One of my favorite new blogs, Love and Trash, had a post up a couple weeks ago about cutting down to only 15 things of clothing. It’s a huge thing for some people, cutting down on the things that most of society assumes you need more of.

I assumed that this would be a no-brainer for me. After all, I had already cut out much of my clothing when we moved. And I’m still in that annoying mid-body shape where I can’t wear maternity cloths anymore, but none of my old stuff fits either. So really, cutting it down should be a piece of cake.

Heh, it was actually a bit tricky.

I was brutal at first, filling a shopping bag with shirts and jeans that I’m not going to hope on ever wearing again. Clothes were flying in a mad effort to purge, purge, purge. Once the initial thrill was over, I started counting.

• 5 pair of jeans
• 1 pair capris
• 1 pair dress slacks
• 1 long wool skirt
• 1 long recycled pillowcase skirt
• 10 warm weather tops
• 6 cold weather tops
• 3 pair of shoes

That’s a grand total of 28 things. OK, so maybe paring down to just 15 is harder than I thought.

Could you ever cut down your wardrobe to the bare minimum? If you only had room for 15 things in your closet, what would they be?

photo credit: geoffeg

One of my big goals here is to learn to live a simple life, one with out so many distractions and complications that seem to stress us out. I’ve already made my simple living goals, but I wanted to map out small steps I could take to reach my goals. Then I thought I could expand it out a bit, make a list of steps that anyone could take towards living a simple life.

I could have made a huge list of steps, because goodness knows there are a lot of ways to simplify your life. But for the sake of simplicity I purged it down to the top ten. In no particular order, here are my 10 steps to live a simple life:

1. Purge things you do not need and use. If it has been sitting in a box for weeks, months, or even years get rid of it. If it sets gathering dust on a shelf, get rid of it. If it doesn’t fit, get rid of it.
2. Put a limit on media. That means TV, computer, and even your cellphone. The fewer electronics you use, the simpler things will be.
3. Create a routine. From a cleaning routine to a work routine, setting a specific schedule and sticking to it will make things far more simple than jumping around haphazardly.
4. Focus on the good. Yes, it’s easier to focus on all the negative stuff going on. Instead make an effort to focus on the good things. Savor each bite of good, scent of flower, and laugh of a loved one. Things feel a lot simpler when you are looking for the good.
5. Write down plans. Write down a plan for the day, for the week, for the year. Putting down on paper what you want to get done makes it easier to see what is a waste of energy and what is worth doing.
6. Breathe. Sit down, somewhere quiet, and just breathe. Repeat as necessary.
7. Just say no. You cannot do everything, nor should you try to. Say no to extra obligations that will only add more stress to your life.
8. Spend less. Let’s face it, we’re a consumerist society. Spending is part of our national pastime. But if you want to work towards a simpler life you need less stuff, and that means spending less money. Ask yourself if you really, truly need it to live.
9. Get outside, be a part of nature. At least once a day get outside and enjoy it. Soak up some sun, get your hands dirty, take a walk. The calming effect this has is amazing.
10. Go small. A smaller house, a smaller car, a smaller impact. In simplicity, smaller is better.

If you can take these first 10 steps towards simplicity you may find how easy and enjoyable it can be to live a simple life. Once you get rid of the things that cause so much stress, life starts to resembling living again.

photo credit: lululemon athletica

If I had a basic family goal, it would simply be to live greener. But what exactly does that mean? Breaking it down into chunks I want to live more naturally, to live simpler, to live more sustainable. Can I break those goals down even more? Sure. I want to garden, to have more homemade than store bought, to want less, to smile more, to be happier with what I have.

I could keep going, breaking it down smaller and smaller, crafting out a real agenda for what I want from this life. But I haven’t. Because for some reason, in my head just saying “greener” was good enough. It isn’t.

If you want to get something out of life you have to know what it is that you want, you have to set goals. Small goals and big goals, goals for today, goals for next year, goals for fifty years from now. I need to focus on my goals.

I am going to make an effort to revisit my short-term wants every month. Typing them out, seeing them on the screen and knowing that the world can see them helps me to stay focused.

photo credit: AJoelle_xo

If anyone ever wants to practice simplicity they only need to move to a new house. Half way through packing they will be overcome with the desire to give away as much as possible so as not to need to take it with them.

This weekend we moved. In the process I managed to rid myself of a few dozen pieces of furniture, bags of clothes, knick-knacks, scrapbooking supplies, and various other things taking up space. I would like to take a moment to send my love towards the person/people who created Freecycle. Finding a new home for all my stuff always feels better than taking it to the dumpsters.

Last year I won a copy of Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth from EcoBrain. In that time I’ve been trying to find ways to merge simplicity into my life, to be smaller. I haven’t always succeeded, but the trying is important.

I’ve got a lot of plans in my mind to continue moving towards simplicity. Growing a garden, getting back to cloth diapers, and this bread recipe that I’m aching to try. Along with just living with less stuff, wanting less stuff, and trying to avoid any more stuff that might make its’ way into my house. Obviously “stuff’ is a big part of my plan to simplify.

I’d love to read other people’s plans for simplifying. What would you purge? Where would you start? How simple could you get?