With my new ultra-frugal mindset, I've been reveling in all this "simplifying." As I pack up the debris of my life in preparation for my impending move, I've begun to question my old ways. "Why did I need to buy that?" I've asked myself many times, rolling my eyes, as it gets tossed into the Goodwill box. I look around at some of my stuff with a whole new set of eyes. Things just look different now. I don't really need new clothes, new shoes, or that bauble from the Pottery Barn catalog. (I will make an exception for the Duluth Trading Company though!) When you get down to brass tacks, what do we really need?
The things I need are this:
1. The genuine, honest love of my partner2. A roof over my head (preferably with running water and electricity)
3. Home-raised, home-cooked food*
4. Work to occupy my mind and satisfy my innate curiosity
5. Wide-open spaces to commune with nature and the night skies
I'm on the road to these simple pleasures, and I can't get there fast enough! In the meantime, I'm making this delicious soup with home-raised chicken:
*Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup celery, diced
2 packages (4 oz. each) long grain/wild rice mix with seasoning packets
5 cups chicken broth
5 cups water
Combine all ingredients in a greased slow cooker. Cook on low 4 to 6 hours or until rice is tender.
I can totally relate. I've been working on decluttering our lives bit by bit, and man, is it a chore! I have three piles of "things" too good to donate awaiting Craigslist ad postings (or something), including a set of 1917 china I bought myself when I was 19 and convinced I'd never marry. Ha. I think the only pieces I've used were under potted plants!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, thanks for the yummy soup recipe. I'm a new crockpot cooker and love trying new things in it!
It's a drag when everything you own requires a decision to be made about it!
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