Begin with the End

The kitchen in our cozy cottage in Utah.

Confession: I love knick-knacks; kitschy home decor items are a weakness of mine. The hard truth is as much as I love collecting fun little odds and ends to display in our home, we just won't have much space when Chuck retires, and we have to downsize.

Back in the day I collected Mary Engelbreit wall art, trinkets, and books. I had collections of snowmen and Santas. My Christmas decor filled seven large tote boxes. 

One of my favorite hobbies was scouring little shops like The Wooden Nickel and My Checkered Past for cutesy collectibles. My all-time favorite places to score darling decorations were thrift shops. Bargain prices appeal to my penny-pinching personality.

The thing is, when you have lots of kitschy shtuff, you have to have lots of shelves and tables. And when you have lots of bric a brac on lots of horizontal surfaces, dusting becomes a royal pain in the butt. Housekeeping has never been my strong suit, so my festive decor had a tendency to get a little dusty during each holiday season.

You never really realize just how much stuff you've accumulated until you have to move. Moving helps you determine just what is worth taking with you, and what really isn't worth keeping.

How many times have I had to move, and had to pare down my belongings in the last ten years? Um, that would be five times. In each of those five moves, I had to take a firm stand, and part with the possessions I'd accumulated. Yes, some of my lesser objets d'art had to go. 

My 900 square foot house in Joseph is no spacious villa, but it has been a refuge to me in the past, and will be our retirement home one day. If an item doesn’t serve a purpose, or have sentimental value, or bring me absolute joy, it doesn’t get to stay in my life because I know Chuck and I will be moving back to the cozy cottage one day. And I refuse to burden our kids with cleaning out a hoarder’s house when that time comes. 

Minimal living has so many advantages. Less possessions means less to worry about, less to maintain, less to organize, less to lose, and less to manage. Less is definitely more when it comes to stuff. 

One day, my big goal is to live a minimalist lifestyle in a tidy, little home that incorporates HYGGE, the concept that embraces coziness, comfort, and intimacy. Yes, I think it's possible to create a warm and comfy environment without being overrun by my possessions. I know I will want some of my decorations, though, because I am sentimental, and my kids and friends gave me some of those darling gifts. Sometimes it is hard to remember what my long-term goals are when I am in the thick of things, though. 

Just a couple days ago, I drove to the local thrift shop to drop off a very heavy box of knick-knacks and dishes we no longer needed. Since thrifting is one of my favorite past-times, I decided to browse the store, since I was there and all. 

My eyes went wide when I spied some darling Easter decorations. Yes, I want to live minimally, but I also want to be the grandma who decorates for every holiday, and has a house her grandchildren will love to visit. How quickly keeping the end game in mind can disappear. Only six dollars for a pair of the cutest Easter bunnies, but since I am a tightwad, I realized that was probably still a lot of money for some used decor. Then my eyes lit upon a darling little rabbit for only 50 cents. 

“Denise! Stop it. Seriously, you just dropped off a bunch of crap. Are you going to want to pack up a bunch of knick-knacks in a few years when you move to Utah? NO. You’re supposed to be purging your life of unnecessary items, not gathering and collecting more junk.”

Sierra calls me Mama Llama. It was hard to pass this up.

Lately I have taken to snapping pictures of merchandise I love, and it allows me to visually enjoy the items without buying them. I still buy stuff, of course, like photography equipment, seasonal clothes, and dogs, but I'm proud to say I save money when I can by buying used lenses, thrift shop clothing, and rescued dogs. 

My dream home is small, cozy, organized, and paid for.

Nowadays when I think of things I would like to buy, I often have to ask myself if it will end up in a yard sale or thrift store one day. Most of the time, the answer is yes, and it helps me keep my resolve to keeping my possessions to a minimum. 

When I was faced with the cutesy bunnies a few days ago, I snapped some pictures with my cellphone and the darling Easter figurines stayed behind. (If you need the address of the thrift shop in Saint Charles, just let me know. I bet those unbelievably cute bunnies are still there!) I may break my bric-à-brac addiction yet. 

Knick knack paddy whack!