First Things First...
To get started I want to share about the real life I live - my journey, thoughts, struggles and victories! I’m hoping my life will bring some sort of value to yours.
I’ll begin in the middle… here, where I am right now.
We live in a small house with a tiny budget & big dreams! There are 4 humans, me, hubby, 1 son and 1 daughter, basically 4 adults. Between us we have 4 cats, 1 dog and too much stuff crammed into this 750 sq house. This was originally the local logger's cook shack. There was a working mill on this 6 acre property. Originally it was a much larger plot of land. The house we now call home is the one my husband grew up in. We live here with husband’s mom, my mother-n-law. She lives in a seperate building onsite. We moved here from Portland in 2011. Our previous home was 2300 sq ft. We were not too crowded in Portland. But since the day we moved to Oregon City we’ve been trying to get rid of “unnecessary” items.
It is my desire to create order inside and outside to limit the burden and maintenance of this property.
Some of my daily battles include dirt/mud management, and masses of disorganized personal belongings. All 4 of us are constantly trying to determine what we actually NEED or want, what we should throw away, put into storage, give away or donate.
One of my missions is to simplify my life by organizing and acquiring useful quality items that stand the test of time. I really hate our first world culture of disposable/ consumable stuff! It seems like material items whether necessary, sentimental or frivolous consume too much of my money, time and brain space. On top of that they are such poor quality and we are spending way too much hard earned cash to replace items that would have lasted 20 years or more for my grandparents or parents generations. Like what is wrong with washing machines, refrigerators, and dishwashers these days?! They only last 5-10 years! The appliances I grew up with had been in my parents house for 20 years before they even needed maintenance! Jesh... okay, back on track...
I’ve been trying to figure out for decades “how” to schedule, budget, clean and maintain my home. So I have time to do what I enjoy most- being inspire, creative and motivated and helping others in personal creativity and in emotional, mental and spiritual growth. And still have time and energy for designing and sewing, giving generously of my time, skills/talents and love to all my relationships. I can do all that, right?
I happen to be an idealist and and optimist so I generally believe all things are possible! For instance, I think there IS a way to make enough money to pay bills, get out of debt AND go on vacation!! Why not?!
Anyway, it seems to me that one way for me to start is to be more efficient and simplify my daily household duties. That would give my brain more time to come up with ideas, earn an income, relax and spend time with loved ones… right?
So here we go… I’ve noticed something about myself. This isn't logical when I think about it. But when I have been overloaded and burdened with financial stress, home duties or parenting. I go to the first thing I feel like I “can” do something about- eliminate the chaos! I’m talking about stuff-material items, possessions, garbage!
When I’m feeling "on edge" inside I begin to clean, organize and get rid of stuff. It seems to me, that If i was able to maintain order in my surroundings, I would not get so overwhelmed emotionally or mentally on the inside. Unfortunately my sudden, rash “throwing out” phase sometimes backfires. I end up getting rid of things I wish I would have kept. And throwing stuff out doesn’t make money or reduce debt… I get stressed about money and I throw stuff away. Counter productive, right? But the thought of selling my stuff adds to my burden and stress load so I do the “easy” thing and donate loads of “unnecessary items”. So this time I want to “fix” this mentality. I’ve spent too much time with self inflicted stress caused by procrastination and an aversion to schedules - Too much time being led by "what I feel like doing".
I’m going to start by researching tools or a plan that I can implement and maintain to help me clean more efficiently, only save the items we really need, get rid of clutter and stay organized! I will follow up with the tricks I try and let you know about the things I changed or added that really worked for me.
Today, I'm inviting you to join me in my journey of self awareness and discovery. Are you ready? LETS GO!
