Changing cars in the modern age. Some thoughts on clutter

Our daughter has just changed her car. She’d not had the previous one all that long and had decided early in the time she owned it that a five-seater vehicle, even one that looks as big as a tank, was really not big enough. Now she has a seven-seater again. She maintains that this new vehicle will cost her less per month than the previous one and the road tax is also less. Once again I find myself not understanding modern car finance. But at least when we go to visit Granddaughter Number Two at university next weekend Granddaughter Number One will now be able to accompany us. 

Apparently Oxford Dictionaries’ 2022 word of the year was “goblin mode”. The phrase describes “a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations”.

This nugget of information came from an article about Marie Kondo, the priestess of decluttering, who has decided that with children in her life it is impossible to remain clutter-free. I could have told her that. She should have seen my kitchen after two small people had been doing cutting and sticking and, what is more, adding glitter to their sticking pictures. All part of the fun.

Here’s a link to an article about someone who decluttered and then spent rather a lot of time buying back the stuff she had given to charity shops, including her child’s tricycle. How odd! Surely it would be better for that tricycle to be used by another small child. 

But some things do need keeping for sentimental reasons, so she’s not totally wrong. I have quite a lot of clutter myself. 

When we talked about New Year’s resolutions in my Italian conversation class recently, I mentioned a friend of mine who has a one-in one-out rule. When she buys a new item of clothing she tries to throw out another older garment she no longer wears. This is a noble aim but my Italian friend and I agreed that what usually happens is that you give away a dress or some other garment and within a week you discover that you need it! That’s how it goes.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!