Inspiration: Donna Freedman

Now that the US is in a recession (depending on who you talk to), it is interesting how many articles are coming out about being frugal; it makes me laugh. Some of us have been doing this for a long time! But nonetheless, I'd love to see Americans make a dramatic change in their lives in order to pay off their debt, live simple, and avoid credit cards.

After logging off my email account, an article on living frugally caught my eye (naturally) and so after reading it, I found another article that had me thinking. The title is, "Surviving (and thriving) on $12,000 a year." WHAT?! $12,000 a year? $1,000 a month to cover all my expenses? And mind you, this is a woman who is going back to school. She even tithes $20 a month to church. WOW. She is my hero.

Could you do it? $1,000 a month to cover rent, utilities, car, gas, food, unexpected expenses? I don't think I could, I don't spend a lot of money, but I sure as heck LIKE having the money to spend it in case I need to. Well then, who doesn't? I'm sure Donna doesn't like living so frugally, but I'm sure it has really put her priorities in line and once she's done with school she'll have more money. I can promise you this, she will only tithe more, continue to live frugally, and have an enriched life, as she obviously does now.

Check out the article, leave your comments. Donna is an inspiration, we could all learn a lesson from her experiences.

I challenge you this week:

• Find a charity this month and donate some money. I'm trying to pay off my debts but if Donna can do it, so can I. My favorite charities are the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and the National Anti-Vivisection Society.


• Cut back on your food expenses, cook at home this week 3 times.


• Lower your gas consumption. With gas being so high, walk to the grocery store this week. The weather is getting nicer and this is a simple way to save money and help your health.

Image courtesy of: http://howwilliberich.com

Addicted much?

Ok, anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE furniture; I inherited this from my uncle who loves furniture as well. There's just something about a quirky table, chair, bookcase, etc. that gets me excited. I reported the other day that I've been check craigslist more often; I think this is in part to the other blogs I've been checking out and when they reference a retro lamp or table they got for $30, my fingers start flying. Needless to say, I've been checking every few hours so that I can be the first if a retro ____ comes up for sale.

This weekend I drove to the other side of town to purchase some vintage Marilyn Monroe articles from an artist who had no more room for them in her house. For $20 I was more than pleased to pick up 5 articles written about her (when she was alive, I hate stuff written about her after her death). After I arrived at her house and we began chatting about our love of Marilyn, she said, "Oh, I should show you this bookcase I did." Uh Oh. So she takes me in her garage and begins unearthing this really cool small bookcase that she had hand painted (literally, painted with her hands) and decoupaged (she uses a similar technique she invented) a gorgeous photo of Marilyn on it with vintage Los Angeles postcards. Very cool, eclectic, and fun, instantly fell in love with it even though I only saw about 1/4 of it!! "Oh, I had this on craiglist for $65 but only one guy responded to the ad, he was really creepy and had a Marilyn tattoo on his neck and I did not want him coming to my house. But I'll sell it for $40." Zing.. sold.

After bf loads it in the back of the truck, I smile.. like a druggie who just got her fix. After an hour of rearranging my room to maximize my new piece, it now rests comfortably next to my bed with the 1960s lamp I happened to snag from my hoarder grandma. My room is now bursting with furniture; queen-sized bed with matching chest of drawers and bedside table, seagrass 3-drawer dresser (medium-sized), small antique piece I bought in England with graduation $$ from my grandparents, and my new Marilyn piece. It's pretty sad when I'm considering getting rid of my bedside table that matches my furniture so I can have more fun pieces, but I think I might do that. I think individual pieces are a lot more fun, attention-grabbing, and interesting.

Ok folks, what does this have to do with the price of eggs in China? A good rule of thumb when you bring something into the house: One thing in, Two things out. This will help you control the clutter that may be taking over your life. You can't have everything, really focus on the pieces that make you happy and that you love, if you have something that doesn't make your heart sing every time you see it, get rid of it. Eventually you will find something that replaces it and makes you happy.

Happy to say, I did MORE purging this weekend after I worked Sat. I have another bag load of things to take to Goodwill and after browsing so much on craigslist, I think I'm going to post a few items on there myself and get rid of things that take up too much space, things that I don't use, or things that I have NO room for. My DVD player in my room pooped out, I think I'm just going to sell my TV, I now read at bedtime which is better than watching videos anyway. I have an old retro table I picked up on freecycle that my roommates decided to plunk in my room, so since we no longer use it, I'm going to post it for free. And a new chip and dip set I received as a wedding gift almost 7 YEARS ago that's never seen the light of day? it's going on there as well. Why not clear out the house and make a few bucks? The new-age garage sale. :) I love it.

"You're not a hippie, you're an activist."

That's what a co-worker told me last night at work. This is the same co-worker after we took a little personality test for fun, put my name down in association with the color green because he said I care about the environment and green is the new term associated with it.

I don't hide my shame about caring for the environment, I believe every little bit helps. I pick up trash when I'm walking and put it into the trash. Imagine if we all picked up one piece of trash a day, wouldn't the results be amazing? Now, you may not see them, but nationally it would make a big impact. I also pick up empty cans if I see them in order to recycle; California pays almost $2 a pound for aluminum cans, so now we collect them for our trips to Cali. Why not get a little cash for some empty cans some inconsiderate person just dumped on the sidewalk?
I also traded all of my lightbulbs for the energy-efficient ones when I moved into my house and I try to use environmentally-friendly cleaning products as much as possible.

I yell at my parents when I visiting and CRINGE when a can, plastic bottle, etc goes in the trash. They said they were going to order a recycle bin, I should call tonight to see if they finally got around to it!!

People don't realize how easy it is to recycle and your trash can would not be as full! My brother and sister-in-law are also big into the environment as well. They share a car between them, they have a manual push mower instead of a gas-guzzling, polluting one, and they recycle. My roommate busses it around Tucson; he hasn't had a car in years. This not only saves him a ton of cash (no insurance, upkeep, payments, gas, etc) but really great for the environment.

It's not hard as one would think to think about the planet, it's really not difficult at all!! Little baby steps are the best way to begin, I think once you start it becomes addicting and you want to find out what you can do to make a difference.

Send me your ideas and tips...what do you do to help the environment?

Tax season: what do you do with your refund?

Did you know that the average American family spends 43% MORE than they earn each year? Do you see something wrong with this picture? Because I surely do!

Hopefully by now most of us have completed our taxes and are just awaiting the refund either in direct deposit (the fastest way) or check in the mail. Those who have paid their taxes this year will also receive the tax check the government is sending most in order to "stimulate" the economy.

From the IRS Economic Stimulus Information Center Website:

"Starting in May, the Treasury will begin sending economic stimulus payments to more than 130 million households. To receive a payment, taxpayers must have a valid Social Security number, $3,000 of income and file a 2007 federal tax return. IRS will take care of the rest. Eligible people will receive up to $600 ($1,200 for married couples), and parents will receive an additional $300 for each eligible child younger than 17. Millions of retirees, disabled veterans and low-wage workers who usually are exempt from filing a tax return must do so this year in order to receive a stimulus payment."

Please do not fall into the trap the government is luring us into; take that check and use it to pay your bills! Pay down your debt, don't go out and spend the money, put it to use. Put it towards a house fund, money towards an appliance that you've been needing to replace (make sure it has the EnergyStar logo on it!), in a savings account, your IRA, or any other retirement fund, or on your car payment. I took my whole income tax refund, which was a very nice chunk, and as soon as I saw it was in my account, transfered it all to loan and made a principle only payment. I will do the same once I get my check from the government. With the two of these checks, it will make a substantial dent into my debt and will allow me to be debt free in only a few months! :)

Yes, it would be nice to get new clothes, go out, and splurge a little bit, but why? If I chose to do that I would look at my debt and wonder, how much interest would I have saved if I had only used that money to pay it down? Did I REALLY need the new clothes or did I just want them?

Please rethink your spending habits here upon arrival of your refund as well as stimulus check; this is a good amount of money that could be put into use. With the average American household owing more than $8,000 worth of credit card debt, please, pay down your bills! Go against the Joneses!

Click here for more info on the stimulus package and to see if you're eligible.

Dumpster diving: the debate

Ever heard of a freegan? What about freeganism? I don't remember the first time I had heard the term "freegan" but I was pretty intrigued the more I learned about it. Interestingly, it's gettting more press, most recently in a CNN article today.

The term "freegan" is a combination of "vegan" and "free." Vegans are individuals who abstain from eating or consuming any type of animal product; they don't eat meat, dairy, honey, wear leather or anything that comes from animals. It's truly a lifestyle that they live trying to be as green as possible while advocating for animal rights. Freegans are individuals who take it one step further and try not buy ANYTHING new, and yes, this includes food. Freegans are also known as dumpster divers; they pick up things left on the side of the road left for trash, dig through dumpsters behind grocery stores for food. They argue that perfectly good food is thrown away and why not rescue it? I remember reading somewhere that at 2:00am Trader Joes gives away all of its old produce, bread, etc. for FREE. Who minds day-old bread anyway? Not me! Toast it up and use it for a sandwich.

But honestly, who HASN'T picked up something off the side of the road and put it to use? Some people throw away perfectly good items for no reason at all, it's better then it ending up in a landfill, right? When I lived in Michigan as a kid my dad found an old-fashioned wooden sled with metal tracks on the side of the road and snagged it for us kids. We used it a lot, especially since we always got great snow. Is there anything wrong with that? No way. When I first got married my husband and I fished a wooden unit out of a dumpster and used it for a TV stand, after we repainted it. We were poor and this was great for us and it saved us money till we could afford one.

I applaud freegans. I'm a vegetarian, I've TRIED going vegan but it is really difficult, you'd be amazed at what you can/can't eat/wear etc. But the results are amazing if you do decide to take it to the next step. Freegans are just trying to use what is already out there; talk about simple living! Easy on your check book and good for the environment. I think it's great that people want to go to that extreme, if that's what they want to do, then more power to them; if they aren't hurting anybody, then it's even better. I especially like the program Food Not Bombs were they use reclaimed food to feed the homeless. WOW! What activism and community involvement.

Freegan.info is a website for you to check out that gives you more info on freeganism, their philosophies, locations, and connections to other freegans. Check it out.. let me know what you think. I also check out freecycle.org as well as craiglist.org in the free section. You never know what you can find and it's great if you can give back as well! Do you think you could ever be a freegan? What do you think about dumpster diving for food? Leave your thoughts and let me know what's on your mind.

Image from freegan.info

Hoarding = get help

hoard·ing1 [hawr-ding, hohr-] –noun
1. the act of a person who hoards.
2. hoardings, things that are hoarded.

There is a lot of talk in the media today about hoarding. Oprah did an episode on it the other day, which I had to have my mom in Dallas Tivo for me, and more and more articles are on the net about it. One of my favorite websites Unclutterer mentions an article where San Francisco how has opened the Institute of Hoarding and Cluttering that is a "center for information, training, education, policy and dissemination of research on compulsive hoarding and cluttering."

If you've never seen hoarding first hand, it is VERY depressing, disgusting, emotionally exhausting, disappointing, etc.; there really is such a mix of emotions that goes on with it. My grandma (on my Mom's side) is a complusive hoarder, she never got to the point where a lot of individuals get to where you are climbing over piles of junk, but where every storage area is filled, shelves are overstocked, rooms are crowded, unnecessary JUNK she feels that is useful. She has three homes in three different states (Illinois, Texas, and Arizona) that are filled with junk, that she swears is valuable.

We are fortunate enough that she is at that stage in her life that we are able to control what goes in and out. My grandpa died almost 2 years ago from a stroke and unfortunately my family was in the process of moving them from Illinois to Texas, right next door from my parents, right behind my uncles' house. After Baba died my grandma flew me from England to Illinois to stay with her for a week since no one else could and she can't be left alone. (She's going to be 90 this year and is very fragile and can't take care of herself anymore). So I was left to deal with making sure she didn't fall, organize her belongings, and take her around town (she refused to let me drive and almost killed us three times). After the week was over, my parents and my uncle came to Illinois to essentially rescue me and take my grandma to her new home in Dallas.

Some examples of what we have had to deal with:

• Napkin collection. Yes, a NAPKIN collection. She has THOUSANDS of napkins in unendless piles. Napkins from the 60s, fast food restaurants, from every occassion, you name it, she has it. She REFUSES to throw them away and if you do happen to get them in the trash without her knowledge, she goes through and picks them out.
• Hospital soup/coffee mugs. You know, those large mugs that can be used for a bowl of soup or extra large cup of coffee. When my grandfather was in the hospital my grandma would take every mug that was given to him; she has about 15 - 20 in her cupboard at home that have never been used, she doesn't drink coffee.
• I found RealLemon juice in her basement. This was from 1975. An unopened, extremely large GLASS bottle that she refused to let me throw away. I finally had to hide it in the room I was staying in and give it to my family when they came and helped..without her knowledge.
• Dirty tinfoil and plastic bags she saved. They were sticky and disgusting and we had to hold her back while she was bawling her eyes out saying that it was useful and she wanted to keep it.
• Old spices that are in tins. If spices are in tins, according to McCormick, they are at least 15 years old. Old food as well in cans, boxes, etc. Nope, they're still good according to her, can't toss them out. We used to be very cautious about what we ate at their house, most of the time we always made sure we ate before we arrived.
• On the way out the door to take her to Dallas, my dad had to PRY her fingers off the fridge because she didn't want a little food to go waste. About 3 of us had to grab her kicking and screaming because of the food.

I could continue, but it makes my brain hurt. Complusive hoarding is a SERIOUS issue. Why did my grandma continue to clutter her homes? Why did she go to garage sales all the time and buy unnecessary items? She had an empty nest in the early 1970s when their children moved out, what was the reasoning behind it all and why did Baba let it continue?

To let you know, it is out of control and I do not envy my parents, aunt, and uncle when she finally passes away. They will have 3 houses full of stuff to deal with and with most of it being junk they will probably rent a few skips to toss the trash.

If you know someone who is a hoarder, get them help. They have serious issues that need to be dealt with, otherwise it will control their lives. I've seen it firsthand and knowing that my grandma values her possessions over our family is a very sad thing.

Quality, not quantity

I come from a family of collectors. My dad loves Mr. Peanut, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Betty Boop memorabilia, my bro loves Mad magazine stuff, my uncle collects Wedgwood biscuit barrels and Pez dispensers. I love anything that has to do with Marilyn Monroe, I Love Lucy, and old colored glass items.

My dad and I love to go to antique stores together; it's our "thing" we do when we have a day to spend with one another. No one else will go with us when we go antiquing, why? We will spend at least five hours or more at one store. We meticulously look over each shelf, look behind piles, and dig through boxes, careful not to miss anything.

Anymore it's really not difficult to find the things I like to collect. Marilyn Monroe and Lucille Ball are everywhere these days; there are salt and pepper shakers, dolls, beanie babies, fold out chairs (I have one for camping!), luggage, mouse pads, coasters, etc. You name it, it's out there! The question is, how much of these items do I really need?

When it comes to collecting items you really need to determine what you absolutely LOVE and what isn't so great. My dad is SUPER picky about what he picks up. Most of the licensed Betty Boop items are REALLY poorly done, which makes my dad angry, but makes him easier to resist items. He only picks up the items that really are of good quality that appeal to him. I tend to follow his lead. When determining what you'd like to collect, evaluate each piece you find and ask yourself if it will add to or take away from your current collection. You want to display a collection that you have pride in, that was fun to search for (after all, isn't more fun when you find a unique item that may have taken you months to find as opposed to finding it at Wal-Mart?).

Limit your collection of whatever you chose to just a few pieces, it will be easier to maintain, won't get out of control, and you'll really have the quality pieces that shine. Wouldn't your rather have 10 really nice items as opposed to 25 pieces that just create clutter?

If you have a collection right now, reevaluate all the pieces picking the ones you love the most, that mean the most to you. Once you clean out your collection, you'll realize how much better it looks when the quality pieces stand out.

Picture from: http://www.tresmundosgallery.com

Time to go camping!

The flowers are coming out and the days are getting longer..this means spring is here! In Arizona the weather is perfect for camping, just what we did this Easter weekend! Now that the time is approaching to get out and enjoy nature, it is also the time to go through your camping gear, fifth wheel, etc.

We have a fifth wheel with 3 slide outs so we are very comfy when we go camping; we finally got to California (at 4am after leaving at 8:30pm!!) and once we got set up we had to put back everything we took down for the trip, so nothing would break. We realized this is actually a perfect time to spring clean, a little odd timing, but it really was the best for us; the trailer is normally clutter-free and clean, neither one of us likes clutter.

We got rid of a bunch of trash, old boxes (one was for the iron, but we never used the box!), and got everything reorganized. So needless to say, after about a half-hour of cleaning, dusting, purging, etc., the trailer looked great and we were able to keep it clean the whole time we were gone and once we got home, everything was in place.

What do you need to do before you head out?

• When getting ready to go camping, pull all of your gear out and determine whether you need to keep items, replace new ones (do you really want to sleep in a moth-eaten sleeping bag?), or just pitch the unnecessary. Take with you only what you need (you probably won't be using your laptop on a camping trip!) so that when you get to camp, you can easily set up without a lot of hassle, and wonder, why did we bring all of this stuff?

• Making a list of what you need to take with you and ensuring it all gets done beforehand is always a good thing. Start a few days before your trip, even starting before you think you need to. Nothing worse than leaving later than you plan on and getting in way too late! You want to enjoy what time you have, even if it's only a few days.
  

• Keep cash handy just in case of emergency. Our trailer battery was dead shortly upon arrival and since we camp way out in the desert, about 30 miles from town, one of our friends picked it up for us on his way in. Luckily we had to cash to give him when he finally arrived, otherwise we would have been in a weird position.
  

• Don't carry unnecessary weight, this translates into poorer fuel economy and unnecessary braking stress. Try to fill up your water containers at your last stop area, if at all possible.
  

• You can NEVER have too much water. You may be surprised at how much you use for showers, dishes, drinking, etc. You can buy some 5 gallon water containers at Wal-Mart for about $7/container, bring more than what you think you'll need!
  

• Try to minimize the amount of stops you take on your trip; this will save you time and save you gas as well, since you won't have to stop and restart your engine all the time. Take enough snacks and bottled water with you so you don't have to pay $15 every stop at a gas station!
  

• If you have pets, we brought Juno and our kitten, Willow, make sure you have enough food for them and always keep an eye on them! All of our friends have little 4 wheel drive vehicles, quads, bikes, etc. Nothing would be worse then one of them getting injured and being so far away from a vet, when time is of the essence. Also, we have to be cautious of scorpions, rattlesnakes and coyotes, by keeping an eye on them you can make sure they stay out of trouble, and stay safe.

• And most important, before you begin your trip or start your journey home, say a little prayer to the Man Upstairs, or whom ever you worship. Giving thanks for your health, your ability to be able to take a vacation, and making it safely, is always in style. After all, He is the reason we get to enjoy nature!
  

If you get everything planned in advance, your camping trip will be much more enjoyable. Your vacation is supposed to be relaxing, not exhausting! No one wants to stress on vacation so by getting a head start on planning your trip, you will be able to maximize time and ensure you have all the necessary equipment to enjoy yourselves! :)

What I accomplished this week...

• 
  Tonight I am going camping in California for Easter weekend so I will be unable to update until I get back. I thought I would end this week with a post on what I've done this week to simplify my life.
  
  Purged my house. I went through the closet, under-the-bed storage, medicine cabinet, and drawers of my house and got rid of a huge garbage bag full of trash, one brown bag full of items for GoodWill (promptly donated the same day with a receipt), and a box full of items to give to my friends who would appreciate the items more than me. My best friend in Florida is getting a purse, training logs for her husband (he's an avid weighlifter), clothes, and a few other goodies that she'll use. One of my students (I'm a rep at a private college) who loves Marilyn Monroe ALMOST as much as me got a purse that I never use. And a coworker gets Spongebob Ty beanie babies for his daughter who loves Spongebob (they were just in storage!). It's nice to give items away to friends who will use the items that I no longer use.
  


• I organized my desk at work. I took about an hour and eliminated paper clutter by entering the information into an Excel Spreadsheet. I got rid of excessive pictures and junk that just creates clutter and I hung up my desk calendar on the wall instead of having it under my keyboard; I could never see the dates under there so what is the point of having it in a place where you can't use it to it's full extent?! I also went through the drawers and got rid of extra pens, pencils, office supplies that if I really need, I can go get from the front desk. So now my desk is much cleaner and aesthetically pleasing and all the junk is gone


• I downsized my phone plan. I share my phone plan with my ex and we weren't using all of the minutes that we were paying for and since we have the Circle Plan with Alltel, we can call our fave people for free all the time. After I checked and realized I needed to update a few numbers, the anytime minutes will be reserved for phone calls to whenever I need to call a business. Now I can call my best friend a WHOLE lot more than I have been! By updating and downsizing, this now saves us $20/month ($240/YEAR!) and considering our phone plan is normally $165/month (I have a Blackberry, this is why it's so high), this will really help save money!

This weekend is going to be all about relaxing and having a good time, taking a breath and enjoying nature. I hope your Easter is a good one! Be safe and Live Simple!

All the best,

LL

Want to do a major downsize? Pretend you're moving..

Here is a great article from Real Simple on Clutter-Busting secrets of the pros.
One of the tips to to pretend you're moving... here are some moving experiences of my own.

As a former military "brat" I moved every three years as a child. I recently returned to the United States after living in the United Kindgom for six years, what does this have to do with the price of eggs in China? Well, my point is that while moving to a new place is an AMAZING time to get rid of stuff you've been holding on to for way too long.

In England I lived in a three bedroom house with an attic, garage, laundry room, and back storage room. When I moved to the States, they put all of those belongings in a one bedroom apartment. FIVE crates full. (A crate is basically the size of one of the PODS you see sitting in Lowes or Home Depot parking lot) The sad thing is that there was only two of us, no kids, and 4 cats. We had sold most of our furniture before we left, we also donated a TON of stuff, gave stuff away, and consigned items at a thrift store...and we still had five crates. Before we moved I went through everything in the house over three times just to make sure I was keeping everything that I loved.

We still had so much stuff once we started opening boxes we thought, WHY DID WE KEEP THIS?! So we did a mega-purge, I mean it was one box at a time unwrapping and separating things into KEEP or DONATE boxes. By the time we were done, I think we had done five or six car loads (with the seats down in a Toyota Matrix) to the GoodWill. We went through things so fast, it was a Yes (keep) or No (donate). What a relief to get rid of all that stuff, we didn't try to sell it, we wanted it gone. And once we did that, we then realized what was truly important, and what was not.

So if you've been living in one place for over two years. Pretend like you're moving, look around and evaluate what you would like to take with you and what just needs to go. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to get rid of things once you have this mentality. Start at one area of the house and get to it! Once you get started, it really becomes addicting! :) Turn on some music and get moving...(no pun intended!)

How do I live simply?

I try to live my life as simple as possible without being a materialistic American. I watch what I spend and where I spend it. Anytime I see something that I want, I ask myself, "Do I really need this item? Would it create clutter in my house? Couldn't that money be spent on my bills?" Here are a few things I do to reduce my spending and keep money in the bank:

• The car I currently drive is a 1995 Honda Civic I bought when I was a senior in high school. It is a wonderful thing not having a car payment, and really, why would I trade it in? It's nice and clean on the inside, no dents or bumps on the outside, standard windows and locks so I don't have to worry about spending hundreds of $$ to replace the motors, and although my A/C has been broken for almost a year, I drive with the windows and sunroof open. Hey, I'm helping the environment by reducing emissions. Now granted I eventually will get it fixed since we do get 112 degree weather, but I've driven it this long that it doesn't bother me all that much; so I'm saving my wallet and helping the environment all at once. :) The car is my baby and I will drive it till the wheels fall off, literally. It's been with me everywhere including college, roadtrips to Texas, and the six years that I lived in England so I'm not getting rid of it anytime soon! Plus I want to save enough $$ so that I can pay cash for my next car (A Toyota Prius, Toyota Matrix, or Honda Civic Hybrid).
• I don't shop at the mall. WHAT? you might say, that's Un-American. I really don't. The only time I go to the mall is to get my hair cut every 8 weeks and if I really need something, oh, say, Red Robin veggie burgers! But honestly, why would I go to the mall to kill time? It's just asking for money to be spent and really, do I need $10.50 hand lotion when the Olay Body Quench is soo much better anyway? No thanks! I'd rather take my dog to the dog park or drive to the mountains.
• I don't eat out a lot. I make amazing smoothies in the morning for breakfast accompanied by some raw nuts, and for lunch I have salad at home with nuts and raw cheese. Snacks are generally raw fruit or veg. Sometimes I'll go out for dinner, but a lot of the time it's an avocado with salsa and hemp seeds. Eating out is not only really bad on the pocketbook, but also REALLY bad for your waistline! I get home late from work anyway, and so if I go out to eat, that kills the time that I spend at home.
• I only drink water. I don't drink milk, I hate soda (it burns my throat), and juice is too sugary. I gave up soda when I was 16 just because I thought, this is dumb, I'm just drinking liquid calories. I don't buy bottled water either, unless I'm on a roadtrip. I carry a plastic bottle with me that I fill up with my Brita water filter; this goes to work with me or if I know I'm going to be out all day. We have a water machine at work so I fill it up there; I generally drink well over 64oz of water a day. It's great for your body and saves a ton of money! Soda is so expensive that if you add it up, you could be saving a lot of money each month. Most restaurants charge $2.00 for soda, if you eat out 3 times a week, that's $12, just for 2 people and that's $624 a year! Just for having a soda with your meal! Not counting gas stations, 20oz bottles here and there. That's a lot of money! Wasteful! Try going without soda, it may be hard at first but I truly do not miss it!
• I rarely buy clothes. If I do, I make sure I have at least 4 pairs of pants for work with enough tops to mix-and-match outfits. I buy shoes only when I need then or if they wear out. I just don't enjoy clothes shopping that much anyway, but when I do go shopping, I go to Kohl's, their clothes are very cute, fit great, and are very affordable.

Living simply is not boring, it's about making smart choices on what to spend money on, what are your priorities? Do you really need $200 jeans?

So, what do I spend the most money on?

• A quality haircut. I go to Toni and Guy in the mall every 8 weeks, no one cuts my hair better than them and paying $40.00 for getting a great cut everytime can't be substituted. But I dye my own hair, my best friend can get the salon-quality hairdye at cost. So by doing it myself it costs me about $2.00 using the SAME brand hairdye that if Toni and Guy did it, it would cost me about $50!
• My pets. I have two cats and one dog. They get quality food that is specifically for them, my two cats are almost 13 and indoor, so they get a food that is for indoor cats over 10 years old (it's about $10 for a 3.5lb bag). My animals are my family and so their health is very important to me, I want them to be as healthy as possible and live as long as possible! Juno gets groomed every month at PetSmart; they bathe her, clip her nails, and trim up everything, I COULD do this myself, but with my busy schedule, it's much easier this way. Juno also has health insurance that costs me $35.00/month. For dog owners, I don't think you could pass this up; if she's in an accident say she gets hit by a car, gets bit by another dog, or gets a disease, including cancer, these costs would be in the thousands, but her insurance would cover them and I would pay a small portion. This fee also covers yearly vaccinations, trips to the vet, and heartworm testing; VERY worth it in my book. I'm looking out for her future, and my wallet. I guess I spend the most money on my dog buying treats, etc. She's a lot of fun and I want to give her the best home that she's ever had.

That's about it! I really don't spend a lot of money, I don't need to! I like going to thrift stores every once in a while to find some cool vintage finds, but that's all I look for. I like to get out and do as much as possible since the weather here is so beautiful and Arizona has a lot to offer.

So you wanna live simple too?

Purge- verb, purged, purg·ing, noun
–verb (used with object)
1.
to rid of whatever is impure or undesirable; cleanse; purify.
2.
to rid, clear, or free

Where do I get started? is a good question to ask, and don't worry kiddies, LL won't let you down! My plan for purging will get you on the right track to eliminate CLUTTER (that word alone just raises my blood pressure) and simplify your life!

1. Get 3 boxes and line one of them with a trash bag; also grab a kitchen timer
2. Label one box "Keep", one box "Trash" (this one is lined with a trashbag, but you already knew that didn't you?), and the last box "Donate"
3. Pick one room of the house to focus on, say you chose your bedroom. Chose one area to begin like the closet and work on that section alone, don't bounce back and forth, you'll feel much better once one area is done then you can move to the next. Also, you will feel overwhelmed if you try to tackle it all at once.
4. Grab your boxes and your timer, set a limit of one hour to begin with.
5. Go to TOWN! Go through your closet and get rid of trash, clothes you haven't worn in a year or more (Sweetie, you will not wear that shirt again, trust me! and if you lose weight, you'll want to buy new pants anyway, not wear ones that fit you 10 years ago!!) and clutter that has accumulated there.
6. When you can't decide what to keep and what to get rid of, ask yourself this: When I look at this item, does it make me happy? Does this item fulfill my life or fill me with guilt/anxiety/sadness/anger? If you do not TRULY love an item, if you don't look at it and it doesn't make you smile, PITCH IT! Trust me, once you have a home full of only the things that you love, your house will be a happy home, and you will be a happier person as well!
7. An important note: a lot of us receive items as gifts and we feel guilty if we get rid of them. Don't feel guilty! If you truly do not like the item and you're just storing it, then what is the point of having it? Let someone else enjoy it! Trust me, I HATE storing items, I figure, why am I storing this stuff? Really, what is the point?! If it's being stored I'll never do anything with it, so I get rid of it. It's hard at first, but once you stick to your guns and get into the hang of things, it truly does get easier!
8. Once your timer goes off, if you're still motivated, keep going! But if you feel tired, stressed, or overwhelmed. Take a break. Remember, your house did not get like that overnight, it will take longer than that to get it on track.
9. Once a DONATE box is full, tape it up and take it to your car, you're much more likely to get it to Goodwill if it's already there. Grab a new DONATE box and get back to work!
10. Tackle each area in the house like this and pretty soon you will have a clutter-free home. Go through your KEEP boxes and make sure you have a place for everything. I LIVE by the mantra: "A place for everything and everything in its place."

So, once you're done with one room or even the whole house, you may ask: What do I do with this stuff?

You pretty much two options with your full "Donate" boxes:

• Give it to charity! Nothing better than taping up the boxes, driving down to Goodwill and donating your old stuff; most places have a drop-off zone so you just pull up and a helper comes and helps you unload your stuff! It's out of the house and out of your mind now, just make sure you pick up your receipt so you can write it off on your taxes next year!!
• Have a yard sale. Make a few bucks off of your stuff, but make it for the next weekend. Otherwise you'll be storing this stuff in your attic/garage/basement/spare room, and who wants to do that? You may NEVER get around to it, so do it soon! I'm against garage sales for the simple fact is that donating your items takes it off your hands right away and you won't be digging through boxes later. Out of sight, out of mind!

Getting a clutter-free home takes a while, it is hard for a lot of us to part with items that we have a sentimental attachment to! It's okay, if you have items you're not sure if you want to get rid of at this point, but those items in a box and label it with the date and put it in your garage. After 6 months if you haven't touched the box, keep it taped up and take it to Goodwill! :)

Good luck! And stay positive! You CAN do it!

Simple = happiness

I forgot to mention I love quotes. A lot. So after doing a few searches on the net, I found a few on simple living. Here are a few of my faves:
(courtesy of http://www.quotegarden.com/simplicity.html)

• Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. ~Lao Tzu
• You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. ~Vernon Howard
• Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. ~William Morris
• To poke a wood fire is more solid enjoyment than almost anything else in the world. ~Charles Dudley Warner

That last one was an addition for my boyfriend(bf). We go camping several times a year in California and to him there is nothing better than being in the middle of the desert with your best friends, sitting around a fire drinking beer, and having a relaxing time.

Juno and Pink Carnations: The beginning

I am not a typical American. I do not thrive on "keeping up with the Joneses", frankly, I've never met the Joneses and I probably wouldn't like them anyway. I am a simple girl who was raised in a typical American family who thrived on spending: the big house, nice cars, expensive belongings, etc. I do not think that way today nor will I ever think that way again.

I've been living on my own since I was 19 and I've learned a lot throughout my short life (I'm now 25). Less is more. Clutter is a distraction. Happiness is not achieved through a big house and fancy car. Minimalist living really can provide you a much richer life.

What does Juno and pink carnations have to do with this blog? Well, Juno is my 1 year old terrier-mix dog who I recently rescued from a non-kill shelter in Tucson, AZ (where I presently reside). She is my first dog and is my happy place. Pink carnations are my favorite flower. Yes, carnations are simple and one of the cheapest flowers on the market. What can I say, I'm a simple girl. To me, they are beautiful, last forever, and smell very nice; plus you can get a bunch of them for very little money. What better a title for a blog than two of my favorite things?

Throughout the growth of this blog I hope you learn a lot while contributing your thoughts and ideas; I still have a lot to learn myself. This is about living SIMPLY, without a lot of material possessions, FRUGALLY, without high credit card debt, thereby achieving a fulfilling life dedicated to living each day to its fullest and achieving PEACE.

Welcome readers! Join me on this journey and let's grow together...

All the best,
LL