of last year, and we haven’t needed to replace it.

Is it just me, or is it a theme that we all find ourselves too busy, and feeling like it’s too much in so many areas of life? I’d love to hear your thoughts.