We
bought a new fridge and a new washing machine recently; upgraded is the right
word. And isn’t it what we do all the time? Buying new, discarding old,
upgrading? It is a common phenomenon in the current times. The definition of
what is old or obsolete has changed. Our fridge must have been about 7-8 years
old (my husband had bought it before marriage), while the semi-automatic
Washing machine was passed on from my in-laws after marriage. So, it must have
been around 7-8 years old too. We never felt the need to buy a bigger fridge
earlier because the 160 liter one would suffice for our needs, while we never
used the washing machine. I can count the number of times I have used it in
last 5 years, on my fingers. Our clothes used to be washed by our maid. It was
much easier, whites separate, clothes those were bleeding colours separate,
kitchen clothes separate, floor mats separate, etc etc.
Anyways,
we decided to get a bigger fridge and a bigger machine because there was a need
now. I am proud of the fact that neither of us wants to buy bigger things
because everyone is having it, but only when there is a need. We have a friend
who is obsessed with buying everything big – King-size bed, 60-inches Plasma,
big furniture etc which has cramped up space in his home. I don’t understand
why people don’t buy as per the space available. I like clean look in home.
Everything should be as per the size of the apartment, so that it decorates the
interiors and not look crowded!
But I
digress. So, I was saying, we don’t have a Plasma / LCD / LED TV. We have the
old flat screen TV but for its category, it is very sleek. We bought it right
after our marriage. So, this TV is 5 years old. My husband does bring it up
once in a while that we should buy an LED TV or so but I put my foot down. The
point is no one watches TV in my home. It is just a decorative item. I refuse
to spend 30-40K just so that we have a fancy new gadget. My husband is a
techno-freak, so that is his fascination in buying the latest technology but we
don’t need it.
All
through our lives, we keep pursuing the bigger things (also the latest in
technology) – bigger TV / washing machine / car / home and so on and so forth.
On one hand our wants should not be disturbing our peace of mind and on the
other hand we must be conscious of the kind of wastage we are generating,
discarding old stuff before it has lived its life. Add to that the lessons we
are teaching our kids.
Dearest Reema I agree with you..
ReplyDeleteI believe the true sign of harmony is when you are happy being minimalistic.. One can hoard but why do that..Beautiful Lesson you are teaching on need v/s greed to your Kids Reema.. Thank you.. I love posts about basic human values..Please post more. Crisp, beautiful and message reached :D
Being minimalistic is good for the space in the house and the money in your pocket ha ha. But jokes apart, we should be careful about what we say and how we react about things in front of the kids. They learn fast.
DeleteThank you so much for reading :-)
Agree with the thoughts shared here. We also upgrade the gadgets only when it is needed. But have seen a few people who upgrade gadgets every few years so that they get newer technology, new features to use.
ReplyDeleteTech-gadgets are the worst. People upgrade so frequently it is criminal. So much wastage of money an also increase in e-waste.
Deletetotally agree with what you said... I can never understand how people manage to have a super big furnitures in their house when their house is just a small one...
ReplyDeleteThey don't look at the larger picture. They just look at the 'bigger' things they are hoarding.
DeleteI know what you mean!!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have a Plasma/LED/LCD TV either!!
Ours is 3rd hand! ;)
Since, this isn't our permanent residence, I don't want to accumulate too much stuff!! :)
I agree with your last para...
TV is the last on my priority list. It is like a showpiece at our home. And it makes sense to make do with what you have and buy stuff as per your home space.
DeleteThat's the most important thing, lessons we are passing to kids!
Yes Reema we all need to figure out why we need it? Is it bigger because its there with everyone or its bigger because its our need. If we can all just sum it up and say this is what I need and must buy a lot of good can come off it for the rest of our life.
ReplyDeleteKudos to you and your husband thinking on similar lines...
Richa
Thank you Richa. The important thing is we need to remember what we are teaching our kids. If we make a lot of noise about buying 'bigger' things, the child would also think that way!
DeleteGuess What? We are still use a refrigrator similar to your old one and I had bought it before my mrrg. I have been insisting on buying a new one (we now are a family of 5 and this refrigrator doesn't have auto defrost) but hubby is against it. I am just bidding time, as soon as we move to our new place I am buying a new one because we need it.
ReplyDeleteBut yes I agree with you on not buying things unnecessarily that is why when hubby went in to buy an LED TV I was against it because for me fridge was more imp but he wanted to change coz Arnav used to go near the TV. Hmmm!!!
I really want to ask you one thing. " App kis chakki ka aata khaati ho" What made you such a balanced person. I have followed your blog since beginning and fell in love with it. Such a simple yet balanced perspective on things! I really really admire your writings...and more than that your thinking as a person. Very simple, down to earth, positive and sincere . Keep writing . Keep inspiring :)
ReplyDeleteWell, sometimes i do get tempted but never ever gave in. Only the things which are required find a place in my house & that should be the way. Keep rocking :)
ReplyDelete