Today is the first day without Internet service in my home. It should be a day like any other day; I rarely use my home Internet service during the week. Most evenings I spend my time resting, reading a book, or watching a DVD after I tidy my home. When I do go online during the week, it is always on my phone.
It was due to the fact that my personal habits have changed that I decided to cancel my home internet. Not only has technology changed to the point where I can use the hotspot included in my cell phone plan, the phones have matured to the point where I rarely have a reason to use a computer during the week. If I do happen to want a larger screen I grab my iPad. All I did was cancel a service I did not need and rarely used.
And yet I feel naked.
I feel naked and raw and vulnerable simply because I canceled a service I no longer needed and rarely used.
This experience has me looking at my life with fresh eyes. If I feel the psychological need for a service I didn’t use so powerfully, is there anything else in my life that I’ve kept because of that false sense of attachment?
What items or services in my life have I held onto, not because I need them and use them, but because I have been conditioned to believe I need to keep them?
We really don’t need what we think we need, but if we think we need it, we never consider eliminating it on a normal day. The only reason my home Internet caught my attention is because I decided to examine my recurring expenses.
If I had not decided to deliberately deprive myself of a service that I have been conditioned to believe is essential, I would have never realized that I didn’t need it.
But look at me! I am writing this post from home and I’m publishing this post from home exactly the same way I would have written and published this post…and I’m doing it without home internet!
What else have I been holding onto that I don’t actually need?
Maybe we should start deliberately depriving ourselves of things we think we need so that we can discover if we truly need them or not. What do you think? Do you know of an item that people consider a need that is actually unnecessary? Is there anything in your life that might be like my Internet—kept because you feel you have to keep it?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
11 responses to “The Enlightenment of Deliberate Deprivation”
We canceled ours and got rid of all 5 of our TVs about 4 years ago when we moved back home to Alabama. A little rough at first but I wouldn’t have it any other way now. We enjoy the outdoors, working on our home and land. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Good for you, Kevin!
How far did you minimize for the move? Just the televisions, or did you pare down even more than that?
I’m sitting at a 4 seater kitchen table that we bought after moving in. We gave away our 2 living room sets of furniture, full formal dining room set,fridge, washer, dryer, other than tools about everything. E moved from 3200 square feet to 1060. A bit different
That is beautiful. May I ask what inspired the move and the downsizing that you used to make it happen?
I always find myself divided on this issue as I can both see the value but also the danger of falling into the extreme minimalism at the expense of one’s quality of living. When it comes to your home internet connection I think it is great that you found a possibly unneeded expense that you are experimenting with doing without. Personally I’d say the easiest way to figure out what one can cut back on without missing is to also look at the consumable products that go bad before you use them. Sure you may enjoy eating a certain food at times but if you consistently have to throw it out from not being able to finish it fast enough, I take that as a sign that there are other foods that you clearly enjoy more so you probably would not miss that one in particular if you were to stop buying it.
I have struggled with the food issue for decades, John. Just last night I had to prepare a large batch of potatoes to prevent them from spoiling. I’d purchased the bag when I was eating them frequently – and then, just as you stated in your comment, my appetite preferences shifted. They were forgotten almost to the point of no return.
Thank you for that reminder. Perishable items are like a dance as you balance the needs of your budget to the potential for waste.
I feel we can all use a reminder about that.
Good on you, Annie, trialing life with no internet service. You are so right in that it is a duplication of a technology you already have and pay for- the unlimited data on your ‘smart’ phone and the hotspot feature. The only downside I know of is the slow-down you may experience when you’ve used a certain amount of data. Unless you are uploading or downloading big files, you probably won’t even notice.
I think I have downsized to just that I ‘need’ as far as the big items so I am contemplating the value and need for some of the little things that can add up as far as cost. Things such as bath soaps, laundry soaps, hair care and beauty products, tissues… How much is really necessary vs how much do we think is necessary because of the propaganda and advertisements we are inundated with?
I think a good way to begin to pare down would be to track your purchases for the next month or two, As you do that questions will arise in your mind to make you wonder if you really need something or are you buying it and using it for convenience, to save time, enjoyment or pleasure?
One thing I am examining is the amount of food I eat and the variety of foods I think I should have. I have fallen into the trap of trying to incorporate a huge variety, like that recommended 30 different plant foods per week. Really? Do we really need that? Trying to incorporate all of that in my diet has led me to eat larger quantities that I need. So, I am looking at getting a basic nutritious diet and eating a lot less. It is a challenge.
Quality of life- how much does ‘stuff’ contribute to our quality of life? I guess that depends on which aspect of life – physical health, mental health, social relationships, our environment, our work, our leisure and, finally, our personal beliefs and values?
Those are excellent questions, Essie.
So far I’ve not noticed any lag when downloading files. I haven’t used the hotspot much; I have an external keyboard for my phone so I can pretty much do what I need to do on it.
As for the food—Yeah, I don’t believe eating THAT much variety in a single week is necessary. I usually buy a bulk pack of something and eat it on and off until it’s gone, at which point I’m sick of it so I select something else and repeat the process lol. To be honest, that suggestion sounds like it was funded by some food conglomerate.
As for figuring out what we need, I believe we all have different comfort levels depending upon where we are in life, so those levels would be unique to each of us.
If you get a chance, check out Edward Bernays. He’s the reason we think we need a lot of the things we think we need: https://youtu.be/GdQ6HIzaSm4?si=cEXOGjoWdiUtjCCu
Thanks for sharing think to the YouTube video… Very interesting on many levels.
I went to the thrift store and bought a bunch hankies so I can quit using so many tissues for my chronic runny nose. We also bought micro fiber cloths to use instead of napkins/paper towels–very absorbent and easy to wash and reuse.
We got rid of our private internet when our apartment building upgraded the in-house internet that is included in our rent.
Dear Linda,
Cloth handkerchiefs are wonderful if you have perpetual sinus drainage. I keep a collection of cheerful bandannas for that, but mine also pull double duty as dust covers when the mood strikes.
I have a supply of white “shop cloths” that I keep for cleaning along with some scrub brushes as well; they can get as stained as whatever and I do not care as long as they do the job. Cheap washcloths are becoming an option as they drop in price, however. Usually when my personal wash cloths are too worn for personal use I add them to my cleaning stack, so in this case, great minds think alike!