Less Spending = More Giving

When does less equal more? Well, when you spend less you have more to give.

When you spend less on "stuff" you have more money to do things that you want. One of the things that I find myself doing more of is giving. I enjoy helping children immensely! Since I have been spending and shopping less I have a few extra dollars in my pocket. That feels great, but what feels even better is giving to children who are less fortunate. There are two charities that I have been involved with recently. The first is Soles for Souls and the second is Samaritan's Purse.

Soles for Souls is a shoe based charity. It gives millions of shoes to those who do not have shoes all over the world. You can donate your gently used shoes to them and they will fix them up and donate them to those in need. You can also donate a few bucks and help out too. $1 will buy one pair of shoes for someone who doesn't have anything. Check their web site for drop off locations for your shoes. It is easy to donate online with a credit card. Check it out here http://www.soles4souls.org/

Samaritan's Purse does various projects, but my favorite (and the one that I am involved with) is Operation Christmas Child. This charity uses shoe boxes or shoe box sized plastic bins and fills them with toys, school supplies and personal hygiene products that a child can use. They deliver the Christmas gifts to those around the world who have never had a gift in their lives. Could you imagine? These kids have such joy on their face when they open their gifts. I encourage everyone to get involved with these tow charities! You can watch some of the videos here.

https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/occ/ You can get ready to give a needy child a Christmas gift now. The charity is doing something special this year for Hati. So get involved now! And remember Less = More.

Minimalism Categories of Living

As a family of 5 we can only be so minimal, but we do our best. I think minimalism has several categories. This is what minimalism means to us:

Green - We recycle, re-use towels, don't use microbeads in soap, conserve water and electricity, and are going to start a garden next year. We have a goal of a rain harvesting system in a few years.
Living -We live in a small house with only the things we love and need with clear surfaces and non-cluttered living areas. There is a place for everything in the house and we are organized.
Consumerism - And we reject the consumerism ban-wagon and try to be content with what we have. I also use the one-in-one-out rule for just about everything.
Traveling - As far as traveling goes we are getting into camping. It's nice to pick up and go anywhere and sleep under the stars.
Finances - We live below our means so we can be out of debt. Currently we only owe our car and house payment. Everything else is paid off, but this spring the car will be paid off, so all we'll owe is our house. The goal is to pay off the house and be able to travel with the family more!
Simplicity - I try to keep things simple in my life. Everything from opening the mail to paying bills to cleaning house. I have simple systems I use for everything. I also simplify my time and try not to be overburdened with commitments.
Dreams - We try to live out our dreams as much as possible and enjoy life.

I think the most important things to minimalism is the organization and the freedom of being out of debt. If you're not buying "stuff" all the time you should have more money to get out of debt. And when that happens you can travel or do whatever your dreams are. Living below your means and/or being debt free I think is the key to minimalism. Cheers and enjoy your life!

Utility Building Uncluttered Finally!

I just got finished uncluttering our utility building. There were a lot of sentimental items in there and paring them down wasn't easy, but overall I got rid of 34 things. Some of the things I pared down were: sentimental things from my senior year in high school, sentimental things from my grandfather, certificates and awards from high school, picture frames, a refrigerator, and old baby odds and ends that we aren't using anymore. 

The good news is that I now have a Grand Total of 369 things that I have gotten rid of for the month of July! 

I've pared down drawers, closets, bedrooms, bathrooms, laundry room and items in the backyard. I am going to keep thinking of things we can pare down for the month of July and then probably back off for a while until December around Christmas. Then we'll probably do it all over again. However, I am hoping not to go crazy at Christmas like we usually do. I don't want to give into consumerism and re-clutter my house all over again! Ugh! So it will be a simple and minimal Christmas this year and hopefully I will not have to go through another mass decluttering. I am excited to see how many things I can get rid of this month! Minimalism is a journey and we are just beginning, but I think we have a great start!

How about you? Have you uncluttered anything lately?

Minimalism Projects

I have several minimalism projects going on at the same time. Here are a few of them. Feel free to adopt any of them for yourself.

• Project "Wear Everything I Own or Toss it" - This project is ongoing. It works like this. Every time  I wear something in my closet I hang it backwards when I put it up, so that I know that I have worn it. That way I know that everything in my closet has value and there is not any clutter. After 3 months if I haven't worn something and the hanger is not turned around, then I toss it out or donate it. This keeps my closet clutter free.
• Project "Count Everything I Own" - I have managed to count everything I own and everything my family owns in our house and outside. Our number for a family of 5 is 2,245 things. That is including all our clothes, swing sets, and everything else. I'm happy with this number, but there is always paring down to do.
• Project "Less TV" - I am currently watching 5 hours less of TV each day. I stay home with my 3 kids and I am not turning the TV on before 12 noon. There are great benefits to watching less TV. The saying "less is more" is true. Less TV means more time to do the things that are important. For example, I've been writing songs for my new CD coming out next year, reading more, and playing with the kids more. I even found some time to meditate and spend by myself. Wow!
• Project "Get Rid of 365 Things" - Currently I am decluttering my house and I have gotten rid of 317 things. I have a few more things to go and I think I will find them in the utility building! 
• Project "Go Green" - I am recycling all my aluminum, hanging up wet towels and reusing them, keeping my air on 78 degrees, giving the kids baths every other night, not watering my lawn to conserve water, and boycotting my face wash that has microbeads in it and replacing it with one that doesn't. I am also looking for new things I can do. And of course consuming less.
• Project "Share my Shoes" - I am giving all my gently used shoes and kids shoes to a charity called Soles 4 Souls. This way they go to someone who can use them and stays out of the landfills. http://www.soles4souls.org/

So that is it in a nutshell. What are some of your projects in minimalism?

Types of Clutter

There are so many different types of clutter out there. Here are a few types and things that I have personally gotten rid of in each category. I have to give a big THANK YOU to "365 Less things" for help with this blog. Check out the link here! http://www.365lessthings.com/?p=1550

• Sentimental items - I got rid of 11 sentimental items that I was keeping from when my husband and I were dating. They were little knick-knacks and I really did not need them anymore. I kept the majority of the items I had in the bin, but I did eliminate 11 knick-knacks. So I am proud of myself for that.  :) I also got rid of some things from my high school days like certificates and papers. 
• Obligation clutter -These are items you only keep because you feel you should. I got rid of my Grandpa's jacket. I was only keeping it because I felt obligated, but with a family of 5 we can really only keep so much in the closets. I have plenty of pictures to remember him by.  I also got rid of a porcelain doll that he gave me when I was 6. But, I think my obligation to keep that is gone since I'm 33 and have kids of my own. I let that go too. 
•  Aspirational Clutter ~ Things you “really are” going to get around to using/trying some day. I got rid of an Easter egg-coloring kit. I didn't use it this year and I probably won't next year either. It is time for it to go. 
• “I might need that some day” clutter - I got rid of 6 baby blankets and a baby monitor that I wasn't using. 
• Things you keep meaning to put on eBay  - I got rid of a purse that was not selling on Craigslist. I also listed my xbox 360 games that I don't play on Craigslist.
• Clothing and shoes Clutter - I got rid of several of shirts and some flip flops. This is a great charity if you'd like to donate your shoes to it. It is called soles 4 souls. They have donation bins all over the country (USA). Just type in your zip code and it will give you a store you can donate your shoes to. http://www.soles4souls.org/ 

I would have to say that it is the most difficult to get rid of the sentimental items and the obligatory items. What has been your experience? Are you keeping things just because you feel you have to? I have gotten to the place in my life that I am only going to keep those things which bring value to my life, not someone else's life. That's not to be selfish, but to just be real and honest. Obligatory clutter will just weigh you down. So, if you are not loving the item, then get rid of it. You'll feel lighter. 

Decluttering Journey

Sentimental Objects
I got rid of some old sentimental things in my closet today. They were things I had kept for 10 years, but it just seemed silly to keep them anymore; so I pared down my sentimental box. After I threw 11 things out, I reorganized the box and fit a few new things in there that were cluttering up my dresser. Now my sentimental things are all organized in one spot in the closet in plastic bins. I believe I have pared them down as much as possible. Let's face it. I'm not going to get rid of any of my grandmother's photo albums or pictures that she passed down to me, so I might as well find a good place for them to "live" in my closet. I feel good about it.

I also got rid of a few art pieces that my 3 year old made. He loves to scribble and make crafts, but I can't keep all of it, so I scanned 4 pieces and then threw them out. I still have the digital copy on my computer under sentimentals. I highly recommend this if you have kids because that way you can keep all their papers without keeping the clutter that goes with it. If you child comes home with an A plus on a test. Great! Just scan it and keep the digital document and throw the original paper away. This works for a clutter free home.
I am glad that I have started to do this now while my son is only 3. It will make it easier in the future when he starts school.

Decluttering Progress
Currently I have thrown out and/or given away 289 things. My goal is 365 so that I can feel like I got rid of one item every day. This is a fun journey and I hope you are having fun with it also. I have cleared off the surface on the entertainment stand in my son's room, the kitchen counters, the dinning table, and my dresser. The house looks clutter free. Every now and then something pops up that I can get rid of and then I add it to my list.

Consumerism
Another way to declutter is to not bring more objects, that you don't need, into your home. Our society tells us that we need the newest gadget and we can't live without another pair of shoes. But, have you ever thought that maybe you already have enough stuff in your house? If you stop filling it up after you declutter, then it will stay nice and clutter-free!

Consumerism is a vicious cycle. It forces us to make money in order to buy more stuff, but when that stuff gets old we have to make more money to buy more stuff to replace the original stuff we bought. Think about computers and how fast they are outdated after you buy them. Or what about clothes that go out of style right after you buy them .There is always something that is being advertised and trying to convince us to buy more all the time.

I am making a conscious effort not to buy anything that I don't really need.

Contentment

Lately I've been thinking about contentment.  Are many people content these days? I don't think so. Most people are not happy with the stuff they have because it didn't make them happy in the first place,  but they think if they get newer stuff or more stuff, then that will do the trick. Contentment to me is the peace you feel inside. 

That peace can't be bought. I feel it when my husband comes home and I watch him play with the kids on the floor. They roll around and laugh and play and my house is full of laughter and joy. That isn't something you can buy in the store. 

I feel content when my husband gives me a hug or when my son says, "I love you mommy." Nope you can't buy that either.

What about nature? When my husband and I take a walk in the park once a week and we watch the sun set on a summer evening I feel peaceful and content. 

I think it is sad that the simple things that fill our lives with so much joy are often over looked because we are conditioned from an early age to think that material things will give us contentment and joy. How sad! Sure, material things might bring happiness for a moment, but it fades away. Things tear up and break, get old and worn out and sometimes stolen. Why depend on them to make you happy?

The worst part about it is that when people are buying things to make them happy they are usually going into debt to do it. For instance, they might buy that expensive car that they know they can't afford, but hey it'll make then happy, right? So they become miserable because the payment is too expensive and causes them stress every month. The same could be said for a house or anything that you can't afford.

Learn to be content with what you have. And resist the need to buy, buy, buy! Because it doesn't make you happy. It will lead to debt, debt, debt!