LIFE UNDER THE STAIRS

By Jane Stevenson

I Want Versus I Need

I’m having one of those fractious days today. One of those ‘toys out the pram’ moments. I’ve gone into the ‘I want’ mode!

Regular readers know I have downsized to a smaller house. The Offspring (Offsprung?) are no longer with us. We didn’t need a big family home anymore.

We’ve been here a year, done most of what we wanted to in terms of stamping our own mark. Now I have my critical face on! The TV is too small, the three-piece suite and the dining room table are too big, the garden furniture isn’t suitable for a duo who don’t entertain much anymore.

I know how selfish this sounds. What we have is useful and in fairly good condition. It’s all just too big for an ageing couple with three cats. There is no need to replace things – I just want to.

The dining table that will seat eight at a push, isn’t needed for two. The three-piece suite takes up a great deal of rom in our smaller lounge, added to which we are rarely indoors to use it.

The TV, according to Eldest Offspring is too small screen wise, and here I have to agree with her, having spent a lovely evening viewing box sets on her 60” screen. With my poor eyesight I can almost justify getting a big new smart TV. Well, that’s my excuse!

The garden furniture is unsuitable. It was to entertain, BBQ’s, meals out in the warm weather. Now, Other Half isn’t a fan of sunlight, so doesn’t like lounging in the garden. I bought myself a garden recliner, so a table and seven chairs does seem a bit excessive!

WE DON’T ‘NEED’ TO REPLACE!

However, when I find that ideal dining table, a comfy two-seater sofa or a bistro garden table, I hope we can pass on our stuff to others who may need it. As on the mainland, there are several flourishing local community buy and sell pages on social media. We’ve also noticed that folk just often leave stuff outside with a ‘This is Free’ notice on it. Through this, we’ve acquired a motor lawn mower, two boat protectors and a shelf! We do have outdoor plans for this odd selection of items.

We both have different tastes and are not the most fashionable of couples. On one of our walks, we found a solid wood bookcase in a second-hand shop. It was perfect for our home and cost us £30. Perhaps preloved items would suit us better.

Replacing the suite could be a challenge because there isn’t a great choice of furniture shops here. I suspect our best bet is to buy on the mainland and have it shipped over. Some of the local removal firms have a mainland dockside warehouse and will happily accept deliveries and then bring them over.

The question of want and need arises. Is it wrong to want new stuff? Items more suited to our new living conditions? We built a family home in Dartford, and as life went on, the family grew up and moved on, we no longer ‘need’ these items, and could make do.

However, they would suit larger families who would make use of them. They were bought for family life, so it would be good to pass them on to a family who could make much better use of them than us.