The right sofa, or piece of art, or that flat screen TV is marginal to your sense of well being. Really. What actually matters are the other seemingly frivolous household objects that convey a sense of integrity and purpose to our lives.

Like that chipped coffee cup you drink from each morning. Or those Beatles coasters that totally make you feel like a cooler person.

This was all proven way back in 1981 when researcher Mihaly Czikzentmihalyi asked what objects were special to individuals and why.

One woman showed the researcher a tacky plastic statue with blurred features. Czikzentmihalyi reports, “With some hesitancy, the interviewer asked the woman why the statue was so special to her?”

“The woman answered with great enthusiasm that the statue had been given to her by a Tupperware regional sales manager as a prize. Whenever she looked at the statue, she didn’t see the cheapness, but an image of herself as a capable, successful businessperson.”

I have a special affinity for my license plates, enjoy that Seventh Generation All-Purpose Cleaner represents my values, and take great pride that I got my dining room chairs at a huge discount.

Household objects that have meaning to us are those that we have a relationship with, and those meanings change with the interactions and experiences we have. They show us where we’ve been, where we’re going and who we are now.

And they’re often the only concrete symbols of who we are, our goals, and the significant and salient events in our lives.

So it’s not how your living room looks, or how it expensive your car is, or the status your Kitchen Aid mixer brings you. Instead, it’s the memories and associations the object has with your family members and friends.

You hold on to a lipstick long after it’s safe because a good friend recommended it. Using toothpaste may be more exciting because you got a free sample after a movie. You might cry for hours over a broken bowl because it belonged to your father.

These objects, they acquire meanings as we use them, becoming integrated in our whole life experience and before you know it, you can’t tell where you begin and the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser ends.

Are you defined by your values, your stuff, or both?

What household objects bring meaning to your life? Or doesn’t it matter?

This article was written by the folks at Alice.com, bringing you convenience shopping and free shipping. Check out Alice.com for all your cleaning supplies.

Week 5′s Summer of Service challenge, sponsored by Alice.com, is to give back to others in meaningful, selfless ways. This means identifying what your friends, family members, neighbors, and others really need by asking yourself, “What would be meaningful to them?” Then, put that into action.

This list below identifies 10 possible ways to give to others. Please share a comment with other ideas you have or things that have worked for you.

1. Spend quality time with someone.
2. Identify an act of service to perform for another and do it anonymously.
3. Purchase a gift and give it to someone for being a great mom, a terrific friend, a nice neighbor, etc.
4. Show your appreciation by telling others thank you, writing them a thank you note, or taking them a gift.
5. Validate someone’s hard work.
6. Identify a charity you support and make a financial contribution to their cause.
7. Identify a charity you support and schedule time to volunteer your time for that organization.
8. Identify a less-fortunate family in your neighborhood and help them in whatever way they may need help.
9. Take time to hug each member of your family every day.
10. Tell each member of your family that you love them this week. Add other important people in your life to the list as well.

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

• What other ideas do you have for giving to others?
• How has giving to others made a meaningful difference this week?
• How have others given to you this week and what difference has that made in your life?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Summer?

Make a meaningful difference this summer by taking the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Check out this week’s prizes from Alice.com by clicking here.
• Join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.

#GNO is talking frugal living, budgeting, couponing, and convenience shopping this week and we have a terrific panel lined up, including amazing folks from the recently launched Alice.com team, among many other fabulously frugal gals. Join the #gno gang here this Tuesday night to share in the discussion.

• What: Girl’s Night Out (What’s GNO? Click here to find out!)
• When: Tuesday, June 30, 9-11 p.m. EDT
• Where:  Party with us using our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #alice.)
  
• Topic: Frugal living, budgeting, couponing, and grocery shopping
  
• Who: @alice @bwiegand @consumerqueen @couponprincess @dealseekingmom @julieFBT @mhorine @savingeveryday
• Party Favors: Remember to check out this week’s giveaway sponsored by Alice.com.
• RSVP: Enter your twitter URL/ID in the list below (e.g., http://twitter.com/jylmomIF).

Alice.com has made it easy to replenish your non-perishable needs from the convenience of your own home. What’s even better is that you can shop on a budget, enjoying the perk of free shipping with just the click of a mouse. And this week, not only are they making it appealing for members of Mom It Forward and the #gno community to take advantage of their services, they are making it a no brainer by offering free in-home shopping sprees!

Giveaway Prizes

Five lucky winners from this site will be selected to win a $100 gift certificate to Alice.com.

Entry Requirements

To enter to win, you are required to do the following two things:

1. Visit Alice.com.
2. Leave a comment on this post telling me which item(s) you would purchase with your $100 gift certificate. You must enter by Sunday, July 5 at midnight PDT, including your e-mail address. Comments without e-mail addresses will not be considered.

To receive extra entries (for a total of three extra entries):

• Take this week’s SOS Challenge by completing one of the post’s 10 suggestions or an idea of your own that fits within this week’s theme and leaving a comment on that post.
• Click here to join the Mom It Forward Facebook Page. (This is different than the group!)
• Post about this giveaway on Twitter and/or on your Facebook wall.

The Fine Print
No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Alice.com employees and Mom It Forward family members are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, July 5 at midnight PDT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered.