Mogul In Training

A funny thing happen to me this week, on this crazy road to Financial Freedom and Minimalism: I actually started to feel lighter and less stressed. Let me explain. This week, I decided to remove one item from my home a day in the process of decluttering. I believe I started on Wednesday. Well, since Wednesday I have removed more than one item a day. Initially, it was a little hard to part with "mamentos", but once I asked myself the question, "Does this product/object serve me or is it the other way around?", it became much easier to let go of those things. Mind you, these were things that I had not used in years, but had traveled with me from apartment renter to home owner. Most of these things were cluttering closets, but had not been used or even seen since I moved into my home.

Once I started decluttering, the process became easier--and, of course, the garage sale helped a ton! Now, I have found that in only 2 days, cleaning has become more informal, keeping up with laundry has become easier (I was actually considering bringing laundry to the drop of laundromat; another "cost" of clutter and owning "stuff"), and getting together and out of the door in the morning has become less hurried.

Because I have eliminated clutter (mind you, my home was not one that someone on the outside looking in would considered cluttered--just goes to show what is considered acceptable in today's society), cleaning no longer feels like a chore. Now, I can take a few minutes to tidy up each room and run a dust rag across uncluttered surfaces.

If this is how I am feeling in only 2 days, I can't wait to see how I will feel by the end of the month! By the summer, I want to have a home where EVERY item has a purpose and those items make my life easier and more in tuned. In the future, before purchasing an item I will sincerely ask myself if the item serves a purpose in my home and if it is inline with my new lifestyle or if it's just contributing to new clutter.

I just finished reading, 'Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling Down and Enjoying More' by Elaine St. James. One of the suggestions in the book is to declutter your life by removing one item from your home a day. To be honest, my home is not cluttered at all, but I, personally, feel that I have too many "things". The first step to start getting rid of the "things" was to have a garage sale---which, by the way, was a huge success. Removing lots of clothing, accessories, and houseware, through the garage sale has really put me on the path to Minimalism.

As a result, when I return home from work, I will begin the process of removing one item from my home. I can't wait to find out what that one item will be! I also can't wait to see what my home will look like at the end of this month. Maybe I'll do before and after pictures. Stay tuned......

This Friday and Saturday, April 16 & 17, I'm having a huge garage sale. This willl be my first ever garage sale. The purpose of the sale is to get rid of a lot of my excess. It is amazing how much "stuff" I have accumulated that amounts to nothing more than clutter, at this point. I am selling clothes, shoes, handbags, sunglasses, wallets, home decor...you name it, I'm probably selling it. I am committed to living more consciously and this extends to my future purchases as well.

Before I buy any new things, I will ask myself do I REALLY need it and how much use will I ACTUALLY get out of it. This garage sale feels cathartic for me. I cannot wait to have a minimal house!

I am expecting to earn around $400 from the sale. I am not sure what to do with the money. Any suggestions?

You can improve your finances while helping the environment by following one simple rule:

REDUCE FIRST, Reuse second and Recycle as a last resort.

My journey into Voluntary Simplicity began when it was brought to my attention that we, as Americans, are such rabid consumers that our landfills are almost at capacity. We are so materialistic that we are running out of space to dispose of our "things". This revelation hit me like a Mack truck--and so began my choice to voluntarily consume less.

Everyone has their own definition of Voluntary Simplicity, and each person's lifestyle varies. Voluntary Simplistic lifestyles can range anywhere from becoming only slightly more conscious to severe lifestyle changes. For me, Voluntary Simplicity means living more CONSCIOUSLY. I am very new into my simplistic lifestyle and, right now, I am mainly in the planning stages of how I want to live. What I have concluded is that I will: 1. Use products longer (much longer) before discarding them; 2. Have items repaired instead of disposing them; 3. Buy refurbished items, when feasible; 4. Conserve our natural resources; 5. Recycling anything that is recyclable; and 6. Educate others on what Voluntary Simplicity is and is not.

In a nutshell, for me, Voluntary Simplicity means being more cognizant of my impact on and my place in this world that I live in. Everyone else will define for themselves their personal journey into the world of Voluntary Simplicity.