I have been reading quite a bit lately online and in the news about people trying to live minimally, downsizing substantially, and/or simplify their lives in terms of material possessions. Living the bulk of our time on a small sailboat, I can completely understand. Tom and I are currently in the process of tweaking our wardrobes a bit after completing our first year of living aboard. We are getting rid of items that don't work and replacing those with more lightweight, efficient, easy clothing. Fellow blogger and liveaboard sailing sister Jaye wrote about a new challenge she recently took up along these lines. Jaye was challenged to get by with just 33 piece of clothing in a 3 month time frame. Now you fellow sailing sisters out there living aboard might think this sounds easy, but is it really? Please check out Jaye's posting about this on her blog Life Afloat to see how she fared and then check out Project 333. Could you do it? Could you live with just 33 pieces of clothing? Guys could you do it? It's not as easy as it sounds. I created a quick list of the clothing items I have aboard and sadly I am over the 33 but this now gives me something to strive for in terms of keeping it "simple."
I admire people who can do this, but I would find it difficult because I like variety. And with the need for cycling gear too, it is easy to end up with close to 33 items just with those! That said, I have many, many fewer clothes than I used to and brought more this summer than I have worn. There is always room for downsizing and deleting more while making smarter choices.
ReplyDeleteNope, couldn't do it. I think I have 33 pair or underwear aboard! You never can tell how far it will be between laundromats! But... I will say that we have undergone several waves of downsizing where we got rid of anything we hadn't worn in some weeks, or things that have not withstood the rigors of cruising life. Even if you are living on a boat, there is NO REASON to wear clothes with holes or stains on them. At least this is what I keep telling my husband. Eventually it has become more easy to get those drawers to close...
ReplyDeleteWe counted and came up with 65 items we actually wear. One of us wears more than the other. This is seasonally adjusted however. There are items which have no use in the Bahamas, that are essential to comfort while fleeing the Chesapeake Autumn. And is a wind breaker clothing or "gear?"
ReplyDeleteHuh, posted but I think it disappeared into cyberspace. 150 t-shirts? Wow, I can't imagine. OTOH, I think I inspired Dan to sort through his clothing locker. No t-shirts, but upwards of 20 Hawaiian shirts ...
ReplyDeleteI've lived with less than 33 items of clothing, so I guess my answer is Yes, I can. Living with less than 33 didn't hinder me at all, mainly due to my lifestyle - minimal.
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