So much and need so little

Have you ever went into a store and thought this is so much stuff??

I had to go to a couple of stores for some odd and end items the other day.  I don't shop all that often and I usually don't leave with more than a handful of things that I need.  If I need anything that I can get online that is how I prefer to shop.

I walked into Target and I just couldn't believe how much stuff is in there... and not just stuff but junk really.  Everything made out of bright colored plastic.  It was just so odd.  I guess now that I live without a lot of what we think are necessities it makes me think of what is necessary.  My computer for me always seems necessary, because my job is computer based.  I use a public bathroom and watch all of that water waisted in the toilet and in the sink.  I don't use that much water in a whole day in my shack.  I guess since I actually have to fetch the water it makes you really think about how you use it.

I have tried to get rid of a lot of my stuff but it is so difficult because I tell myself "I may need that one day" even though I haven't used it in months and even years.  Maybe it has some sort of memory attached to the object...  there is always an excuse.  I have made due for most of 5 years with just a motorcycle as my form of transportation.  It was really easy when I lived in south Florida.. and doable living in the Hudson Valley, NY.  I fill up the truck I use for work with gas and I about fall over.  I have to pay over $60 for gas and on my motorcycle I could go the same amount of miles for under $20.

I do feel like I need too much.  I really wanted this trailer I am getting but it isn't like I am using the trailer just for fun... it will be my full time home.  I am buying a privacy tent with a toilet and solar shower which really isn't completely necessary but more of a convenience.  (It will be so fabulous to take a warm shower and use the bathroom in private.)  I purchased a solar panel which is an extra but hopefully it will help me be self sustaining.

What is the line of too much?  Where is the line of being wasteful?  Have our modern conveniences changed the way we look at waste? need?

I know I waste too much and I am really working on how to be more aware and buy things that are not a one time use... and not buying things I don't need... but it is so difficult.  It is so  much easier to use a one time cloth to clean up a mess than have to wash a cloth to use again.  This has and will be difficult for me to follow thru with.  I am one that buys a soda or water while I am out... when I could refill a bottle of some sort from home with water or use it when I go to a restaurant or gas station.  I need to become more aware and more active in living a less wasteful life.  It will definitely be a a challenge but something I think I will feel really great about.

If you have any suggestions on how you went from being wasteful to more aware please share.