DAY 4 - STUFF I GOT RID OF

Wow, so Day 4 took longer than expected. I originally planned to continue to blog about my flirtation with minimalism then "life" happened I guess. So nearly a year later, I am returning to my original idea for a blog series. Over the last year I have attempted to clear the clutter (mental and physical). I have also attempted to adopt a simpler lifestyle with less stuff. Here is a photo collection of "stuff" I've gotten rid of during the summer of 2016. More posts will be forthcoming.

DAY 3 - GETTING RID OF CLUTTER (PHYSICAL AND MENTAL)

One of the beautiful things about growing up is you start to realize your own mortality. I don't mean that in a bad way. I'm by no means "old," but as someone in her late 30s, I no longer feel like I have the time or inclination to "just go through the motions." I started a purging project a few years ago. You can see more about my tidying project here on Pinterest. For the most part these rooms have not reverted to their former states. For one thing...one of the rooms unexpectedly became a nursery. That's a whole other story.

DAY 2 - CUTTING THE CORD...FINALLY

It took a while, but I finally cut the cord. I no longer have cable television, but am existing on a Mohu antenna, Hulu, Amazon, and Netflix. Admittedly, I miss cable a little bit. The ability to flip to a station and rewind live television was not easy. In the end I think I will watch less television and hopefully be more active (physically and socially). That extra $120 a month will come in handy as well!

DAY 1 - Clearing Out the Mental Clutter

Well, my last 40 days of connection made it to day 25. Here's hoping I can do the full 40 days of connection in 2016! I was 15 days short and didn't finish. In other news I did manage to get my finances in better order this year, which was the point of 40 days of connection. I also managed to come up with a better dieting plan.

So this year's theme will be "being happier" and "living in the moment." I'm also working on the 52 list project and the happiness project. My goals this year are to enjoy the moment that I'm in completely. Sometimes when I'm talking to someone I start going through a checklist in my head on what I have to do while this person is talking. Instead of truly listening and enjoying their conversation I am focused on something else completely trivial. Sometimes if I'm in the middle of an activity I closely look at the clock to see how much longer I have. I want to get on to the next thing. No more of that. I want to live in the moment of their conversation, live in the moment of whatever I'm doing with my family, friends, or whomever I'm speaking with.

One of the suggestions in Gretchen Rubin's book is to remove the mental clutter, both figuratively and literally. Get rid of the old appliances and the clutter that takes up space in your home. Some of these items make you feel guilty. I just opened up a kitchen cabinet that had an unused Pampered Chef cookie press. I have no idea why I purchased a cookie press. I rarely bake and when I do I don't care what the cookies look like. Perhaps when I get older and have more time I will make gourmet cookies with a cookie press, but I simply do not have the storage space to keep things that I won't use for 10 or 15 years...if at all.

So in that same vein, I gave away (I don't see the point of selling this stuff), a toaster oven, an old treadmill I never use, a cookie press, and a George Foreman grill. Whew. I feel better already.

Day 25 - Amazonian

So I've been trying to save money where I can. I am in the process...not there yet, of cutting the cable cord completely. I've already switched internet companies. Now I just need to cut the cable beast in lieu of Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and Sling TV. I'm almost there, but not quite. There is so much good television coming on basic cable that I may have to give up.

In other news I've been using Amazon a lot. I've been using their subscribe and save feature for diapers and wipes for a while now. I just recently tried their Amazon Pantry for a flat fee of $5.99 shipping per box and I was pleasantly surprised. I managed to get a good deal and stock up on quite a few pantry items. My local UPS driver is probably not happy with me. In the meantime, I saved myself a trip the grocery store. Saving time is on my list too right?

The diet is not going as well as I had hoped. I've been sick for the past week and have not been able to exercise a lick. I will start back up on Monday. 

Day 24 - Ways to Save

I've come to the conclusion that dining out is both a diet and a budget buster. I keep getting invited to go out to eat with friends or attend functions... which is great because it means that I have wonderful friends. So in an attempt to be sociable I partake. Being social primarily involves food! I want to hang out with friends, but I'm going to try to make healthier and cheaper options.

I made a step today of changing what type of drink I get from Starbucks. I love Starbucks. On Sunday mornings I typically spend about $11 on a Chai Tea Latte, a croissant for my little one, and a bacon gouda breakfast sandwich.

Today I ordered a Chai tea with the bag in. I add the milk and sugar myself. The tea tasted the same. I may still buy the croissant for my little one, but I can save $1.40 every Sunday. This simple change will save me $72 over the course of a year. I'm also going to cancel Sirious XM Radio for a savings of $150 a year.

Day 23 - Just Another Manic Monday

I just signed up to take the GRE this week. I've been periodically studying with an online program for the last few months. My verbal scores are off the charts, but my math scores are still down in the dumps. Will I really need advanced geometry and algebra in a social sciences master's program? Me thinks not. Yet, I've spent almost $200 bucks on just the test and another $500 on the study program. I'm starting to think this is a racket, with no accurate way of predicting success in a grad program.