*** The first three books in my six-part dystopian series have officially made their way out into the world! Check them out!
For the sake of blogging, self-exploration, and contemplation, I’ve been slowly making my way through answering questions from this list
Today’s Question: What one ‘need’ and one ‘want’ will you strive to achieve in the next twelve months?
I’m somewhat of a minimalist. I’m not extreme about it or anything; I do have furniture and a closet of clothing, but I live in 600 square feet with a lot of animals so keeping clutter down is important to me. Every six months I go through my closet and drawers and get rid of clothing I don’t wear, miscellaneous things that I don’t use, etc. When it comes to “wants” I try to keep them to a minimum. I believe that its okay to indulge once in a while and grab something that you want even if its not practical, but as I’m really trying to watch my budget these days and stick to mostly only getting that I, or my animals, need.
I can’t really think of anything specific and/or out of the normal that I need within the next six months other than just typical expenses; food for myself, food for my animals, cat litter, chewies for the dogs, vet bills for my dogs, my horse’s usual expenses, supplements, etc.
As for something that I want : I want to change up the curtains in my living room. That’s a simple thing, not an expensive thing, and yet its something that I’m making myself wait to do because I have dogs that need some medical procedures done (one needs a dental next month, another has a cardio consult as well) so I’m trying not to spend any money at all that I don’t NEED to spend. I’m also trying to pay down my credit cards. I’ll definitely pick out new curtains within the next twelve months, but its not something that I feel like I need to do tomorrow. The curtains that I have right now are fine for the time being.
I often think about how I grew up. We were upper-middle class; a huge house and than more than one home after my parents got divorced, also a cabin “up north” in Minnesota, room after room and boxes and boxes of STUFF. Having STUFF didn’t give me a happy childhood though, so in my adult life I’ve always been more focused on experiences than on possessions. To be honest, I was perfectly cozy in my 300 square foot apartment that I was in prior my current home of 600, and I only went larger so that my dogs could have a bit more space to run and play. (They’re all under 6 pounds.) I don’t think I’ll ever want or need a larger place. Have what you need, and if you have extra that you aren’t using, give it to someone who needs it. I feel like that’s the right thing to do.
Kell Frillman - Author 