Psalm 37:16 – Less is more and more is less.

Gratitude Day 816

Simple is Better.

It’s my mantra for this year. This Lent.

This day.

Friends – I’ve been so excited to hear from many of you and how YOU have been embracing Simple IS Better! I pray that YOU are feeling some rewards for a little more simplicity in YOUR life.

To celebrate, think of one way YOU embraced a Simple is Better mentality in the last week. Pat yourself on the back! Give yourself a high five! Celebrate every little way that you have embraced a little more simplicity in your life and world.

We’ve been talking about the physical things in your life. As in having less “stuff.” We WILL look at other areas of simple is better. But for a few more days, we will still think about our stuff.

Why? Because we need quick wins to keep us motivated. To keep us going in the direction we would like. As the physical stuff gets moved out of our lives, we see a drawer not so full. A closet less stuffed. Fewer things cluttering a space. It should make you feel your life is just a bit more manageable.

Well, that’s how I feel.

Today, let’s look at trying to round out everything that you have of one category and decide how it manage it.

For example, in our former house, we had three bathrooms. (Yes, I know. This is not simple.) Honestly, we have three bathrooms in our current house. (Also, a luxury.) But with a lot less storage. A lot less.

When we moved, items from each bathroom were packed into different boxes. While organizing our current bathrooms, I realized that we have more stuff than anticipated.

A lot more.

It becomes easy to accumulate more when not everything is grouped together. I thought I had similar items grouped. For the most part, I did. But reality struck when I pulled everything together and saw really how much we had. We had more items, more stuff, more duplicates.

While organizing our bathrooms this time, I was particular about what went into each bathroom. Did we need everything? Yes, we need certain things in every bathroom. Soap, towels, Kleenex, toilet paper, etc. But was consolidation possible?

Yes.

Can you consolidate without moving? Of course! Be honest about what you have. Pull everything from the same category out and see what you have. Can things be combined? Reduced? Then, only put back what is absolutely necessary.

What do you do with the leftovers? Good question. More consolidation? It’s OK to have a place where “extras” go. Then, agree with yourself that you will not purchase any more until every extra is used. Even when something is on sale.

Yes, we can be more efficient when we have certain things in different locations. Cleaning supplies in more than one area is helpful. But this can get out of control. I have had multiple boxes of aluminum foil, storage bags, soap and other things in different locations. Then, when the current container runs out, another is purchased rather than find the extra stashed away in some forgotten place.

This also often happens in the pantry. With a nice pantry in our current house, I can store almost every food item we have. And it looks like a lot! I have more than I realized.

If you are continuing to declutter, keep the “multiple locations” in mind. Be honest with exactly how much you have of something and determine the best location(s) for storage. Agree with yourself to not purchase more until the current inventory is used up. I am challenging myself to use what food we have during Lent. Yes, I bought some groceries last week and will again before Easter. But I am trying to use what we have. Why? Reducing inventory is always good.

I’ve used this term before and it’s one that I really believe in. Always “shop your house” first. See if you have something that can be used for your intended purpose. Maybe it is slightly different, but using what you have is great!

Why is less more? Because we can be aware of exactly what we have and not overwhelmed. It takes less time and energy to manage, freeing up valuable time for things that bring us joy. If something doesn’t bring me joy, then it needs to find the garbage or a different home.

Let me assure you that I am not perfect in all of this. I ordered three books online today. (Please don’t tell Hubby Rick … he’s croak.) Books are my biggest downfall. Does looking at two of the books from the library before purchasing them justify my purchase? Depends. Anyways, give yourselves grace through this process. Maybe you don’t have 20 minutes to declutter. No problem. Pick up one item that you aren’t in love with. Put it in your donate box or the garbage and call it “good enough.” Doing this 40 times during Lent means 40 less items in your house. I call this a win.

Friends – We say, “Less is more.” I’ve come to actually believe it is a helpful saying. It helps me continue to shape my life with Simple Is Better.

For some doses of reality to help me reduce, I am grateful.

Blessings –

Holy God – Less is more and more is less. Too often, I think more is better. As I try to embrace that simple is better, may I also see how that less is more goes is also a great complimentary attitude. Amen.

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