Since moving to Napa and getting my new life up here figured out, the whole budget thing has been a bit of a challenge - more so than I would like to admit. After taking Financial Peace University a couple years ago, I have actually begun to really like budgeting each month - who would have thought! And after a whole year dedicated to only thrifting, I've come to understand the true value of my wardrobe in a completely different way than I used to - but my main problem still remains the same:
I recently went to this amazing art exhibition that explored the idea of non-attachment. An artist at the Montalvo Artist in Residency Program (where I used to intern!) hung a thousand bells and paper cranes from a tree, and invited everyone at the exhibit to take a bell and place it in their sacred space.
The catch - if anyone ever comes across your bell, they can take it themselves and then move it to their sacred space, and so on. It's such a neat concept - as much as I hate the idea that someone could one day walk away with this beautiful bell I have, it really got me thinking about how I can work harder to focus on the relationships with the people I know, rather than getting too caught up in the things I need.
So, as of today, I'm starting a spending fast. It's not actually as scary as it sounds. I was inspired by this great blog on financial savvy - And Then We Saved - to start making a very clear distinction between what I need and what I want, and then focusing on spending money only on the needs list. My goal for this whole process is to get less wrapped up in consumerism (as hard as I try not to, I still cave pretty often), and start seeing the world through a slightly less materialistic view. Does this mean I'm going to stop loving clothing? Nope. I'm also being realistic and giving myself a small chunk of change to thrift with each month. I'm just hoping this whole process will help me see further beyond the message that I'm constantly bombarded with just about everywhere I turn - that image, mine and others, is the most important thing I could ever focus on.
