De-cluttering and simplifying life doesn't end with tangible things but expands to that awful, stress-inducing debt. My student loans are outrageous and I'm not afraid or embarrassed to admit that they are huge. They are what they are and I have three degrees. However, just because I'll be honest about them doesn't mean that they don't cause me panic and a strong desire to throw up. I don't want to be boggled down by them or worry about them for the rest of my life, so we are making a plan.
I believe that as long as you are intentional about something you can accomplish what you want. For now, we have decided to open a separate bank account that my paychecks will go in. Our student loans will get paid from that money and then any extra in the account will get thrown towards specific loans we choose, to pay them off one at a time. We are going to reevaluate every couple of months to decide which loans to throw extra moolah at. My husbands pay will hopefully cover everything else, but of course should something crazy happen we still have the option of pulling from the other account.
I'm the kind of person who needs the visual. Once something is in my savings account it's off limits and I have a hard time touching it. Doing the same thing with loan payments will hopefully be as beneficial. I will update on how this works as we go along and share any helpful tips. In the meantime I appreciate any ideas others have and what has worked for them.
And just as a bonus and inspiration...I paid off a loan today!! Woohoo, small dent, but still a dent.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Thursday, October 3, 2013
First Steps-Declutter a.k.a. Get Rid of That Junk!
I have a hard time getting rid of things because I always think what if I could have a use for that later or I just don't want to be wasteful. And no, mom, I am not a hoarder. : )
My house is actually pretty neat its just when you get right down to it and open the doors and closets we have more than we need for two people. I have a lot of unused stuff that takes up space and just collects dust. I figure there are two steps to weeding some of this out:
1) Getting the motivation to tackle it
2) Letting go - either giving it away, selling it, or realizing it's not worth the energy
3) Also knowing that just because you have the space doesn't mean you have to keep it filled
My first step in simplifying is to get rid of the excess "stuff."
While watching TV in the evenings this week I have taken the time to pull out drawers and clean through them. Two-fold help in the simplification process: wasting less time and cleaning out.
It's somewhat overwhelming but it feels so good when I get a drawer cleaned out and can throw some stuff away! It's going to be a slow process, but at least it's progressing.
How do you mentally prepare yourself for cleaning through stuff? Any tricks you use or thought processes to help you let go?
My house is actually pretty neat its just when you get right down to it and open the doors and closets we have more than we need for two people. I have a lot of unused stuff that takes up space and just collects dust. I figure there are two steps to weeding some of this out:
1) Getting the motivation to tackle it
2) Letting go - either giving it away, selling it, or realizing it's not worth the energy
3) Also knowing that just because you have the space doesn't mean you have to keep it filled
My first step in simplifying is to get rid of the excess "stuff."
While watching TV in the evenings this week I have taken the time to pull out drawers and clean through them. Two-fold help in the simplification process: wasting less time and cleaning out.
It's somewhat overwhelming but it feels so good when I get a drawer cleaned out and can throw some stuff away! It's going to be a slow process, but at least it's progressing.
How do you mentally prepare yourself for cleaning through stuff? Any tricks you use or thought processes to help you let go?
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
The Beginning
Lately, or at least for the last five or so months, the notion of minimalism has really been weighing on my heart. Some of it probably has to do with stress, but other reasons are freedom, time, and spirituality. My eyes have been opened to how much time I spend on stuff and working on things that in the bigger picture don't amount to a lot. I realize I never have time to do a lot of the activities that I would like to focus on because I have to spend time doing a lot of other "necessities." And believe me, I realize we can't always be doing fun things we want, but many of the things I can't do aren't necessarily what I would define as fun either, but amount to actually working toward future goals.
Don't get me wrong, as I will explain, I don't hate things and I am grateful for the things that I have been blessed with. However, those things can often build up and become burdens. I also don't think that being wealthy and having things is wrong, but I personally feel convicted and tied down by possessions. We all have our own convictions and things that we can and cannot live with. For instance, my husband doesn't necessarily feel the need for my minimalism and downsizing. Granted when I think about what "stuff" belongs to him in this house it is a very small proportion compared to my things. Of course it doesn't help that I have a million hobbies.
I feel that I need to and want to minimize a lot of areas in my life. Possessions, buying, and time spent on needless activities are just a few. Right now what is really weighing on me is my house. I love our house; I like not living on top of other people; I enjoy what we have done to the house. However, in many ways it feels unnecessary. We are but two people living in a big house. A house that allows me to have a craft room, a office/spare room/junk room, an extra sitting room and a basement (that is pretty much worthless with the humidity). The house overall just overwhelms me. This may be more because there is always some task/project that needs finished or something that needs fixed. As soon as you get one thing done another one pops up. This was fun for the first year and a half but now after two and half years it's getting a little old. I'm realizing how much time home ownership takes and how much energy and I'm wondering if it's necessary. Add in all the things I don't need that I spend time wading through and I start to feel like I'm drowning in stuff that won't matter in the end.
To begin, I think I need to be truthful about what the most important things in my life are; or at least what I deem should be:
1. God
2. Family
3. Friends
4. Helping Others
(If I admitted the truth there is a fifth item, myself, that fits somewhere in there, probably higher up the list than it really should be).
While these are the top important things to me, they are probably not the areas where all of my time and energy is being spent. Here's where it feels like my time and energy is spent:
1. Working
2. Sitting on my butt watching TV
3. Stressing
4. Sleeping
5. Doing projects around the house and treading water
Unfortunately most of those things don't help with the first list. In fact, I'm realizing that they inhibit it.
My goal going forward is to minimize. De-clutter and get rid of unnecessary items (which will be hard because I have a hard time parting with things because I don't want to be wasteful), if I can't move into a smaller place figuring out how to finish up projects and minimize time spent on house projects, and minimize wasted time.
By doing this I feel that I will be better able to serve other people. I won't be so boggled down with the unnecessary aspects of life. I also hope it will help me to be less stressed, be more free with my time to others, and build my faith and closeness to God. I realize this isn't going to happen in a week; no matter how much I would like it. It will be a journey and I'm intrigued to see where it goes.
Don't get me wrong, as I will explain, I don't hate things and I am grateful for the things that I have been blessed with. However, those things can often build up and become burdens. I also don't think that being wealthy and having things is wrong, but I personally feel convicted and tied down by possessions. We all have our own convictions and things that we can and cannot live with. For instance, my husband doesn't necessarily feel the need for my minimalism and downsizing. Granted when I think about what "stuff" belongs to him in this house it is a very small proportion compared to my things. Of course it doesn't help that I have a million hobbies.
I feel that I need to and want to minimize a lot of areas in my life. Possessions, buying, and time spent on needless activities are just a few. Right now what is really weighing on me is my house. I love our house; I like not living on top of other people; I enjoy what we have done to the house. However, in many ways it feels unnecessary. We are but two people living in a big house. A house that allows me to have a craft room, a office/spare room/junk room, an extra sitting room and a basement (that is pretty much worthless with the humidity). The house overall just overwhelms me. This may be more because there is always some task/project that needs finished or something that needs fixed. As soon as you get one thing done another one pops up. This was fun for the first year and a half but now after two and half years it's getting a little old. I'm realizing how much time home ownership takes and how much energy and I'm wondering if it's necessary. Add in all the things I don't need that I spend time wading through and I start to feel like I'm drowning in stuff that won't matter in the end.
To begin, I think I need to be truthful about what the most important things in my life are; or at least what I deem should be:
1. God
2. Family
3. Friends
4. Helping Others
(If I admitted the truth there is a fifth item, myself, that fits somewhere in there, probably higher up the list than it really should be).
While these are the top important things to me, they are probably not the areas where all of my time and energy is being spent. Here's where it feels like my time and energy is spent:
1. Working
2. Sitting on my butt watching TV
3. Stressing
4. Sleeping
5. Doing projects around the house and treading water
Unfortunately most of those things don't help with the first list. In fact, I'm realizing that they inhibit it.
My goal going forward is to minimize. De-clutter and get rid of unnecessary items (which will be hard because I have a hard time parting with things because I don't want to be wasteful), if I can't move into a smaller place figuring out how to finish up projects and minimize time spent on house projects, and minimize wasted time.
By doing this I feel that I will be better able to serve other people. I won't be so boggled down with the unnecessary aspects of life. I also hope it will help me to be less stressed, be more free with my time to others, and build my faith and closeness to God. I realize this isn't going to happen in a week; no matter how much I would like it. It will be a journey and I'm intrigued to see where it goes.
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