Goodbye to my craft room!

 

I had a craft room. Not a very large room, mind you, but a room full of stuff! I "needed" all of the stuff! Most of it was second hand or purchased with coupons. They were bargains! Really!

 I loved to make things. Crafting made me happy. I enjoyed giving home made gifts. I seriously doubt that the gift receivers enjoyed receiving said gifts. LOL.

I woke up one day, looked around me and felt overwhelmed. Why do I own so much stuff? I slowly started to sell or give away about 90% of what I owned. I felt lighter and happier with the removal of each item. The room is now used for another, more needed purpose.

I went from a room full of drawers, bookshelves and baskets of stuff down to 2 boxes of crafting supplies. I have all that I need. It's easy to find things. I am happier. 

A new approach to life: minimalism

I have spent the past nearly 2 years "decluttering". 

I gave away, sold or threw away approximately 75% of what I previously owned. Then I sit back and think, "why did I have so much stuff?" What was I thinking? Did I really need a whole room of crafting supplies? 4 navy blue tops? 1,000 books? (or maybe just 500?)

I held onto so much of my parents belongings, that it took up 3/4 of our storage space! Why? Most of it held zero personal value to me. I just felt guilty giving everything away.

I laughed with the rest of the world when it was said that we should keep no more than 30 books. I had 3 large bookshelves full plus 38 boxes full!!! I now have about 50 or so. I feel good with that number! Although the library is currently closed to Covid, I know that one day they will reopen and I will have access to thousands of titles.

I have had a problem with online ordering during the stay at home order. I ordered things I have no use for, and have been giving them away.  Every time a package was delivered, I cringed a bit. WHY? My way of coping during the pandemic, maybe? I don't really know. I do know that I am now back on track, financially and mentally, and can start from here. I am about to go back to work, so sitting at home looking at online stores will no longer be a thing.

These are strange times, with different rules.

I will once again hold myself accountable, via this blog. This will be my way of getting my life back to "before times".

I must also say that Black Lives DO Matter! If you do not agree, please go away now. 

Have a beautiful day, be well and find joy in the every day.

What is simple living?

                                                                      photo credit

To me, simple living is an uncomplicated life.

* Owning less stuff. Less to clean and maintain.

 *Simple meals with a few ingredients. Coming home after work to soup in a slow cooker or a quick meal of veggies and rice. Or maybe leftovers.

*Making or baking gifts rather than breaking my budget and purchasing something the recipient may never use or want.

*Handmade greeting cards.

*Homegrown and dried herbs as gifts.

* Watching movies from the library rather than owning them or paying for cable. (Did you know you can stream movies and music from your library's website?)

*Reading  a book in a hammock or porch swing, during any kind of weather.

*Taking walks and going on hikes rather than joining a gym.

*NO DEBT.

*Learning new things by taking free classes or auditing classes online. (ex. library programs, Lynda.com, EDX.org or Coursera.org) I just took a free Powerpoint class and a free journaling class at my local library, while I was checking out a Great Courses DVD and some books I had requested.

*Writing in my journal.

*Practicing yoga and meditation.

*Random Acts of Kindness.



       ❤

Adventures in vegan cooking-burritos

I am so often asked, "what on Earth do you  eat?" I actually eat very well. Case in point:

 

Smothered bean burritos!

This is so amazingly delicious! Vegetarian pinto beans, taco sauce, vegan cheese, lettuce, tomato and vegetarian green chili.

That's what vegans eat! Yum!

Annual coupon savings

I don't track every cent spent, but I do track coupon savings! It's an obsession. It's a game. It makes me happy to see what a few minutes of clipping coupons can bring in savings!

So, the final tally, for 2016, is a savings of.....$1,527.99! I am pretty proud of that.

While it is a lower amount than previous years, It is a huge amount. (As recent empty nesters, we aren't spending as much, therefore we aren't using as many coupons!)

Recent years tallys look like this:
2015~ $2,379.18
2014~ $2,366.29
2013~ $1,865.28
2012~ $1,468.99
2011~ $1,656.51
2010~ $1,053.92

Here's to big savings in 2017! (and little spending!)

2017 financial goals

Goal #1 Pay -at least- an extra $1000 per month, towards the mortgage principal balance

Goal #2 Keep weekly expenses under $100 (gas, groceries, mad money, great deals etc)

Goal #3 Contribute an extra $100 per month to IRA (currently have automatic contibutions taken from my paychecks)

Goal #4 Deposit an extra $50 per month into savings (currently have an automatic deposit of $100 monthly)

Goal #5 Save an additional $300 towards summer road trip.

Adventures in frugal Vegan cooking-tofu

Tofu Scramble...yum!

Such a easy, fast meal! I can take about 15 minutes, and have about 6 meals ready to go! 

 

I used medium tofu, tomatoes, zucchini, onion, spinach, red and yellow bell peppers and spices. Added with a side of roasted potatoes, it is a delicious frugal meal!