A Simpler Life - Choices

"Your heart will always be where your treasure is."

Luke 12:34

It's August.  Rev T is on sabbatical for 3 months - which all Baptist Ministers get each seven years -  so he's having a total break from our church.  The Tubblet is off school for the summer, the last break before her GSCE's start.  I'm still at work but will be grabbing myself some free time.  There isn't going to be a whole load of blogging going on.  

Instead there will be a mini-series about the things we're trying to do to live a simpler life that hopefully will inspire others on the same journey.

Interspersed with two fun posts as there's only so much self-improvement a body can take ...

Welcome to A Simpler Life, Part 1 ...

To me, living a simpler life is about being thoughtful about the choices I make as they don't just impact me, they impact others.  Questioning the what and the why so what I do matches what I believe, reflects my values and the things that come out of my mouth ...

We're all just figuring stuff out.  There's no right or wrong way to do this.  It doesn't have to be prefect.  (It won't be!)  It's about making small changes, creating new habits, ways of thinking and then building on that.  It's one step forward, two steps back ... Some days are definitely more successful than others.

The mindset

Think about what a simpler lifestyle looks like to you and any changes needed to make that happen.   Decluttering your space, managing your time more effectively, changing your shopping habits, improving your relationships, being more healthy  ... Why you want to live that way.  Focusing on the what and why will hopefully help you figure out the how.  And help you keep going when it gets hard.

And then comes the practical bits ...

All the things ...

Stuff / clutter / things can be a distraction.  They get in the way, take up space and need looking after. Decluttering our home has made it feel lighter, happier and given us more space.

We decluttered a room at a time.  And when there wasn't time to do it all at once, a drawer or an area. Everything left is useful or brings joy to someone in the family.  There were a few things we didn't agree on, particularly sentimental items, but no one wins them all.

Coming home to a clean(ish), tidy(ish) house without any clutter is lovely and it's easier to clean.

Having less things to choose from makes choosing between them easier.  Fewer clothes makes me more creative and happier about what I choose to wear.  It also makes buying new things easier as if it doesn't go with what's already there, it doesn't get bought.    Which brings me onto ...

All the shopping ...

It's easy to get caught up in an endless cycle of want, buy, discard and repeat.  Instead, I'm trying to buy things I actually need rather than things I think I need.  Finding joy in the things I have and not worrying about being trendy or what others will think.  Stuff doesn't make you happy or content.  It doesn't make me a better or lovely person.

I'm also trying to stick to what I usually buy if I like it rather than constantly looking out for something better because I don't want to miss out.  If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it.

This is very much a work in progress.  I'm entering all expenditure on my phone app which is helping identify ways to cut back so I can save more.

As well as buying less, but better things and looking after them, I'm trying to think about what I buy and where it comes from.  I've switched to cruelty-free products and am trying to live more sustainably.  There are other things I can do. Avoiding clothing retailers that use sweat-shops, buying Fair Trade etc.  I don't know much about some of this so I'm going to have educate myself. Recommendations for places to start would be great.

And that's enough for this week ... In a fortnight's time, a Simpler Life will focus on habits.  Next week's post will be a lot more light-hearted.  Thank you for reading and I hope you're having a wonderful summer.