Living the frugalista life

Funny how, once you get started on the road of "less is more" it gradually gets not only easier, but more fun to challenge yourself to go further. Suddenly, all that surrounds you and that you have taken for granted all your life takes on a new dimension. Things you felt you couldn't live without become so superfluous that you send them straight to the recycling bin or give them away. Other things, things you had ignored, suddenly grab your attention because of the creative potential they have. You learn to be selective, to think long term.

Also, you learn to make the most of the things you decide to keep. Discovering new functions for them. Lateral thinking becomes a big part of your everyday thoughts. "How can I make the most of this? I no longer need this for X but maybe it could work with Y?" And slowly you realize that you are reducing the amount of what I can only call "static" in your life. Certain aspects of your life, of your personality even, come back into focus. Its something akin to meditation, just that in my case I still need to keep my hands busy while doing it.

Having to think ahead, even designing projects which you can not set them up just yet fill you with hope, is great mental exercise. I am experimenting more with my receipts, even as I am consciously spending less on food. Similarly I am finding ways to keep busy and productive within the confines of my home. One of the best of these self appointed projects, that has given me focus, calm and entertainment through out the worst of this long and frustrating winter has been sewing up "ragmonsters" (see scanned examples above) from old clothes. I've made them for all my nephews and nieces, as Xmas gifts, and really enjoyed the process. What was most surprising though was the response: the kids loved them, and some adults even petitioned for one to call their own!!! I don't dedicate as much time to them now as I did around Xmas, but its become a great way of keeping busy on a lazy evening. Also a great way of giving a new lease of life to clothes that no longer serve their purpose because they are too threadbare to be handed over to charities.

Its a times like this that you begin to understand why some architects and designers say that you become more creative when the boundaries you work with in are very limited. And I, for one, savour the challenge.