Recycling my life...again

I've been thinking a lot about a post I wrote a few years back about recycling your life. The idea was to look at your life and find ways to enjoy the things you already have. Maybe it's an old CD you haven't listened to in awhile, a candle you got for Christmas six years ago, or a book you bought but never read.

Stuffed full...of stuff

We have access to SO MUCH these days. Even if you aren't wealthy by this country's standards, it's still staggering the amount of possessions we accumulate and how much we simply just throw away.

With this year's theme of simplify, I'm simplifying our finances to cut out frivolous spending on just these type of items. So I need to find ways to entertain our family this year with the possessions we already have. Which, honestly, won't be difficult. I am a bit of a hoarder - yes, I can admit it. My first thought is always - maybe I'll need this one day. No there aren't stacks of newpapers lining the walls of my house, or 50 cans of cream corn hanging out in my pantry - but I have found ways to amass plenty of "stuff".

Am I alone in this obsession? Does anyone else have bookcases crammed with books on every topic from parenting to poetry? Kept every CD they ever loved, even if the thought of listening to it brings cringing or outright laughter? Have twenty board games they play maybe twice a year? Keep gardening seed packets from the last decade? (Hehe, of course now that it's 2010, that could mean like from last week!!) Random plastic parts that "go to something"? Every paper clip, rubber band, and twisty tie that every came through your door? Clothes that either don't fit, or you never wear because honestly, you don't like them but won't admit it?

No? Ok, well maybe that's just me.

Things left undone

Another problem I have is failing to finish what I start. I have dozens, no probably hundreds, of unfinished projects. And yet, I continue to start more each year. Simplifying my finances also means there won't be money for new projects. Instead, I am going to focus on finishing the ones I've already started AND have all the materials for. I have no excuse for boredom with all of these projects waiting to be finished. I, also, have no excuse for spending more money, when I've already wasted so much buying things I never finished.

Moving forward

I can't change the past, but I can move forward in simplicity by repurposing our old possesions, finishing up those things that I've left undone, and just enjoy what we have. I hope to be able to blog about my "finds" while recycling our life. In honor of that, this post's picture is "recycled" from three years ago - a camping trip we took with our Real Life Group.

This week's finds:

Pulled out one of my old favorite purses for a "new" purse feel.
A credit at Blockbuster provided a movie night on Saturday.

What do you think about "recycling your life"? Do you have possessions that you are thinking of "recycling" back into usefulness?