Something funny happens when you start being content with what you have. You gain more time to do the things that you love. No longer are you having to hunt down and scheme for the material things in life, or work harder to afford them. Instead, you can sit back and enjoy the little things that make life worthwhile, all while saving time.
Here is a good example. We used to spend most weekends or even weeknights running around doing shopping errands. You know, the typical trips to Target and Home Depot with maybe some groceries thrown in. While we still have to go grocery shopping, we have cut down any new purchases to essentials for school or replacements (such when a kid outgrows their socks).
This means that instead of shopping for the latest DVD or home decor or whatever, we can spend it taking walks in the neighborhood, working on home or yard projects (one of my husband’s favorite things to do) or reading (one of my favorite things to do). We spend more quality time together and have less stress.
Recently I found myself selling items on a Facebook yard sale page for a bit of extra cash. It is amazing how many things are for sale in that one group. They are items that at one time or another someone thought they really needed. Now discarded, the owners are trying to make some of that money back. It would be easy to spend hours perusing the bargains, but after the first page or two, I realized that I didn’t need anything all that much, despite the beautiful table at a bargain price or the stack of novels that until a minute earlier I never even considered. Yes, it is all great stuff, but I don’t have all that much of an urge to own it.
I am content with what I have. If there is something that comes up as a need, I’ll simply do a search and save myself the time it takes to acquire.