Marginally a Minimalist

Since I've been in the habit of talking about clutter, cleaning, and car accidents, I figured I'd expand upon it all.

Justin and I were informed yesterday that it's quite possible that our car has been totaled. We purchased it used from a dealership, with a premium warranty. It's a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe- what we deem very practical for our family. We don't have any need for leather seats, a sunroof, GPS, or heated seats, so we got a very practical trim model, with the perfect amount of space for a carseat, two large dogs, and Justin and myself. It was the kind of purchase you get excited about because you will finally have the space, but simple enough that you just feel like it was a solid move for your family. I'd give Justin and myself a pat on the back for it, you know?

But according to a gentleman who was present when the Santa Fe was brought in, there's pretty significant damage to the frame of the vehicle, which could very well cause it to be totaled by our insurance company. By the way, while I'm writing this, an idle voice in my head keeps saying "First-World problem, Brittany. First-World Problem."

So, I put on my thinking cap and tried to consider options for when we hear the news, if that news happens to be that our beloved practical purchase is no longer in service... nor will it ever be.

Well, I just made a pretty bold decision to leave a salaried position as the general manager of a restaurant, to work in the city and see my sweet baby's milestones. The other part of that plan is to go back to school. It was bold because at the time, my income was supporting our family. My husband has since found a good job, but with training, and the fact that it's in sales, he has very little provable income right now. I've only been at my job for about a month, and my provable income is quite low, as I've been training for a portion of it, too.

Bottom line, it's not a great time to jump into another loan. Even if we take a cash value for the Santa Fe, pay off the current loan, and start over... it's just not a smart move. It's not secure.

Finally- the point I'm trying to make is that Justin and I have talked about living more minimally. We've considered just purchasing an older, used car with no bells and whistles, for a much smaller price- think a decade old Honda Accord or Toyota Camry. Anymore, I don't think we'll be trying to have a larger SUV around which to haul our family. Yes, it'd be a luxury and nice to have, but it's also a car payment we could eliminate. It wasn't hurting us to pay for it, but it also wasn't helping us. And I'm beginning to see really clearly that when I find myself in a predicament such as this recent accident, the car isn't really what's important. Not only that, I'm stressing over something I own, mostly because it's financed. I'd be stress-free if I simply no longer something of that value.

This revelation, along with a few others, led me digging for some good reads on minimalism. Of course, if there's a great reference, it has to be from a TED Talk! I'm going to link that talk here, and I encourage anyone to open his/her mind to what these guys have to say about living with less. It's incredible how much this resonates with me, especially as I was just writing about how sometimes I'd rather burn the clutter than sort through it just to give it a "home" in my home.

What do you think about minimalism?