Style and consumerism

Now, just because I don't like buying things or shopping doesn't mean I have no style or taste! My home decorating style is what I like... not necessarily what HGTV or Better Homes and Gardens magazine says is the latest and greatest and it doesn't change that often. I lean towards a practical decorating style. Some of my decor are things I use... some are things that are meaningful to me or to my family and some are just things I like the look of. 

A lot of what I've decorated with in our RV will be used to decorate in our next sticks and bricks home. My style of decor isn't dictated by the house I live in.

My gypsy flags in our RV...

My gypsy flags in our previous home...

As far as my clothing style... it's a mixed bag too! I am not a dress-up kinda gal and my lifestyle doesn't necessitate fancy dresses or heels. I cringe whenever someone says "I couldn't carry that style off" and want to ask them "who says?" Or the fashion gurus say that you can't dress a certain way once you reach a certain age. Granted... I don't have a job that dictates I have to dress a certain way... and I love the freedom my "job" as a homemaker gives me to dress in a manner that is comfortable and to my liking. I do enjoy watching TLC's What Not to Wear every once in a while and sometimes like the way the "victim" dresses BEFORE more than after they are "transformed" into WNTW's fashion beauty. I enjoy dressing in a way that pleases my husband, but also wear some things that he cannot stand! =) And he still loves me and is attracted to me! But you will rarely hear me asking other women if what I'm wearing looks okay!

So what does all this have to do with simple living? For me it's not about changing my decor or clothing on a regular basis... therefore, I am not purchasing new-to-me items often. Even when I do feel a need for a change in my home, it's usually moving furniture and items from room to room. When it comes to buying new household items or furniture it's usually to replace something that has broken or for one reason or another cannot be used any longer or I have a new hobby (like canning supplies). I enjoy being resourceful and trying to use what I already have. My loose rule for clothing is if I buy a new piece of clothing (and most of these are bought at thrift stores), a like piece gets donated. It's very easy in the RV as we have very limited space for our clothing.

I recently came across a blog post that continued my thinking on consumerism and simple living... Contentment and the Zen of Granny. When I think of my grandparents' homes, they were wonderful places to be... not the most fashionable at all but I loved being there. I love this part...

She enjoyed keeping things pretty but didn’t put undue pressure on herself to be fashionable. Most of her decorating was about keeping things clean. Interestingly enough, keeping things clean is referred to as decorating by the Sidetracked Home Executives, if memory serves . This is super easy for us to emulate … we can stop caring about whether our homes look like the ones on tv or in the magazines and think about whether our home is clean instead! Doesn’t sound all that exciting I know, but I think it’s more satisfying, if for no other reason than that it is possible to do! Most of us don’t have the means to have the homes featured in magazines.