All That I Have...All That I Need

We are gathering up our stuff and getting ready to hit the road again. Since we have been here in Atlanta for a little over four months, hubby has acquired quite a few things (he is the pack rat in the family) but I think I actually have less than what I arrived with (I am the minimalist...plus I have sent three boxes of clothes and shoes to my niece in the time we have been here). So I thought I would list everything I have with me. Here's everything I am packing up:

• A carry on-sized suitcase and a backpack


• Four pairs of shoes (tennis shoes, flip flops, sandals, high heels)


• Clothes: seven pairs of pants, 24 tops (not really as much as it seems since most are tank tops and others are small, gauzy tops that don't take up much space), three pairs shorts and three old t shirts to sleep in, bathing suit, North Face jacket, warm up jacket, scarf, seven bras, twelve undies, six pair sox


• "Officey" stuff: passport, tiny notebook, playing cards, sewing kit, three ziploc bags, mini Sharpie marker, small whistle, couple of rubber banks, couple of safety pins, tiny flashlight, key chain with car key on it, five blank checks (haven't used a single check since we left as I pay everything online), one stamp


• First aid kit: bandaids, aspirin packets, Thera Flu, alcohol wipes, antibiotic cream, moleskin


• Toiletry kit: nail clippers, nail file, hair pins, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, razor, lotion, suntan lotion, noxzema, tampons, tissue packet, tweezers, mirror, floss


• Tech stuff: Canon Powershot camera, camera charger, spare memory card, two spare USB drives, cell phone and charger cord, Sansa MP3 player and earbuds, 15" Toshiba laptop and cord, mouse, Flip camcorder


• Other stuff: jewelry (one pair earrings, five bracelets), tiny fold-up tote bag, purse-ish totebag, sunglasses, wallet with ID and debit cards, pen, small notebook, change purse with lots of change, small calendar book, Japanese language textbook, notebook, small make up bag (comb, eyeliner, brow liner, lipstick, powder, concealer)

And that's all. Besides the few things we are using here (towels, washcloths, TV, bedding, a place to do laundry and a place to cook and eat) that is literally all I need to survive...not much once you really look at the list. Obviously in your own home you won't have such a minimal number of possessions but if you really need to cut back (ie: stop shopping and/or sell a lot of the stuff that you own) it is good to know that to actually live on a day to day basis, you really don't need much stuff.