LENT: 30 days to simplifying your Life. Days 1-3

Fairytalemama posted this challenge for lent on the WTM board yesterday.

Day 1 challenge....Fill a shopping bag with things to donate. I was able to fill an entire black garbage bag with pass on stuff and 3 kitchen size bags with junk ton throw out. Dh is on board and is making new shelves!!! I LOVE shelves!

Day 2: tackle 5 drawers...junk drawers....love or lose it! ok....off to see what needs it most!

Will post my success later!

Faithe


Later: I did really great with this challenge. I started off with the bathroom and I cleaned out the 2 drawers in there. While I was at it, I went through the medicine cabinet and dumped all the expired bottles and empties the kids put back.

I then went into the kitchen, and cleaned out the 2 drawers, made them all spiffy...then since I was on a roll and I was all out of drawers, I straightened out my walk in closet. I do that often, so it wasn't too bad, but definitely in need of doing.

I am looking forward to the day 3 challenge....

DAY # 3

OK,  so Day 3 looks very challenging to me...especially at this time of year.   This is the time of year where I begin to decide on next year's curriulum choices.  Now,  I know I have enough books and curricula in this house to get my kids through 12th grade and then some...but nothing is nicer to me than a new fresh curriculum.  I love how it feels and how it smells.  I love the excitment of trying it out...and then disappointment usually (but not always) follows. 

I am also in the middle of a whole house renovation project...so these questions definitely come into play.  I want my house to be simpler,  cleaner,  easier to work in so I don't have to work so hard at upkeep...and I will have more time to just be with my kids.  We are in the process of building shelves and book cases so everything has a place to go...and in the process,  I am being very brutal on what I decide to keep. 

Create a checklist of questions that will help you decide what to buy and what to forgo.  Below, we have listed examples of questions for your list.  At the very top of the list, write down your major life goals in sound bites.  For example, you might write "get fit", "travel more", or "study wildflowers."  Put your list in your wallet so you can consult it when you go shopping.  When it comes time to purchase something, determine whether your goals and the purchase are harmonious.

              OR for the serious simplifiers---

Take a month long sabbatical from buying anything but "perishables" --- items you use up quickly like gas, food, flowers, and toiletries. During the month, jot down the nonperishable things you think you need or want. At the end of the month, look at your list and cross off as many items as possible. In our society, most of our needs are wants. (30 Days to a Simpler Life, p. 26)

Goals...WHAT are MY life's Goals??



1.  To spend more FOCUSED time having fun with my kids and my husband
2.  To spend more serious time on the Lord
3.  To get physically fit and healthy
4.  To get mentally and spiritually fit and healthy
5.  To totally de-junk....in all areas...
6.  To earn a BA in American History
7. To continue to homeschool my kids through High School and to provide them an exemplary education       without crushing either their, or my, spirit.
8.  To love deeply
9.  To be open to the move of the Holy Spirit...to be still so I can hear His voice and follow His leading wherever it takes us as a family. 

The example questions she mentions in the mission above that will help you decide what to buy or what to forgo are:


Will it enhance my goals?


Will it create more work?


Do I need it?


Is it truly a bargain?


Do I think it will make my life easier?


Do I want it because it's trendy?


Will it bring my family together or tear us apart?


Do I want it because it will make me feel better?


Will I have trouble getting rid of it in the future?


(30 Days to a Simpler Life, p. 22-23)


I really like these questions and I plan to print them out and paste them on the inside cover of my wallet where I keep my credit card.  I am also going to use these questions prior to buying any curricula for next season...adding these questions:

Is this easy to use without much preparation from me?


Will this curriculum help my kids to reach their personal goals?


Will this curriculum help us to reach our family goals?


Does this curriculum fit into the parameters of the goals I have listed for my own future?


I think a 30 day wait period is excellent....and I really like the questions as they pertain to nearly everything and anything I would possibly buy or consider buying.

30 days is not really that long to forgo non-perishables....but I guess I will need to break out that ol' library card. :-)

Faithe