by kathilipp | May 3, 2018 | Clutter Free, Freedom, Home |
Day three of the Spring Fling, and it’s time to get serious … Let’s clear out the bathroom!
I’m not so worried about your sentimental attachments in the bathroom. (“But I can’t throw away that bottle of Axe Body Wash! I have to keep it — it was the last time my son smelled good.”)
But if you are anything like me, your bathroom can easily get filled with “just in case” items.
I am a worst-case-scenario kinda girl.
“What if we run out of money and I can never buy shampoo again. I don’t want to regret throwing out that six-year-old bottle of Head and Shoulders my cousin left here.”
What if I lose my job and I can’t buy lipstick again. Even though this color makes me look like an extra on the Walking Dead, it’s better than nothing, right? I should hold on to it.”
I get it. I’m a sick, sick woman.
Those things in the picture? Those were all from my kids’ bathroom.
No kid has lived here in over a year. But I kept it all — just in case.
Did I mention that I’m a sick, sick woman?
I bet you may have had some of these thoughts as well. Otherwise, why would you have six containers of foundation and only use one?
It Gets Better
One of the best things you can do to reduce clutter in your bathroom is become brand loyal. If you are a product junkie, always trying out new lipsticks, hairsprays, etc., it’s easy to keep six different kinds of mascara around because you’re never quite sure which one is the best. Find a product that works for you, and when you start to run out, buy another one. But stop buying products you already have.
Instructions:
– Set up your three boxes/totes and two bags.
– Start with one drawer or one shelf.
– Do NOT pull everything in your bathroom to sort it out. Take it one drawer, shelf, or basket at a time.
Bonus:
Want to stay Clutter Free in your bathroom? Commit to using up what you have. Only buy a new bottle of shampoo once you’ve used up the rest of the shampoo you have on hand.
You say, “But I would never use that old bottle of Head and Shoulders!”
Then throw it out. Only keep what you will actually use. This goes for makeup as well. When you run out, you can buy a new bottle, tube, or jar guilt free. Not only will this save you space, it will also save you money.
Share Your Fling
After you fling, either tell us about it or share a picture in the comments. Remember, each day (at the end of the Fling) there will be one winner, randomly drawn from the comments, who will receive a copy of The Cure for the Perfect Life from Kathi Lipp and Cheri Gregory. So share below and tell us about your fling.
by kathilipp | Feb 1, 2018 | Clutter Free |
About this time last year, I thought I was a Clutter Free queen. My house wasn’t what I would call “Pinterest Perfect,” but it worked for our family and we didn’t mind drop-in visitors. Then I was asked to lead the Lenten Clutter Free Bible Study through a private members-only Facebook group. The study walks participants through what Jesus has to say about our stuff. It digs deep. Many of us find our Clutter Free journey like peeling back layers of an onion – there is always more that lies beneath. I went into the bible study thinking I would get a handle on some cluttered corners in our home. Instead, I spent six weeks decluttering my head and heart.
I discovered fears I didn’t know I had – fears of poverty, scarcity and of losing control. Fears that my husband would consider me spoiled or wasteful. No matter how often I decluttered my pantry, it would inevitably reach a point where it was bursting at the seams yet again. Why? Because I was terrified that something would happen, and we’d have no money for food. I would stockpile food, even food we didn’t like, without realizing it. I had clothes that were neither my taste nor my style cluttering my closet because I feared letting them go. If someone offered to give me something, I felt obligated to say yes. Who was I to think I was too good for someone else’s generosity – even if it was the product of their own decluttering?
By the end of the six-week study, other than the closet, my house didn’t look much different. I, on the other hand, had changed completely. I learned to trust God to provide what I needed when I needed it. I was able to joyfully release the canned sardines that had been sitting in the pantry for years, as well as the ill-fitting clothing from my closet. I also learned to trust God to provide for my stuff. I stopped worrying about what could or would happen to the things I released. I no longer fret over which charity is most deserving of my donations or feel obligated to sell belongings to recoup costs. I just focus on releasing that which no longer brings me joy, and I trust God to sort it out according to His plan.
The study changed our online group as well. It didn’t take long for us to realize that the work of Clutter Free was bigger than just six weeks. We needed a 24/7 year-round support system for those continuing their Clutter Free journey and for those who were just beginning. Now known as Clutter Free Academy, our group is a thriving community of 3,800 members who all grapple with Clutter in our heads, hearts and homes. We say we’re the kindest corner of the internet because we are all about support and encouragement without judgment or shame.
Are you ready to find out what Jesus says about your stuff? We’re walking through the Clutter Free Bible Study once again. Launching on February 14, the study includes videos, resource downloads and the 24/7 year-round support of the Clutter Free Academy Facebook group. Join as we dig deeper together to explore why we acquire what we don’t need, keep hold of stuff we don’t use or love, and how all of that makes us feel.
To be a part of the study club, get access to our online videos and booklet for just $14.99 (regularly $25!) between now and February 14, 2018 with coupon code: CFBSFEB18. Click here for lifetime access to the study and join our private Facebook group for daily encouragement from Kathi and Tonya for Lent this year.
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Tonya Kubo is the illustrious, fearless leader of Kathi Lipp’s Clutter-Free Academy Facebook group. She and her husband, Brian, are raising two spirited girls in the agricultural heart of California. She writes about fighting the demons of comparison, clutter and compulsion on www.tonyakubo.com.
Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTonyaKubo/
by kathilipp | Dec 12, 2017 | Clutter Free, Podcast |
Don’t overlook the impact that mealtime can have on the people in your life. Listen in as Kathi Lipp interviews Author Sally Clarkson, who shares about the importance of being intentional with meal times so you strategically leave an imprint that is a legacy for your children and will bless them the rest of their lives. Create anchors and habits in your day and at family mealtimes that nurture and prioritize relationships in your life. Feast and celebrate. Be a joyful heart and celebrate every day you have been given.
For your chance to win 1 of 3 copies of The Lifegiving Table, comment below:
If you could have people over more regularly, who would love to have over for dinner?
Sally Clarkson is the beloved author of multiple bestselling books, including The LifeGiving Table, Own Your Life, The Life Giving Home, Desperate and most recently, Different, with her son Nathan. As a mother of four, she has inspired thousands of woman through conferences, resources and books through Whole Heart Ministries (www.wholeheart.org), Since then, she has advocated relentlessly for the power of motherhood and the influence of home through her Mom Heart conferences (www.momheart.org), speaking to audiences on several continents.
Make your table a place where your family and friends long to be—where they will find rest, renewal, and a welcome full of love. In The Lifegiving Table, Sally shares her own family stories, favorite recipes, and practical ideas to help you get closer to the people you love . . . and grow in faith together.
by kathilipp | Aug 7, 2017 | Clutter Free, Finances |
My friend Kevin’s mom was famous for explaining away any purchase she wanted to make by saying, “But, it on SALEEEEEE…”
For most of my life, I was just like Kevin’s mom. If there was a deal to be had, that was all the justification I needed to make the purchase.
Cheap goods are never without a cost.
As I’ve gone deeper into my Clutter Free life, I’ve come to understand a core truth: Cheap goods are never without a cost.
1. Cheap goods cost us space.
Cheap goods we don’t need but justify because they are on sale (or already cheap), take up room in our houses. We need a way to store these things on top of the other things we’re already keeping.
2. Cheap goods cost us time.
If clutter is a problem, then the minutes every day you spend looking for lost items, moving stacks, and dealing with clutter are slowly chipping away at your life.
3. Cheap goods cost us money.
A dollar here and there adds up. I’ve noticed a correlation between those who struggle with clutter and those who struggle with spending. We stockpile things we think we’ll need in the future, while not stockpiling what we will really need—money.
4. Cheap goods cost us our integrity.
Many of those cheap goods are produced on the backs of others—slave and child labor in foreign countries. Since I’ve stopped buying lots of clothes (I’ve bought five items in 2017,) I’ve been able to buy better quality items I know aren’t made with slave or child labor. As a practicing Christian, I need to be aware that I may have slaves working for me, even if they are half a world away. What is my moral obligation?
As I go deeper into my Clutter Free journey, these are the things I need to consider.
I’m not saying that bargain shopping is bad. Quite the opposite. The biggest bargain is not buying things you don’t need.
Break the Cheap Goods Habit
So if you’ve developed an addiction to cheap goods, how do you go about breaking it?
1. Shop with a list.
Always know what you’re going into the store for, and come out with just that. When Roger and I go shopping at Costco, we have a massive list. (We only go once a month and buy most of our food there.) At Costco, we do allow ourselves one indulgence, usually through the samples that are pushed like drug dealers.This month it was the prepared chicken salad. Oy. Vey.
The list rule applies for Target, Best Buy, Bed Bath and Beyond, or any other store we might be tempted. Bring a list. Stick to the list.
2.Stay Accountable.
If you know you struggle with sticking to your needs, ask a friend (or the Clutter Free group) to keep you accountable. It’s so much easier to resist temptation if you know someone is going to be checking up on you.
3. Budget.
If you’re saving up for something bigger and better, it’s easier to say no to the nonsense. We use the You Need A Budget (YNAB) app and love it. We remind ourselves that we can have anything we want, as long as we budget for it.
4. Realize it’s OK to have nice things.
We didn’t bring home any souvenirs from our recent vacation except books, a nice shirt for Roger, and one thing for me. In a little shop in Victoria, there was a woman selling handmade soaps. I found an orange and ginger soap that smelled like heaven. I fell in love.
Normally, I’m a basic soap girl. We have a large container of Soft Soap that we use to refill all the soap dispensers in the house. Cheap and easy. But I realized a few things:
*I loved this soap and would enjoy it while it lasted.
*I was supporting another woman’s livelihood.
*It isn’t clutter. When it’s used, it’s gone.
I bought the soap.
I love the soap. Guess what, I use the soap. And I don’t feel guilty about the price tag because that little piece of soap lines up with my Clutter Free values. And that? Is worth every penny.
by Guest Blogger | Jul 20, 2017 | Clutter Free, Guest Blog |
I started wading through the clutter in January. One week later I was disheartened. There was still a lot to do. I shared my dismay with my brave friend who had come over and worked alongside me for a bit, she said, “It will take a year.” She reminded me this was a process and that it would take more than a weekend to declutter. And here I am today, still working on organizing, decluttering, de-junking my house. I have made some progress and have discovered some surprising clutter.
The piles of toy parts, the box of notes from high school, and the bags of stained baby clothes, I expected. However, I was surprised to discover hidden pockets of clutter of a different variety. These were things I thought I would never misplace or lose track of. I unearthed encouraging words left unsaid, found compliments piled in the corners like stacks of magazines, and discovered a hoard of fun under the couch.
Surprising clutter
I found a box full of family time that still had the packing tape on it from our last move. Nothing really prepared me for the waves of regret that quickly eroded my pride in the progress I had made. The cost of clutter had not really hit me until that moment; clutter steals and hoards what we are capable of giving to others.
I had not realized that my disheveled closet was hoarding confidence or that the chaotic art room had my children’s creative tendencies squirreled away in half empty crayon boxes and dried up paint bottles. I started to think that maybe we just weren’t as creative, fun or as kind as we used to be, but it was just that the clutter had taken over and obscured these attributes from our hearts and minds. My creative, kind and fun-loving family was there all along.
It was just that we could only see the mess.
It didn’t take me long to realize I could not hold on to the the regret that came along with this discovery. I certainly could not afford to stockpile regret, so out it went and in came a new way of living and loving.
How to clear out the surprising clutter
As we clear the clutter, we discover that our hearts expand to give more generously to those we love most, and isn’t that what we all want? I don’t need the old train table the kids played with years ago or the 20 reusable grocery bags that have taken over my side entryway, I do need every bit of my capacity to encourage my children and to love my husband well.
My words of affirmation and kindness must be said, otherwise they are just as useless as the boxes of VHS tapes in the basement. The fun hoard, along with the dust bunnies and dog toys, needs to come out from under the couch, so that our home can be a place of joy.
Clearing the clutter allows our hearts to be tuned into what is most important — the people we do life with. As I continue to declutter my home I am now more excited about what I will gain. An expanded heart ready to jump into joy, fun and love versus what I will lose.
You can read more from Bethany Howard at bethanyhoward.com. She writes about finding fuel for joy and growth in the details of the daily. Her greatest leadership exercise has been her roles as wife and mom to three. She is a graduate of Leverage: The Speaker Conference.
