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I just finished reading it- it was really good. Thanks for recommending it, Kim.
Anyway- the author had a suggestion that I am finding helps me with impulse buying. Before buying ANYTHING, ask yourself: is this going to simplify my life?
I find myself asking this question, especially with stuff for the kids. Simplify or create more work for me? If the answer is create more work, it's starting not to seem like a bargain, no matter how good a deal it is. I find myself walking away from a lot of "stuff".
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What BOOK is it? I need a copy FAST!!!!
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Sounds good - I REALLY need to read that book I think. My life/house definitely needs simplifying.
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Elaine St James is the author. She has written a couple of books- right know I'm reading "Living the Simple Life", also very good.
She talks about every day things that make our lives more hectic- things you don't even think twice about like call waiting, e-mail, junk mail, the net... even magazines. Things that steal our time away and make us wonder why we never get to do what we really want.
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She has a whole "Simple Living" series. I think I've read 3 of them now. I bet they are available at most libraries, if not here's a link:
$9.95 $2.00 -- 80% off
I bought my copy because I think it's one I'll re-read again and again. HTH!
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The other day I was at Kohls & they had this large ceramic flower pot on sale 80% off. Great deal. I had it in my hand and then I realized, if I bought it, I'd have to buy flowers to put in it, a bag of dirt, plant the flowers, and then water them every day. I decided I had enough potted plants & put it back!
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Smart move, Calimari! When you buy stuff it's easy forget the work that goes into maintaining it, storing it, caring for it, etc.
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$2 bucks for Living the Simple Life- that is a great deal. That has been my favorite of her books. And on top of all that simplifying wisdom I keep hearing (in my mind) the line from Fly Lady: You can't organize clutter.
Isn't that the truth? The only solutionis to get rid of it. It feels sooo good just to have a lot of my junk GONE.
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I have also read about Feng Shui - which has a lot of the same principles. Some of it is too new-agey for me, but I have gleaned some great information from those books too. Mostly just if you don't love it or use it, get rid of it. Clutter and stuff with bad vibes aren't good for 'ya!
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I can't tell you how many times in the last few months that I've gone into Target/Kohl's/etc. picked something up that was a great deal (75 - 80% off), got in line, thought for a bit, realized I really don't "need" it (even though it's a GREAT deal), and put it back. It is a very free-ing experience