I had to unsubscribe from the feed of one of my favorite home decorating blogs this morning.  I’ve been reading it for years, but lately I’ve noticed that their pictures of beautiful rooms and neat projects was making me feel like my house was greatly inferior.  Years ago I was embarrassed of my house, and while the feeling is still there sometimes, for the most part I am proud of how I’ve fixed up and decorated.  It really feels like home now, and I love the size and layout.  I have such a hard time reading blogs and looking at pictures online and not comparing them to my house.  It’s hard to picture the houses not picture-perfect (and I’m sure that most of the houses aren’t immaculate all the time).  I realized that by reading all these house blogs I was setting unrealistic expectations of my own house and had to change something.  It was stressing me out when anything in my house was out of place or dirty.  With Penny, it’s harder for me to do things than in used to be, and I’d rather spend time with her than spend all my days cleaning.

I’ve also noticed the more time I spend on Pinterest, the more I feel overwhelmed and not good enough.  I see all these pictures of beautiful, perfect birthday parties for kids and think of how I want Penny’s birthday to be perfect.  However, I know as long as we’re spending the day with her I know it will it be perfect.  I really don’t need to spend hundreds on decorations for her to have a good birthday.

The fact is, I need to learn to be content with what I have, especially now that Mr. Money is unemployed.  I need to stop making lists of everything in my house that I would like to upgrade and just be happy with how it is.  I have to stop comparing things to others, because a lot of things online aren’t really how they are in real life.  I’ve got a great house, beautiful family, and a lot to be thankful for.  I’ll be focusing on that instead of thinking of all the things I’d like to have.  That should help me find some contentment with what I have.  At this point, as long as all of our family has all of our needs met, I’ll be happy.  I can’t ask for much more than that.

Every Wednesday I’ll post about how many items I’ve decluttered for the 365 Declutter Challenge. I’m going to keep a running tally of how many items I’ve decluttered. If it seems that 365 items is an easy goal and I meet it quickly, I’ll probably strive for the 2011 items goal. It’s a little scary, but hopefully it will challenge me in a good way!

I decluttered 53 more items this week.  Included in the pile of crap you will see a few paint sheets, some crappy yarn that was given to me that I held onto forever before deciding I’m not going to use it, and clothes.  Also? Note that really weird gourd thing that I was given.  I still have no clue what its true purpose is.

I’m going to cut back from the weekly decluttering posts because I’m worried I’m boring you all with the mundane details.  I’ll start posting on the first Wednesday of every month.  I’ll still keep decluttering, but I’ll just be updating once a month.

When I first started the challenge, I was worried that I’d be done decluttering in the first month.  It turns out that isn’t the case, and I’m really being challenged to decide what we really need and what we don’t.  It’s been a good exercise for me!

I’ve been sick, so I apologize for not getting the post up on Wednesday.  It seems that my immune system isn’t up to par.  This week I decluttered 52 items, which brings my total up to 68 items! I think it’s going to be a little more challenging than I thought to get rid of 365 items this year.  I’m really going to have to go through things and figure out what really is worth keeping and what’s not.  It does feel good to get rid of things, and I think when I have a big pile of stuff to donate that it feels more impressive than if I have more of the smaller items.  I don’t have pictures this week because I can’t find my digital camera (I didn’t get rid of it- at least I hope not!).  I’ll be sure to have some up next week.

How is your decluttering challenge going?

Every Wednesday I’ll post about how many items I’ve decluttered for the 365 Declutter Challenge.  I’m going to keep a running tally of how many items I’ve decluttered.  If it seems that 365 items is an easy goal and I meet it quickly, I’ll probably strive for the 2011 items goal.  It’s a little scary, but hopefully it will challenge me in a good way!  I am going to do my best to work on some decluttering this weekend, and hopefully I’ll have some good before and after pictures.  My office is a disaster zone; items keep getting thrown in there and never put where they are supposed to go.

Here are pictures of the things I’m getting rid of this week.

This brings my total item count to 16. We’re getting there!

If you want to post on your blog that you are participating in the challenge, here is a button that you can share:

<div align="center"><a href="http://ultimatemoneyblog.com/decluttering-challenge-365-in-2011" title="Declutter 365 Items in 2011" target="_blank"><img src="http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh217/ultimatemoneyblog/declutter125b.gif" alt="Declutter 365 Items in 2011" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Just copy and paste the html! It’s as easy as that.  Thanks to Mrs. Accountability from Out of Debt Again for the wonderful buttons!

Here are some hints I’ve learned while decluttering:

Decluttering Tips

-If you’re looking for a big impact, look to large items that you don’t use.  When you remove them, it will make a huge impact.

-Don’t declutter a significant other’s items unless you have their permission.  It’s not cool to ditch things that aren’t yours.  You may end up tossing something the other person loved.  Kids toys are a go, though!

-Try to figure out if the item will sell for a good amount of money before tossing it.  Generally if I think something will bring less than $5, I donate it.  If I think it will bring more than that, I keep it to sell on eBay or Craigslist.

-Designate a box or an area as your drop off zone.  We have an area in our dining room that we put items in to take to Goodwill.  Items I’m going to sell go into the extra bedroom.

If you’ve participated in the challenge, please link to your posts here: .

Get ready for next Wednesday!

As you may already know, I am a little bit of a decluttering freak.  A minimalist lifestyle speaks to me, and although I don’t think I’ll ever be a “100 things minimalist”, I still value the basics.  With the start of a new year, I decided that I would start a challenge.  Declutter 365 items from my house this year.  I don’t think this is a stretch, but it will challenge me to keep up with the amount of Stuff that resides in my house.

While you declutter, look for items that you can sell either on eBay or Craigslist.  That way you are not only decluttering your home but you are also making a few bucks at the same time!

Are you up for the challenge? I’d love for you to join in.

Here are my ideas:

365 Decluttering Challenge

-Have a weekly check in for those participating.  I think it would be awesome if participants would post photos on their blogs of the items they’ve decluttered.  Maybe even before/after photos of the rooms would be a good idea!  I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for before and after photos.  I think they are so inspiring!

-If you’re hard core and you have a lot of Stuff, you may want to consider upping your goal to 2011.  Personally I didn’t want to undertake this goal because we’d probably have nothing left if I did!  If you can stand to purge more items, go for it!

-Keep an eye on what goes into the home.  Of course, it’s easier to live with less if you’re not bringing more items in! Keep it simple.

These are fairly simple guidelines.  I think it’s a fairly easy concept- simplify your life and home by decluttering 365 items in one year.  If you’re up for the challenge, let me know below in the comments, and I’ll add you to the group!

Happy decluttering!

This year I am a little bit behind on my Christmas shopping.  I’ve come up with a list of the people I’d like to buy for, so that’s a start.  Thankfully I have today off so I’ll be able to hopefully get some shopping done.  But truth be told, I don’t want to go shopping.  I don’t want to spend money on items for people because I feel I have an obligation to.  It’s not that I don’t want to bless others, it’s just that I feel like my family is so blessed that we don’t really need anything.  Mr. Money and I aren’t planning on going out and buying each other gifts.  That’s just the norm for us.

Part of me wants to go out and buy each of us gifts so we have something to open on Christmas morning.  Chances are we’ll be at our house for Christmas because Mr. Money will have to work the next day, so we won’t be able to spend Christmas with our family.  The other part of me has no clue what to buy because we don’t want to bring any extra clutter into the house.  I am thinking about getting us a Netflix subscription so we can enjoy movies at our house.  Other than that, we’ve asked for practical gifts like under shirts, undies and socks.

I think I’m going to stop stressing about it and do my best to enjoy a simple Christmas.  There’s nothing worse than worrying about stupid things!

Are you planning on a simple Christmas this year?

Even though I’m a believer in you shouldn’t keep it even if you have the space, I also seem to have a few areas of my house that I just can’t seem to pare down.  It’s really hard for me to get rid of these things for one reason or another.  I know that I’ve been pretty good about getting rid of things, but there’s always excess somewhere.

Here are the things I can’t seem to be able to declutter:

1. Towels.  We have probably over 20 towels for two adults (plus two labs).  I have towels from when we first moved in together, my husband has his bachelor towels, we have towels from my mother, and we even have wedding present towels!  I feel like towels are just something that you can always use.  You can’t have too many towels, right?

2. Pillows, blankets, and sheet sets.  Again, same thing with the towels.  Not only is it nice to have towels for guests, but it’s also nice when they don’t have to bring their own pillows and blankets.  I probably could afford to get rid of a few blankets and pillows and just ask guests to bring their own.  It’s rare that we get company outside of my parents, and keeping two extra pillows and blankets around for them is pretty negligible.

3. My old Disney VHS tapes.  My mother gave me our old Disney video tapes from when we were kids.  I’ve got probably 25 videos stored in the guest room closet.  We don’t even have a VCR, yet I hang onto them because maybe one day my kids will want to watch them.  It’s also painful to think of getting rid of something we cherished for so long.

4. Old papers.  My mom saved a lot of my school papers and drawings.  When I moved into my house, she brought down 4 or 5 boxes full of papers.  I felt bad when I told her I didn’t want the majority of them.  There still are some old papers and drawings I have that I just can’t get rid of now.

What are some things you just can’t seem to declutter?  How do you decide if it’s worth keeping it?

It seems like the majority of people are realizing that less is more, and a minimalist lifestyle is rapidly gaining popularity.  I definitely lean more towards minimalism, and I’m always decluttering and trying to make more space in my house.  I feel better when I don’t have a bunch of stuff laying around and taking up space.

One day I was listening to my mother tell one of her friends that I don’t even like my attic cluttered.  Maybe I’m a little OCD; maybe I just don’t like stuff.  It’s probably a little bit of both.  After I thought about her statement for awhile, I started to sway to keeping more things.  I’ve got the space, so why not keep it?

I think having more Stuff in your house can cost you time and money.  When you’ve got more stuff in your house, you have to keep it in good condition, clean around it, put it away, and maintain it.  It’s much easier to clean when you don’t have a ton of knick knacks cluttering your shelves.

On the other hand, I know there are times when I look at something I’m going to donate and then I can’t do it because I think I may need it someday or I can repurpose it into something new.  Nine times out of ten, I really won’t need that item in the future.  About half the time I keep the item and then end up not repurposing it.  That makes me crazy!

I guess overall I believe you shouldn’t store things just because you have the space.  Do you think you should keep it if you can store it?

Sometimes I sit and think about how much money I’m going to need for the future, and it freaks me out. I think about how much it’s going to cost to have kids, replace one of our vehicles, and even how much money we’ll need for retirement. I feel like I’ll never be able to save enough money!  I can save and save and save, but who knows how much is enough?  What if I don’t plan for ___?  I realized that I can’t prepare for everything, so I really need to calm down and think of constructive ways to ensure we are as financially fit as we can be.

photo credit: robmercier

6 Month Emergency Fund

I think it’s so important to have some type of emergency fund, even if it’s $100.  That’s still better than nothing.  I’d like to have a years’ worth of expenses saved up, in the event that we decided that we are actually going to move or one of us loses our job.

Be able to live on less

I think this is one of my greatest goals.  I think that by being able to live on less money each year, we’ll have more flexibility and be able to do more things we love.  If we can afford to live on a small amount of money, then we can pretty much live anywhere we choose and be happy.  We won’t have to worry about the economy; we’ll be set.

Keep saving for retirement

We’ll keep plugging along saving money for retirement.  Even though it may not seem like a lot of money now, in 25 years or so, hopefully it will be a lot!  Every little bit helps.

Does saving money ever get overwhelming?  What do you do when you feel overwhelmed?

I have a slight obsession with the Amish. There’s something about their simple style of living that just makes my heart sing.  There are numerous times I’ve thought about finding some Amish people in my area and asking them if I could shadow them for a weekend to see if I could live Amish.  I don’t think they would appreciate that too much, though!

Why I love the Amish way of living

-It’s based on family and community.  Many Amish farmers live very close to each other, often helping each other raise crops and tend to animals.  I like the idea of being neighborly.

-They don’t normally use electricity and many modern conveniences, making their carbon footprint lighter.  Personally I could do without the tv, but without computer and internet? I don’t think I could make it very long.

-They believe in paying cash for everything.  They don’t rely on credit, so if they can’t afford something, they don’t buy it.

-Amish people cook a lot from scratch and use wholesome ingredients, many times with ingredients they’ve grown themselves.

-They drive horses and buggies, which is cool and doesn’t use gas (although it emits gas).

I think I’d probably do pretty well being Amish (minus the internet- I’d miss it terribly!).

Do you think you could live like the Amish?  What would you miss?