Have you ever thought of cost and value?
My husband and I have slowly become minimalists without initially knowing we were going down that road. As we searched for ways that would allow me to stay home more and work only part time after the birth of our 3rd child, we pared down our expenses, and used the “slash and give up” method to get our income in line with our expenses. At first this was H-A-R-D hard. Giving up things we thought were necessities. Like cable tv. Like new cars. Giving up special treats. Like Starbucks. Like pedicures. Like US Weekly magazine delivered to my house {yes, this is true. I really did like getting my smut every week.}
But guess what?!?! Once we had detoxed from the idea of WHAT we were giving up, we could see the actual value of the things we had given up. Making coffee at home with our French press and coffee grinder was no big deal and it saved us a ton of money. Plus, it was healthier for us without all the additives in the Starbucks coffee drinks. Giving up going out to breakfast and making it at home, and having the kids help, was making lifelong memories. Cooking with my mom is one of my fondest memories and I can only hope my kids take similar ones with them as they grow and start their own families.
Sometimes cost can be more than the monetary value of something. Sometimes, it can be the price you pay for missing out on an experience or activity. The cost of me working more was missed school activities, missed soccer games and Girl Scout activities. Those are things I value more than the monetary value assigned to them we call cost.
Sometimes, we can’t really see the true value of things in our lives until we do without. And sometimes, the cost of giving them up gives us much more value than the loss we suffered.
Holistic Living RN 