Monday, September 24, 2012

Life Simplified : Define Needs vs. Wants

This a beginning of an ongoing series about how to live a more 
simplified life. Learn how to achieve it through purging 
unnecessary clutter in your home and life. 
Stay tune for the rest of the series.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 If you look at the web, any magazines, self help books, blogs, Pinterest or just about anywhere, you will see lots of information out there about organizing your life. 
How to take your stuff and make it all fit. Organize it and it will be better.
And we are spending more money on how to organize more stuff. 
How to hide your stuff. 
How to clean your stuff. 
How to make your stuff look less like stuff! 
Where is the information about living with less stuff?
Do people not realize the more you own the more you have to care for it?
Stuff becomes a burden.


Before you think I am one of those people trying to make you feel guilt about having nice stuff, I'm not. I fully believe in you get what you pay for in life. And sometimes to
have something worthwhile and nice, you have to pay for nice things.
That is not the problem I see.
The problem I see is lots of unnecessary stuff, cheap stuff, that we buy because it was cheap. You know what I am talking about? Who hasn't dropped $15 at a Dollar Tree before? Not to say it is all junk. But what it does do is perpetuate this idea that if it
is cheap enough, then we should have more than enough.
Or the other concept, we may need it someday. So we hold on to it.
Then there is the old guilt trip, "it was a gift."
This series is not a how to on how to de-clutter your house, but you should stop buying
into the myths on why you have to live with clutter.
Clutter has ZERO benefit.
No one has ever proven that clutter adds anything but stress in one's life.
When we establish that clutter is not helpful to anyone then we can move on to a basic concept in living with less.


"Do I need it?"
That is question I ask whenever I am about to purchase something.
Because I am a firm believer that most clutter is not needed items. Therefore establishing some ground work on what is a need vs. want in your home will help you tackle the issue. For instance, in my home, a cell phone is not a need but a want.
We do have cell phones but we know they are a luxury item for us. If something should happen where we couldn't afford it, we would cut it without much to do. For you, this maybe a need. And clearly defining wants vs. needs makes it easier to rid yourself
of things that are robbing you of a more simple life.
Stuff takes time to maintain, sort, store, upkeep and keep track of. 
The more stuff you have, the more of you it requires.
Be selective of what you want to spend your money and time on.
Keep it simple!

Check in with us next Monday for the next installment!



Monday, September 17, 2012

Why I Lose My Mind...or live with teenage girls.

Do y'all know who this is?
 No?
Then you either don't have a pre-teen or teen daughter.
Or yours are normal.
Mine?
Not so much. 
The fact I now know that Harry Styles dated a 32 yo woman, Liam was on X Factor before and that Louis loves suspenders really concerns me.
You understand the gibbering goes on for hours in the day. Hours. 
I apparently no longer have daughters, I have Directioners. Seriously.
While I joke that it drives me insane, inside I am smiling.
Why?
Check out this blurry old picture.
1985 + Me + Duran Duran = Enough said.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

We have a winner! :)

Thank you all who entered our giveaway for the Kitchen Unpaper Starter Pack! 
We 8 entries and I numbered you accordingly as you posted. First 1 and last 8.
I used Random.org and it picked a winner!
And who is #2? Let's take a look....


Yeah Kimberly! Contact me with your addy and I will get your pack on the way to you! :)
If you didn't win, don't fret. We have more of these sets and we will be doing more giveaways soon for more packs. Just keep checking back to see when to enter. 
Thanks everyone!


Sunday, September 9, 2012

*CLOSED* Ditching the Disposable Giveaway


Since I first wrote about becoming paper free, I have encountered many people 
on my blog, on our Facebook page and anywhere on the Internet where 
I might discuss this that express they too would like to be paper free in their homes. 
They see the benefit not only to our natural resources but it is a time and money saver. But the common thing after they express is to me is, "But I don't know where to start."
Friends, it is overwhelming. So much paper, so much waste. Such a disposable society.
When I started to try to answer these question it became apparent that 
I too had struggled with this in the beginning. 
What cloth should I use for each task? Did I need a lot of cloths? Do I go cold turkey?
It took many months if not a year of trial and error to get where I am. 
My goal is to help ease your struggle in your process should you also 
want to be a paper free home. 
After pondering these questions I decided to make and give away a 
Starter Kitchen Unpaper Pack, here is what the pack consists of :
2 Microfiber Cleaning Cloths
4 All Purpose Cleaning Cloths
2 Un~paper Towels
4 Dinner Napkins
How do you enter?
Leave a comment on this post.
Easy peasy.
No pushes to join us on other social media.
No requirement for you to promote this giveaway elsewhere.
No standing on your head while reciting a 15 sentence poem on why you love my blog.
Just comment. :) 
Also, if your outside the US...go right ahead and enter.
Everyone is entitled to leave the disposable culture behind.
Even people in Hong Kong. :)
Only restriction is one entry per family. Let's keep it fair.
You have until September 16th, 2012 9 am EST to get your comment in & be entered.
One random winning will be drawn and announced by 5pm that day. 
So, what are you waiting for? This is easy and simple.
I want to make it simple because it should be.
And because I truly want to remove the confusion around taking this step.
So, go ahead, enter.
I thank you.
And the trees  & earth thank you. :)