Clearing Out

I have to admit it, I'm a pack rat. It was something I learned early in my life. Almost like a scout's honor of "always be prepared," I hated to throw anything out. I may need it someday, or miss it horribly if it goes away. And how could I get rid of things I had spent so much money on?? It would just be a waste!

I have moved on. Living in a small apartment with someone who is what I call a "plopper," I just couldn't keep it all anymore. And how many things have I missed? Hardly any! So I bagged up a lot of old clothes this past weekend, and took them to our local Goodwill. I was so relieved to have space in my closet again, and knowing my old clothes will not go to waste, either! I am beginning to box up more items hoping to get rid of them at a garage sale someday. Yes, it means they're still taking up space in my apartment, but in a box unseen, I am not missing them, and it's clearly marked "To Get Rid Of." Now you may wonder why I refer to my husband as a "plopper." A plopper may not have too much of anything, but they can rarely find anything because they do not take time to put things away. As soon as he gets in his car after work, his lunch bag goes into the backseat of the car. As soon as he gest home, his shoes go in the middle of the living room floor, his stuff in the chair, and our kitchen table no longer has space to eat at. We're starting to work on this, but only after I asked him what on earth happened to every fork in our home (scattered throughout his car in various bags, along with some rather moldy food containers, yick!). Please, do yourself and others a favor and put things where they belong. If they don't have a place to go, find one, or get rid of the item!

Clearing out some of our space helped me see there's still hope for us in getting organized, and made me feel a little more free in what space we have. Too much clutter may not sound bad, but it can lead to fire hazards, safety issues (those piles of who-knows-what in the top of the closet), and STRESS. If you feel like a slave to housework due to your belongings and not your house, then it may be time to Clear Out some stuff!

Time

Time is precious, and we can't rewind life, but we can choose how we spend that time every day and every moment. However, just because I want to play all day, doesn't mean I can. I cannot exercise in the living room if there is no floorspace, and I cannot use my computer if I have filled up the hard drive. So, as with most things in live, we have to prioritize. I find the best way to do this is to think of all the things you want to do and have first, and then list everything that must be done in order for you to do those things. I know that sounds backwards, but why waste time doing something that does not impact your life?
This does mean that you have to do regular maintenace work, though. Clearing the clutter from the floor becomes a daily chore, as well as doing the dishes, etc. No, they are not fun to do, but imagine how much easier it will be if you only take 30 minutes to clean a day rather than having to say no to doing fun things with your family on the weekend because you have to "clean house!"

I must admit, I am terrible about this! I often come home from work exhausted, tired, and want nothing more than to sit and relax. The problem is, I then wake up to an apartment that is cluttered and not optimum for having a happy morning, and it is tough to smile much when you've tripped over stuff all morning long! So here is to starting anew on maintenance cleaning! To more smiles and more time to enjoy LIFE!

Simply Living...the beginning

This blog is meant to be a hub of information on how to live more simply, or, as I like to say "simply live."
No one wants to spend hours and hours organizing, cooking, cleaning, etc, and miss out on LIFE. We want to be able to spend time with those we love, and do the things we love most. Unfortunately, in order to do so, we need to still get organized, cook meals, clean our homes, etc. Hopefully this blog will help me organize more of my ideas and thoughts on how to live a simpler life, but also give you hope that there can be a way to simply live and enjoy life!

So, welcome to the blog!