Update #3: 2,014 Items

It's been a while since I've updated on our 2,014 item progress.  Here are the numbers for the 3rd quarter of 2014 and the month of October:

July - 78
August - 221
September - 226
October - 259
Prior 6-month Total - 1,040
Running TOTAL - 1,824

July:  we were away from home for over half the month at GSP.  Upon returning home, I was anxious to get some random junk out of various nooks and crannies of the house.  We sold a few items, including our oversized toaster oven.  I hoped I would love that toaster oven, but I used it so rarely that the visual clutter of it on our counter tops was weighing me down.  My favorite part of the challenge of July, though, was finally determining to put our wedding china to use!  One of my dear roommates in college gifted us a beautiful set of china that is dishwasher and microwave safe.  I didn't grow up using such fancy things except on special occasions.  However, the pottery style "everyday" dishware we had used for 9 years was starting to chip and failed at warming food in the microwave.  So we found a new home for our dishware and embraced the beautiful china.  I'm so glad we did.  I feel so fancy. And I think it's a good lesson for our girls that every day we are alive is a day to celebrate.

August:  I continued my mission from July of giving a hard look to everything hiding in closets.  The biggest victory of this month was purging the CD/DVD tower!  I am so proud of my husband for letting go!!  We burned all of the music onto the computer over the years so it's hard to justify finding storage for overflowing CDs and DVDs.  Look how nice and neat it is now:

Most of the CDs and DVDs we own.  The girls' most watched DVDs live in the entertainment center drawer.

September:  I decided to enter a few outgrown baby items in a local semi-annual consignment sale.  I was slightly disappointed in the outcome revenue-wise, but I'm glad that what didn't sell went to local mothers in need.  I am so excited that a huge pile of clothes that left our house were maternity clothes for my dear Pursuing Prairie partner!!!! We've been praying for this blessing for years and I'm so glad she can inherit the community maternity collection! :)

October:   It's amazing what random junk you can continue to find even after months of decluttering! I listed that we donated 51 items to St. Vincent.  I honestly couldn't tell you 1 thing that was included in that pile!  Otherwise, more outgrown baby clothes and items found new homes.  I suppose that will always be the case with growing children in the house.  We have been so blessed to receive good quality hand me down clothing for our girls and intend to donate the majority of it as soon as we can no longer use it.

We will likely meet our 2,014 goal in November which is so exciting.  But our mission cannot and will not end there!

Linky Love: Guest post on children and contentment

My sweet and sassy sister in Christ, Michelle, honored me by asking that I pen a guest post on her blog, Words to Spare. Michelle is in the middle of a wonderful series on the building blocks of Contagious Contentment. Join me over at Words to Spare to read more about Teaching Contentment to Our Children. While you're there, be sure to see what "overflows" from Michelle's heart.

~Carla

Update #2: 2014 Items

I planned to update our progress on the 2014 item challenge at our half way point.  But I temporarily misplaced the list in our GSP transitions.  I was pleasantly surprised to locate the it after cleaning out the van. :)

Before I get to the count, I wanted to share some soul searching Steve and I did while at GSP.  Being away from home in a 1 bedroom apartment for 6 weeks can really change your perspective on things. We can "survive" on so much less than what we currently own.  So what's our break even point?  What sacrifices can we make to be content with less yet still be comfortable? What example do we want to set for our family?  Why do we own a 2000 sq ft home when 1000 would more than suffice?  Why do we choose to stay in debt for the next 18 years if we could be debt free in a smaller home? And many more...

Turns out the answers to these questions are far more complicated when you involve the heart and not just the head.  As the troll says, "the heart is not so easily changed."  And our decisions are certainly more complicated when we view these questions from the perspective of our children as adults looking back at their childhood.  So for now, we are embracing status quo, but renewing our efforts to be debt free by 40, reduce our clutter, and set an example of gratitude.

So here's our month by month count:

January - 257
February - 158
March - 104
April - 172
May - 247
June - 102
6 month TOTAL: 1,040

Some fun things went out the door each month.  My favorite things in March were baby related.  We had a couple of friends deliver baby girls in March and one of Katie's friends collected baby care items at her birthday party.  Bye bye Breast Friend pillow.  You served us well!  In April, we took a load of items to a local women and children's shelter which also included many items Katie collected at her birthday party (friend donations not included in our total).  In May, we had an amazing adoption benefit multi-family yard sale at our house.  We personally let go of approximately 150 items at that one sale.  We had such a great time that our small group plans to make it an annual event!  June was a short month because we left for GSP mid-month.  Before leaving, though, I did a clean out of our toiletry collection and renovated the girls' outdoor play area.

Half way through 2014, we are slightly over the half way point of our goal!  I'm still looking forward to passing along some maternity and baby related items later this year, God-willing.  And we are going to hit the CD and DVD collections hard in the coming days.

~Carla

2,014 Items in 2014

Update #1: 2014 Items

Update #1: 2014 Items

Our household is 2 months into our 2014 items challenge.  I thought I would provide a quick update on our progress so far.

January: 257 items!
We had a great start to the challenge.  My wonderful husband sold his beloved baseball card collection!  He advertised that he estimated the collection at 4000+ cards.  He was off by 7000. :)  rather than claim we parted with 11,000 separate items and rest on our laurels for the next 5 years, we counted 1 pack of cards as 1 item.

February: 158 items
While this is less than the monthly average we need to meet our goal, we still found new homes for some great stuff.  A good portion of February's total consisted of baby items Karis has already outgrown.  She's growing so quickly!! I'll admit I'm slightly sentimental about some of the pieces we passed on.  But I'm even more elated that another sweet baby girl will enjoy them.  Who knows where the clothing will go from there!  Certainly getting better use than collecting age and dust in our attic!!

I'm anxious to get some big numbers under our belt and out of the house.  But there are potential homes for several things when the time is right.  We're also waiting for the weather to warm up to drop off at goodwill and other donation centers.

How are my fellow challengers doing?

~Carla

2,014 Items in 2014

It only seems appropriate that I come up with a plan to let go of 2,014 items in my home in my year of embrace.  But embracing things is not really a goal I need to have.  I've been a member of a cloth diaper swap website for a couple years. One of the discussion forums under the minimalist heading focuses on a challenge to get rid of the number of items that corresponds to the calendar year.  Hence the inspiration for 2,014 items in 2,014.

At first glance, the thought of removing over 2,000 items from my home seemed overwhelmingly impossible.  The more I looked into how the challenge is played out, though, it didn't seem as difficult.  When you consider all the nooks and crannies of your home, there are actually quite a few papers, unwanted toys, clothes, and nicknacks, etc that create clutter.

I've started a list on a piece of paper hanging on the fridge to compile my daily elimination (of items that is) :p  And since this is a challenge for myself and not some sort of strict contest, I made up the following guidelines:

1. Each week's recycle bin = 10 items. I don't want to count each piece individually but I do want to give credit for not sending these items to a landfill.

2.  Every time the compost bin is emptied = 3 items.  Again the action reduces landfill waste.

3. Approx. 50 pieces of paper equals 1 item. However paper goes in the recycle bin so I haven't figured this one out completely.

4.  Other household items that are removed through donation or selling = 1 item each.

5.  Items thrown away don't count if the item is trash by nature. Ex: food wrappers don't count, but a useless coin machine doodad does

So far through the 5th day of the year, we've removed around 35 items from our house.  I don't expect to keep up this pace everyday, but I'm pleased with the results thus far. I'm excited to see how far we get toward the goal.  I may occasionally update our progress.

Wanna join me on this challenge?  Comment and keep us updated!

~Carla

Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be (Part 3 of 3)

Part 1 - inner simplicity
Part 2 - first 5 suggestions for a simple life 

6. Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation.

One of my favorite places to be is in the woods on a cool autumn morning.  There have only been a few times in my life when I've gotten to experience such a wonderful solitude.  The beautiful colors of the foliage, the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet, the smell of a distant smoldering campfire... a sensory explosion.  Who could deny a Creator in such surroundings?!

When I'm truly enjoying nature, whether in the mountains, on the beach, at an aquarium or zoo, I can feel the weight of the world lift off my shoulders.  I usually leave such places refreshed and renewed.  I should remember these feelings when I'm planning vacations and activities.  Take time to include a creation experience on a more regular basis. 

7. Look with a healthy skepticism at all "buy now, pay later" schemes.

Steve and I were lucky enough to be exposed to Dave Ramsey during our engagement.  I know Dave's principles and demeanor are not everyone's style, but we learned so many important lessons that gave us a strong foundation for money matters in our marriage.  A huge lesson we took to heart was to save cash for items we want to buy.  It's very easy to get in over your head in credit card and miscellaneous debt.  Do we really need fancy furniture NOW or can we practice some self discipline and save up to pay cash for it?  Our money almost certainly has a more kingdom-worthy use than paying interest.

8.  Use plain, honest speech.

Have you ever committed to something and then a more interesting opportunity came up that made you back out on your original commitment?  I sure have!  Living a simple life means we are dependable and trustworthy.  We mean what we say.  

9. Reject anything that will breed the oppression of others.

This is a hard one!  Most of the clothes and much of the food we purchase are produced in a country where labor practices are unfair.  There are several ways we can reduce the role we play in these immoral cycles.

Steve and I have decided that we are going to purchase our clothing through either thrift stores, American-made brands, or fair trade resources.  Thrift store clothing may have been made in a sweat shop, but giving them a second life prevents one more shirt or pair of pants from needing to be produced.  Purchasing clothing that is American-made might not be as cheap as clothing made in Indonesia which is a change in mindset for me.  I'm always looking to spend the least amount of money possible on clothing.  But I can't justify the abuse of others to save myself a few bucks.

Where is your coffee grown? Your electronics produced?  Do you ask others to do a task you find beneath you?  Taking baby steps to improve the lives of those who work to provide for you in one way or another is at least a step in the right direction.

10. Shun whatever would distract you from your main goal.

Back to the issue of the iPhone... I read A LOT online about gentle parenting, being a woman of God, healthy cooking, and minimalism.  I try as much as possible to follow Christian bloggers or those that express Christ-like ideas.

I acknowledge, however, that I struggle with being WAY too distracted by these wonderful blogs.  I don't feel the need to shun my phone, per se, because I find such encouragement from what I read.  It's a support system for me in way to know there are others out there seeking to live out their faith in the same ways to which I'm feeling called.  But I am going to challenge myself to limit my time on my phone to certain times a day and for limited amounts of time.  It's more important to me to focus my energy on my family and friends.

Some things we might need to shun, depending on our distractions, include certain TV shows or TV altogether, shopping for leisure, buffets, or secular music.


With all of these 10 suggestions for expressing simplicity in your life, you need to spend some time in reflection.  No two people will have all of the exact same convictions when it comes to living a simple life.  A struggle for one person may not be an issue at all for another.  Above all, spend time in prayer to seek out how God desires for you to live.

Foster eloquently closes out the chapter with a prayer:

"God give us the courage, wisdom and strength always to hold as the number-one priority of our lives to 'seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,' understanding all that that implies.  To do so is to live in simplicity."

Tis a gift to be free (Part 2 of 3)

In my last post, I discussed focusing our inner attitudes about simplicity on worshiping The Lord.  But as Foster says, "the inner reality [of simplicity] is not a reality until there is an outward expression."  When our spirits are truly focused on Him, we can't help but live it out in our everyday lives.

Foster then gives 10 "suggestions" on how to live simply.  He cautions that these shouldn't be viewed as law lest the actions no longer be genuine acts of worship.  Here's the first 5 suggestions and how I'm hoping to implement them in my life.

1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.

I feel like I have a handle on this for the most part.  When I was a teenager, I did worry about clothing brands.  This is not a concern for me anymore, even for the clothes that the girls wear.  Obviously I want to look nice, but who's really going to pull the tag out of my shirt or pants and judge me if it says Faded Glory instead of Gap?

Other areas of life we might struggle with this as adults is what neighborhood we live in or what kind of car we drive.  It's not inherently wrong to live in a nice house or drive a nice car, but do so because it's the house or car that meets your needs.

2.  Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.

I hate forming habits.  Occasionally I'll commit to stop checking Facebook or turning on the tv, etc because I realize I'm not being intentional.  I'm doing things out of habit and distraction.

Where do you see addiction in your life? Sodas, coffee, tv, games, food, money? Free yourself from things that stand between you and a simple life.

3.  Develop a habit of giving things away.

This especially applies to anything you are attached to.  I seriously have clothes in my closet from high school that I hang on to for that one time I might need it.  Ridiculous.  This is an area where I'm challenging myself.

I wouldn't consider myself a hoarder by any means, but I still finds rooms and closets that need decluttering.  If I'm feeling stressed by the amount of toys scattered on the floor or the mountain of laundry needing tending to, I know that's my cue that it's time to let go.

4.  Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry.

Hello, iPhone!! I REALLY struggle with what I'm supposed to feel about mobile devices.  I LOVE my phone, I LOVE the iPad.  Does that mean I HAVE to give them away?  Not necessarily I'm hoping. ;) (can you tell this is a touchy point for me?)

I got my iPhone when I dropped our iPod Touch in the toilet.  I used the iPod Touch along with my $10 go phone to do all the same things I do now with my iPhone.  So while I was "simplyfying" the number of gadgets I carried around, I opened the door (or toilet lid as the case may be) for buying a gadget the world convinced me I needed.

Do you need the newest upgrade of a mobile device or other item just because it's available?  Consider using something until it wears out.  

5.  Learn to enjoy things without owning them.

This can apply to large purchases such as time shares as well as small purchases such as books and movies.  In our younger days, early in our marriage before expenses like babies came along, we dreamed of someday joining the Disney Vacation Club.  We were suckers for that Disney spirit. :)  We now have other financial priorities and desire to see much more of the world than we would be committed to with the Vacation Club offers.

On the smaller scale, the library is an amazing resource for being able to enjoy books and movies without actually spending any money.  (Unless you're like me and forget to renew 3 DVDs for a few days.)  Katie is obsessed with a Toy Story Collection book we checked out from the library.  We can check the book out for 3 months as long as no one else puts a hold on it.  And if she decides a couple weeks later she wants the book again, we can check it out for another 3 months.  Surely by then she or I would get tired enough of the book that we'll be glad we didn't fork out $15-20 for the book just to sit on the bookshelf.  Don't get me wrong, I think books are one of the best investments you can make for a child.  But the extensive selection available at the library guarantees exposure to a plethora of writing styles, illustration styles, and topics.

Don't underestimate the value of friends with resources either.  If you're considering purchasing an appliance that you would use on a very rare occasion, check with friends to see if they already own a similar appliance.  Chances are, they're only using the appliance on a rare basis and would love to have an excuse to blow the dust off of it.  Borrowing appliances such as ice cream makers, bread makers, sewing machines, etc. can save you a lot of money.  You might find you don't care for a particular brand or don't have time to use the appliance as often as you thought.

So that's suggestions #1-5 of living a simple life.  Part 3, we'll explore #6-10.

~Carla 

Tis a gift to be simple

One of the original objectives of this blog was "a journey toward a SIMPLER... lifestyle."  A discussion about simplicity can go so many different directions.  What renewed my spirit about simplicity, though, was a chapter from Richard Foster's classic Christian book, "Celebration of Discipline," entitled "The Discipline of Simplicity.  This chapter discusses both the inner and outer attitudes toward simplicity as it relates to God's Kingdom and spiritual growth.

Side note: Foster identifies himself as a Quaker.  I think I could get along very well with the Quakers. :) I've been calling Steve "Friend" for many years (and yes he answers to that as if it's his name).  Plus I love oats. ;) Seriously, though, I can respect many of the ideals of the Quaker denomination.

I tend to teeter between having a materialistic mindset and having what Foster calls an "ascetic" mindset.  Ascetics renounce possessions and generally feel the need to deny themselves any level of joy from what they would consider the "trappings" of this world.  Example: I once deliberated for a ridiculous amount of time over a $25 pillow from Target that perfectly matched my bedroom and I thought was beautiful.  I even brought the decision up in small group.  When there are people starving in this town, why do I need such an overpriced luxury item?  Ultimately I bought the pillow to teach myself a lesson. :)

Probably the best lesson I learned from the chapter was keeping the Kingdom of God the central purpose for simplicity.  "When the kingdom of God is genuinely placed first, ecological concerns, the poor, the equitable distribution of wealth and many other things will be given their proper attention."  Wow.  If I'm pursuing prairie as an act of gratefulness to God and not so much as a hobby, then He will guide me in what decisions to make.  Yes recycling, reducing, and reusing have many worldly benefits, but the point of doing any of those is supposed in worship of The Lord.  He desires for us to enjoy His creation, the milk, and the honey.  I am free to live and free to give.

So now that I'm focusing on the inner purpose of simplicity, how can I apply that to everyday life?  In the next part of this series, I'll cover Foster's first 5 of 10 "outward expressions of simplicity" and discuss what they mean for me.

~Carla