Less is MORE!

The late comedian, George Carlin, once said, "Home is a place to keep your stuff!" The below quote from today's New York Times struck a chord and brought a smile to my face. We used to be those credit card toting fools who needed immediate gratification - stuff; and our stuff was abundant! Every hobby tried had all of the amenities to make us look like experts that had been at it for years. When my former husband decided to try kayaking, we had the kayak and every cool kayaking toy to go with it. The same for fishing, boating, home improvement, tools, outfits, cars, exercise equipment, motorcycles, picnicking, hiking....you name it, we had it! This also meant that we had the bills to go with it! So, in addition to having a basement and garage filled with these oh-so-important purchases I, the household bill payer, had to set aside ample time to balance the household books and keep the creditors off our backs. It was a job that I dreaded and hated even more so when I became a stay at home mom well aware that I was the only member of our home who knew where the money was, wasn't, and how to manage the accounts. I also knew that with the responsibility came the blame! Try as I might, I could not relieve myself of this job and the monthly stress it caused.

When my marriage ended in 2005, my husband left with 3 outfits, a tennis racket, his motorcycle and the clothes on his back. Suddenly, all of this "stuff" was mine - even though I didn't even know what to do with half of it! It took a LONG time for him to come and get what belonged to him and at that time, I made a conscious decision that Less was MORE!

When we moved for the third time, I did so in a whole new way. Anything not needed or sentimental went directly to charity or into a huge dumpster before the packing began. No more "stuff!"

The payoff was immediate. Not only did it take a fraction of the time to balance the monthly books, but the house was immediately calmer. A cluttered home produces a cluttered mind and, for me, that clutter resulted in a lack of productivity. When a job gets too big, I am prone to get overwhelmed and simply shut down. I have learned that I am part of a large portion of the population that acts this way. While "normal," this was not comfortable so now, instead of juggling, I simply "do." I have more time for leisure, more time with my beautiful kids and I am happier.

I own the necessary tools, enjoy hobbies, try things before committing to them and plan ahead for things that matter. During my marriage, we rarely vacationed as a family. This simple act has also allowed for a yearly trek with my kids and a whole lot more fun!

Less IS more!