Still Life

I hope everyone had a great long weekend! I know that I am going to spend all day thinking that it's Monday, when really it's Tuesday...and it's already throwing me off.

As May comes to a close, I thought I would share with all of you the results of my no spend challenge. Earlier this month I challenged myself to not spend money on any "stuff" that wasn't already pre-determined to be an expense this month. That meant that I was allowed to buy the birthday gift that was on the list, but not also throw a new tank top for myself into the cart at Target and pretend it never happened. If we ran out of dish soap, I could buy more, but I needed to restrain myself against buying some new dish towels just because. So as this month comes to an end, I can say that I did a pretty good job of not spending money on junk- but I did buy a few things for myself that weren't technically on any list.

I had time to think about a few things this month related to my spending habits. The first thing is that I shop when I'm bored. I definitely noticed the itch to go out and "get stuff" when really I probably should have just taken the kids for a bike ride instead. (And so generally that's what I did. Yay for not shopping!)

But the second thing that this challenge helped me to come face to face with was the fact that I have no problem spending a few dollars on something that I don't really need, but I have so much trouble really putting down money for something that I really want. Case in point: art supplies.

This month I found an art class, I signed up to take it, I bought the necessary supplies, I paid for the class, and I am learning how to draw.  This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time but never given myself permission to do. When I talked to my husband about it he said, "I thought you were going to do that months ago," and he's right. But I just never felt like there was room in our budget to justify spending it on something like art. So in a way, this class came along at just the right time.

The art class has been great, I have learned so much in just 3 weeks. I already see myself looking at objects differently, noticing how the light hits them and where the shaddows fall. But more than that, it has allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone and TRY something that I have always just said, "Oh, I'm not good at that."

I feel fortunate that money did not have to stand in the way of it- but I think I also realized that I was using money as an excuse to put it off because I was scared of it. It felt good to dive right in, force myself to sit through the uncomfortable feeling that I get when I try something new, and just go for it.

So, next month, I don't know that I plan on putting myself on such a strict spending diet, but I am planning on continuing to be mindful about what I buy and why I'm buying it...or what I'm avoiding and why I'm avoiding it. I mean, I can't continue to deprive the world of these amazing still life sketches can I?

P.S. Please do not laugh at my 4th grade art skills.

Stars and Stripes

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! I hope everyone is spending it with family, friends, BBQs, pools, and naps. (That's my ideal combination of things anyway). Display those stars and stripes proudly this weekend!

Realistic Minimalism- One downsizing journey

While I was finalizing things for The Ultimate Blog Swap, I was also in contact with a friend of a friend- who I've gotten to know through Twitter (funny how these modern day friendships can evolve). She had mentioned on Twitter several times how she was in the process of simplifying, streamlining, and radically downsizing her life- so I asked her if she'd ever be willing to share her story here on my blog. It just so happened that everything came together about the same time, and since her story fits so well with what Brooke shared here on Tuesday, I thought I'd just roll with it and feature her guest post here this week as well.

Many times when people move their decision to move is motivated by a desire for MORE space, but Megan's story is just the opposite. I really enjoyed reading about her journey and I think you will too! 

via Nicola, Flickr Creative Commons

In 2008 when my husband, Travis, and I decided to buy our first house we didn’t set out to go smaller. We fell in love with a particular neighborhood and bought what was available. At 1144 square feet with no garage, the new house was significantly smaller than our 1800 square foot townhouse, but the new house just felt like home. We decided we would make the smaller space work.

Living in the smaller space was frustrating at first. We had to rent a storage unit to store most of our extra belongings. Even then, it was a tight fit. We went from having a generous two-car gage to street parking with no outdoor storage at all. At one point, we had 5 bicycles in the dining room! Our kitchen was another disaster. We only had three useable cabinets and a very small pantry. Slowly, we got rid of a lot of the clutter and got creative with storing what was left. We also built a shed for the bikes. After a few months, we got rid of the storage unit. We had downsized a lot, but we still had a lot of stuff.

a small kitchen calls for creative, and organized open storage

I continued to dwindle down our possessions, and as I did, I started to feel empowered and happy. The new house was also very close to downtown and we started walking to all of our favorite destinations - including work. I really enjoyed our pedestrian lifestyle and our smaller house. It took me a fraction of the time to clean it and it was a lot cheaper to heat and cool.

Our new lifestyle prompted me to start reading about minimalism and trying to find other ways to simplify our life, but it was all theoretical - a lot of reading and talking, but not a whole lot else. The stories out there were inspiring but also drastic. I was looking to make our life a little less hectic not give up all modern convinces or possessions.

I had a big “ah-ha” moment when my husband took a job in Austin and moved half of our stuff down to Texas while I stayed in Kansas to sell our house. I marveled at all the extra space, the clean surfaces and empty cabinets. I thought about what I didn’t miss and what I was grateful to still have on hand. Having only half of my stuff gave me a new prospective on what I really needed and wanted in a home.

When we recombined households, we were more deliberate. We settled on a 900 square foot, 2 bedroom,1 bath apartment, again with no garage. Once again, we had to get rid of a lot of stuff and get creative with storage.

This time, I was more determined than ever to cut the clutter out of my life. I loved living with less and I wasn’t about to go back. I was ruthless in downsizing. The first few weeks in Texas were chaos filled with trips to Goodwill as I purged our belongings even further.

It’s been challenging living in a smaller place. It’s an ongoing process. I’m still downsizing everyday. I average 1-2 trips a month to Goodwill with a box or two of donations. When I run across something I haven’t used in awhile I ask myself why I still have it. It’s hard to get rid of things you’ve had for a long time, but for me, it’s worth it. Living smaller means I use each and every object in my home and I always know where things are.

otherwise un-useable space under the stairs holds their bike collection

Yes, it’s much cheaper to heat and cool a smaller place and cleaning is a breeze, but honestly, it’s the mental clarity and freedom that comes from living with less that I enjoy the most.

Travis and I plan to make one more leap in our downsizing journey. We’re working towards moving downtown again. This time into a 1 bedroom apartment. We also plan to give up our car. Four years ago I would have balked at the idea of living in a 1 bedroom apartment with no car, but now, I can’t wait to do it.

 Learning to separate myself from my stuff has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for us.
Living in Europe? No problem, we don’t have to worry about what to do with our stuff. Spend half the year traveling? That’s fine, my space is small enough and cheap enough that it doesn’t seem like a waste to let it be vacant six months of the year. The most rewarding thing though is waking up each morning to a tidy, clutter free home full of only things I truly treasure.

***
Kind of makes you want to to through your stuff and get rid of some of it, doesn't it?
Be sure to check out more about Megan's life and journey towards realistic minimalism in her blog The Happenstance Homemaker.

Ultimate Blog Swap- Slow your home

Today is a very exciting day. I'm participating in a The Ultimate Blog Swap organized by one of my favorite blogs: Life Your Way.
So here's the deal, you can find my writing today at A Living Sacrifice blogging about why closets are one of my favorite blogging topics. Today in this space I'm happy to welcome Brooke from the amazing blog Slow Your Home. She's here to pull back the curtain on how to Slow your home- what does it mean, and how can you do it?

I'd love it if you'd go grab a fresh cup of coffee, get comfy- and then allow yourself to spend some time getting sucked down the fabulous worm hole of this blog hop. Go check out my post at A Living Sacrifice, then click over to read her original post on a fresh blog, and just keep hopping. Or if you love Brooke's guest post here, go see what else she has to say on her blog and find out who's guest posting for her today. I can't wait to visit some new blogs today and I hope that you'll join me!

Image via Viv Evans Flickr Creative Commons

A Slow Home?

Say what now?

Slow is the opposite to what we should be doing, right? Because life is full, and if you're not busy, not rushing, not stressed, then clearly you're not important. You're less than. You're weak.  

Wrong.

Slow is what so many of us crave. It's what so many of us need. It's the mark of someone who has said, "Enough. I'm choosing to put what's important first. I'm choosing to let the crap that doesn't matter go. I'm choosing to slow down.” It's just the small problem of how.   I can't tell you how to slow your life down. (Particularly in just one post). You need to decide what's important - what stays, what goes. What I can give you is three simple steps to create a slow home. And once you've got that, creating a slower life for yourself and your family will be a natural progression.  

But What is a Slow Home?

• A slow home is free of extraneous stuff. It doesn’t leave you feeling weighed down. It gives you room to breathe and to sit and to enjoy your life.
• A slow home is organised. When you understand where things belong and what comes next, then you remove a huge chunk of daily stress. Just by being organised, you free yourself to do bigger, better things.
• A slow home is good for you and your family. It is clean and healthy and good for the environment. You feel good inside it and you feel connected to the outdoors.

via Jeremy Levine Design Flickr creative commons

There are Three Integral Steps to Create a Slow Home:

1. DECLUTTER This is the most difficult and most important step to commit to. After this, you’re well on your way.

HOW TO DECLUTTER:

For each space you need to tackle, arm yourself with time; a good, clear head; 3 empty boxes or garbage bags and a positive attitude.

Then, room by room or cupboard by cupboard, you simply start.

• Take everything off just one shelf or flat surface.
• As you pick up each item decide right then if it is something you will:

1. definitely keep - something you regularly use, is very meaningful or you would replace if you lost
2. throw away - something that is broken or worn out
3. donate - something you haven't used in the past 12 months and is in good, working order.
4. maybe keep - where you're really undecided. Keep this pile as small as possible, and revisit it at the end of each declutter session. You will be surprised by how much of those things you were unsure of at the beginning have slipped into the ‘donate’ or ‘throw away’ piles.

• If you are keeping an item, put it back in place before moving on.
• Continue for each item until the surface is clear and only those things you want to keep have been put back.
• Only then, move on to the next space. And continue to move through your home until you're happy with the level of clutter that's been removed.

2. ORGANISE Cleaning and tidying and maintaining are so much easier (yes, really!) when everything has it's own place. What organisation works for one person will drive another mad, so I won’t try to cover different techniques here. But regardless of your approach to organising, you can and should break your home into zones, where each zone has it’s own role in your home.

ENTRYWAY:

• provides a designated spot (hat stand or a coat rack) to keep handbags, backpacks, jackets, hats and scarves.
• provides a clear space (hall stand or a shelf) where you leave your keys, purse, sunglasses, phones

LIVING/PLAY AREAS:

• toys, books, games all need a designated place. Consider halving the toys and rotate them in and out each month, to minimise clutter and toy overwhelm.
• ideally have a designated conversation area, where you can comfortably sit with friends without being overrun by toys.

KITCHEN:

• keep pantry and drygoods labelled and stored in designated places.
• minimise countertop clutter to give a clear, open workspace.
• keep gadgets and utensils to a minimum – only keep what you use regularly.

DINING:

• eating together at the table is really important so keep the dining table free of clutter to make this easy.

BEDROOMS:

• organised wardrobes of only clothes you actually wear. Rotate seasonal pieces out when not being worn.
• keep clutter to a minimum - the bedroom should be calming and restful.
• have somewhere to sit other than the bed.

ADMIN AREA:

• a designated place to take care of all home-management.
• space for computer.
• a place for opening/sorting mail, paying bills, papers requiring action, filing to be done.
• a place for your diary/family calendar and home management folder.

UTILITIES:

• keep clutter to a minimum and ensure everything has its place. You want to get in there, do your laundry or ironing with minimal fuss, and move on to something more enjoyable.

via Jeremy Levine Design Flickr Creative Commons

If you use each zone in your house well and keep it organised, your home will flow much better and your family will live in the space much more effectively. Which gives you time and space for the more important things.

3. MAKE YOUR HOME LIGHT AND AIRY

CLEAN THE AIR

• Open your curtains. Open your blinds. Let the light in.
• Open your doors. Open your windows. Let the fresh air in.
• Bring the outside in with multiple houseplants. Not only are they beautiful and relaxing to look at, but they actually help purify the air inside your home, removing many of the toxins that can cause air pollution.

USE GREEN CLEANERS

• Replace your commercial cleaners with green alternatives, or better yet, homemade recipes.
• You can make your own laundry detergent and surface; toilet; shower and glass cleaners using just a handful of non-toxic ingredients:
• white vinegar
• borax
• pure soap flakes
• castille soap
• washing soda
• bicarb soda
• essential oils

via My Cakies, A Beautiful Mess

That Seems Like a Lot of Work, Just to Slow Down

Slowing down and simplifying is, ironically, a very complicated job. It feels like more effort, time and energy than you have to give. But from this initial outlay of time and effort comes an almost immediate pay-off. You will feel lighter. You will feel less stress. You will benefit from feeling relaxed in and in control of your own home. And you will want to keep going, keep improving, keep simplifying your home bit-by-bit so that you can slow down and live the life you want. The life you will love.  

Brooke McAlary is a aspiring minimalist, blissful gardener, frequent swearer, novice writer and inappropriate laugher. She is also a happy wife, busy mum and slightly weird Australian. She blogs at Slow Your Home and is on a mission to help you slow down, brighten up and love your life.


Be sure to head back over to Life Your Way to check out all of the blog swap participants.

Here Comes The Sun

I'm right in the middle of the most beautiful weekend we've had yet: 80s and sunny, not a cloud in the sky, not a worry in the world. As far as I'm concerned nothing says happy like yellow!  

More Shopping from the List

Last weekend several trips were made to the grocery store. And by several, I mean at least 3. Despite this fact, on Monday I still had nothing to fix for dinner. There was all kinds of "stuff" in the cupboards and refrigerator, but nothing to make a complete meal.

via Matt McGillivray Flickr Creative Commons

You see, since it was Mother's Day last Sunday, my husband did the grocery shopping and lots of the weekend cooking. Love him to death, and he's not one of those men that's lost in the grocery store calling me every 5 min to ask what brand of bread we usually buy, he just doesn't always plan ahead. Meal planning and list making aren't really his thing. I mean, let's face it, one super Type A personality is enough for most marriages.

Meal planning and (grocery) list making aren't really my thing either. In fact I HATE meal planning, and I'm always dreading the task of making a grocery list for some reason. But the only thing that I hate more than meal planning and list making, is going to the grocery store 4 times in 3 days. My parents, who live in the wilderness at least an hour away from a decent grocery store, are laughing at me right now and my suburban habits of convenience.

I'll talk about meal planning later on. Maybe as soon as I come up with a system better than sighing heavily as I ask everyone what they want for dinner this week, before ultimately flipping mindlessly through some magazines, cookbooks, and pinterest food boards only to settle upon the same 7 meals I always make.

BUT, even if I forget it at home half of the time, I can make a mean grocery list. And since I can't decide if this is something normal or not- I thought I'd share with you my secret to an uber organized shopping trip.

I make my grocery list organized by aisle.



via Eddie Welker, Flickr Creative Commons

And when I shop I always park in almost the same spot, so I can enter the store through the same set of doors, and do my shopping in the same order. You see, if you park at the other end of the parking lot, you have to enter into the produce department first, and it just doesn't make sense to start your shopping there. I like to zig zag up and down the dry good aisles first, then finish up my trip w/ a perimeter lap to pick up produce, meats, dairy and frozen so that they are in the cart the least amount of time. Is this normal? I have no idea.

So- super shopper tip of the day: organize your list the same way you shop, then as you shop you can easily tick off the list. Also, if my meal plan is a little crazy and contains a new recipe with a new ingredient, I usually circle it or highlight it to try to remind me to snap out of my shopping routine and look for it.

I also write my meal plan at the top of the list so I can quickly glance down and do a mental check if I've forgotten anything required to make each dish.

It's not an exact science, and I still forget stuff, but my batting average is slightly better than my spouse's in this department. Anyone else have any super shopper tips, or funny hubby-went-shopping stories to share?