From Stacks to Slim

Guess what I pre-ordered the other day...

Photo borrowed from Amazon.com

Yup, the new Kindle Fire! Now you may think "isn't this the opposite of minimalism?". Well, for me it fits right into what I want for my minimalism life, so if it fits my standards then it is okay. My reasoning is that this new Kindle will keep those stacks of books off my shelves. No books, no books to dust around, lug around, look at taunting me to read... I originally wanted just the Kindle 3. I was, and still would be, very happy with that one. I waited very long to get this (at least 1.5 years) and had been holding out for something in color. Reason being is because my reading goes beyond novels but to childrens books as well. The bonus is I will be able to see mags and pdf's in color as well. And while even though the Kindle Fire is out I still lust for the basic Kindle 3. But in the end I can't get the body of the Kindle 3 with color so I have to outweigh my priorities.

Either way, I am getting a Kindle Fire! Woo!

Changing Habits

I realized it is not just a state of mind I need to reach minimalism, but also a change of habit. I can read blog after blog, website after website, and get the state of mind down to a science, but I really need to change the habits along with my mind to be successful at this. So here is my list so far of what I need to change.

* Stop regularly shopping at Goodwill - This is a bad habit of mine. It may seem like I am frugal when I shop there, but really I am buying a bunch of things I don't need that clutters up my space. I get, when it comes down to it, the most useless stuff. For instance, I realized while getting rid of stuff that I am getting rid of a lot of other peoples souvenirs. I am in love with FL and I tend to collect anything from WDW including even those souvenir popcorn containers or mugs or porcelain figurines or...you get the idea. I also have a habit of grabbing items that could be upcycled or even just look too good to be sitting at Goodwill.

* Stop holding onto the "just in case" items

* Stop holding onto items just because people gave them to me or made them for me

* Stop holding onto items I intend to use but never do

* Stop holding onto clothes I don't wear just because I might "need" them someday

* Stop shopping just because I have money in the bank

Items Sold to Help Reach Minimalism

Sold as of 8 July 2012

1) The Sims 2 for PC - $9.78

2) Spongebob Squarepants: Legend of the Lost Spatula for Game Boy Color - $3.48

3) Sim Theme Park for PC - $4.14

4) Urban Outfitter Rug - $25.29

5) Doug's Big Game for Gameboy Color - $3.48

6) Assorted VHSs(18) and DVDs(5) - $3.16

7) Super Mario Sunshine for GameCube - $16

8) PSone w/ Screen Combo + 3 Bonus Games - $50

9) 4 Fitted iPod Shuffle Gen2 Cases + Wriststrap/Armstrap - $6

10) Assorted VHSs and DVDs (Round 2) - $3.94

Total Profits: $125.27