Category: A Simpler Home

You’re reading that right. It’s October and we are talking Christmas Prep. I know we haven’t stalked the neighbors for trick or treat candy, yet, but the holidays always always sneak up on us. Today I’m sharing some ways to Christmas Prep the next few weeks so we can experience more joy and less stress this Christmas season.

I’m on Year 3 of prepping and planning early for Christmas. (See Year 1 and Year 2) And friends, it’s probably one of the best things I do for my December self. I usually begin Christmas Prep in September, sometimes August. Starting early has allowed me to have some of the best Decembers of my adult life. Starting Christmas Prep early allows me to be intentional with how I want to spend December and how much stress I allow to enter our home during the most magical time of the year.

Some of these ideas could work for you and some won’t make sense for your family. Take what works and leave the rest.

Here are a few ways I Christmas Prep:

Christmas Prep

Gifts

Gifts are one of the first things that come to mind when thinking about Christmas. The biggest thing we can do right now to Christmas Prep in the area of gifts is to make a list, set a budget, and brainstorm ideas for loved ones. I use the same excel spreadsheet year to year, simply adding a new tab for each new year. If Excel isn’t your thing, a notebook or even the Notes app will do the job. In the spreadsheet I list the people to buy for, the budget for the gift, and the idea for the gift.

There are a few things I have found helpful when brainstorming and purchasing Christmas gifts.

Begin Early

We don’t have to stand in long lines in December if we don’t want to. The first year I shopped early, I was floored by how much more time I had in December. Did you know the average woman spends 20 hours Christmas shopping each year? If we save all that shopping for December, that’s a part time job for a whole week. By beginning Christmas shopping early, we are able to spread out the shopping and have more time for what matters in December.

Batch Shop

I don’t know if this is an actual term or if I just made it up. Batch shopping is buying a similar gift or genre of gift for a specific group of people. There are a couple ways to do this.

One way to batch shop is to gift the same gift to a group of people. For example, all the kids’ teachers receive a Starbucks gift card and a plate of homemade cookies or all the cousins receive a book and a pair of cozy slippers.

Another way to batch shop is to give the same genre of gift to a group of people. For example, every child receives a book, but the book reflects their passions or preferences. Another example is gifting a dinner out to your siblings and parents, tailoring it to their favorite restaurant.

Batch shopping reduces decision fatigue, simplifies shopping, while still making friends and family members feel loved.

Buy less gifts

I’m hesitant to mention this one, but here I go. If you want a little less stress this Christmas, think about having conversations now about opting out of exchanges or changing them up. Consider foregoing exchanges between adult sibling groups or doing a ‘favorite things’ exchange with a friend group instead of buying gifts for everyone. Most of us have what we need and want and a lot of these gift exchanges turn into returns on January 2nd. I think it’s safe to say many of us have returned a gift from a well intentioned family member.

If we want a little less stress this Christmas, let’s begin a conversation now about opting out or simplifying gift exchanges this Christmas.

Readying the Pantry and Freezer

For the next few weeks, I am readying our pantry and freezer by using up food items currently housed on the shelves. I am buying less groceries and using what we have so we can stock up on all the holiday goodies when the time comes.

A few weeks before Thanksgiving, I will stock up on all the baking supplies I usually use during the holidays: flour, sugar, chocolate chips, sprinkles, pie crusts, peanut butter, vanilla. I also stock up on ingredients for comfort food: butternut squash, bacon, chicken stock, and yeast for bread.

Readying our home now takes one thing off my plate later.

The Christmas Calendar

I know it seems premature to start making Christmas plans in October. However, I would argue that if we don’t set our priorities as a family and make our plans now, someone else could do it for us come December. This past weekend, Kevin and I sat down and talked through our family’s holiday priorities. We put those priorities on the calendar. In October.

One thing I am going to test out this year is writing REST on the calendar. I wrote REST on 7 days in December and I am hopeful this will help us be intentional with not trying to do alllll the things. Even though Instagram and Facebook tempt and tease us with the possibility of doing the next fun, festive thing, it’s impossible to do it all. Impossible. Rest is imperative all the time, but especially during the holidays. It allows us to be more present with the ones we love and supplies us with energy for all the fun Christmas things.

Traditions

Anyone else love Christmas traditions? I love a good tradition, especially a Christmas one. I am a sucker for window shopping traditions and then trying them out to see if they fit. However, this usually ends poorly, in the manner of an over-stressed mom (me) juggling too many advent calendar activities or cookie recipes.

Last year I decided to make a will and will not list for traditions. These are traditions our family will and will not do together. For me, there is definitely power in the will not list.

Our family will…

Go to a tree farm to pick out our tree and decorate it together.

Deliver gifts to our neighbors.

Host our annual gingerbread party.

Read a Christmas book each day.

Go to the Durham Museum to look at the big tree.

Make a birthday cake for Jesus.

Our family will not…

Do elf on the shelf.

Wrap a book up for each day in December.

Visit every Santa sighting.

Let Facebook and Instagram talk me into more traditions.

This will not list will help with my inevitable FOMO during the Christmas season. My lists will be different from your lists and that’s the way it should be. There is no right way to do Christmas.

I yearn for a little more joy and a lot less stress this Christmas season. I want to be present for my people and have time and space to celebrate the reason for the season: the baby born to save the world. My hope is some Christmas Prep now will help get me there.

Will you Christmas Prep this year?

Our family has been staying in Airbnbs, VRBOs, vacation rentals for awhile now. While I love a good hotel pool, Airbnbs just work better for our season of life with four young kids. Today I’m sharing some lessons I’ve learned from staying in Airbnbs when it comes to living with less. Every time we are away these lessons are at the forefront of my mind and remind me why we choose to pursue a simpler way of life. Here are my 5 Lessons from Airbnbs.

5 Lessons from Airbnbs

Lesson 1: Less clutter equals more freedom.

Each time we stay at an Airbnb there is less to care for. Less stuff to put away, less clothes to launder, less mess to pick up. Less to clean, scrub, declutter, organize, hide, etc. Most Airbnbs are sparsly decorated to leave room for the renter’s belongings. The essentials are there: things to cook with, soap and paper towels and toilet paper, furniture for watching movies and sleeping, rugs to make it cozy, and plants to liven up the space. There aren’t a million decorative signs or plates or trinkets lying around on the counters or desks. Those are left out to make room for the things needed to live life.

Every time we stay at an Airbnb, I come home wanting to declutter. Why? Because when I stay in someone else’s home with only the essentials I feel light and there is freedom in it. I want more freedom and I know that means less stuff.

Lesson 2: Keep the best.

There are almost never ratty towels in the bathroom of an Airbnb. Nor are there a million pens in the junk drawer or broken toys in the toy bin or old, forgotten trinkets on the counter. What if we decided we didn’t need those things either? What if we kept only the best towels, the pens we enjoyed using, the usable toys (see a post about toys here), the treasured trinkets on the counter? Keeping the best, the wanted, the valuable makes life a little more special, don’t you think?

Lesson 3: Use what we have.

At the beginning of a trip, we always stop at the grocery store to grab food for our stay. Bacon, eggs, butter, bread, fruit, coffee. My goal is to use up all we have before we leave. What if we did the same at home? Instead of buying more at the store or popping into Target for one or two things, what if we took a week or a month to use what we have? Use up the leftovers, thaw and use the frozen meat, eat up the snacks in the pantry before buying more. This is something I have been working on and will continue to challenge myself to use what we have.

Lesson 4: One is enough.

One good knife for cutting veggies. One television to cozy up and watch a movie together. One good skillet for frying up bacon. In an Airbnb many times one is enough. Of course there are categories where one isn’t enough. Silverware and towels and paper towels. However, I think we can make our lives simpler when we decide one is enough when it comes to certain things. Keep in mind, this will change and evolve over time.

In our current season, one television is enough for our family. In the future, that could change. Our family also lives with one set of sheets per bed. That could change as well. Where one is enough for our family, it might not be enough for your’s. Think through if there are areas in your home where one is enough.

Lesson 5: Explore and enjoy more.

Whenever we stay in an Airbnb, we are motivated and excited to get out and explore the destination. Our family goes to parks, the beach, museums. We take walks, enjoy new restaurants, and make it a priority to spend time together as a family. We don’t need to go to an Airbnb to do that. Yes, there is more work to do at home. Yes, we have commitments and priorities and schedules. But what if we also took the time to explore our communities more as a family? What if we made life more enjoyable by doing things together? Life is meant to be enjoyed so let’s take the time and enjoy more of it.

Pursuing an intentional life with less is a journey. What is one way you could live with less today?

If you’ve read or listened to anything about simplicity you have probably heard the saying: Less is More. And as much as it sounds cliche and overused and redundant, I’ve seen it ring true. Doing with Less or the Less is More concept has transformed our family: moving from living life as overwhelmed consumers to living life with less stuff in our homes and on our calendar.

Doing with Less is a mindset shift that affects almost every area of our lives. It’s a shift in thinking: I want this or I think I need this to Can I do without it? It’s having less inventory in our homes so we can spend more time with the people in them. It’s keeping things that bring us joy on the calendar and letting go of the rest so we can spend more time doing the things we actually want to do with the people we want to do them with. It’s getting down to the basics so life can be more abundant and intentional.

We were never meant to live life accumulating stuff. We were meant to live simply enjoying the experiences of life, the people of life, and the journey of life – not the things of life.

Joshua Becker

Doing with Less

Our family has been on a slow journey towards Doing with Less the past 8 or so years. It’s something I began when I was feeling bored and overwhelmed as a mom with littles (can both those things be true at the same time?). The past several years my simplicity journey has changed me, challenged me, stretched me, and given our family a life I never dreamed possible.

With God in the lead, my husband and I have slowly created a life we love. Although our lifestyle is specific to us and our values and preferences might not be for everyone, it is exactly the life we have hoped to live. Simplicity has allowed us to travel extensively with our four kids. It’s allowed us to homeschool. Simplicity has given us the freedom to focus on the things most important to us: our faith and each other. There is less stuff in the way of the things that matter to us. Doing with less has given us more life.

Why do we Do with Less?

Our family tries to Do with Less because it allows us to be good stewards of our resources and use them for the things most important to us. When our house is (mostly) clear of clutter, it requires less cleaning, less pick up, which in turn gives us more time to do the things that matter. It also removes visual clutter which can lead to unnecessary stress. Less clutter in our homes leads to more time and more life. When we aren’t constantly purchasing items or looking for items to purchase, we have more to give and more resources to go towards living our dream of traveling with our family.

What does Doing with Less look like for us?

For our family, Doing with Less is a mindset.

Instead of thinking: I need to keep this item, just in case. We think: Can I do without this item?

Instead of thinking: There’s no harm in keeping it, we have the room. We think: Could someone else get value from it instead of it sitting in a cabinet somewhere collecting dust?

Instead of thinking: Can I afford this new thing or when can I buy this new thing? We think: Will this new thing truly add value to our lives?

Instead of thinking: I’m not sure I want to do this thing, but I should. We think: Do I want to do this thing? Am I being called to do this thing? Will this thing be using my gifts to bring value to my family, my community, or the world?

We are human and we mess up and make mistakes. Even though Doing with Less has become almost automated, we still get caught up in our consumer driven world. However, there is grace and we do the best we can to be intentional about Doing with Less.

Take Action

Now that you’ve heard what Doing with Less looks like for our family, is it something you want to try? Your lifestyle will, of course, look different than our’s because everyone has different values and preferences. But if you want to Do with Less, here are a few action steps you can take to move in that direction.

Action Step #1: Name your why.

Get clear on why you want to Do with Less. Is it more time? More money? Is it more specific? Maybe you want more time to serve your favorite nonprofit or more money to save for your kids’ college? Maybe you just want to be able to breathe a little easier in your home because you feel overwhelmed with the stuff inside it. Or maybe you want to be present more and your stuff and commitments are getting in the way. Whatever the reason for wanting to Do with Less, get clear on it now. When we know and name our why, it will help us stay on the path to Doing with Less, especially when things get hard.

Action Step #2: Choose one way to do with less.

Choose one way to Do with Less. Maybe it’s decluttering your home or maybe it’s decluttering your calendar. Choose a mindset shift to go with it. Create a question or value statement to help you navigate.

If your mindset shift is decluttering or simplifying your home, questions could be: Does this item bring me joy? Can I do without this item? Does this item add value to my life? Use your chosen question(s) to navigate decluttering a drawer, a room, or your entire home.

If your mindset shift is decluttering your calendar it could be: Does this event bring our family connection? Does this commitment use our gifts to serve others well? Does this event or commitment add value to our lives? Every event or commitment on the calendar can go through one or all of these questions to see if it needs to stay or if it’s something to let go.

Choose one way to Do with Less.

Action Step #3: Get started.

Doing with Less is a journey. Our family has been on it for a long while and we are still walking it. Make a decision to take the first step.

If you’re choosing to declutter your home, start with a drawer, the bathroom, or your car. Or maybe you are super motivated and want to begin with one room. Go you!

If you’re choosing to declutter the calendar, begin by taking one activity or commitment off the calendar this summer. Or take it a step further and decide to say ‘no’ to every request for one month until you can get clear on what matters and where you want to spend your time.

Simply start. It will require action and some hard work, but getting started is the hardest part. Once you dig in and get moving, your progress will propel you forward.

Doing with Less is not something that will happen overnight. It will require small changes, tweaks, and edits. But in my experience, the journey is worth the work. Doing with less will give you more time, money, and energy for the things that matter to you and your family. What is one step you can take today to Do with Less?

It’s a new year, friends. Although all our problems aren’t going to magically disappear with the turning of the calendar, there are some things we can do in our homes and with our families to make it a simpler, more joyful 2021. 21 Simplifying Tasks are a good start.

“Of all modern notions, the worst is this: that domesticity is dull. …Inside the home, they say, is dead decorum and routine; outside is adventure and variety. But the truth is that the home is the only place of liberty, the only spot on earth where a man can alter arrangements suddenly, make an experiment or indulge in a whim. The home is not the one tame place in a world of adventure; it is the one wild place in a world of rules and set tasks.” 

GK Chesterton

Home is the one place it can be whatever we want it to be. That’s no small thing, friends. Here are 21 Simplifying Tasks to simplify and live a little more life.

***Note: This is NOT a to-do list. It’s meant to inspire you to try a task or make up your own. The intent is for it to be purposeful and fun. Give a task a go, or make you own path…it’s up to you!

21 Simplifying Tasks

1. Name your why.

If you want a simpler life, why? Less stress? Less cleaning? More time with your people? Take a minute and really think about why you want a simpler life and write it down.

2. Get rid of 10 things right now.

Grab a grocery sack or Amazon box and grab 10 things you no longer need or want. Motivate your kids to do the same. This is a surefire way to build momentum towards a simpler home.

3. Set Quarterly Goals

It’s a New Year and Quarterly Goals is one way to live life a bit more intentionally. You have not missed the bus if you didn’t set goals on January 1st. Check out how we set Quarterly Goals.

4. Clear a surface.

Clutter affects us. For women, the amount of stress we feel at home is directly proportional to the amount of stuff we have. Choose one surface to clear and keep clear. The dining room table, the kitchen island, an end table. Clear spaces lead to a clear mind.

5. Say yes to your kids when you want to say no.

Play the game of Monopoly, build the snowman, play cars, bake brownies. Saying yes is powerful, strengthens relationships, and creates memories.

6. Rethink where your stuff lives.

Do you have to walk downstairs to get the art supplies or down the hall to gather the tile cleaner for the bathroom? Many times we move into a home and put things away not knowing how we will use each space. Begin in one corner of one room and evaluate if the stuff there serves you and your family in that room. Re-think where your stuff lives and decide if it makes sense to move things around.

7. Do a Daily Delete.

At the end of each day, go through your pictures and delete the duplicate pictures or the ones with eyeballs closed. Only keep your favorites. It’s a great task while you catch up on The Crown.

8. Choose a book to read and actually read it.

Some on my list for the next few months: You Be You, Rhythms of Renewal (rereading this one), Becoming Mrs. Lewis, The Library at Mount Char, New Minimalism.

9. Find and listen to a podcast that fills you up.

Some of my favorites: uncomfortable, Minimalist Moms Podcast, The Lazy Genius Podcast, Read-Aloud Revival, MommyLogians, and ClutterBug Podcast.

10. Plan an adventure.

Plan an adventure with your people or maybe just your spouse. I know many aren’t traveling right now, but hopefully that will be more of any option soon. Whether it’s across the street, across town, or across the country, plan an adventure to do this next year. Simply planning and anticipating an adventure can make you happier.

11. Write a letter.

In a time when snail mail is one of the biggest gifts, write a letter to a loved one. A beautiful card with some kind words can do wonders for the people we care about.

12. Rethink towels, pens, and kitchen utensils.

These are small things, but they add up. Go through your linen closet and ditch any ratty towels. Ruthlessly declutter the pens in the junk drawer. Do you really need 13 spatulas? You will feel lighter after letting go of the excess.

13. Watch a documentary.

What do you care about? Chances are there is a documentary out there pertaining to the issue. Take time this month to sit down and watch it. Some of my favorites about simplicity: Minimalism, The Social Dilemma, and Less is Now.

14. Choose one space to declutter.

Choose one room, drawer, or closet that is driving you bananas. Focus on the space and commit to completing it before starting any other projects. As you edit the stuff in the space, ask yourself these questions about each item: Is it beautiful or useful? Do I love it? Have I used it in the last 90 days or will I use it in the next 90 days?

15. Learn something new.

What have you always been wanting to learn to do? Bake? Sew? Make homemade pasta? Snowboard? Knit? Paint? Gift yourself the time and space to play around and learn something new.

16. Create a toy closet.

Are you tired of picking up a million toys at the end of every day? Rotate toys out of a toy closet. Take half the toys and house in a toy closet, organized by whatever system works for you and your family. Bring out new toys every few weeks to a month and be sure to put some toys in the toy closet that are currently being played with. ‘New’ toys can equate to hours of play.

17. Go for a walk.

My daughter’s Quarterly Goal is to get outside 30 minutes everyday. I should join her. Walking improves your mood, not to mention the physical health benefits like strengthening your bones and muscles. Bundle up and take a walk, even when you don’t want to.

18. Tackle your closet.

The t-shirt with the stain that won’t come out. The holy jeans that weren’t meant to be holy. The sweater from junior high. It’s time to let those things go. Do a closet overhaul and only keep the things you love, that fit well, and that you would buy again.

19. Call someone important to you.

It seems that phone calls are things of the past, but they don’t have to be. Take 20 minutes to call someone you’ve been meaning to call or haven’t talked to in longer than you’d like to admit. Make it a priority and invest in a relationship you value.

20. Be still.

Mindfulness is a way to be present and fully live. Be still and listen. Where does your mind go? What is God whispering in your heart? Start with 1 minute and build up to 10 minutes each day, being still, quieting your mind, listening, and being present in the moment.

21. Create something.

I was chatting with a girlfriend the other day and she said something that had me nodding my head and saying YES: God made us to work. Although that work looks different for all of us, he put us on this earth for a purpose. Take a minute, an hour, a day to create something on your own or with your kids. A batch of chocolate chip cookies, a drawing, a flower arrangement, a curated shelf in your dining room, a delicious dinner, an art project with your kids. Find joy in creating something.

This list isn’t meant to be checked off. Choose one thing or let the list inspire you to create your own task. 2021 will be what we make it. Although there will be things out of our control, we can choose to live each day thoughtfully, intentionally, and joyfully, especially at home. What tasks speak to you?