I seem to accumulate a lot of “stuff”, usually in the form of arts and craft material, and clothes bought at local thrift stores. I would like to learn to buy only those things I truly need. Not only will I have less junk in the spare bedroom, I might save some money I could spend for traveling and others’ gifts during the upcoming holiday season!

I like to stress over every little thing. So I think that if I learn to relax, take my time and not overly fuss, I can learn to relax!

Two suggestions for simplifying life: 1) When running errands and to save on gas, plan a logical journey by using shortcuts (taking side streets) to reach your destination. 2) When buying fruit, try the ready-cut pre-packaged fruits. You’re going to have to cut the whole ones later, and buying pre-cut fruits saves prep time and makes it easier to get in 5 servings of fruits per day. You can do the same with veggies as well.

my idea is to make the healthiest choice possible each day. if my choice is between mcdonald’s and oatmeal with raisins and honey, i will pick the oatmeal. if i am having a bad morning at work, i will take a 15 minute walk at lunch.

Learn to say no. I need to learn to say no to extra projects I don’t have time for, things I don’t have the money nor the space to buy, and the extra food I don’t need to put in my mouth.

When you go shopping for something you need, fight the temptation to buy anything else. Stay focused on the task at hand. When you do buy something new, get rid of something old to help prevent clutter.

Learn to use or invest in a crock-pot. Talk about time saving ! You can fix everything the night before, put it all into the pot the next morning. When you get home, dinner is ready. And the best part is you can usually get two dinners from this.

Maybe you could gather all of your old clothes, and maybe your children’s toys and games and donate them to the GoodWill or you could volunteer at The Boys and Girls Club in your neighborhood.

I run my business from home and it is tempting to do other things – so I go in my office and don’t come out until I finish. Then I have time for me. Thanks

My life is so overly scheduled as is many people I’m acquainted with. So I personally over the past 1 year made a pact with myself. As I proceeded throughout my day, week, or month I would take note of things that I came across that I simply rarely used or interacted with. Once a month I checked this list which I had posted on my refrigerator. At that time in the month, I simply bagged up those items whether it was clothing, old sporting equipment, CD’s, books, etc and donated them to a Goodwill store, Family Thrift, etc. My “rule of thumb” when asking myself, was did I use this or benefit from this within the past year. If not, I purged it! At this point in time, I have verly little in storage and I simply hold on to smaller items that have significant memories, like cards, letters, medals from athletic events, etc. All of these important items I can fit in one storage tub. Anything larger, I simply photograph digitally and back it up on an extra hard drive. PS…I even got rid of most of my photographs, transferred everything to digital and backed it up.

I challenge myself to get back into the routine of walking everyday! I also challenge myself to find household products that are good for my family to use while cleaning.

(1) Get my coffee ready before I go to bed (2) Decide what I’m going to wear tomorrow while I’m falling asleep (then actually wear it!)

My mom is in a nursing home and visiting there can get pretty depressing. I’ve found that when I get home from her visit, if I take just 15 minutes to go outside and play with my dogs, or weed a garden, or read a chapter of a good book it takes my mind off the sadness and resets my thinknig in a positive light. If I come home and immediately start chores – the sad memories linger a lot longer.

I shop inside my home.

When I think that I need something I first “shop” all through my house to see if I already have something close or a substitute. Not only do I save time and money shopping, I stimulate my creativity and problem solving skills!

I’d like to simplify by having less mail to go through. I’ve signed up for electronic statements for all my regular bills. I keep a 2 month graph of due dates on a tin canister top with magnets. The magnets move back and forth between the 2 generic months (current & future). I’ve eliminated most credit offers by registering at www.optoutprescreen.com. And eliminated catalogs by signing up with www.catalogchoice.org

I recently got married and combining 2 households late in life is a chore. We are slowly realizing what items to weed out – what is important, what is not. A lot of duplication we simply see who’s is in the best shape and get rid of the other. We need to have a garage sale to “purge” everything we have boxed up to get rid of.

I used to go to the grocery store every day or every other day for dinner ingredients. Now I only go twice a month or 3 times a month at the most. On Sundays I make my menu for the next week and half or two weeks and list everything I need for it. Then I match my coupons with what I”m buying that day and head to the store. This saves soooo much time and money. I buy less impulse items and spend less on gas getting to and from the grocery store.

Like most of us, I’m really good at accumulating clutter. In order to cut down on that (and fit everything in a tiny closet) I went through all of my clothes and donated all of the clothing that I hadn’t worn in a year (or more) to the local Salvation Army. While I don’t have as many options as I did before, I actually wear a greater percentage of what is available to me.

I just had my second baby and he does NOT sleep through the night. My husband goes to work and because I stay home with the kids, I don’t wake him. I then feel that I need to get everything done during the day (while taking care of my 3 year old and 5 month old)... I am at the point where I could drop at any moment. So my challenge is to let the house go for a day, take a nap when the kids do and not feel guilty about it.

I would like to figure out how to prepare our family for the next day without dreading the never-ending routine! The pick out the clothes, iron the clothes, packing of bags for daycare, getting lunches and breakfast ready, make the coffee, etc,etc. Let’s figure out a way to enjoy our evenings again!

When I bring my cousins to pre-school in the afternoon, I take total advantage of the situation. I park as far away from the school as possible (but doable for 4 year olds). I bring my mp3 player and I walk 3.5 miles around town for the first hour. The second hour I set in my van and have a snack of an apple, 2 cheese sticks and a drink while I read. It may seem a little strange but if you think about it, it is so peaceful. No phone, no tv and the sounds of nature. Sometimes I do get entertainment when the squirrel jump from tree to tree and play. I live in the ‘country’ and it is so cool to just reconnect with nature – especially this time of year when there is so much color!

i’ve never been a morning person. i’ve always longed by the girl who wakes up for her jog, fixes breakfast, and reads while sipping her coffee before leaving for work.. but reality was that i hit snooze several times only to leave me with the tiniest window for getting ready. i’d scramble to be out the door on time, and then be disappointed with myself all day, only to repeat again the next…. but then i received this little tip, and i swear it works like a charm… buy one of those outdoor lighting timers (usually used for outdoor christmas decorations) and set it for a few minutes before you desire to wake up. Your natural body clock will wake you up before your harsh alarm clock… and then its smooth sailing after that… it may be the best tip i’ve ever got

With money so tight these days, I find it’s easier for me to stay within my financial and caloric budget if I plan all my meals out, check my food items at home and then write down everything I need to buy at the store to prepare these healthy meals. This makes it easier for me to NOT deviate and blow either of my budgets!

Love what you have. Evaluate your wants vs your needs. If you can put it off, you probably don’t need it.

We are doing a home made holiday this year… We refuse to buy gift cards and are anti “more plastic for Christmas!” so everything we are giving out is going to be recycled, reused, home made or not given… it’s a challange but it really is bringing the season back to what it should be!

I have learned the value of a good massage, facial etc but all those services are so expensive, so together my children and I (all adults) have each learned a special relaxation skill and have what we call “spa nights”. It is sometimes all of us and sometimes part of us. We give one another massages, have special relaxtion music on, have facials, my one daughter trims our hair, we will have a good spa type bath or an exfoliating shower (separately of course!) We start or finish with a nice light meal together. Lately my granddaughters have been joining in; and even my mother. This accomplishes many things, time together, time to renew ourselves and save money. My goal is to make this a more regular practice.

I worry constantly, always thinking of the worst possible outcome. Instead I need to start tackling my stressors by breaking them down and thinking about what I can do to control it before getting worked up and upset.