Minimizing
As I look around my house, my overwhelming amount of stuff is suffocating me. My pantry and cupboards and freezers are packed with food that we never eat. My floor is littered with toys that nobody ever plays with. Our closets are filled with clothes we never wear. Why do we have so much stuff? Where did it all come from? Why can’t we just be happy with less?
I’m overwhelmed with guilt. What did we do to deserve so much when others would love to have even half of what we have? I feel like God is tugging on my heart to minimize my possessions so I can maximize my life. I started reading “7, an experimental mutiny against excess” by Jen Hatmaker this week. It’s a challenge to herself to minimize the excess in her life to make more room for God.
Let me tell you, it’s speaking to me. It’s speaking loud! I’m ready to chuck all of my possessions and just live with the essentials. I’m itching to become a minimalist. But, that’s easier said than done with a three year old who is very possessive of his stuff. It’s going to take a lot longer than I’d like, but I’m going to slowly remove the excess from our life.
The first area I want to tackle is our overload of food. We have a full pantry, a full fridge, deep freeze and extra fridge in the garage! Why on earth do we have so much food? I can literally count on one hand the different foods my kid will eat. So, here’s my plan. No shopping for food until all the other food is gone. (With the exception of milk and bread, or my kid might starve.) I’ll start with the fresh foods in the fridge and make a meal plan to utilize everything we have on hand. I’m sure the food we gave in the freezers and the pantry could last a few months. Once all the food is gone, I’m just going to buy a week's worth of food at a time. After the kitchen is done I can move onto the rest of the house.
Has anyone ever heard of the decluttering method where you hold something in your hand and if it doesn’t bring you joy, you get rid of it? Well, I’m pretty sure if I did that, I wouldn’t have anything left in my house except my favorite blanket that I’ve had for like, 20 years. My kids are the ones that are going to make this tough on me. Even if they haven’t played with a toy for a year, as soon as I suggest getting rid of it, it’s their favorite thing in the world. Honestly, I’m just going to have to smuggle things out of the house when they’re not around. Parker only plays video games, and Alex only has about ten different things he truly enjoys playing with. The rest needs to go.
I’ll document that journey as it plays out. For now, I’m going to take inventory of my food and try to find a way to use it all. My cooking might have to get a little creative, but it will be worth it.
I’m overwhelmed with guilt. What did we do to deserve so much when others would love to have even half of what we have? I feel like God is tugging on my heart to minimize my possessions so I can maximize my life. I started reading “7, an experimental mutiny against excess” by Jen Hatmaker this week. It’s a challenge to herself to minimize the excess in her life to make more room for God.
Let me tell you, it’s speaking to me. It’s speaking loud! I’m ready to chuck all of my possessions and just live with the essentials. I’m itching to become a minimalist. But, that’s easier said than done with a three year old who is very possessive of his stuff. It’s going to take a lot longer than I’d like, but I’m going to slowly remove the excess from our life.
The first area I want to tackle is our overload of food. We have a full pantry, a full fridge, deep freeze and extra fridge in the garage! Why on earth do we have so much food? I can literally count on one hand the different foods my kid will eat. So, here’s my plan. No shopping for food until all the other food is gone. (With the exception of milk and bread, or my kid might starve.) I’ll start with the fresh foods in the fridge and make a meal plan to utilize everything we have on hand. I’m sure the food we gave in the freezers and the pantry could last a few months. Once all the food is gone, I’m just going to buy a week's worth of food at a time. After the kitchen is done I can move onto the rest of the house.
Has anyone ever heard of the decluttering method where you hold something in your hand and if it doesn’t bring you joy, you get rid of it? Well, I’m pretty sure if I did that, I wouldn’t have anything left in my house except my favorite blanket that I’ve had for like, 20 years. My kids are the ones that are going to make this tough on me. Even if they haven’t played with a toy for a year, as soon as I suggest getting rid of it, it’s their favorite thing in the world. Honestly, I’m just going to have to smuggle things out of the house when they’re not around. Parker only plays video games, and Alex only has about ten different things he truly enjoys playing with. The rest needs to go.
I’ll document that journey as it plays out. For now, I’m going to take inventory of my food and try to find a way to use it all. My cooking might have to get a little creative, but it will be worth it.
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