Before I get into this week’s post, I wanted to share with you how I found the inspiration for it! I came across a blog called be more with less by Courtney Carver and it completely changed my perspective on the way I’m living my life! Courtney’s blog is all about simplifying your life to make time for what really matters to you! You can find endless advice on how to live a minimalistic life, cut down on clutter, become debt free, let go of material items and everything in between.
There are blog posts on every aspect of simplicity that you may want to read about! I’ll start you off with a favorite of mine- 25 Ways to Simplify Your Life in 10 minutes or Less.
After reading a countless number of Courtney’s posts, I was hooked! I loved all encouragement and positivity that radiated from her words. She really inspired me to start thinking about ways that I can simplify my life and learn to be happy with what I currently have.
Why I Want to Simplify my Life
One of the main reasons her blog resonated with me is because I’ve found myself constantly wanting more. I think about my current salary and I want to make more money. When I look at my closet and try to decide what to wear each day, I want more clothes. New technology gadgets are always coming out and I always feel like I just NEED to have them.
Honestly, I’ve just began to realize how unhealthy it is for me to think this way. I just feel like I am never satisfied with what I own and am always looking for more.
Any downtime I get at work or free time I have at home, I’m browsing retail sites. I’ve got all my favorite retailers apps on my phone and am subscribed to all their emails too, so I am updated multiple times a day on what sales are currently happening. Which ultimately tempts me more to spend my money on new clothes.
The issue that I run into constantly, and I’m sure so many people do too, is that I will never stop wanting new things. Even after I buy the shoes that I want, a new pair comes out the next week and I want those. And the cycle continues. The worst is when the seasons change and I want to revamp my entire wardrobe haha!
So what I’ve come to realize through Courtney’s blog is I already have more than enough. I don’t need one more pair of flats, or just one more shirt just because it’s a new season.
What I need to do is change my mindset. Learn to be happy with everything that I currently own and focus on the things in life that really matter to me.
Actually, the journal prompt that I wrote about this week asked me to- List the Happiest Moments in your Life so Far. After finishing writing down all of my happy moments, I looked at the list and not a single moment had anything to do with material items. All of the happiest moments in my life revolved around my family, my friends, my accomplishments, and my experiences, not the clothes I had bought. So although buying new things may bring temporary happiness, they don’t contribute to long term happiness.
If you have the same problem I do with always wanting to buy more, I encourage you to write down your happiest moments and reflect on ways that you can cultivate those same feelings in your everyday life. Think about what activities make you happy and try to incorporate those into your daily routine!
So I decided to commit myself to simplifying my life. Simplifying (for me) meaning-cutting down on meaningless spending on shoes, jeans, make-up, etc. and de-cluttering every aspect of my home (one step at a time). By doing this I will definitely gain extra money (from not spending it!). But most importantly, I will gain time. Time to appreciate everything that I own and to focus on what really matters to me and brings me happiness-my relationships, writing blog content, volunteering, reading, exploring, exercising, and admiring the simple joys in life.
How I Simplified My Life
The first thing I did that helped me TREMENDOUSLY was deleting all the shopping/retail apps on my phone. OMG did this help! By removing these apps, I’m now not tempted to open them randomly and scroll through new clothes when I’m bored. I also don’t get any notifications from the apps informing me of all the sales that are going on! (What I don’t know won’t hurt me haha).
Second, I unsubscribed from all of the emails I was receiving from stores. I would receive SOOO many emails on sales that were happening and I would immediately click on them and start shopping. Most of the time I wasn’t even looking for something, but I would always find something new to buy. When I stopped receiving the daily emails, I found that I spent A LOT less than I did before because I was unaware of the new items and sales that were going on.
I am also planning on re-organizing my closet this month. I’ve read so many articles that talk about how re-organizing your clothes and trying a different method of hanging or reversing your color coding order can make it feel like you have new clothes. This is because you are so used to the way that your closet has looked and by switching it up, you may find clothes that you forgot about or just got lost in your closet.
By doing these things I hope to cut down my spending and make more time for the people and activities that matter most to me. After reading this, I hope you are inspired to do the same! I would love to hear ways that you are trying to simplify your life and find your happiness! Leave me a comment below 🙂
Have a wonderful week!
XO
Cassie
