What Do We Really Need?

I don't know if I'm better at this than I thought I would be, or if this is the calm before the storm, but I am totally fine with not buying anything. Really. Hence my lack of blogging. Sorry readers!

I'm actually taking this to a whole new level that I didn't even intend for. A few days ago, my darling husband busted our tire pump that we use for the joggers. My first thought was, well, now I guess we won't be running with the boys anymore once the tires start to go flat, because we're not replacing that pump! But I quickly realized that things like tire pumps are necessities and not luxuries, especially when we both run (with the boys) on a regular basis for our form of daily exercise. We don't belong to a fancy gym, we don't attend regular yoga or pilates classes. We run. So the $15 hand pump will be replaced.

Seriously, though, I am thinking about every. single. purchase. Is this necessary or luxury? Can I live without it? Is it about my ease of lifestyle vs. must-have? Thanks to questioning every freaking item I put in my GROCERY CART for crying out loud, I haven't even begun missing clothes shopping. What's next? Will I start making my own laundry detergent so that I don't have to replace the Tide when it runs out? Will I begin sewing my kids' clothes? To what end do I continue to fret over all the trivial things I purchase?

I don't know the answers to those questions, but I am finding that we have a lot of stuff. Just stuff. Even as a self-proclaimed non-hoarder, man do we have stuff in this house. How much stuff does a family of four really need? Why do my kids have 78 puzzles? And 600 books? They have six types of blocks. SIX. Had we taken the Lincoln Logs home from G.G.'s house last weekend, they'd have seven. So I'm figuring out that this isn't just about me and my love for new clothes and books I'll never get around to reading. This is about the whole house and everyone in it (minus my dear husband's wardrobe, he never gets new clothes because I can't shop for him and he never has time to shop for himself). As we spend the rest of 2013 cleaning and organizing room by room, AND not buying new things to replace the things we ditch, it will be interesting to see what we're left with. Aside from the proverbial health, safety and happiness, what will end up being the most valuable to us?