In the quest for a simpler life, it’s necessary to come face-to-face with my mistakes. Because we’ll be moving soon and will need to downsize, the accumulation of clutter has been quite overwhelming. I know we’re not hoarders, but you would never know when we start pulling everything out of the closets!
With the prospect of living in an apartment for the next few years, we’ll no longer have the handy garage to collect all our overflow. When you don’t have the luxury of piling stuff in an extra room, clutter will have to be dealt with on a daily basis. But, for now, we’re going through piles and piles of stuff.
As we downsize our stuff, we’ve used the great method of having separate baskets. We’re using the labels: Sell, Giveaway, and Keep. Very little is being sold. Much is being given away. Donating possessions to those who can use it feels good. But, it would have been better to not buy so much in the first place. The things that we’ll keep have to be sorted, organized, and packed.
When you don’t keep control of clutter, it’s often a problem of buying the same thing twice. When you can’t locate the items you own, there will be times that you must have them. So, you shop for the same item over and over. As we’ve gone through many boxes, we’ve found 17 fingernail clippers. It’s funny, but not funny. Fingernail clippers are pretty cheap, but when you multiply this problem, it gets very expensive and wasteful.
So living simply will definitely save lots of money. It will put a stop to the frustration of not being able to locate your possessions. Simple living means that you must have order in your home and life.
When there is order in your home, you’ll know what you have and what you need. When you have less stuff there will be more room in your closets and on your floor. It’s better to own a few things that you really love than to have a closet crammed full of things you never wear. I’ve always heard that you should only buy what you love, even if you’re buying it at a thrift store or yard sale.
My mistakes include: clothes that don’t flatter my shape, my coloring, or my budget. Sometimes the mistakes come from rushing to purchase a needed object. It’s better to enjoy the hunt and end up with something you love!
There are many levels of simplicity and each person will find their own way. I’m certainly not a minimalist. For goodness sake, my favorite decorating style is English Cottage. To me, simple living is more than just a list of rules to abide by. It’s finding the style of life that allows me to breathe and smile. I will continue to pursue a more simple life. How about you?
@2019, copyright Lisa Ehrman
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- Lisa has been blogging since 2013, and loves sharing resources and ideas for living a simple life. To get free printables, bonus words, and more - sign up for the newsletter.
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Thank you for sharing! I love reading your posts!
You’re so kind 🙂
Thanks for the lovely post. I strive to have a simpler, fuller life. The “real” stuff.
I need to watch a few de-clutter videos for inspiration!
I am a fan of simple living……….. When I moved from my home to a senior housing I got rid of so much stuff. I contacted a community service and they came with box truck and filled it up. And I found out that out of all of the stuff I got rid of I bought 2 items. And to this day I still get rid of stuff ever month.