Fourteen days and counting

Today is the 14th, so that means I've not purchased anything unnecessary for 14 days!  Of course this makes errands very boring when there is no prospect of the "treasure" waiting for me at Goodwill or the clearance rack at Target!  It's just another chore!  I haven't been on Instagram much either, because I don't want to look at things and feed my "want" for something new. Today I mailed 5 Poshmark packages and last week I mailed 5 more and nothing is coming in to replace them, so that's a step in the right direction.

I've actually been quite down. I can't figure out if it's the after holiday blues or if I miss shopping that much! I know that I shop for a hobby. I know I shop for happiness. But when you think about it, that's pretty messed up - hence the change I am trying to make.

When I look online, whether it's Instagram or blogs, I wonder why so many women constantly shop.  Some show their closets full of 100's of shoes, and 50 or more high end designer bags (upwards of $1000 or more) and I feel sad. Who needs that much stuff? And it makes me sad because it's like looking in a mirror-no, I don't have a walk-in closet full of thousands of dollars of clothing, shoes and handbags, but I have a closet full of designer items I purchased secondhand and why do I need it?  The troubling part is, it's so SELF-CENTERED. If I read one more blog that says "I deserve it", "I work hard for my money" or other people saying to them "Girl, you are worth it!" or "You deserve to treat yourself"...... Really? When did this become the accepted mantra for women? What about "Put others before yourself", "It's better to give than to receive", "Esteem others higher than yourself". What makes me think I "deserve" material things? There is something behind the constant shopping........what is it? If you have figured it out, please share! Whether it's overbuying Louis Vuitton or Old Navy, it's all the same principle.  Time for some soul searching!

The First Day

I think it was probably a good thing that I spent 9 hours on the road today picking up my kids from winter Bible camp, otherwise I would have been tempted to shop all the wonderful New Year sales! We did pass by my very favorite outlet mall in the world and I felt a little twinge of sadness that I couldn't go window shopping and perhaps purchase something................

In some ways I am feeling a lot of "relief" today!  I don't have to:

1. Open all the sale emails I received today
2. Check my Target Cartwheel app for new savings just posted
3. Stop by my local Goodwill when I run to the grocery store
4. Check out Old Navy and Target because they are conveniently close and always have something on sale
5. Look at my ThredUp app
6. Look at my Poshmark app and sort by newest listed to see if anything new and fabulous has been added that I might miss out on

Wow, I'm going to have a lot of free time on my hands. I did try a new hobby today - listening to an audio book! I liked it - I think I will be doing more of it. I want to complete Modern Day Mrs. Darcy's 2016 Reading Challenge and expand my mind. I read a lot actually, but it's either about fashion, health, fitness, self-improvement, organization or spiritual matters. It is nice to read fiction for enjoyment and not be berating myself for something I should be doing better!  

Happy New Year!!!

Items Purchased Today:

1. Gas
2. Food (including breakfast and lunch on the road). We got home after dinner time and I didn't run out for dinner and told the kids to get by on what we had in the house!  

What is this blog about?

For a long time I've been longing for a simpler life. I long for less "stuff". I am tired of managing my current "stuff".  I have said this for years, rolled over ideas in my head, yet I've done NOTHING to accomplish my goal of "less".  After all "Less is More" right?  So I'm naming 2016 as my year of Less.  Meion means less in Greek.

I read "The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up" this year and she had some very helpful and profound things to say.  I want to work towards keeping in my life only those things that make me happy.

Here are my goals:

• Less of self, more of Jesus.
• Less technology, more connection.
• Less stuff, more space.
• Less junk food, more whole food.
• Less media, more reading of God's Word.
• Less relying on myself, more prayer.
• Less stress, more peace.

It's a lot, isn't it?  But I feel confident I can do it with the Lord's help.  I took a leave of absence from work in 2015 because I felt somewhat like I had lost my way regarding my spiritual life. I needed to re-prioritize and put Christ first. I'm happy to say that my time off, study, prayer and reflection got me back on the right path. I'm a little scared that when I return to work and the hustle bustle of life, I'll fall back into laziness of not studying as I should, but I try to remember 2 Timothy 1:7-For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

One habit that is going to be hard for me to break is my hobby of "thrift" shopping. I can spot a deal a mile away.  Do I need another sweater? No, but it's only $5 and it's a Tory Burch valued at $500, so it's hard for me to pass up!  But if I look at my long term goal of less, this hobby doesn't fit into achieving that goal! I see some rough days ahead for me!  I thrift shop as a means of entertainment and relaxation like some people do quilting or knitting.  Perhaps I will need to find a new hobby.

Thus starts the journey, officially on January 1, 2016, as millions of others embark on their "resolutions"!  Hopefully what starts as a resolution or challenge, will turn into a lifestyle.............