3 Benefits of Downsizing Your Home Even with a Family

3 Benefits of Downsizing Your Home Even with a Family

by | Oct 6, 2018 | Living with Less, Intentional Living | 0 comments

3 Benefits of Downsizing Your Home Even with a Family

We thought we were moving way up when we moved out of our 749 sq. ft. apartment into our 2,500 sq. ft. home on a quarter-acre lot. Our five bedroom home (for just my husband and I) needed a lot of TLC since it was foreclosure. But once we fixed it up enough to move in, the house seemed empty. We didn’t have enough furniture and decor to fill the space. So what did we do? We filled it up of course. We bought couches, end tables, blinds, and all the things to make the house feel lived in.

The huge house and massive lawn seemed idealistic when we were looking at homes, but in reality, it was SO much work. I never could keep the house clean and this was before I had kids. If I’m really honest, I felt like I was doing good if I vacuumed the basement once a month. Yikes!

Instead of having tons of house guests over to stay in our large home as we planned, we had house project after house project that took up our precious time. Rarely did we have people stay in our guest room that we felt we had to have. We envisioned frequent dinner parties at our home, but they were few and far between.

3 Benefits of Downsizing Your Home Even with a Family 1
3 Benefits of Downsizing Your Home Even with a Family 2

The home we tried to fill so it wouldn’t be empty, quickly filled and now we had to make space for our child’s arrival. I wish I could say I purged, but we didn’t. We just rearranged and reorganized our possessions.  We put our guest bed on risers so we could store more stuff under it. Our poor guests had to take a running leap just to get into bed.

In the five years we owned our large home, we learned so much.  When we decided to move, we knew we didn’t want a big house or the large yard. We didn’t want a fixer-upper or a place that was hard to keep up.  If we could live by a park where OTHER people maintain it, that would be ideal.

We ended up buying a 1500 sq. ft. home with two less bedrooms and a way smaller yard.  Not only that, we have added another child to our family. Even with our 1,000 sq. ft. down grade, our smaller home has felt like such an upgrade and here is why.

Here are a few of the benefits of downsizing your family home.

3 Benefits of Downsizing:

ONE

Less Cleaning and Upkeep

A smaller house is so much more manageable when it comes to keeping the house clean. The average home in America is 2,641 sq. ft. according to 2018 statistics. That is quite a bit of sq. footage to clean.

Since our house is 40% smaller than our first home, that cuts out 40% of the cleaning I would have had if we never moved. I don’t miss that extra space or mowing the extra lawn. I have more time to do what I want with my family instead of cleaning and working on our home.

 

TWO

We Buy Less

My mom has this saying, “People are like jello, they mold to fit in whatever size home they are in.” This statement is so true.

When we had a bigger house, we bought so much to fill the space.  By having a smaller place, it limits the amount we own. We only have so much space and storage, which forces us to keep what we need and let go of the rest.

THREE

Brings Financial Freedom

This is a simple fact, smaller homes cost less than larger ones in the initial home price. The average new home price in America (July 2018) is $394,300.  In most real estate markets, smaller homes will sell for substantially less.

The amount of savings by downsizing shaves years, and perhaps decades off of a mortgage. Beyond that, smaller homes cost less to maintain with utilities, giving you more cash in your wallet each month.

If you are on the fence with the idea of downsizing your family home, I would recommend taking the leap. Downsizing has been one of the best decisions we have made.

My husband and I would have never guessed that our smaller home would house an insane amount of guests even without a guest room. We now have people over often for dinner without having a formal dining room. The world tells us that we need the newer, bigger and better home. Let’s stop buying that lie literally.  Less is more.  For us, a smaller home has been a financial blessing and has encouraged us to get outside more.

We are living in our dream house. It doesn’t look like a dream home you would see on HGTV and we are ok with that.  We didn’t need a big home or a large yard. Our downsizing, upgraded our lives.

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the benifits of downsizing your family home. Have you made the leap?  What is holding you back from downsizing? Please leave a comment below.

 

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3 Benefits of Downsizing Your Home Even with a Family 3

The Simple Hack that Practically Purges Your Closet for You

The Simple Hack that Practically Purges Your Closet for You

by | Sep 11, 2018 | Living with Less

The Simple Hack that Practically Purges Your Closet for You

Do you walk into your full closet and come out frustrated feeling like you have nothing you want to wear? You are not alone.

According to a recent study, the average American woman believes that 21% of her clothing is ‘unwearable,’ 24% of the clothing is too loose, and 33% of the clothing is too tight. And to make matters worse, 12% of the clothes are new and unworn.

That means that we don’t feel good wearing 90% of our clothes. Yikes!! How can we get to the place where we actually love all of our clothes without taking a day or more to go through our clothes?

Tackling your wardrobe can be daunting. I know I’ve made excuses like I’m not emotionally ready to handle it or I don’t have the time. This simple hanger hack practically purges your closet for you. 

The Simple Hack that Practically Purges Your Closet for You 4

My husband came up with this simple hanger trick. He adapted the classic hanger trick to make it more simplistic and doable by turning all the hangers around at the beginning, then hang your clothes normally.

Let me walk you through this adapted hanger trick, so you and the rest of your household can easily purge your closets.

The Hanger Trick: 

ONE

Turn Every Hanger Backwards

This literally will take about 5 minutes and you don’t have to turn each one individually. Save yourself some time by turning the hangers around in batches. By turning every hanger backward at the beginning, means that you won’t have to think about what direction you need to rehang your clothes. You are doing the work now, so you can be on autopilot later.

TWO

Set a Date to Purge Your Closet

Choose a date and WRITE it on your calendar. Make a phone reminder if you have to. You have a coffee date with your closet. Make it happen preferably within 30-90 days from now, so you can really see what you actually wear over time. If you are wanting to purge your closet now, check out my post, “How to Gain Freedom by Letting Go of Most of Your Clothes.”

THREE

Put Away Laundry as Usual

Hang your clothes normally until it is purge time. Make sure your hanger is facing the normal directing (inward) so you can easily distinguish what you are wearing. The rest of your hangers will be facing outward until you wear them.  This is the easiest step.

FOUR

Closet Purging Day

The day is finally here! Give yourself some time so you will actually finish it. Pull out all of the hangers that are backward (the clothes you haven’t worn). These are the only clothes you will need to go through. Woohoo! Way to save yourself some time!

Keep the clothes that you truly love and that make you feel good when you are wearing it. If you don’t know how to purge your closet or just want some tips to make this process a lot easier, check out my post “How to Gain Freedom by Letting Go of Most of Your Clothes.”  Donate the clothes that you don’t wear and throw out clothes that have stains and holes.

 

If you want to deal with your closet slowly, try this hanger hack.  Having a closet full of clothes you love is quite the treat and what we all deserve. Picking out your clothes in the morning will be a breeze. Try using this technique during different seasons, so all of your clothes have been gone through.  I love using this technique for my husband and kids. They end up purging their own closets without even realizing it.

Most importantly make a pact with yourself that you won’t continue buying clothes that are just ok or on sale, only buy clothes that you actually love.

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Transform Your Motherhood Through Prayer Journaling

Transform Your Motherhood Through Prayer Journaling

by | Sep 5, 2018 | Intentional Living, Motherhood, Parenting

Transform Your Motherhood Through Prayer Journaling

I struggled with reading my Bible and praying for my kids consistently until I started prayer journaling.

The excuses kept piling up in my mind.  I was too busy with all the motherhood duties and if I’m honest, I didn’t want to wake up early to do it either. I wasn’t making devotion time and prayer a priority even though, I wanted it to be.  

My intention was to pray specifics for my children, for their future spouses, for their future and so much more, but I struggled with making it happen. My prayer life for my children drastically changed after I read the book “Praying Circles around Your Children” by Mark Batterson.

Batterson talks about how specific prayers prayed for us by our parents, grandparents, relatives, etc. has brought us to where we are today. This book convicted me to become more intentional in my prayer life and gave me practical ideas to pray consistently for my kids.

My biggest takeaway from “Praying Circles around Your Children” was to journal prayers in a Bible specifically for each child. This Bible will eventually be a graduation gift or a wedding gift for my children. I absolutely LOVE this idea. I had no idea that this could literally change my personal walk with God and help me be a better parent.

Transform Your Motherhood Through Prayer Journaling 5
Transform Your Motherhood Through Prayer Journaling 6
When I start my mornings reading the Bible and praying for my kids, I find that I treat them better. I am kinder and more understanding.

Grounding myself in God’s Word and praying through the Bible changes my mindset. My day goes so much better. I can’t recommend prayer journaling enough.

This is how I journal for my kids. You can adapt this to fit your lifestyle.

Prayer Journaling in 5 Easy Steps

ONE

Buy a Journaling Bible

I bought a journaling Bible for each of my kids. If you have several kids, don’t be overwhelmed by needing to fill multiple Bibles. You will get to it and it will give you more of an incentive to be consistently reading and writing in the Bible.

There are so many different journaling Bibles to choose from. I prefer the single-column journaling Bibles instead of the lines being on the bottom of the page. I like that my prayers line up with the chapter I am reading.

Choose a durable Bible cover like leather or a hardcover so it will last. If you have multiple kids, choose different designed Bibles to make it more personal for them and less confusing for you.

Don’t forget to choose a translation that you will want to be reading for years. I chose the ESV (English Standard Version) because I really enjoy it.

TWO

Ask God What Book(s) of the Bible to Read

Once you have the Bible, it is time to start. Choose which child’s Bible you would like to start with. I pray and ask God what book of the Bible I should read for that particular child.

I usually read and journal in my child’s Bible for about a month or two and then switch.  I read at least one book of the Bible or multiple shorter books and then I switch to my other child’s Bible.  My goal is to read the entirety of each of my kid’s Bibles before they graduate or get married.

THREE

Date Each Prayer Entry

I start by writing the date in the Bible. By simply adding the date, I have become more accountable and consistent in reading my Bible.  I don’t want my kids to see that I read a chapter and then read the next chapter a few weeks later.

This is a keepsake, so I like to add important events like a birthdays, deaths, etc. I normally write something about that before I start reading the passage.

FOUR

Underline What Jumps out at You

After I date the journal entry in my Bible, I then read one to two chapters a day. You could read whatever amount you would like.

I underline anything that stands out to me as I go. What you underline will be referred to when writing out the prayer. 

FIVE

Write out the Prayer 

I then write a prayer praying out the Bible verses I read for my child. I refer back to what I underlined. By doing this, I am praying specifics I would have never prayed normally for my kids.

To give you an example, when I was reading Ruth I was praying that my daughter would have a great relationship with her future mother-in-law. I would have never thought to pray for my 3-year-old daughter’s future mother-in-law. That is what is so amazing about this journaling process.

I can’t tell you enough how beneficial this prayer journaling has been for me spiritually and as a mother. I want to be a woman of prayer and I want my kids to see me reading my Bible. I want to lead them by example. This process accomplishes both of those desires.

Each of the Bible’s I have for my kids is truly precious. They are some of my most valued belongings. I love this prayer journaling concept. I would like to eventually have a journaling Bible for my husband. How different would a marriage be if you prayed every morning for your husband!! I also want to continue this tradition with my future grandchildren.

If you are struggling with being consistent in your prayer life and reading the Bible, try this. Prayer journaling can be transformational for your kids and you.

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What Marie Kondo Taught Me

What Marie Kondo Taught Me

by | Aug 30, 2018 | Living with Less

What Marie Kondo Taught Me

If you haven’t heard of Marie Kondo or the “KonMari” method, let me fill you in. Marie Kondo is a young Japanese woman who has literally transformed the organizational world and the minimalism movement.

She is a household name because of her book, “The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organization.”  This book has been published in more than 30 countries and she has sold more than 4 million copies.

Marie Kondo is taking the world by storm, but why? Marie Kondo’s book teaches anyone how to declutter once and promises that you will never have to do it again. Let me say, who wouldn’t love that. Sign me up for that!!

What Marie Kondo Taught Me 7
What Marie Kondo Taught Me 8

I wanted to see for myself if this book would actually deliver on the promise to declutter my home for good.

After listening to the book, I don’t think the book delivered on that promise, but it did give me some great ideas and inspiration to purge my home.

I had three golden nugget take-aways from Kondo’s book and three ideas that I didn’t agree with.

3 Take Aways From Marie Kondo

ONE

Keep what Sparks Joy

My biggest take away was to only keep things that bring me joy. I realized I was keeping things because it was given to me, I may need it someday, or I spent money on it. By asking myself the simple question, “does this spark joy,” I was able to let go and get rid of more items.

TWO

Thank Items That Don’t Spark Joy

Marie Kondo also thanks items for their service before donating or discarding. I thought that it seemed silly, but I did try it. By thanking the items for their service, I felt like it was a little bit easier to let it go and donate my stuff.

THREE

Shirt Folding Method

The KonMari method gives a solution to the common problem of not being able to see every shirt that you own when it is folded. Instead of stacking shirts on top of each other horizontally, Marie Kondo recommends folding and laying each shirt vertically, so you can see each one at once. This way you don’t have to pull out most of your shirts to find the one you are looking for, you can easily see every shirt you own. I really like using this method for all of my husbands t-shirts. I also use this folding method for my sweaters.

What Marie Kondo Taught Me 9
I’ve got to be real. This book had some great ideas sandwiched in with some pretty out-there ideas. So this is what I didn’t like about the KonMarie method…..

3 Ideas from Marie Kondo that I didn’t Agree With 

ONE

Unrealistic Ideas

Marie Kondo wrote this book before she was married or had any children. Let me give you a few examples of some out-there premises:

  • She talks to her stuff like they are humans. She says the way most people fold their socks into each other is suffocating them. Socks should be folded and rolled like sushi so they can rest. Marie also lets her purse ‘relax’ each time she enters her home by emptying all of the contents and refilling only what she needs when she leaves. I’m sorry, but I don’t have time for that and I don’t think my purse NEEDS to relax.
  • Marie keeps nothing in her shower. She takes out each item she will use and then puts it into the shower before she gets in. When she is done with her shower she dries off each item and puts them away. I don’t know any mom who has time to keep this up.

TWO

Throw Away Photos

Dang, I had a hard time with this. Marie says we should only keep a handful of photos from a vacation or whatever and get rid of the rest. You are only supposed to keep the best of the best. I love the photos of my kids doing mundane things. I want their lives to be documented, so we can look back and remember the past. I love minimalism, but this was way too far for me.

THREE

Bouts of Diarrhea

Yeah, you heard me right. She talks about how many of her clients have diarrhea after they purge. This is super strange to me. I can’t imagine a client telling her about their bowel movements and I thought it was pretty crazy that she felt it was important to include that in her book.
“The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organization” was a good starting off point for me and helped me to create my own barometer of what to keep and what to donate.  There were some great ideas in this book.

I think it is great that Marie Kondo is helping people live with less.  I felt like it would be impossible to follow her steps to a T, and enjoy my life at the same time. Have you read this book? What did you think?

What Marie Kondo Taught Me 10What Marie Kondo Taught Me 11
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4 Tweaks to a Clutter-Free Home

4 Tweaks to a Clutter-Free Home

by | Aug 17, 2018 | Living with Less

4 Tweaks to a Clutter-Free Home

I don’t know about you, but when my house is in utter chaos, I feel like my life is in chaos. Piles of dishes and laundry to fold can totally derail me. My endless to-do list can make me feel like I am not accomplishing anything.  I don’t think I am the only mom who feels like this.

Clutter affects us in so many ways and there is so much research proving that clutter is affecting pretty much every area of our lives. It affects our marriages, kids, keeps us in debt, hurts our productivity, our health, and our diets, and so much more.

Why do we as women see our homes as a direct reflection of us. If our house is put together, then our lives are put together. But there is a catch 22- I wanted to spend quality time with my kids, but when I did, my house suffered. I felt like I had to choose spending quality time with my kids and live with a messy house or have a clean house and not interact much with my kids.  I was realizing that I didn’t want either. There has to be some middle ground. This was the catalyst for my personal journey toward a more simplistic and minimalistic lifestyle.

4 Tweaks to a Clutter-Free Home 12
4 Tweaks to a Clutter-Free Home 13

Personally, I felt like I was in a rut and didn’t know where or how to start. I decided to listen to decluttering and organization books. I use the Hoopla App from my library so I can listen to audiobooks for free. Check out my post 4 Surprising Free Resources at the Library for a complete list of library resources.

While listening to the decluttering books on my phone, I started getting rid of the excess in my house. Listening to these books was so motivational for me. One of the first minimalism books I read was “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo. Check out my post here to learn more about this book.

I had several epiphanies on my journey. I realized that every item I own takes up my energy and time; I only wanted to keep what was important to me and my family. When I started to recognize how clutter causes such an emotional response in me, I was more driven to deal with my possessions. Clutter stifles my productivity and creativity.

I started to look at where most of my time was spent and it was in the kitchen making meals, cleaning, doing dishes and laundry. I was constantly picking up toys and shoes and random things dropped on the floors. I started to look at ways to free up time and creating small changes to make my life easier.

Here are some of these small tweaks that really help maintain our home…

ONE

Ditch the Dish Drying Rack

The drying rack was taking up prime counter real-estate, and I wasn’t good about putting the dishes away. I would make the excuse that the dishes need to dry for hours and sometimes days. I now use a towel to dry my pots and pans and everything else that I don’t put in the dishwasher and put them directly away. Check out my post 5 Steps to a Tidy Kitchen for more kitchen clutter hacks.

TWO

Run your Dishwasher at the Right Time

My dishes always seemed to accumulate because the dishwasher was running during meal time. So the dishes piled up while we waited for the dishwasher to finish running.  The dirty dishes from the meal filled the sink, so I didn’t have room to wash the pots and pans. This was a perpetual cycle of dish chaos.

Now I run the dishwasher after lunch so we directly put the dishes in the dishwasher instead of the sink. I unload the dishwasher before I start on dinner and then the dishes stay under control. Just figuring out the timing of running the dishes and loading them, has lightened my dish load significantly.

Discover when you should run your dishwasher so you can directly put dishes into it. Many people run their dishwasher at night and unload it in the morning. This didn’t work for me because it added one more chore to do in the morning. It derailed my morning routine.

THREE

Make Your Bed

I never used to make my bed, because I had the mindset that it was a waste of time.  I’m not sure what pushed me to try to create this new habit. I was surprised how my bedroom felt so much more relaxing and peaceful when the bed is made. I felt less sloppy when my bed was made, even if I was the only one who would see it. By making my bed, I also realized that I could start a new habit and be consistent. This was my baby step to adding more routines to help keep my house tidy.

FOUR

Have Routine Family Clean-up after Dinner

We started playing upbeat music after dinner while we all clean up. We clean up after the meal and the main living spaces. When we all pitch in, the cleaning process is so much faster and it makes it routine. I used to try to have family clean-up before bed, but it was so hard to be consistent with it. There were so many other routines for bedtime that adding one more didn’t work well for us.

These new small routines had a major impact on how our house runs and gave me momentum to continue to get my house into the peaceful oasis I wanted. We still have days where we slip up, but we are improving. What routines and tweaks have you made that helps you gain back your time?

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