Ask:
I am wanting to REALLY simplify. What do all of you do simplify your lives? I'd love as much or as little detail that you want to give.
Thanks!
Erica
Answer:
I would love some suggestions for this as well. Anyone out there that has had success with simplifiying?
Brandy
Answer:
House - 1500 sq ft. bought a fix-er uper and almost finished fixing it up
Furniture- $100 dining rm set from estate sale, free waterbed from parents, etc. We don't have a bunch of extras like coffee tables and curio cabinets.
Electronics - 2 TVs in house - Living Rm and basement, 1 DVD, 1 CD player, 1 receiver, 2 labtops
Pets -1 dog
Cars - 1992 Jeep & 1988 Chevy Pickup with no liens, 1999 Suburban to be paid 11/07
Food - minimal junk food, cook homemade foods, eat organic
Clothes - donate or sell clothing not used past season for adults, only keep what you wear in your closet. Children - I try to buy only what they need instead of buying them something because it looks cute.
Toys - purge toys they don't use or rotate, 1 toy comes in 1 toy goes out
Shopping in general, hit the sales, use coupons, buy off season
Answer:
House 1500 square feet w/ basement (perfect size!)
Car1- 2000 Jeep paid off
Car2- 2005 Toyota Corolla (Toyota's last forever)...still paying on this one, it was bought new.
Toys- Rotate!
Clothes- Sales!!!!! ...and hand me downs.
Food- Coupons, sale items, I make a list of what we need before I go so that my trip is quicker and I don't go back and forth between the ailses running into things I really don't need.
Furniture- OK, I splurged a bit here. I like quality furniture that looks good. I can't help it, I went to school for Interior Design! But the smaller house allows me a larger budget to design the home a little fancier than I could a larger home.
Answer:
Right now I'm reading a book about 'how to cheat at housework'. The problem is, I already do much of what the author recommends.
I have to! I have arthritis so I simply can't spend a large portion of my picking up and cleaning up all the time.
- When we're having a quick snack, we use paper plates or just a napkin.
- I deal with junk mail immediately.
- I have my bills delivered to a post box. I pick them up once a week, open the mail once and deal with the bills right then. I pay my bills on-line.
- When I remove clothes from the dryer I hang them up or fold them right away - as I'm pulling them from the dryer. Minor wrinkles can usually be fixed by spritzing the wrinkle with water from a spray bottle then hand-flattening that spot. I hang to dry and the item is perfectly usable. This saves me tons of time in trying to keep up with the ironing done.
- I use a lot of disposable cleaning wipes, including a Swiffer floor mop. I know, I know, I know. It is horrible for the environment but my back appreciates the change.
- I use a lot of Miracle Clothes for other kinds of cleaning. I'm slowly switching over all of my kitchen towels to Miracle Clothes. At least this I do for the environment.
- I deal with most leftovers by feeding them to the dog (meats / cheeses / eggs / rice), the rabbit (fruits and veggies) or to the wildbirds (bread).
- I have simplified making the bed to the nth degree. Usually all I do is straighten the pillows and pull up the covers and I'm done.
- And of course, I'm decluttering like crazy. Less stuff in the house means less I have to clean.
Answer:
We simply by living life in the slow lane. My whole life is about pacing myself so I have the energy, motivation, and enthusiasm to get through each day living my life to it's fullest.
House:1000 sq feet (I wouldn't want much bigger - more to clean)
1 car
Kids: activities only in the summer
Housework: two things a day, no long cleaning day, stick to a cleaning schedule
Clothes: We all have a very simple basic classic wardrobe. When a piece wears out or gets grown out of, it gets replaced. When we buy something new, something old goes out.
Pets: None ( I don't recommend giving them up if you have them already)
Clutter: As little as possible. As the Flylady says, "You can't organize clutter" It has to go to live simply and peacefully.
Routine: Most of my weeks are very much like another. On Mondays I grocery shop and wash all the sheets and towels, on Tuesdays I .... When we have routine, we don't feel stressed because we all know what to expect next.
Financial 'Automation': I have to give David Bach, author of the Automatic Millionaire credit for this one. All of our savings automatically go into their own accounts every month. All of our bills are paid automatically every month. It makes life so much easier not having to think about savings or bills.
TV: TiVo or DVR. We tape one show each for each member of the family. We watch it when we have the time and when our chores are done and fast forward through the commercials.
Commercial free: We all fast forward through commercials and listen to commercial free radio or CDs. We don't know what we're missing if we refuse to listen to the message.
Schedule: We eat breakfast and supper every day of the week together as a family (except Fridays which are date night). We wake up at the same time every morning and go to sleep basically at the same time every night (except for dh who is a full time student and works - he does the occasional all nighter but still gets up to have breakfast with us.) After school, it's a quick snack and then it's homework time. Kid's thrive on routines and schedules and having them in place has simplified our life 100 fold.
Faith & Gratitude: We go to church every Sunday. We give thanks before every meal. We pray with the kids before they go to sleep. It helps us to focus on what we are grateful for; the things we already have, a wonderful family and a warm, simple and loving home.
Answer:
Wow! I am really impressed - thanks for the info so far.
Erica
Answer:
Cut down on activities for yourself and your kids. Say "No" to invitations and activities which you don't find meaningful or aren't looking forward to. You will find that you have a lot of additional "free" time to get other things done.