Back to Simpler Times

One of my very favorite shows growing up was “Little House On The Prairie”. I love to watch that show even more now that I am older.  It occurred to me why I love that show so much. It is the SIMPLICITY of it!! I love their simple way of life and the feelings I get when I watch it. I love the Christmas episode when the Ingall’s family are excitedly putting out their stockings waiting for good old Saint Nick to arrive. Christmas morning Laura is radiant and so happy as she pulls the gifts out of her stocking —-a penny, a candy stick, and an orange. Laura exclaims that it is the best Christmas she has ever had.  You would think by the look on her face that she was given a million dollars. I thought about the irony of today. We are literally crazy people to make sure we get everything on our children and grandchildren’s lists. We do everything we can to ensure a perfect Christmas. I must admit I have done this myself. I look back when I was younger and for the life of me I can not remember the presents I received for Christmas, but I do remember the feelings, memories, traditions, and my family! We fill our home with so many material things that I wonder if what our children really want is our time, our attention, and our love. I’m not saying that we return our Christmas presents. But, I wonder if we can think about what truly fills our homes, our time, and our lives. 

This brings me to our next step on our financial journey. Start decluttering your home! This will not happen overnight or even this month. But, day by day we will feel better and free ourselves from the material things that drag us down. Remember the rule of the Golden Gate Bridge from my second post. We need to work on our financial journey every single day. It will be a process but you will begin to love this journey. Start simple—-clean a drawer a day, then a cupboard, and then a closet. Every item you pick up you will ask yourself these questions. Does this item bring me joy? Does it serve a purpose or have I used this item in the past year? If the answer to these questions is no, then I have some ideas for you. I have learned from experience that you can pull these things together and have a garage sale, but the biggest bang for your buck is to donate these items to DI or to another organization. Make sure to get a receipt and keep a detailed list of what you donated so you can claim it on your taxes. Another idea to do with your unwanted items is to sell them on E-bay. Our oldest daughter paid for a semester of college by selling half of her Sailor Moon collection on E-bay. I have also sold items to Kid-to-Kid and they pay you in cash. Another bonus to cleaning out our homes is that you never know what you will find. I found some art work that I bought at a garage sale for a few bucks but later found out it was worth two hundred dollars. Another time I found two birthday cards with 20 dollar bills inside. It is amazing the treasures you will find when you put your home in order. 

I’m sure you are wondering what in the world does decluttering our home have to do with becoming debt free. As we are working on our financial journey of becoming debt free, it will affect all areas of our lives. We will feel the desire to put all of our affairs in order. You will think about every purchase you make and what you bring back in to your home. You and your children will thrive and love the feeling of material freedom. You will feel a sense of peace and your stress will lower considerably. I promise you the more you declutter you will come to love the simplicity that permeates your home.

When we lived in Kansas years ago Bob received a transfer back to Utah. We decided that I would stay with the kids in Kansas for four months so they could finish out their school year. Before Bob left for Utah we literally cleaned out our home and put everything in storage. We let the kids pick out five toys and five outfits to wear. We prepared our home so that at any given moment we could show our home to prospective buyers. At first I worried about the kids not having all their belongings but what we found out later is that they absolutely LOVED IT!!! We went to the park more, used our imaginations, played games together, and made our own fun! Life was so simple and easy.

As we unclutter our lives we will be surprised at how much we will lower our stress. We will put our lives in order. We will find a peace that has been missing. We will remember that happiness does not come from things but from memories, experiences, and relationships.  We will slow down and enjoy our children. We will think twice about what comes in to our homes. We will even think about what we spend our time on. (In a future blog I will write about decluttering our schedules but for now we will work on our homes). We will sell, donate, or throw things away that we no longer use. We will bring simplicity back in to our lives. 

We are preparing ourselves, our children, and our homes for the change that is coming. Everyday we will take baby steps in securing our financial freedom. Check in every day my friends. We are only beginning. The best is yet to come!