Minimizing the Little I Have

A while back, I wrote a little posting on how to simplify things. Well, for whatever reason, I recently found myself working through my condo ensuring that everything is as simple as possible. Someone once told me that a person's car keys are a good indicator of how simple their life is. For example, if your keys look like a janitor's, your life is messy (no pun intended).

When I first moved here, I asked my Uncle what stores existed around town so that I could discard the little store card key chain things. I never finished that project - I don't know why. My key chain was messy looking. Real messy. I never liked it. For whatever reason, I kept it as is. I finally got that taken care of over the weekend. It is so nice and neat looking now. It instigated a complete investigation of what I have around my place that I am not currently using.

I am proud to say that I have very little I needed to discard, but here is what I removed from my dwelling:
-A candle w/ a broken wick
-Some paperwork on an old account that I have since closed
-An alarm clock
-A hair clip I have never used
-My birthday cards from 3/25/09
-I also recycled all outdated magazines & several old newspapers

I have the rule that if I don't use it, I discard it. I am 100% abiding by this rule. However, I have two items I am unclear of what to do with. One is a coffee maker. Although I drink a cup of coffee every day, I enjoy buying it. Even though it does cost me approximately $576.70 annually, there is something to be said about going into a coffee shop and experiencing that morning cup. However, I feel like there may come a day where I decide to brew it at home. So, the best thing I could think to do is to unplug it and put it away. Now I have more counter space and my electric bill may go down.

This brings me to the topic of being environmentally wise. I am always reading ways to "Go Green," and I read something the other day that made me think twice. You never think about the fact that your electric bill may decrease if you have less things plugged in. (At least I never think about it). And when I noticed that my coffee maker has been plugged in for about three months and it has been unused, I was ashamed of myself. It's taking up space and I am using energy I don't need to be wasting. How embarrassing.

So, besides minimizing your things, please minimize your energy usage. I walked my space and unplugged things that have no business being plugged in. (a bare power strip - which is now in storage, my toaster oven, etc). I will let you know the results of my next electric bill. The one I received today was around $41.00.

Now, back to your possessions. Remember, if you do NOT use it, do not keep it. Always stick to the one year rule. If you have not used it in one year, you never will. And, how does your key chain look?