Want vs. Need

tomorrow = 29 weeks! :) I feel restless today. I want a few weeks to fast forward...please? We've made tons of progress on the babes room over the past week and I'm LOVING it. Will post pics once we have the curtain and decal up. :)

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot lately about wanting vs. needing. I think it's because I recently watched an entire season of the show "Clean House" (30 episodes...eek!) and it got me inspired.

If you've never seen the show, they go to houses of people with TONS of clutter (like hoarders, but these people are a bit easier to deal with), and they force them to clear out EVERYTHING they don't need. Even the furniture if it's not functional or if it's not their style anymore. They sell everything at a huge yard sale, and whatever doesn't sell is immediately donated to charity. Then the designers have a blank slate and redo 3 rooms in the house for them from scratch -- paint, organization, furniture, etc. They use the $ from the yard sale to create a really nice, clean, organized space for them. 99% of the time the homeowners are happy with the result and keep it clean and organized. They usually have to promise to stop shopping. Or they promise that moving forward, for every item of clothing they buy, they have to get rid of 2 they no longer wear.

Anyway. Maybe part of it is the so called "nesting" but I'm on this cleaning and organizational kick, and I want to CLEAR OUT EVERYTHING I don't need that is taking up space. Think about it, it's so much easier to have a clean house if you don't have too much "stuff."

I used to be a shopper. Ok, not really, I never spent tons of money on frivolity, but I used to enjoy shopping and buying a few things, even if I didn't need them. Over the past couple of years I have stopped enjoying shopping. It's weird. I get huge satisfaction over a successful shopping trip for something I NEED -- like we've been buying baby stuff lately, and though I bought a few things I didn't NEED, like wall art, I'm basically sticking with necessities. So I do shop for things like that. But I don't aimlessly wander through stores anymore looking for something I want. I set out with a purpose.

In most cases, I don't believe you need to spend a lot of money to have nice things. Many people disagree with me on this, but, I like IKEA furniture, clothes from Marshalls, wall art from Etsy. I am perfectly happy with these things. I don't care about brands or how much someone spent on their furniture. That's just crazy to me. Being able to afford the things I need makes me fulfilled. When something breaks I get rid of it and replace it. I wear my clothes until they are stained or worn out, and then I get rid of them. If I need an outfit for a particular occassion, I'll go buy it.

Phil is always looking for and wishing for his next toy (currently a dirt bike), and that's what makes him happy. To each his own. I guess I should feel lucky that I am satisfied with having my basic needs met.

That's enough rambling for now! ttyl :)