Becoming Minimalist » polls

my kids play garage sale

joshua becker — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:07:27 +0000

this past weekend, my son (7) and daughter (3) decided to play “garage sale.” i love when they go all out with their ideas.

first, they pulled many of their toys out of the downstairs play room and brought them into the living room. second, they arranged them all by type in various sections of the living room. third, they put price tags on the toys. fourth, they handed monopoly money to us, the parents, and asked us to buy some things at their garage sale. the store was complete with a cash register at the end to collect money and distribute change. (the cash register was the only thing not for sale… even though i offered them most of my money for it).

since that enjoyable saturday afternoon, i’ve been trying to wrap my head around what it all means. maybe you can help me out:

[polldaddy poll="2234862"]

professional organizers… poll question.

joshua becker — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:05:29 +0000

professional organizing is a service that helps individuals and businesses design systems and processes using organizing principles and transferring skills. professional organizers help individuals and businesses take control of their surroundings, their time, their paper and their systems for life.

professional organizers are gaining in popularity.

[polldaddy poll="1800372"]

although i have several professional organizing friends, i have never hired one myself. i am interested to know how many of you have hired a professional organizer. and if you have, would you please tell us if you were happy with the outcome?

(this may be a great opportunity for my professional organizing readers to sell us on your profession).

toy lending libraries

joshua becker — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:31:20 +0000

raising two small children (and once being a child myself), i can attest to the fact that toys are often played with for 1-2 weeks and then quickly pushed to the bottom of the toy chest or relegated to some corner of the toy room. even the toys that i think are going to be a huge hit with my kids meet the same fate. last year, i purchased an electric racing set for my 5-year old thinking it would bring us hours and hours of enjoyment and competition… it lasted a little more than one evening.

because of that reality that all parents face, i was so excited to hear about the toy-lending library concept. apparently, the idea has been around for awhile, but it’s new to me. picture a library with a toyroom for children and as an added bonus: kids can check out the toys, take them home, and return them to the library in two weeks… which is just about right.

the toy lending library is a great alternative to the endless purchasing and storing of all your own toys. see if your local community has one today.

[polldaddy poll="1095973"]

poll question: happy meal toys

thanks for making it to the new site!

joshua becker — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:31:42 +0000

thanks for making the extra click to arrive at the new becomingminimalist blog. we do hope that the new site will better meet your needs and mine.

and we’d love to get your thoughts on the new site!

minimalism and happy meal toys

becoming minimalist — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 02:01:36 +0000

lex luthor is to superman as happy meal toys are to minimalism.

we took our two kids to mcdonald’s for lunch today. we like it, they love it, it’s cheap…not a bad combo. and while i don’t mind eating there, i do mind bringing home the two happy meal toys every single time. it’s not because i don’t want my kids to have toys, it’s because i don’t want them to have these toys.

somewhere in the multi-billion dollar research and development department of mcdonald’s, they have been able to recreate a 25 cent toy that is played with once and never touched again. yet, as soon as they are thrown away by parents, the child immediately wants to play with it the next morning – regardless of how long has lapsed since the eating of the happy meal. i don’t know how they do it, but they’ve got my kids figured out.

[polldaddy poll="931515"]

poll – pairs of jeans

becoming minimalist — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:13:03 +0000

i realize that i tried this poll once before already but i didn’t get quite enough responses. so i would like to try it again.

[polldaddy poll="761500"]

minimalist income

becoming minimalist — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:49:42 +0000

less than one month from our first ebay sale, we surpassed $125 in income yesterday. add in our garage sale income and our decision to become minimalist has grossed roughly $250 in the past month. we’re not quitting our jobs or anything, but it is fun to turn your household clutter into cash.

and it hasn’t been that hard or time consuming – we have yet to ship anything that doesn’t fit in an envelope or small shoebox (clothes, shoes, books, and cds). as you minimalize your own possessions, create a pile for items to sell and use ebay or craigslist to turn them into cash (just be sure to throw them away if they don’t sell).

anyway, we have been debating what to do with our new minimalist income and would like your help. friend or visitor, help us with a click of your mouse.

[polldaddy poll="729402"]