There’s more to life than buying stuff.
There are many wonderful people pursuing and promoting simplicity. Fortunately, some of them are gifted in communication and choose to encourage and inspire us with their words. I enjoy reading their unique perspective. I’m sure you will too.
So fix yourself a nice warm cup of coffee or tea on this beautiful weekend. Find a quiet moment. And enjoy some encouraging words about finding more simplicity in your life today.
Dreaming of a frugal Christmas? Meet the people who’ve stopped shopping | The Guardian by Donna Ferguson. There is a growing ‘minimalism movement’ that puts less emphasis on buying things, and more on people, places and happiness
30 Things I’ve Done To Simplify My Life | Mind Body Green by Tyson Popplestone. Now I’m experimenting with a simpler way of living—one that’s less stressful and more fulfilling, I’m improving every day. Here are 30 of the most helpful tips I’ve picked up.
Lock the Door! Your Boomer Parents Have Decided to Downsize | Wall Street Journal by Jennifer Levitz. Giant generation has gobs of ‘heirlooms’ … but no one wants them.
10 Simple Ways to Help You Say No | Be More With Less by Courtney Carver. It’s a busy season of the year. If you need some saying “no,” here you go.
How Working at a Fashion Magazine Taught Me to Shop Less | InStyle by Olivia Bahou. “Somehow, since transitioning from a college student to an fashion writer living in Manhattan, my monthly credit card bills have gone down.” Some interesting perspectives here.
Last year we stopped giving presents to extended family except for the kids. This year the in laws decided to go back to Secret Santa. We abandoned this idea because it was just a gift card exchange. Reluctantly we participated and were assured we would give ‘ coupons’ (babysitting, helping out around house etc). I asked that money be donated to our local food bank. I was more than annoyed when it became a gift card exchange. My request wasn’t honoured, and I got a gift card to buy more stuff I don’t need. How do you deal with in laws who just don’t get it?
Loved the articles this time around. Our small family of four practices simple living and minimalism and continue to do better as time goes on, passing down these values to our kids. I write about our journey as well to help inspire other parents as much as possible (we’re a homeschool family in the PNW). I love these newsletters and often share them with others – “10 Simple Ways to Say No” was my favorite this time around. Much love and Merry Christmas.
Enjoyed Courtney’s article on saying no. I (imperfectly) practice wide awake, purposeful living and learning to get super clear and confident on my no’s and yes’s. Merry Christmas!
I’d love to read the Wall-Street Journal article, but too frugal to subscribe. Disappointed!
me too!
Same here! I wish that articles that are “locked out” unless one subscribes to a site wouldn’t be published here (or at least they would have a note letting us know in advance so we don’t waste our time).
Yes Me Too! I really wanted to read the story!
Sometimes I wonder…..what are you really selling?
Furniture, clothing, newspaper subscriptions.
Ih please don’t say that we could read it for free! Disappointment at its best un a fleeting moment!
Just google the article instead of clicking right to their site. I can always get the article if I google the title
I tried that and the first three I tried were the first line with a link to WSJ so I just gave up…
Open it in an incognito tab.
For those (like me) who don’t have a subscription to the Wall St Journal, try this link: https://nasmm.wordpress.com/2016/11/21/lock-the-door-your-boomer-parents-have-decided-to-downsize/
hopethathelps, Thanks a million for that link!
I did not need a subscription to read the article.
Much needed inspiration, especially this time of year. Thank you!
I love your site, and I love all of the tips for becoming more minimalist. I fully embrace the lifestyle choice. The one critique I have, is that so often others are advised to “discard” as a solution to having too much.
I wish advice columns were more geared toward giving to charities or organizations that could really use the possessions that others are midlessly tossing for their new lifestyle. So many charities, schools, libraries, churches, shelters, foster parents, veterans, even animal shelters can benefit from home purges, not to mention the extereme benefit of it not going to a landfill.
This is a great point, Kristie. It’s so easy to overlook this when purging a variety of items but I agree it’s the best thing we can all do with our unwanted items.
In the process of clearing out 4 homes in a little over a year I had a lightbulb moment. Having all this stuff is crazy. I went home and started clearing out every room in my house. My husband and I downsized to 940 square feet of living space. I did ask my kids if they wanted my Le Creuset pots which I find too heavy and they were happily taken. Other than that all went to charity. Recently my daughter said she was amazed at how little I have in my house. I took that as a major compliment……I’ve worked hard to reach that goal. Of course your blog has really helped. Thank you.
I am trying to declutter my small apartment. It is hard to know what to do with 75y yrs of memories. I have a railroad travel trunk that belonged to my grandfather. The other day I opened it for the first time in a couple of years. It set off a hours of tearing up journals, Christmas, Birthday etc, etc, cards. It actually felt good. Some I read and acknowledged that the sender was no longer living, wedding invitations (no longer together), a lot of ? who the sender was in my life and why I even kept the card. Then began the journals. That was hardest. Some I flipped through and found an entry that was a game changer for the moment. So it went back into the trunk. At the bottom of the trunk I found bowls I remembered being on Family Holiday Dinner Tables. They are still in there. It begs the question..’What to do with them’? No one to give them to. Guess I need to read another of your books for answers.
Barbara Lee: check with antique malls and stores and call to set up an appointment to show items you want to sell. Sell what you can and throw out the rest or if in good condition, a charity will take stuff.
In 1912, Thousands of Women Rallied Against ‘Useless’ Christmas Giving | Atlas Obscura
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/in-1912-thousands-of-women-in-new-york-rallied-against-useless-christmas-giving
I am going to be spending some time in one of those very poor countries and I don’t wish to appear like one of the invading rich Americans
My family has recently changed tactic on festivals/birthdays/get togethers. Instead of expecting people to bring gifts, we simply say “bring a dish”. It’s so much nicer. The guest still feels good to have contributed something by not turning up empty handed and the host doesn’t have to prepare as much beforehand. This means less stress and more incentive to get together more often – because getting together is simply so much easier now! For example everyone knows that my signature dish is a big salad! So I offer to take care of “salad, sides, desserts, drinks” (we don’t drink alcohol thankfully). My brother’s signature dish rotates between satay and tacos. My sister’s is lentils, roast chicken or roast lamb. I love it because I don’t have to stress about getting the right thing and the host has about a third of their preparation lifted off their shoulders. People still get together for the real reason. Life is just so much simpler.
Not being Christian I’ve never really understood Christmas (in the retail/cultural celebratory sense). Sure in my religion we will celebrate the birth of holy figures by remembering their lives and their teachings and thinking about how to emulate them in our lives but I’m always dumbfounded how the birth of the Savior has turned into such a retail frenzy. I’d understand it if people were buying all this food/these clothes to give to the less fortunate in society and actually emulate the life of the Savior (as I’ve understood it at least). I just don’t get the whole trees/alcohol/overeating/tacky decorations thing. I remember travelling to a really poor country seeing people scraping the floor for grains that the birds didn’t eat and then arriving back home on Boxing Day to see everyone going crazy in the airport duty free shops for discounted perfumes and I thought ‘what has the world come to, have we really forgotten the purpose of our short lives here?’
You know, I’m Christian and I don’t get it either.
If you visited a church, you could see the different ways that Christians are helping the needy in their own communities and throughout the world at Christmas.
The kings brought baby Jesus very expensive gifts…including gold…and other rarities. So tradition has it to give presents to those you love on Christmas in remembrance of that.
Merry Christmas!!! :)
I had such a laugh at “Lock your door! Your Boomer parents have decided to downsize”. Guess what, my Boomer parents are downsizing!
Inspired by the success that I’ve had playing the Minimalism Game (https://moretimethanmoney.co.nz/tag/minsgame/), my Mum announced that she’s doing it this month. I was thrilled, but also apprehensive. One thing I noticed from my own decluttering is that a chief source of my clutter was stuff other people have passed along to be me, primarily my Mum. I did not want her decluttering to be my re-cluttering. I have rehearsed lots of polite ways to say thanks but no thanks and direct her to another disposal option. I’m pleased to report that she’s up to day 17 and has yet to try to offload anything to me!
I am an older boomer, have nieces, so unloaded smaller old items ten years ago, they live far off, so they picked thru and sold/donated the rest. I sold other items to antique dealers. When in laws passed away, I sold some stuff and donated much to group homes in my area (household stuff). Some later went to cousins. When a parent dies you end up with a whole houseful if spouse is only child. A good reason to stay minimalist so as not to burden heirs. Older active people don’t want to spend time dusting and org. nic naks.