Sufficiency list (summer 2024)
One of the most important tools that I use on my journey is what I call a sufficiency list. When I intentionally stepped on this path of living more sustainably, I dived deep into my practices that existed back then, many years ago. I wrote down everything that I felt I needed to live a comfortable life, and I considered the rest to be just stuff. The stuff was there for different reasons. Some of it were gifts from fellow humans, just-in-case items, items that were just there, items I didn't know what to do with, items for some occasions, even spontaneous purchases. I was sitting in my room and looking around. I began to sketch the list. The first time I shared it was in my first autoethnographic work. Here is what I included in my list: laptop, phone, headphones, passport and other documents, notebook, pen, shoes, backpack, bank card, personal care items, towels, sweatshirt/t-shirts, trousers/shorts, bowl, fork, spoon, knife, stockpot, dish brush, tote bag, jacket, handkerchief, scissors, blanket, lunch box, mug, scarf, and mittens. I shared the updated version several times in this autoethnography and also in my book. It's interesting to observe that the list doesn't change much.
As I am writing these words, I live in Copenhagen. The climate here is more gentle than in southern Finland and in northern Sweden where I used to live. My list currently includes:
- Laptop
- Phone
- Passport & other documents (though very minimal)
- Shoes
- Tote bag
- Bank card
- Personal care items
- Basic tops
- Shirts
- Trousers/shorts
- Basic kitchen items (stockpot, pan, fork, spoon, knife, bowl, mug, reusable stainless steel container). I share them with my partner.
- Towels. I have none that are my own. I share them with my partner.
- Dish brush. I share it with my partner.
- Jacket
- Scissors
- Bedding. I have none that is my own. We have 2 sets each.
- Scarf. I have one large woollen scarf and one cotton scarf.
- Hair tie. I used to pick them up in the streets, but then I bought some that are made from natural, biodegradable materials.
I borrow headphones from my partner.
Here in Denmark it's not as cold as it was in northern Sweden, so I don't own mittens and sweatshirts.
When I first wrote my sufficiency list, my personal care items included more than I live with now. These days, I live with a toothbrush that is personal. Soap and shampoo I share with my partner. There is also a crystal that my partner uses as a deodorant and that I borrow at times. I don't use anything on my skin that is specialised, such as creams, balms, face washes. I used to use such items before, but my skin looks and feels much better without them. In winter, I might invite a multi-purpose balm into my life. Not long ago, I invited a sunscreen (packaged in paper) into my life. I use it occasionally. Usually I don't talk much about skincare. One reason is my autoimmune skin condition that shaped to a large extent my relationship with skincare products. But something that I feel passionate about is openly saying that I do not support anti-ageing marketing that targets mostly women and makes us feel bad (or even ashamed) about the natural ageing process.
I still live with a backpack that I use for travelling (which I do rarely) and for my laptop. I don't like this item and much prefer the large cotton tote bag. At times, I simply wrap my laptop in a plastic bag and still put in into the cotton tote bag, but it's not very practical, and water can still get through. It rains much in Denmark, and at times I think that if I say goodbye to the backpack, I will regret it later. Many backpacks are made from synthetic materials which feel unpleasant to me. I am also worried about microplastics that such materials release. Once I had a backpack made from organic cotton, and it was incredibly heavy and wore out in just a few years.
Recently I stopped using a cotton handkerchief. I needed this piece of fabric for something else. I notice that I used it very rarely. Usually we have some pieces of tissue in our home that we got from bakeries and small ice cream shops. I think my habit to carry handkerchiefs with me goes back to my childhood when I used to have nosebleeds very often. It doesn't happen anymore, so I don't feel I need one.
Apart from the items in the list, we have a mattress, a table, 4 chairs, a bench, a drying rack, a chest, a yoga mat and a meditation pillow in our home. If I lived on my own, I would have none of those things apart from the yoga mat. In fact, I lived without furniture when I was based in Finland and was single. We have built-in storage in this apartment. In my partner's child's bedroom, there is her bed, bedding, her books, clothes, toys and other small items.
To clean our home, we use baking soda and soap, but no specialised products (such as window cleaning solutions, floor cleaning solutions etc.). We have a large bottle of dish washing liquid that we use to refill the smaller bottle we have. We use liquid soap that we also refill from a large container. I don't use soap on my body, only on my hands. We used to use bar soap but water in Copenhagen is hard, and soap residue contributed to blocked drains. We still use bar soap at times. For laundry, we use unscented laundry sheets that come in cardboard packaging.
We have two lamps (one in the child's bedroom) but no other sources of light. We use natural light. There is built-in light in the bathroom and the kitchen area.
We also have some medicine, and my partner has some basic tools to fix small things around our home.
There are no decorations in our home apart from the stones and flowers we borrowed from nature.
There is an orchid plant that was a gift and a mint plant that we bought.
I also live with one piece of jewellery, my engagement ring.
We have several upcycled jars (they came with food). I use them as glasses and vases. I also use them for storage (e.g., to store some items I use to repair clothes).
We have several cotton bags that I keep close to the entrance door, so we always take one with us.
I think that sufficiency is possible when it's part of some constellation of values. Other important values for me are simplicity and gentleness (towards the self, fellow others and nature). Experiencing gentleness towards the self and the world allows me to see what is truly important with more clarity. For example, accepting myself as I am and trusting that fellow others will do the same allows me to avoid taking part in fast fashion and consuming status items.
