1.  Give away.  One of the first things I tell my clients is to go through everything and clean out!  [...]]]> I have helped many people get organized over the years.  In almost every single case, these 4 areas were the most important in getting these folks to a more peaceful place in their homes and workplaces.

1.  Give away.  One of the first things I tell my clients is to go through everything and clean out!  Give away (or sell) anything you don’t use or love regularly.  This is the #1 best way to get more organized.  Get rid of stuff that is wasting your time, your space, and your  money right off the bat!

2.   Find a home.  Make sure everything has a place to live.  Everything you need, use and love that is.  Not only does it need a place to live, but that place needs to be easy to get to (especially for regularly used items), and close to where it is used.  If you have to lift lids or unstack things to put something away, you will not do it most of the time.  It will get stacked.   Make homes for everything easy to see and easy to get to.

3.  Categorize.  Keep like with like.  It’s much easier to find things when they are not in 10 different places around the house.  For instance, keep all batteries in one container in an easy to get to place.    Keep all garden supplies together in the garage.  Keep all tools together in one place.   Keep all files together in one place.  You get the idea.  It’s MUCH easier to put things away and to find things when you know they should be in one location.

4.  Keep it up.   You must keep it up.  I’d say about 20% of it is setting up the system and the infrastructure for your organization.  80% is keeping it up.  I tell my clients this all the time.  Unfortunately my time with them will not solve everything going forward.  It definitely sets them on their way…but it does not solve the issue.  They must be willing to spend time every day putting things away and cleaning out on a regular basis.  When new things come into the house, old things must go out or you will be under a pile before no time! 

I hope these help you in some way.  These are really the biggest steps to getting and staying organized.  Good luck!

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I originally posted about the “100 Thing Challenge” back in Sept. of 2009.  That was really the beginning of my desire to start living with less.  Well, I just finished reading Dave Bruno’s  book about his 100 Thing Challenge and how it all came about.  In this book he writes [...]]]>

I originally posted about the “100 Thing Challenge” back in Sept. of 2009.  That was really the beginning of my desire to start living with less.  Well, I just finished reading Dave Bruno’s  book about his 100 Thing Challenge and how it all came about.  In this book he writes about how his life was before the challenge and what led him to create this challenge.

Dave then goes on to describe the process of going through his personal things and making decisions on what to sell or give away.  He talks about his emotional ties to his train set and how he had been hanging on to those trains because of some disappointments from his childhood.  I love how he points out how many of us, himself included, go and buy stuff as an attempt to fix an emotional problem.   That is what shopping does for many people.  It tricks them into feeling like they are solving problems, but really they are only creating more.  

He purged the trains.  He says that letting go of those trains ”was inspirational and cathartic.”  As an organizer, I would love for a lot of my clients to read Dave’s book.  I wish everyone could experience what it feels like to let things go.  It’s not as scary as many believe.

As I read the book, I felt as if I were sitting down across from Dave and he was telling me the story about his life over the past few years.  His writing is so easy to read and keeps you engaged.  He writes from his heart and lets you into his thoughts and feelings.  He’s transparent, which I love.   He’s real and you can relate to him.  You really get to know Dave and experience the challenge with him through his words. 

I’m inspired by Dave and his story.  I have begun my own 100 Thing Challenge and continue to work on it.  I’m close, but need to continue to pare a few things down quite a bit.  I think it’s a great idea, brilliant really.  Living with less helps us to see what is really important and how much “stuff” we can live without.

I applaud Dave for creating this challenge and I thoroughly enjoyed reading his book and learning  more about the person behind the challenge.

I meet a lot of people that look at minimalism as something negative.   They see it as having to do without too much.  They see it as unnecessary.  They see it as sacrifice.  It is a sacrifice, but don’t we have to sacrifice when we need to make room for [...]]]>

I meet a lot of people that look at minimalism as something negative.   They see it as having to do without too much.  They see it as unnecessary.  They see it as sacrifice.  It is a sacrifice, but don’t we have to sacrifice when we need to make room for better things in our lives?  We must  rid ourselves of the old to make room for the new.  And when I say “new” I don’t mean new “stuff”.  I mean the new lifestyle and the new way of thinking.

Many of us have too much stuff!  Getting rid of “stuff” allows you to make room for those things that matter most in your life.  If you aren’t weighted down you have more time to do those things you always say you do not have time for.

“Stuff” can be more than just tangible things, it can be:

1. Too many activities
2. Too many memberships
3. Too many appointments
4. Too many worries
5. Too many negative habits
6. Too many unresolved issues
7. Too many hurts being carried around

All of these things can be the “stuff” that weighs you down.  Many times clutter in the home is just a result of something much bigger that is weighing you down or holding you back.  If you have some issues and feelings inside that need to come out, go and talk to someone.  Get some counseling and work through all that “stuff” so that it no longer weighs you down.  When you are free of some of your innermost issues, you are free to live the life you want to live.

Getting rid of emotional “stuff” is the first step to getting rid of the physical “stuff” in many cases.  Lighten the load in every area of your life so that you can focus on all those things that truly matter!

Doesn’t the word “downsizing” often have a negative connotation?  As if downsizing is a bad thing.  I think many people see that as sacrifice and see it in a bad light.  To me, downsizing is what we all should be thinking about.  Downsizing is just living with less, which [...]]]>

Doesn’t the word “downsizing” often have a negative connotation?  As if downsizing is a bad thing.  I think many people see that as sacrifice and see it in a bad light.  To me, downsizing is what we all should be thinking about.  Downsizing is just living with less, which I am all for.

Less worries, less stress, less stuff, less headaches, less money and less clutter.  Hallelujah!  That all sounds great to me.

My husband and I are in the process of downsizing and I am excited about where we are going.  It makes me happy to think that we will have less stuff to get in the way of living life.  Less to worry about and take care of and more time to focus on what really matters.  When we have less stuff to get in the way, we have more time to spend with our family, playing with our kids and getting involved in our community.  If we have to spend Saturdays taking care of all of our stuff, then we are missing out.

I love this recent post from Becoming Minimalist titled ” 12 Reasons Why You’ll Be Happier in a Smaller House“.   Joshua brings up some great points.  He also points out why so many people think they need bigger and bigger houses, but that brings more and more pressure and stress.

Here are a few reasons why I love the thought of Downsizing:

1.  Less surface area to clean.
2.  Less bills to pay on stuff we don’t need.
3.  Living closer together and enjoying my family more.
4.  Less time each day taking care of a house and a big yard.
5.  More time to get outside and get more involved in our community.
6.  Less stress and worry.
7.  More time for what really matters.
8.  No more feeling weighted down by stuff.
9.  Much more peace in my life.
10.  Setting a good example for our kids.

What do you think of downsizing?

I love this website that I found a couple of weeks ago.  It [...]]]> I am always looking for more and more ways to simplify our meals and save money at the grocery store.  I’ve been reading a lot about it and I’ve found some great blog posts and websites that I wanted to share.

I love this website that I found a couple of weeks ago.  It is called Food On The Table.  You can select a store near you and then put in the types of food you purchase and it will put together meal plans based on sales at your store.  You can also print out a grocery list or compare the prices to another store nearby.  I have just started using it and I’m enjoying it so far.  I am currently using the free version, but plan to upgrade as soon as I can.

One of my favorite bloggers, Small Notebook, had a great post this week about this very topic and about how much money she spends at the grocery store.  She is spending $550 and her family has food allergies that she has to account for.  We have a budget of $500 each month, but I seem to go over it often.  I’m working on that.

I also found a site called $5 Dinners and I’ve signed up for the regular emails.  I get emails of $5 dinner ideas.  I love this site.  She has a ton of recipes that are very inexpensive to make.

This is a great post about ways to save money at the grocery store.  The author has included a bunch of different ideas, many I had never thought of.

How To Save Money On Groceries

That’s it for now.  Please let me know if you have any great sites and/or articles about this subject.

I love Craigslist.  Over the past two years my husband and I have sold hundreds of dollars worth of our stuff on Craiglist.  It is a great way to get rid of things and make a little cash in return. 

Why I love Craigslist:

1.  It’s easy to use.

I love Craigslist.  Over the past two years my husband and I have sold hundreds of dollars worth of our stuff on Craiglist.  It is a great way to get rid of things and make a little cash in return. 

Why I love Craigslist:

1.  It’s easy to use.
2.  It’s free to use.
3.  It’s a quick way to get cash for your stuff.

However, there are definitely some good guidelines to follow that will help you be more successful.  Here is what we have learned:

1.  Include good pictures in your post.  Take good pictures and take them from all angles.  You can only post 4 pictures, but I would include all 4 if you can. 
2.  Include the measurements.  It never fails, if I leave out  measurements I get a ton of emails asking me how big the item is.  
3.  Do not give your address out to early.  I only give out our address when I know it’s a serious buyer and we have decided on a specific date and time.  You can also agree to meet someone somewhere, but I’ve been left waiting before.  So we usually have them come to the house and we’ve had no issues so far.
4.  Safety in numbers.  Just to be safe I usually make sure I schedule a time when my husband is home when they are going to come to the house.  I would not schedule a time for a man to come by when it is just my daughter and I at home.  We’ve had some really nice people so far, but you never know.
5.  Try to honor commitments.  If someone says they will be at your house at a certain time, be sure and save the product for them.  If they do not show up, then sell it to the next person that was interested.  I am not suggesting you hold it for anyone for more than a day or two, but if someone has said they will be at your house at a certain time make sure you give them a chance to get there.  If you sell it beforehand and they’ve driven an hour to get to your house, they will not be happy and they now know where you live. 
6.  Only take cash.  We only take cash.  Also, beware of those that come to your house and say “well I only have x amount of money”.  My response to that is…”you knew how much I was asking when you agreed to come by”.  I do not fall for that.  I tell them there is an ATM machine up the street.  Now, if you are willing to sell a particular item for cheaper then that is up to you.  I have had people try this when I already have others interested at the specified price.  In those cases, I do not take less. 

That’s pretty much it.  Those are the basic rules we follow and we’ve had a lot of luck with Craigslist.  I do give a lot of items away to Goodwill, but we hang onto anything we think we can make a little cash on and we post it on Craigslist.  If you haven’t tried it yet, you might want to give it a try.

My husband and I are on a journey to become “Financially Free” right now and here are the steps we are following (per Dave [...]]]> Managing your money really isn’t that complicated.  It may be difficult to stay on track, but the concepts to get you to “Financial Freedom” are really pretty simple.

My husband and I are on a journey to become “Financially Free” right now and here are the steps we are following (per Dave Ramsey):

1.  Save Early and Often.   First off make sure you have $1000 in an Emergency Fund.
2.  Get Rid of Debt.  Focus on paying off all of your debt (except your mortgage)  no matter how much you have.  Cut expenses and make some extra money if needed, but get out of debt! 
3.  Save 3-6 Months.  Once you are out of debt you should save 3-6 months worth of living expenses in your Emergency Fund so that you do not get into debt again.  Once you have paid off your debt, you can use the payments you were sending to your credit cards and loans to go towards this savings until it is fully funded.
4.  Save for Retirement.  There are many retirement calculators to help you determine how much you should be saving given your age and what you already have saved. 
5.  Save for College.  Once you have funded your Emergency Fund and your retirement, you can begin saving for your children’s college. 
6.  Work Toward Paying Off your Mortgage. Once you have funded your other savings accounts, work towards paying off your last bit of debt, your mortgage.
7.  Give Generously.  Once you have no more debt and you have fully funded your savings accounts start giving more of your money away.  Bless others with what you have been blessed with. 

Once you get through these 7 Steps you are truly “Financially Free”.  It’s really pretty simple.  It will be difficult to get there, but so worth it! 

Start simplifying your finances and live below your means.  It’s the only way to go!

I just read about this project, called “Six Items Or Less“.  The challenge is to wear only 6 items of clothing for one month.  Underwear, work-out clothes and outer wear are not included.  I have missed the start date, but I could do my own experiment.  I [...]]]>

I just read about this project, called “Six Items Or Less“.  The challenge is to wear only 6 items of clothing for one month.  Underwear, work-out clothes and outer wear are not included.  I have missed the start date, but I could do my own experiment.  I need to think about this one though.  The 100 Thing Challenge has been easier simply because it is a 100 things, not just 6 pieces of clothing!  Yikes.  That’s a small number.  Luckily I do not have to dress up to go to work each day.  I can easily wear jeans and flip flops and a t-shirt.  I do dress nicer for church on Sundays and when my husband and I are having a “date night” occasionally, so this should not be too hard for me, but I’m still hesitant.

I love these challenges though.  They represent simplifying at it’s finest.  

I did do a total overhaul of my closet about a year ago.  I let my husband help me go through everything I owned.  If it was something he didn’t like and I was just “so-so” about, it was out.  It felt so good, but I still have quite a bit more than only 6 things.  I’m going to think about this one and get back to you.

Do you think you could live on only 6 items of clothing for a month or more?