Day 3 of Minimalist Living: Donating with Purpose

Day 2 was quite unproductive, but today seems to be more productive in nature. Day 3, I have been setting up places that will take specific items as donations. I do not want to just take a large amount of stuff to a thrift store because you do not know if they will sell them and who they will go to eventually. I figure that a lot of the items that I own could go directly to non-profit organizations for their use. The first place that I contacted was Susquehanna Service Dogs. I will be donating office supplies, newspapers, and old towels to them. I also have old magazines and books to donate to some other locations. I was thinking about different elderly communities and shelters for my magazines, books, and/or board games.

I realize that some of these items might have a little bit of value, but I would rather donate them to a cause I believe in than a thrift store that I do not know where/who the profits benefit. (FYI, I am not a fan of Goodwill, but I strongly suggest the Salvation Army. My sister worked at one of their camps and I can say from experience that I have seen where there money is going.)

That being said, there are a lot of other items that need to be sorted through. I have a lot of unsealed makeup that I want to offer to the women's shelter. I had a bit of a couponing hoarding problem so I am going to donate these products and hopefully someone will benefit from them.

I feel like this type of purging/donating is cleansing in a deeper way than the trendy "just drop it off at a thrift store." I feel like I am serving a purpose and that I am in control of my life. I hope to continue this after "the life purge" through couponing and volunteer work. I know that I can help in some way or another.

After work, I plan to go through my clothing that is clean and put them away while sorting them between donation/trash/keep. Hopefully, I will be able to weed a lot of clothing out of my collection. I would like a very streamline wardrobe.

Minimalism: Day One

A concept that has captured my interest lately has been minimalism. This is an emerging lifestyle that has not gone mainstream, but has slowly gained momentum. There are many forms of minimalist lifestyles from extreme cases to adjusting the lifestyle to fit each person's lifestyle.

There have been a lot of people involved in this movement, but most recently, Joshua Becker, Francine Jay, and Marie Kondo. These people have different views of how to start living the minimalist lifestyle.

In recent months, Marie Kondo's book, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing," has gained popularity in the United States. In addition to being on the New York Times Best Sellers list, many bloggers and "vloggers" have been raving about the concept that she discusses in her book. The book has been discussed on talk shows and newspapers. Plus, my best friend loved it so I obviously had to pick up a copy. I just started reading it at the end of my first day of discarding/donating/organizing. So far, I love the concept of the book. It discusses the importance of discarding unneeded items and why it is important to do your purge in a short period of time.

Back to my purging, I took trash bags and went through everything in my apartment. I divided everything by type. At the same time, I have been laundering all my clothing. The first "real purge" I did yesterday was my shoes. I ended up getting rid of at least 80% of my shoes. Next, I am going through my clothing to prep for my friend and I's visit to a store to sell our gently-used clothing. Hopefully, we can sell a few of our clothing pieces. I also have a bin for donations (which I will be using for tax deductible purposes.)

So far, I can feel quite the difference and  I have not made it past my bedroom! I am excited to see what I can do with the rest of my apartment. I am a little worried about my bookshelf though... that is going to be difficult. And I am going to actually use my fabric instead of getting rid of it and donate it somewhere. Hopefully, I will figure everything out, but I can feel the myself changing the way I think even after day one.

I bought the Sunday Paper... Now What?

Ok, you bought a Sunday paper (or 3), but what is next? Well, the important part of couponing is organization. If you do not know what coupons you have, then you will not be able to use them.

1. Start by clipping the coupons for products that you purchase on regular or semi-regular basis. These coupons are the important coupons that should be organized by type. Many people use the accordion files that you can get almost anywhere (even the dollar tree). I personally scan the coupons that I have into my iPhone. I use the app called "My Coupons." It is a great way to always know what coupons you have and when they expire. I put the coupons that I would be likely to use randomly in my wallet or planner so I have them when I need them and the rest are organized separately.


2. Next, take out any restaurant coupons and put them into a folder or envelope that you will be able to find the next time you decide to go out for dinner. I like to keep restaurant coupons and similar coupons around in case I decide to go out to dinner. There are also a lot of great websites (local and non-local) that have deals that you can get straight from your phone.

3. Organize the coupons you are not planning to use by the week they were released. Before this, I usually allow people to look through them to see if there are any coupons that they need. The rest of the coupons are filed by week so that if a website references a specific week when explaining a coupon deal, I will know where to look.

4. Do not buy everything that is free unless you plan to donate any excess! All this will do is stress you out and makes you greedy. Couponing should only be done to help you with your finances, not to take over your life. Watch a few episodes of extreme couponing and you will understand.

5. Do not necessarily buy the paper every week. Remember that there are many websites that give lists of the coupons that will be available in each Sunday's paper. If you preview these websites, you will know if and how many papers you will need to buy.

6. Check out websites that show off deals. KrazyCouponLady and CouponMom are two websites that I like to visit these websites and see the new deals that they have discovered. CouponMom has a great resource where each store has it's own deal board. It is very convenient.

7. Always shop where they double coupons, give gas points, money back, etc. Eventually, you will realize that shopping at one store is the best way to benefit from these deals. For example, some stores will give you store coupons that can be used on top of the manufacturer's coupons. Look for these deals. In addition, many grocery stores have gas rewards with a certain amount of points or money spent. If you add up all your savings and stick to one or two locations, there is a better chance for you to reap larger benefits. (Also, looking at so many fliers won't waste all your free time!)

8. Remember that many coupons.com exists. You can print out 2-3 copies of each coupon per computer. In addition, many manufacturer's websites send out coupons via email or by answering surveys on their receipts. Do not miss out on the opportunity to save money through these easy tasks!

Saving money does not take as much time as some of the shows would lead you on to believe. My next article will be about what items you can skip buying and replace with cheaper reusable alternatives. Sometimes being thrifty means not being afraid to replace some old habits.

Pinterest is Only The Starting Line

When it comes to saving money and learning to live on a lower budget, Pinterest can give you a lot of great starting points, but it can also be a huge waste of money. What is most important? Figuring out your own lifestyle and what is most important for your lifestyle. For example, how much of your "stuff" do you actually use and what "stuff" could you utilize for their actual purpose or re-purpose for something else. I am on a one month journey to completely declutter my life and only own what is necessary. I want to not only do this for myself and my mental health, but to share with the world what minimizing my lifestyle can do.

During these steps, I will be sorting everything in my apartment, room by room, and sorting them between trash, donate, or sell. The following steps are separate from the above plan.


Step 1:
My first step is to list and sell books, DVDs, and CDs online. I have boxes that I will label numerically and I will then store them in my storage closet so when people buy the products, I will be able to find the product easily for shipping.

Step 2:
Any clothing, shoes, or accessories of worth, I plan to bring to local clothing buying boutiques to try to sell.

Step 3:
Collectibles are tricky. I will need to research their value and then find their appropriate pricing value (given their resale value for the buyer).

Step 4:
Organize my craft/sewing supplies into a separate office space.

Step 5:
Celebrate!

I realize there are more steps than these, but these are my basic steps that I plan to take to start the downsizing of my life.

How much couponing is too much?

I had this woman freak out at me when I was at work yesterday because her coupons were not working properly. 

People think that they are entitled when they coupon. That the store has no control over their purchases, but we can refuse coupons or limit your amounts of each item. 

To many componers, they look at the bottom line, not the practicality. How is it "saving" when you have more shampoo than you will ever need? If you donated it, that's one thing, but hoarding it is a bigger problem than spending money. 

Couponing is seen as the fail proof way to save money when lifestyle changes truly are the best ways to save money. Cutting down on waste and purchases can cut down your spending more than anything. Creativity and reusing everything can as well. Stop relying on one source and realize that buying in excess only is cluttering to your brain and your house. 

Store Spotlight: The Dollar Tree

I'm sure most people have either heard of or have been to the dollar tree, but most people do not realize how many great items can be bought there! I love to buy organizational items there. 

Office Supplies

Make sure to check out the office supply section as well. Poster board, paper, drawer organizers, and other basic supplies are always available. They even carry teaching supplies and craft supplies.  

Kitchen

In the kitchen aisle, there is often name brand plastic storage and sturdy glassware. I've gotten a lot of unique items there like cute spice jars. You just have to watch. 

Storage

In the plastic storage, I have found some great bins for closets and shelving. I recently found dog treat storage containers. They had paw prints on them and were only a dollar each. I bought 6!

Food

And don't forget the food section. I would stay clear of the off brand food, but often, you can find some great name brand food. My stores sell both Pepsi and Coke products. 

Holidays

And don't forget to stop in for the holidays. They've always had great selections for holidays. I've gotten great bouquets, wall decorations, etc., for less than half the price of anywhere else. I made some cute centerpieces for thanksgiving and Christmas for under $10 each. 

Gifts

And finally, gift wrap, gift bags, and cards. If you're looking for basics, they've got them. The cards aren't fancy, but they are great for stocking up or if you are including them with a gift. They have cellophane, tissue paper, bows, gift boxes, bows, and even party supplies. Everything you might need!