Always Craving A More Simple Life
Simplifying and organizing are two themes on KERF that keep coming up over and over again. As a mama bird trying to build a very organized nest, simplification is all my brain wants to think about these days! I feel comfortable saying that my house is as organized as it’s ever been because the space-to-stuff ratio is as high (high right?) as it has ever been.
My First Apartment Was My Most Simple Life
I think back to my very first apartment out of college and the number of items I owned that fit into 800 square feet. The apartment was spacious and not cluttered, but I owned so little. That was the start. When Matt and I bought our first house, more stuff came along. I think my third house was the most cluttered until I gave away half of everything before moving into this house. I hadn’t quite embraced having only one of everything, and trips to Target included a lot more “had to have” home decor purchases. These days my shopping habits have slowed down a lot from where they once were, especially in the home decor and clothing areas.
My personality is a strange split one:
On the one hand, I crave minimalism. My brain feels anxious when I have too much clutter or feel unorganized. I have to unpack my suitcase the minute I walk in the door from a trip. I have a hard time focusing on any task if my home is messy.
But on the other hand, I like to be prepared. I have a tendency to hold onto things “just in case.” For example, I have an extra comforter for that once-a-year occasion that we have an extra guest? The platter I never use but *might* need in the future. The junk towels that we reach for twice a year when a big mess occurs? I have always leaned towards keeping things over giving them away “just in case.”
Do I use this regularly and love it?
This year, however, I’ve really worked to reverse my thinking from “Will I need this someday?” to “Do use this regularly and love it?” I have several resources to thank for pushing me into this more minimalistic mindset! I am a total podcast junkie. It’s the number one way I like to consume information, especially in the self help genre.
Here are some resources that put me on the right track to a simple life
The Life Coach School
Brooke Castillo’s episode on Organization with Shira Gill. I love ALL things Brooke Castillo. Her podcast is like a religion to me. Every episode I have lightbulbs going off, and she has really changed my thinking on so many topics. The organization episode was a good one! (You can also read the transcript through the above link if you are not a podcast person.)
The Minimalists
I’ve also been listening to The Minimalists podcast. (Although I have yet to watch their documentary!) While extreme minimalism does not appeal to me (for example, wearing the same “uniform” outfit every single day), there are elements of it that I love. I hand-pick the episodes of theirs to listen to (warning: Josh and Ryan are quite chatty!) and my gateway episodes had to do with managing money (they are buddies with the Dave Ramsey crew). I’ve also listened to the episodes about decluttering and stuff and found their perspective to be very refreshing. I love how they divide everything we own into three categories 1. essentials 2. nonessentials and 3. junk. (My mom would not like me calling anything in my home junk, so maybe for me #3 should just be “the rest” or “the leftovers.”)
The Better Life
The Better Life Podcast’s episode on 10 Ways I’ve Simplified My Life was a good one that I found through a podcast search for “simplified.” I enjoyed that first episode and look forward to listening to a few more of her topics (like meal planning and running your home like a boss!)
A Simplified Life
I’d been wanting to read Emily Ley’s book A Simplified Life and one day decided to buy the audiobook instead. I listened to it over the course of two days (when I decluttered Mazen’s toys right before school started!) and nodded along. Some chapters I felt like I could have written and others had some great new points, so it’s worth a read or listen!
Simplicity Parenting
And finally, someone recommended Simplicity Parenting (the book) and I was happy to find they have a podcast! The episodes are short and there are not a million of them (unlike the Minimalists – how ironic!!!) so it’s worth a listen! The information in the podcast has been so, so, so helpful to me – I can’t recommend it enough! I love what Payne says about children needing rhythm, consistency, and downtime because those are all things that I need as a grown up too. We tend to fill up their days with “fun activities” (like playdates and pool trips after school) because why wouldn’t they want to have FUN FUN FUN all the time, but sometimes they just need time to turn their brains off.
A New Routine
We’ve been working hard on a good routine now that Mazen is in school, and I’m focusing on the four pillars Payne recommends in the first episode. Payne’s concept of “your world, my world, our world” has also been such a game changer (so far, at least). And episode #12 made all the gears in my head come to a screeching stop and reverse direction.
More posts I’ve written on simplifying and decluttering:
Home Neat Home: Decluttering (I sort of miss my old living room!)
Home Neat Home: Three Closet Makeovers (the nursery closet looks a whole lot different now!)
Home Neat Home: A Place For Everything (I just made the decision to move that coral back to the mantel!)
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
I know what you mean about minimalism but keeping things “just in case”. I’m like that too!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Rebecca says
Kath – I used to be a really avid reader, but these embedded videos slow down my computer. As a result, every time I want to really embark on some Kath-reading, I give up because of the videos. I would really encourage you to think about the cost vs. benefit of these videos – they are losing readers like me.
KathEats says
Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Emily says
You might love the podcast The Purpose Show with Allie Cazzaza (her Instagram is great too). She talks a lot about simplifying, minimalism, and parenting. She actually used to do a podcast together with Kelsey from A Better Life! I also love Kenda Hennessy at Mother Like a Boss podcast for inspiration, cleaning tips, and organization stuff (she did some wonderful back to school prep episodes).
KathEats says
Thank you! I am sure I will love both of these. I think I heard Mother Like A Boss as a guest on another show perhaps?
Emily says
Probably! Those shows are both so great that I have taken physically notes while listening 😀 Would love to read more posts on your simplifying journey eventually!
KathEats says
LOVING The Purpose Show!!! All my favorite topics : )
Amy H says
Simplifying/decluttering question- our biggest challenge is with gifts from family and friends. While we are appreciative of these generous gifts, it is often challenging to find space for them in our one bedroom apartment (with two kids!). If we decide to return or donate, there’s still a period where it must sit in our house before we can get around to this task. Any advice??
KathEats says
That’s a tough one, and one of the hardest things about Minimalism I’ve learned from the Minimalists podcast. Esp. hard with kids! I really emphasized experience or consumable gifts this year when people asked me for ideas for Mazen because he has so many toys. I think one compromise would be to just have a FIFO approach – something new comes in and gets to spend a few months being the favorite toy and if it’s huge, once they are tired of it, let it go. Although it all depends on who gave it to you, what it is, and how much your child loves it.
Kelly says
Ask friends and family to provide “experience” gifts. Go out to lunch, take in a movie together, take a flower arranging class or some other craft. Gifts don’t need to be things!
Sara says
Love this! You might enjoy the podcast The Happiness Project with Gretchen Rubin as well as all of her books and resources. She focuses a lot on habit change but one of her mantras is “outer order, inner calm.”
KathEats says
I just started listening to her podcast and love it! In fact I think tomorrow’s blog post mentions it : )
Andrea says
Great resources! I’m especially motivated to keep organizing when I read about others doing it and get more ideas : )
Anna says
These posts are always my favorite! Would love to hear any systems you implement to keep things streamlined and efficient. Also, at one point I recall you asking for potential topic ideas. As a long time reader I would be curious about the behind the scenes of blogging. For instance, how do you determine whether or not to post something? Say you are at a party with people you do not know. Do you ask first before posting photos of them? Do you have to have conversations regularly with your spouse/close relatives about what you post and what you don’t? Just super curious about how you make these decisions! (I always have a hard time deciding what to post to FB and that is only a few hundred friends!) Also curious about the actual technique of blogging. I recall you doing a post years ago but I’m sure things have changed. Do you use your phone for photos and then upload them directly to your computer? Do you always write posts from lap top or phone? What platforms do you use? Lots of questions, I know! Just thinking this would make good content that you could write ahead of time and that I am sure readers would be interested in! 🙂
KathEats says
Good ideas! Thanks for the request. Maybe I’ll put a call for more Q’s on the same topic on Instagram : )
Brigid says
First let me say that I’m envious of your ability to minimize and organize. I feel a mess! Curious what you do with coupons? I’m not a big couponer but I do accumulate some and I’ve tried the envelope thing and then I leave the envelope at home b/c I decide to go to the store right from work, or something like that. So I have a messy place on my counter with coupons stashed. Any ideas or thoughts?
KathEats says
Good question! If it’s a coupon I would need to use in a store, it goes right into my wallet. (Sometimes I also store bigger ones in my inbox/outbox in the kitchen) If it’s a coupon I will use online, it goes in my desk drawer in a coupon/gift card divider. I also try to be really honest with myself about ones I actually need to use and ones that I would be tempted to use just for XX% off or something.
Kelli @ Hungry Hobby says
Love this post! I’m right there with You mama bird! Haha nesting is REAL! I read essentialism, ok listened to it on audible it’s another great one!
Cathy says
I’ve been wanting to simplify my kitchen dishes etc. I don’t use them. Also lots of extras stored in the office.
Katie says
Hi, I’m a longtime reader and I really enjoyed this post. I have a question about simplifying as it pertains to finances and budgeting.
I’m newly single, without children, and just the basics as far as expenses – mortgage, car payment, dog walker, groceries, etc. I live fairly simply, but am wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to budget to keep better track of cash in and cash out. I’ve read on your blog, Kath, about YNAB…I’m just wondering if it overcategorizes or if it’s a little too much software for me. I need some flexibility for last-minute things ~ a visit to a friend that leads me to pick up a few things at Whole Foods, or a rainy day pedicure for a pick me up… Any suggestions from you or any other readers? Thank you.
KathEats says
Hi Katie! Aside from a basic spreadsheet, I LOVE YNAB because you can customize all the categories. You can get as basic or as detailed as you want. You could literally do “want, need, save” or you could do 100 little ones for every little thing you spend. You can create a category called Rainy Day for the examples you mentioned. It’s the best budgeting software! I love that it imports all of your transactions via your bank so nothing ever falls through the cracks, but you do have the option of keeping it un-synced if you want to do everything manually. It’s a little tricky to figure out how to set it up for the first time – you’ll want to budget everything currently in your checking account and then anything that comes in should get saved to budget the NEXT month, but if you have a little buffer that shouldn’t be hard. If you don’t, it might take a few months to create one and get used to living on last month’s income. YNAB also has a great library of tutorials and Q&A forums to help you get set up. (I wish I could start a business setting YNAB up for people – I’ve helped a few friends do it and it’s so fun!)
Katie says
Thank you! That is very helpful. Maybe I will set it up mid-month to give myself a couple of weeks to get settled in before the beginning of the next week. Thanks again! I really enjoyed today’s post and always enjoy posts and comments about organizing and budgeting.
Kelly says
I love Emily Ley’s book! I actually just bought one of her Simplified Planners for 2019 to help me be more intentional about how I spend my time.
Thank you for the other recommendations – excited to check them out!
Stacey says
Love the first picture! beautiful bowl of food! I’m watching the weather reports about the Hurricane and since I’m a long-time reader, I remembered that your family has a house on Bald Head… I’m hoping your Marsh house will be ok! I bet you are all super worried about it. This storm sounds bad… yikes!
KathEats says
Thank you. Yes, I’ve had the weather channel on all day. We’re definitely worried about the marsh house and BHI in general, which is in the direct path. And all of Eastern NC. It’s going to devastate the whole state 🙁
Vicki says
Great post Kath! Im the Same as you – That suitcase needs to be unpacked right away.
Im definitely going to listen to the simplicity Parenting podcasts. My kids are back to school from Friday so I feel a Huge declutter coming on…..
Kelly says
My husband and I live in a 500 square foot tiny home. I absolutely only have things here that bring me the most joy!
lynn says
Thank you for all the podcast recommendations – isn’t it funny that simplifying our lives is SO MUCH WORK!??
Kate says
I read this and THIS IS ME in a nutshell…
On the one hand, I crave minimalism. My brain feels anxious when I have too much clutter or feel unorganized. I have to unpack my suitcase the minute I walk in the door from a trip, and I have a hard time focusing on any task if my home is messy.
But on the other hand, I like to be prepared, so I have a tendency to hold onto things “just in case I need them.” An extra comforter for that once-a-year occasion that we have an extra guest? The platter I never use but *might* need in the future. The junk towels that we reach for twice a year when a big mess occurs? I have always leaned towards keeping things over giving them away “just in case.”
YES!
unpacking as soon as I get home from a trip (even if it’s midnight). Check!
holding onto things, “just in case”. Check!
I feel like a cluttered house is a cluttered mind. I can’t wait to read/listen to the info you suggested.
Sarah says
Thanks for all of these resources. I’m interested in simply consuming less overall, because it’s clear that constantly buying stuff isn’t sustainable. The fact that it makes for a calmer living environment and saves me money makes it even more attractive. 🙂
Liz says
I highly recommend simplefamilies.com!! It features blog posts and podcasts. Lots of great advice about minimalism as if pertains to the home and family. I think you would love it!
KathEats says
Thanks!!