Monday, February 02, 2009

Simplify
I like to spend money. Hubby would testify to this. Some people eat when they're bored, I go shopping. Instead of taking Baby Girl to the park so that we can get out of the house, I take her to Kohls or Target. And, of course, we can't walk out empty handed. Then I bring the random item home and I have to find a place for it. Trouble is... usually there's not a spot for it. So, it gets set down somewhere till I can figure out what to do with it. Then the next item gets put on top of the first item... and so on and so on.

We have so much stuff that it's overwhelming. I look around and I'm surrounded by stacks of things. Piles of papers. Boxes of toys. Mountains of stuff everywhere I look. It makes me feel helpless and kind of lost. No one should feel that way in their own home. And yet, I do.

I was visiting with a friend the other day. She was telling me about how she and her husband are minimalists. They keep things very simple. They don't spend money on things they don't need. And it made me wonder about why I buy the things I buy... is it just on a whim? Or do the things in my life have purpose?

Then I was reading over at Morris Moments. You see, Julie and I have a few things in common. We both have three kids. We both love my play list (hee hee). AND we both HATE laundry!! I usually just sit and whine about it. But she DID something! She figured out exactly how many outfits each kid needed and then got rid of the rest of the clothes. SO AWESOME!! Now she doesn't have as much laundry to do.

And THEN... Yvonne at The Life and Travels of Me blogged about a cleaning system that she has used in the past and is starting up again. It breaks things down into daily, weekly, and monthly chores. It's a great system!

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I've been inspired. It's time to get rid of the "stuff". I don't need it. And I don't want it any more. The kids have too many toys. We (as a family) have too many clothes. My cupboards are filled with dishes, odds and ends containers, and small appliances that never get used.

Our neighborhood will have a garage sale... probably sometime in March. And so, I'm setting a goal. I'm going to have my home dejunked so that we can sell as much as possible on that day. That money will then go into the vacation fund so that we can maybe stay an extra day on our trip!

I've tried to dejunk before by doing one room at a time. It doesn't work for me. So, I think this time I will focus on items. For example, I'm going start with clothes. And when I get that done, then I'm going to hit the fabric and craft stuff that I don't use or need. Next up will be toys and then the kitchen. After that... the garage (involuntary shudder). I'm hoping to be ruthless. I have also created a list of questions I'm going to ask myself every time I go shopping.
  • Do we NEED it? Not want... need.
  • What are the pros for this item? What are the cons?
  • Do I have a place where I can put it without having to rearrange anything?

Hopefully this will keep my spending at a minimum. We're hoping to get some of our big debts paid off this year. It has occurred to me that if I spend less, this may become a reality sooner. I know that's not a shocking discovery, but it's something I forget from time to time. And, like I said, I like to spend money.

So, let the dejunking begin. Let the money diet proceed. And let the overwhelming hopelessness disappear!

14 comments:

Kristina P. said...

I have a huge clothing spending issue. But, I do go through my closet every few months and try to dejunk.

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

excellent plan!!! I may just follow your lead!!! :o)

Adena and Greg said...

good luck with that. I may have to drop by on that yard sale day. I bet you have some clothes that would fit my little girl....

Karen said...

Congratulations...and the best of luck! Seriously, it's a great decision you've made. It'll make your life run more smoothly when you aren't tripping over junk!

Yvonne said...

Great idea. I know we have way too much "stuff" I have two bedrooms (along with closets and dresser drawers) filled with stuff that belong to my children (who are at University and in their first year of teaching). Think they "need" any of this stuff????

Good luck with getting the debt paid off.

Jodi said...

Good for you!!! I wish I could come down and help you. That would be so fun for me. (Sick, I know) Some things you might add to your list of questions are "Do I already have something that serves the same purpose as this will?" and "What will I get rid of in order to make room for this?" Good luck girl! I know you can do it!

Alysa@atticgals.blogspot.com said...

Okay, I'm in this same mode right now. I'm always thinking -- what am I trying to replace in my life with all this stuff? It's really hard for me. I've dejunked, had garage sales, etc. It hasn't been working. I've been reading "The Total Money Make-over" and it's helping with frivoous purchases. I have a hard time at garage sales and since it's a good price (actually most sales) I purchase more than I should. Let's discuss further. I want to pick Robin's brain further. Let's have breakfast sooner than later. Keep me motivated, okay? Love ya.

Tonya said...

Oh dear, I know exactly how you feel. I need to get inspired to get rid of soooo much stuff. I am a minor pack rat. Good luck with everything. You're gonna feel great when it's all done.

... said...

good luck. it sounds like a good plan.

i've started getting rid of stuff but didn't until both our kids were gone. then it was really easy to ask, "do we really need this anymore."

it does feel really good to get rid of stuff and live more simply. i don't want to leave a houseful of "junk" for my kids to sift through when their parents are gone. wish i could say the same for our parents.

Nancy Face said...

Amazing...I was feeling a lot like you've been, and I started sorting and de-junking. It's tiring and time consuming, but it feels so good to see progress! My yard sale is supposed to be this Saturday, but I heard it's going to rain. Maybe that's why I'm sitting at the computer instead of working on it! ;)

Kimberly Vanderhorst said...

Brilliant! I'm so happy for you!

wynne said...

I love dejunking. For some reason, nothing makes me happier to throw out stuff.

And when you have less to keep in order, it DOES make cleaning easier.

If only I could get my son to see the logic of this...

Ally said...

I think you've inspired me too!

(thanks a lot!) ;-) Just kidding.

i said...

good for you!!! i need to get rid of EVEN MORE!!! i'll do it with you!

thanks for the honorable mention. :)