Frugal February

Pretty early in our marriage, my husband and I realized that we were spending way too much on our groceries every week and noticed that our pantry was beyond full.  We came up with a challenge to reduce our purchases and to use up the things we already had for the next month.  We expanded this beyond groceries and into our general spending.  This challenge became known as Frugal February, and it has become an annual tradition in our family.  (By the way, it's no coincidence that this happens on the shortest month of the year.)

For that first year, we cut back our spending so substantially in February that we were able to pay for a trip to San Diego with our savings.  Talk about incentive!  Since then, we have had some Frugal Februarys be more successful than others.  

Typically, these are the general rules of Frugal February that we try to follow:

Use up the stuff in the freezer and pantry.  For the most part, we only buy meat and fruits and veggies during the month.  Otherwise, we make due with what we already have accumulated.  You'd be amazed at how creative you can get for meals.  Here's a glimpse at our pantry today.  I definitely think we have plenty to choose from for 28 days.

Only buy things that we need.  If we can get by without it, then we do.  It gets us evaluating every single thing we put in our cart.  It's convicting to me how often I say I need something, when in reality, I just want it.  

No eating out.  Generally, eating out costs more than preparing your food at home.  That especially holds true if you are using items you already have and aren't making special trips to the grocery store.  For the entire month, we make sure to either eat at home, or prepare food and take it with us if we know we won't be home during mealtime.

Don't be a slave to it.  We make sure that we don't stop living just to be frugal.  Relationships are important to us, so we aren't going to turn down the opportunity to spend time with our family and friends for Frugal February's sake.  Also, Valentine's Day.  

Some benefits to Frugal February seem pretty obvious, but there were some that surprised us.

Save money.  Saving money was definitely the most obvious reward at the end of the month.  As I previously mentioned, we were able to fully fund a trip with what we saved that first Frugal February.   Obviously, that was pre-kids.  This year, we will probably put those savings towards something less glamorous. (Minivan anyone?)

Save time.  Something we didn't anticipate was how much time we would save.  Maybe this is cheating, but we typically will do a big trip at the end of January to make sure we have the essentials to last us the month.  However, with being so intentional about every purchase, we don't constantly run to the store to pick up that one item we may or may not actually need.  Now that we have kids, trips take a whole lot longer, so the time savings are even greater now.  

Use up the excess.  We manage to use up a lot more than just our non-perishable pantry items.  How many times do we think we ran out of toothpaste, just to find that one extra tube in the cabinet?  During Frugal February, we scavenge the house to find and use up our back-up supplies.  No more tiny travel-sized dental floss from the dentist that we throw in the medicine cabinet every six months, only to completely forget about during our next trip to Target.

This year, I'm hoping that Frugal February will really help kickstart our efforts to live simply by using up what we already have.  By putting this Frugal February mentality into practice, we can declutter without throwing things away, plus avoid bringing more into the home.

Even if you aren't interested in minimalism or simplifying quite yet, let me urge you to take the Frugal February challenge, if for no other reason then to have some extra cash at the end of the month.   Post a comment if you want to join us for Frugal February.  I plan to check in on our status throughout the month -  Frugal February Friday!  (Blame my husband for the alliteration.)

Kelly

What I Seek To Accomplish (And What I Hope To Avoid)

Now that I've shared my main reasons for simplifying our home and our lives, I thought it may be helpful to outline my goals for this process.  I know that sometimes I can lose sight of the big picture while I'm working through something, so I'm hoping that this will help keep me from veering off track.

First, I think it's important to define what are not my goals, so that if/when I find myself going down this path, I will hopefully be able to catch myself.  It's also important because I want you to know what this blog will not be about.

NOT GOALS:
To purge my house of stuff.  I find that when I make a life change, I go one of two routes; I either hit it hard and furious and burn out, or I really focus on making it a way of life.  That's what I'm hoping to accomplish.  I don't want to be unrealistic in my expectations, and I don't want to think of this as a one time purge of my home.  We've all been there.  We overhaul some area of our life, then once the emergency response is no longer needed, we slip back into our previous habits.  I want this to be a lifestyle, something that is incorporated into how we live life.  Otherwise, you'll see me back here in six months with the same exact problem.

To become legalistic.  When I first started getting acquainted with minimalism, I kept thinking to myself, "but I don't want to get rid of my [xyz]."  I've heard that if it doesn't bring you joy, you get rid of it.  But I recently watched a documentary, and one of the things that really stood out to me was this idea that if something has value to you, by all means, don't get rid of it.  Sure, maybe those two things mean the same thing, but for me, this second way to describe it really changed it for me.  There is no right way to go about this process.  I need to find and implement what works for me.  And the same is true for you.  Don't take my process as gospel.  I've read a lot of blogs and articles that all have different ideas.  I'm working on synthesizing them in a way that it makes sense for our family and our life.

Getting rid of things only to repurchase them.  One key concept for simplifying and minimizing is to evaluate the usefulness of the item.  A good question to consider is when you last used/wore said item.  I know people of both extremes: those who are totally content getting rid of something, knowing that they may need to buy it again, and those who will hold onto the smallest paperclip "just in case."  I'd say that we fall somewhere in the middle.  At our stage in life, we don't know yet if we are done having kids, so there's a whole category of just-in-case items that we will not be getting rid of.  I also believe in the quality not quantity ideal, but that doesn't mean we will get rid of stuff just to buy something new and nicer.  I think this is going to be and has to be an ever-evolving process.

So, then, what are my goals?

GOALS:
Declutter the home.  While purposeful living goes beyond the material stuff, it really is a huge goal of mine to get rid of the excess in our home.  I recognize that we have far more than we really need or even use on a regular basis.  Even with the small amount of decluttering I've done so far, my husband and I have noticed a huge impact on how our house looks and the amount of effort it takes to keep on top of tidying.

Be intentional with family.  I know I keep saying it, but this is not just about getting rid of stuff.  It's about being intentional in all aspects of our lives.  For me, a huge part of that means being intentional with time.   It means choosing to spend our time together as a family doing things that bring value to our lives - spending time outdoors, going on adventures, and spending time with our extended family.

Rediscover my interests.  I understand that no matter how much simplifying and decluttering I do, I'm still going to have responsibilities.  As a wife, as a mom, as an adult.  But I fully anticipate that this process will bring about more "me" time.  There have been moments in our marriage where I have told my husband, "I used to enjoy doing things.  I used to have interests and hobbies, and I used to be good at some of them!"  I look forward to rediscovering some of those interests, and perhaps uncover some new ones.

I hope this helps you better understand what I really hope to accomplish.  Tell me, if you would like to simplify your life, what would be your goals?  Feel free to comment below!

I'm going to take a quick change of pace for my next post, and share an annual tradition that my husband and I started over 5 years ago.  It definitely ties into the concept of simplifying, and it may even help you jumpstart the process!

Kelly

5 Reasons Why I Am Pursuing A Purposeful Life

In my previous post, I basically introduced the blog and my purpose for starting it.  In this post, I wanted to share my reasons for this lifestyle change and for documenting it in a public place.  I really could go on and on about why this concept has tugged on my heart for so long, but today, I'll give you the five big ones.

1.  I'm overwhelmed.  I think this is probably my biggest motivation for overhauling our home and our life.  I'm constantly feeling stressed out and overwhelmed.  Everywhere I look, I see stuff.  Stuff on the counters, stuff overflowing the drawers, stuff scattered on the floor. I feel as though I just can't keep up.  One of the things my husband and I have noticed is that we are constantly reacting to life.  It's as though life keeps happening to us, rather than the other way around.  This is absolutely not how we want to be spending our time.

2.  I'm tired of cleaning.  I admit it, I really like having a clean and tidy house.  I just don't enjoy the process of cleaning it.  And also, kids, so my clean house lasts approximately 0.0003 seconds before it's a mess again.  These people who have adopted a simple life have ensured me that if I have less stuff, it won't take nearly as much time or effort to keep things picked up.  Why didn't I think of that?

3.  I want to engage my kids.  I feel that this one ties in with the previous reasons.  If I'm constantly running around cleaning to keep on top of it, then I'm doing it at the expense of spending time with my little ones.  Secondly, and I believe is even more important for me, is because of the very fact that I'm overwhelmed.  I'll admit that I find myself losing it over the smallest thing, and unfortunately, that's not an irregular occurrence.  (Okay, it's practically daily.)  How can I engage my kids if I'm wound so tightly that I can't enjoy this stage with them?  I want to sit on the floor and build towers with blocks.  I want to play pretend, and dance around, and do puzzles.  I want to do life with them, and not just send them to the playroom while I struggle to keep up with the mountain of laundry.

4.  I want to invest in my marriage.  By the time we get the kids in bed, (Are they born with this innate ability to delay bedtime?  Is there a class that they take?) we only have about 2 hours of adult time if we want to go to bed at the time we would like.   Right now, we are spending at least 45 minutes of that time just trying to get our house back in order for the next day.  And back to reason number one, I want to have the emotional and mental capacity to spend quality time with my husband at the end of each day, rather than complaining about how stressed I am and then collapsing into bed feeling defeated and exhausted.

5.  I want to teach my kids.  In a world of more is better, I want to teach them that a simple life is a beautiful life.  I want to teach them to have grateful hearts, even when the world around them shows them that in order to be happy, they need this toy or that pair of shoes.  Sure, I can tell them these things, but the truth is, they will trust me more if they see that my life reflect my words.  To cultivate a spirit of contentment, I need to show them that we are content not only with our words, but with our attitudes and our actions.

So, I've shared why I'm embarking on this change to simplicity.  Why am I blogging about it?  Two reasons.  I'm looking for accountability.  If I'm going to put these things out there, then I need to put my money where my mouth is.  By being open about where I am and what I'm working towards, I'm going to be serious about it.  Secondly, I believe in lifting one another up.  I know that I'm not alone in feeling overwhelmed by all this "stuff".  If I can encourage even one person by sharing my struggles and successes, then it's totally worth it.

In my next post, I'm planning to share what my goals are and what they are not.

Until then,
Kelly

If any of these ideas strike a chord with you, then I encourage you to look into simplifying.  I'd love to hear your "why" - please add a comment.  What would be your reason(s) for joining me on this journey?

Ready for Living Purposefully

Ever since I was first introduced to the concept of minimalism, it appealed to me. I'll be honest, at first, it was because all of the photos I saw were of beautifully decorated rooms. It seemed as though these minimalists all had amazing design skills, which I so very do not. Then, in 2014, my husband and I got a taste of what it was like to live with less. We put our townhouse on the market, and when we met with our realtor to discuss how to stage our home, we found out how much "stuff" we needed to get out. So we did. We packed up it up and put it in storage. I cannot even tell you how that experience changed us. When you sell a house, you have to be able to show it at a minute's notice. Guys, when you take out more than 50% of your stuff (seriously, it was that much), it's easy to clean. My husband and I kept reveling in how nice our house looked, and how much less stress we felt. It was incredible.

Fast forward to now. It's 2017, and we have gone from one child to two, and a townhouse to a larger single family home. Despite wanting to live on the side of less, we've found ourselves with more. We took a step back recently and asked ourselves, "how did this happen?" and "how do we fix this?". The answer, I believe, is that we weren't being intentional with what things we let in our lives, and the solution is to truly live on purpose.

I have found that, even if you want to live with less, unless you are intentional, it just won't happen. And the stuff accumulates. Boy, does it accumulate.

So, this is my journey. From a hectic, frazzled mommy of two littles who feels like she is always cleaning, to a joyful, stress-free probably still a bit frazzled mommy (because, let's face it, kids are hard, y'all) with less to clean, less to worry about. This is not a "how I did it" blog, but almost like a documentary of how I'm doing it. I'd love it if you'd come on this path with me.

Kelly