Downsizing: Exchange Just 30 Seconds For Less Stuff
When it broke I added it to my "list" on the refrigerator. Those two words; "pepper grinder" are still on that list three weeks later. And now I have crossed them off. But I didn’t buy a new one, and I don’t plan to.
I have used that pepper grinder nearly every day for four years now. It served us well, but when I didn’t have it I had to improvise. What I do have is a mortar and pestle which I use to grind whole spices for tea, tacos, and everything in between. It is made of solid marble and unless I bash it with a sledge hammer it could quite possibly last long enough for me to hand down to my children.
And I don’t make a habit of keeping sledge hammers in the kitchen.
So with no pepper grinder I took my mortar and pestle down, threw five peppercorns into it and realized it took all of thirty seconds to smash and sprinkle them over our scrambled eggs. And amazingly I was able to spare those same thirty seconds while making soup for dinner. For three weeks now.
And I don’t feel inconvenienced at all.
What I do feel is liberated… from a pepper grinder and the $10 it would have cost to replace it. It may seem silly, but now I am looking around and wondering what else I can spend thirty seconds on in exchange for simply having less stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I like pretty and useful things, but they’re just things.
At the end of the day I want to be able to pick up and head down the road God is making for us without having our stuff be an excuse not to go. So I’m going to try harder not to buy things and to get rid of things that we really don’t need. It’s just stuff, right?
What can you get rid of today in exchange for just 30 seconds?
That’s awesome! I have a marble mortar and pestle too…and have been wanting a pepper grinder for some time now, but just buying ground pepper instead….this definitely has me thinking…
I do this all the time. I let something sit on my shopping list for weeks before realizing we get along perfectly fine without it. I think this is one of the benefits of budgeting a bit and not just buying everything the moment you “need” it. And then when you do genuinely need something, when you finally get it you appreciate it a whole lot more!
I did exactly the same thing when my salt grinder broke!
I have something along those lines… I’ve reduced how often we use paper towels by keeping a good supply of rags around. I still have paper towels but use them very sparingly. (like one or two (instead of 8) on top of a section of newspaper for draining something greasy or for, um, too-gross-to-throw-in-the-washer messes.
Speaking of the clothes washer, I also make my own laundry detergent. It’s more convienient than buying detergent, lugging jugs into the cart, into the car, and into the home, recycling them, and WAY cheaper (that’s an understatement!! It’s SO SO SO cheap to make).
@Jenny, how do you make your own laundry detergent? I have recently been using these plastic/rubber balls that almost look like whiffle balls. My understanding is that they let the water and detergent through and actually the action of agitating is really what cleans your clothes. I have been using less detergent.
@Angie, Hi Angie – I just use the recipe from the Duggar family website (www.duggarfamily.com) – it’s under the “recipies” tab. I have a front loader so I use around 1/4 cup in my clothes. Some people use regular bar soap, but I like the Fels Naptha (it’s actually a laundry soap bar). Oddly enough, I find it in my grocery store’s HBA isle by the alcohol, cotton swabs and basic stuff like that. It runs about $1-$2 a bar.
The hardest thing for me to find was the Washing Soda (different than Baking Soda). I actually ordered it on my Ace Hardware website and my store got shipped a case of it. I also used to get it at Cub Foods (a supervalu chain).
If you use the Duggar recipe, you may want to half it, but that gets confusing. You might just want to do a joint venture with a couple like-minded friends that want to try the soap too. I store ours in (premium milk) gallon jugs.
Oh, and another thing – if you make it and it looks like it compltelty bombed because it’s all chunky and gelled weird, that’s good. Its supposed to look like that. It needs to be shook before you use it. (I just do a few shakes on the jug before I hopen it for each load)
Great post! I feel inspired! 🙂
I love it! We are in the process of moving and I have had some of the same thoughts. Either getting rid of stuff to spare the bother of moving or an eye opener to we just don’t need so much stuff. Thanks for more inspiration.
My husband and I downsized from a three bedroom home in Wisconsin to a 486 sqft condo in Cambridge, MA. That is how you don’t buy anything else! We didn’t have any room for another item! We now have moved to South Dakota and are back in a three bedroom home, but I am sticking with the spacious, empty look and avoiding those unneeded purchases.
My new filter for stuff is: Do I want this enough to burden my kids with it down the road? I intend to use it as I go through my stuff, such as that box of old college text books in the basement. I definitely agree that less is liberating.
I gave up spray and wash. I can make my own with amonia, vinegar, and a little liquid detergent. Cost pennies and takes just a few seconds to make.
I want a mortar and pestle after reading this post if for no other reason than it would make my kitchen look “cool.” (I realize this defeats the purpose of your post entirely. 😀 )
I had quite of few of those moments when we moved from our house (1,200 sq ft) to our home now (400 sq ft). It’s amazing how much we accumulated just in the first few years of our marriage! We managed to pare down nearly a dumpster full of just “junk”, and gave away nearly that much just in clothes and kids toys… But I have to admit, I’ve clung to my kitchen toys… even though I haven’t used my grain grinder, KitchenAide, or the entire set of pans in over 2 years, I still have them. Perhaps it’s time to rethink that…
For months I lived without a salad spinner thinking I might be able to make do without that kitchen gadget. But turns out it just too much work, much more than 30 seconds to wash and dry all that lettuce – we eat a lot of salad! I’m all for simplifying in the kitchen and have parted with many gadgets and do-dads over the years. I’m looking to do another purge early next year but the salad spinner stays, definitely.
Timely post for me too! My husband & I married in middle-age (first time for both of us) and two people can accumulate a lot of stuff. We’ve given away a lot, but this fall, I’ll be doing another round of purging. There’s a lot we all can do without.
I also have found in terms of house-projects, what I want at first is often not what we end up doing – because by waiting, the ideas get better and the result is more useful.
You know, it happened quite by accident (don’t most of these epiphanies?), but one day our microwave just quit working. As it turns out, we were just shopping around for one as I was really getting into the “real food” thing. That was when I discovered that microwaved food/water really isn’t good for the body. Imagine my joy, as I have been losing the teflon pans and moving to cast iron (yeah, THAT takes up more room in my kitchen!), to find that a space-saver microwave oven makes the PERFECT “cabinet” in which to store my cast iron pans! They’re really close to the stove, and I don’t miss my nuker at all. It has taken more than 30 seconds from time to time to heat my food, but it works just fine for me! (Doesn’t really get rid of “stuff” though…)
My microwave broke also. Bought a new one, it stopped working in like 10 days. So I decided to see if we could live without one. Been more than a month and we are doing fine. I also like to cook with cast iron. I am really trying to simplify but I also am concerned about the future of our country and the ability to replace items like bowls, etc. so I am keeping some I don’t use right now. Cheaper to keep than get rid of and replace….I think times will be tough here in the land of the free and I want to be as prepared as I can be.