Non-Materialism versus A New House

We spent some time yesterday picking out furniture for our new house, which I find to be an exciting, confusing, and guilt-ridden experience. When we left Canada we went through all of our belongings and pared away all the unnecessary things. It was harder than I thought it would be, given my penchant for simplicity and non-materialism. But I, just like everyone else, get attached to things. I persevered, and J flew through the process easily, and we ended up with five suitcases, one box, one bicycle, and two pieces of furniture between us. I was rather proud of this accomplishment, as that is not an easy feat in American society. However, before we even left the States, it had increased by several boxes, which were filled with things that we had been told we would have a hard time getting our hands on (at least at a reasonable price) in NZ. The biggest thing I stocked up on was children’s books, because any good teacher needs a good set of books. J

In the end, when we left, I was still happy with the small amount that we owned, although no matter how “little” I feel like we own, I know that it is so very much compared to what many people have. We lead such a privileged life, and I try to both be appreciative of it and to use it responsibly. I confess that I often have mediocre success at both, but I try.

(A note: To send our four boxes of books/miscellaneous stuff, plus my bicycle, to NZ, cost THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!! It’s a darn good thing that J’s job is paying, and that we did all that paring down! We left our two pieces of furniture at Dad’s house for now – I shudder to think what that would have cost!)

Anyway, after all that, we come to NZ, find a house, and immediately begin buying stuff to put in it! I think that at some level, I forgot that getting rid of things like furniture is all well and good, but I’m not really prepared to live without furniture. But then I start to wonder if it is actually irresponsible to get rid of something, if you’re going to just replace it. Now, in this case, everything we got rid of either went to my Canadian daycare or to charity second-hand shops, and everything we are buying is second hand. Also, in this case, it would have been stupid to ship our furniture to NZ. But still. It’s a monetary and ecological expense that I do not appreciate. But would the daily inconvenience of not having furniture be worth the saved materials and energy? Probably not. So is my guilt about buying furniture helpful? Probably not. Does my knowledge of its futility make it go away? Probably not. What a pity.

With all this weighing on my mind, yesterday we bought J a desk, me a chest of drawers (with a pretty mirror), a kitchen table with chairs, a coffee table, and matching bedside tables. All used, but in very good condition, and bought from a nice man who just took over the store. We still need to buy a bed, a TV, a couch, and two recliners (one for each of us, because we always fought over our last one). We will also need to buy dishes, utensils, and some basic kitchen stuff. We are not looking to buy much other than that, but it still feels like so much! So much for non-materialism.