Well hello!
Happy Thursday. I hope everyone is having a super fun and productive week!
Between running around for lessons and work, getting my car tuned up and donating a ton of our household items to my favorite Thrive Animal Rescue, I’d say I am having a most productive week.
I’m exhausted and it’s not even Friday LOL.
My newfound goal of simplifying our life (Anton may or may not yet know this hahaha), is going to make things easier for sure! And reap some financial rewards.
It’s just getting there. And of course there’s that last minute procrastination and feelings of “oh wait, can I really part with that?” Or “I’m really saving money because look, I’m buying everything on sale.” And other emotional nonsense.
Did anyone read my Simplifying Life To Feel Free And Happy, out a few weeks ago?
If you did, you’ll know I’m in quite the mood for change. Maybe it’s the more I’m on social media and the more material I see our society becoming, the less I want to be that way. It’s just a waste of time and materials and income if you ask me. Because in the end, what do we do with our “STUFF?” Well, we get sick of it and donate it or give it to friends or it sits in our closets and takes up space for years and years and years.
Shoot, I even have old school books and essays from highschool and college. I guess I want to remind myself how smart I used to be HAHA before I took my hair to the ultimate blonde level and became a ballroom dancer. (JK)
STUFF BE GONE lololol!
Starting summer of 2017 I’ve decided to be all about experiences, health and happiness. Sounds cliche’ maybe, but I really believe life is all about experiences and staying healthy so we can continue to have these amazing experiences. I think millenials are slowly catching on too.
And besides, the less you buy, the more you save for your financial freedom and independence.
I’ve seen blogs about families giving up their personal possessions and retiring at their first million to travel and give their children a perspective of various cultures around the world. Now how amazing would that be? Ultimately, you better know how to SAVE SAVE SAVE while doing this, but I think these families are definitely on the right track.
Now don’t get me wrong. I LOVE my Louis Vuitton and I love a few essential pieces of jewelry. But I don’t need a lot. In fact, I just cleaned out my jewelry and am melting a ton of pieces with my favorite jeweler, Alber Rezko this week. Who, btw, if you havn’t met, you really need to meet. His office is in the jewelry building downtown San Diego. His pieces are simple yet amazing. And he will melt just about any type of metal and apply it toward your next purchase.
I like to get rid of a lot and trade for one nice piece.
LESS EQUALS MORE!! And it’s easier to travel and move around with too. 🙂
Here is my list of ten ways to simplify our lives to feel happier, freer and more financially independent. Without worrying what the person next door or on your instagram has. Being happy with what we have, who we are and what we do in life really can change us for the better.
- Make a list of the things you value most. Family, pets, friends, travel, education, etc. Next, list the material items you value in a separate list. Try to get both lists down to a top five. (Mine goes something like: Anton and our yorkies, family and friends, animals, travel, financial freedom, Louis Vuitton, dinners out and Alber Rezko jewelry.)
- Make a monthly budget for these lists and include a large “safety pad” for savings and emergencies. From this list decide how often you want to see family and friends, how much you can safely afford for dinner and drinks and travel. Ask yourself is one purse a year or every three years good enough? What are the basic clothes I need for work, workouts and the beach? You know, things like this. Think BIG but also think REALISTICALLY. This list can change yearly.
- Organize your time each day as efficiently as possible. Don’t drive back and forth. If you can go to the grocery store in the same trip as you go to the drug store or mall, do it all in that one trip. Plan meetings close together geographically. This will save us time and money.
- Don’t say YES right away. Tell people you will think about it and get back to them in 24 hours. This was a HUGE problem for me. I used to want to please everyone so I’d always say yes right away without thinking about it. Well, then I’d be constantly doing things for everyone or going on everyone else’s schedule. Eventually my finances suffered. It got so bad I was driving 35,000 miles a year! Talk about financially bad decision making. And bad for my health and wellness always in the car. Also bad for friendships because if you overcommit and then flake, your friends will stop taking you seriously.
- Take care of YOU first. It sounds selfish but it really is anything but! In fact, I think it’s selfish not to take care of yourself because if you don’t, how can you be in the physical, financial and mental shape to be a friendly, productive, kind person to and for others? In order to be happy, our needs and emotions must be met first. Only after we are taken care of can we take care of others and be happy in doing so.
- Pick one charity you LOVE and donate to it. Even $1 once a month works. It’s doing this one act of kindness that can really make us feel good! For me it’s animals and Thrive Animal Rescue. We even had them on our wedding registry. And believe me when I say we felt sooo happy everytime in lieu of a gift we received a donation for the animals. In all honesty, it was WAY BETTER.
- Stop comparing yourselves to others. Life is not fair. Luck happens and sometimes a person’s birth place or family can help them out in life. Plus, you never really know the whole truth of who you’re comparing yourself to. As human beings we all have issues and none of us is perfect. There’s always an elephant hidden in that closet! The more time you spend on your health, fitness and job, the more it will benefit you and move your life in the direction you want to go. Focusing all of your energy on others won’t help you reach your goals at all.
- Get rid of that storage unit. Everything you own should fit in the house you can afford, comfortably. I’ve learned my lesson on this one guys. I spent so much money on storage and after about two years, the moths had eaten most of the things I was storing. Now I’ve cleaned out my storage, saving a ton of money and time by not worrying or having to drive to storage to get my seasonal clothes. When I can afford a bigger closet, then I can afford more clothes. Financially it makes a ton of sense, right?
- Simplify your finances. I cut up a credit card last week. I really don’t need 3 cards. Who does? One for business, one for personal. And a bank card for cash. That’s it. Way less complicated to remember passwords and usernames. Why keep all of that messy stuff in our heads when we can focus on building our businesses and careers?
- Don’t overspend! I know everyone thinks this is an easy one but hear me out. If you overspend, you may not be building enough of a retirement plan. You’ll also be busting out of your kitchen and closet with things you really don’t need. Again, make a list of the essential home items you cannot live without. Anything extra, write it down and wait. If in two months time you have to have the items on that list, go get them. Just remember, the more clutter, the more mess, the more money spent and the more time and effort spent cleaning up and getting rid of the items!
I hope this helps. I feel better just jotting my list down. As you can see, the Yorkies are my most essential piece! 🙂
Phew- and now I’m off to get rid of more stuff I do not need. As a blogger, I walk a fine line of having too many fashion pieces and not enough. Well, I’m just going to have to get creative with my brand and show you all it’s possible to have an exciting wardrobe by reinventing yourself every once in a while with old, existing pieces!
I challenge all of us to go donate one item to our fave charity today!
xx Shanna