mary's musings: Minimalist Mary says, "These boots were made for walking..."

I walked in these boots for seventeen winters.

I bought these boots when I was pregnant with my oldest child. He will be seventeen years old in March. As my husband and I were cleaning the basement a few months ago, I decided to finally get rid of them. The inside lining had deteriorated and was breaking down. They were pretty uncomfortable to wear last winter and really worn on the outside too. Because of their longevity, I just had to take a photo of these boots before I tossed them.

Why did I wear the same boots for so many years?
A.) I don't like shopping.
B.) I'm frugal.
C.) My family's income is modest.
D.) I like to spend money on things/experiences that matter most to me and my family.
E.) All of the above.

The answer is E. I could have replaced my boots sooner. The boots aren't really the point at all. We have many household, wardrobe or other items that are "old," but why replace them if they are doing their jobs just fine. As the vintage saying goes: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." I strive to live by that philosophy, and it intertwines nicely with the answers to the multiple choice question above.

A.) I don't enjoy shopping as a recreational activity. I know that some people do enjoy shopping, and the often-crowded parking lots at the mall definitely attest to that. If you enjoy shopping, go for it. It's just not fun for me. I pretty much avoid stores and the mall, unless a family member needs something specific and needs it now.

It helps that I am a minimalist and don't like having a lot of stuff. In my mind, lots of stuff equals lots of work because you have to store it, clean it and generally take care of it. My one weakness might be books, but even in that area I have evolved. I know that many people feel the way I do about letting go of possessions and feeling lighter. There are numerous blogs dedicated to simplicity and minimalism. A friend recently posted about the 2015 in 2015 Decluttering Challenge from the blog Nourishing Minimalism, and I've decided to participate.

B.) & C.) Being frugal and living on a modest income often go hand-in-hand but aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. Some people who have a lot of disposable income chose frugality, because they want to invest their money or travel extensively or donate it to their favorite causes.

I've been interested in the simplicity movement and frugality since I was a young adult and before I had a family. I remember reading Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. The underlying theme - "money = life energy" - really made an impression on me. It helped me become more thoughtful about how I spend money. When I stopped working full-time over fourteen years ago, frugality became more of a focus. It was then that I read The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. More recently, I followed a number of blogs on frugality.

D.) Lastly - whether we are just getting by or whether we have a lot of disposable income - shouldn't we take care to spend money in ways that are specific and meaningful to our own lives? A case in point from my life is my simple wedding ring. I am not at all interested in and don't wear jewelry, so I didn't want a diamond engagement ring. It's just not me. Why would I have my husband spend a lot of money on something I don't even want just because that's what everyone else does? Another example from my own family happened this past Christmas. We kept the gift-giving really low-key with our children, and my husband and I didn't even exchange gifts, because we wanted to spend our money on a long-wished-for family excursion to Chicago.

It's different for everyone. Some people are foodies - for them it makes sense to spend money on fine dining or professional kitchen appliances or expensive ingredients for the meals they love to create. I know people who love to travel and choose to live in simple and inexpensive housing arrangements, so that they can spend their money to see the world. Others may prefer to invest in a large home, or a piece of land to farm, or a lake property, because that's important to them. Some people find meaning and happiness in their hobbies or recreational pursuits and choose to spend money on those. There can be as many different examples are there are people. The point is to be mindful of how you are spending your resources, both time and money.

As for me, I'm off to snuggle on our cozy $25 couch from Goodwill and read a good, free book from the library...