by Nicki Campbell

I am writing this from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I am visiting my daughter and her fiance to get ready for their June wedding in Santa Fe.  They bought their first home, a 1600-sq. ft. townhouse in the foothills, in September and they are having fun decorating and furnishing it.  They have the basics -- a bed, table and chairs, inexpensive couch, TV, Target plates, utensils and glasses (service for four), some towels, and miscellaneous "art objects".  Like most young soon-to-be-marrieds,  they have registered at Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel for lots more "cool" things and are saving up for some of the big ticket items.

As I look around their house with its half-empty cupboards and rooms, I am a bit envious.  We are at the other end of this scenario -- we are choking on "stuff".  Our basement is full of toys no one has used for ten years, bikes no one rides, boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations, exercise equipment that is gathering dust and on and on.   Our kitchen is chock full of pots and pans and baking dishes and gadgets and our closets are overflowing with clothes we should give to the Kidney Foundation.  And we aren't as bad as a lot of our friends and neighbors!

It seems like we spend the first half of our lives feverishly accumulating material possessions and the second half trying to get rid of them.  The 80-20 rule is true: you use 20% of your possessions 80% of the time.  The rest is pretty much a waste of money and space.

So I would like to tell my daughter and her fiance to be very judicious in accumulating things, to take it slowly, and don't rush to fill your closet with things you don't need.  Enjoy the freedom you have now.  The freedom from too many possessions.