Lets get Happy!!

I began the happiness project this year right alongside my buy nothing year ,mostly because I think they might be directly related to each other, but also just because this is a year I finally feel like changing things that have been bothering me.

My guide is "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin, a woman who spent a year methodically determining what she thought would make her happy and then making efforts each week and month to change it. If you are interested in doing it with me get the book, or visit the website. 
You could also just follow along with me, or even determine what you think would make you happy and just do that, but really resolve to do it!!

January's Resolutions are mostly about getting to a healthier state of mind and physicality in order to kick off the rest of the resolutions. Here they are:

Get more sleep: I have vowed to be in bed by 10:30 every week night
Exercise more: My goal is 3 x week
Toss, restore and organize: I have scheduled 2 thrift store pick ups to inspire me to toss stuff out quicker, and I am going through each room to organize before the end of the month.
Tackle a nagging task: My nagging task is life insurances

Remember whatever your resolutions are, you want to make them something you can measure so that at the end of the month you will be able to determine whether you have achieved your goals or not.

I also purchased (prior to my buy-nothing year) the 5 yr happiness journal, which is a line-a-day journal that you fill out for 5 years. I thought it was such a great way to see your progression of mind, attitude and action through the years. everything is available off the website, or in bookstores.

I would love to know if anyone else is joining me in this endeavor!

Love and luck,
Kerry the Momster

Welcome to Consume-alot (How to not buy stuff)

How to not buy things:

This year is all about me trying not to buy stuff. I am not completely off the consumer wheel as we are still purchasing items if they break, or if our kids NEED them (this is our project, not theirs), and also going to restaurants within reason. 

The object here is to cut down on acquiring more things, as this is taxing not only on our space, but on our resources and souls too. We are more than this stuff, and I wish to find my way back to this essence, and also to set a good example for my children. 

Don't get me wrong, this is difficult for me, as I am a clothes ho (FO, sho!), and love make up and purses seriously ease my heart, but WHY do they is the question I'm rooting out. On the 31st I had a bit of a freak-out thinking of all the things I WOULDN'T be purchasing over the next year and realized I needed a new bathing suit, so I hit up Victoria's Secret and purchased one, and a few other fun things, and then a pair of shoes. Sheesh...i know i know hypocrite. But I'm new at this too.

It just arrived today and I put the box way up in the closet so that when summer arrives it can be "new". I did the same with some of my Christmas present so that I can treat myself occasionally with the feeling of shopping without actually shopping.

Helpful hints:

Stay away from the mall- if you don't see it, you don't buy it

Don't visit store websites (same as above)

List any advertisements that come to your inbox as spam

Cancel any store cards so you aren't tempted by their "sales"

Give yourself an incentive to not spend, whether it be altruistic, or financial, and post it somewhere to remind yourself of it daily.

Steer away from magazines (these inspire you to buy, and really are giant advertisements, although I must admit I am a magazine junkie)Look up statistics on how much waste we put out as a country- or just look out on your street every trash day.

Instead:

Read books- borrowed from the library

Write, sew,paint or anything creative

Get active

"Shop" in friend's closet's- when cleaning out old stuff, trade items. My friend gives me so much of her stuff and it is like Christmas every time she does!

Hang out with kids

Reuse clothes that your children have outgrown (Ruffles and Stuff is a great blog for that)

Browse blogs that teach you how to reuse items to remake into other things

Love and less stuff,

Kerry the Momster

After the After Party

The last song has played, the last belly filled and the final guest stumbled out the door all aglow with cheer and wine. Now comes every hosts nightmare- the clean up! From my experience, it is always better to do the big stuff the night of, while you too are still toasty from the festivities. That way you wake up to a headache...BUT a relatively clean house. 

After the party,the night of:

• Give anyone left behind a trash bag and send them around to collect and toss trash.
• Put bottles in recycle bin
• Load the dishwasher and sweep. 
• Tackle any spills now to avoid stains.
• Even wash the floors if you have a lot of energy.

Now in the daylight, after eating an egg sandwich (the amino acid in eggs supposedly helps break down toxins produced by the liver when ingesting alcohol) the morning after other items are much more doable. So what to do with all the leftovers and other party favors (problems) left behind?

Left over club soda: if its flat use it to hydrate house plants. The phosphates promote growth (Real Simple Magazine, 2009).

Dried out bread: Use as croutons in soups, or crush into breadcrumbs, add spice and store for future recipes that require breadcrumbs, such as casseroles.

Too much cheese left over/or rock hard pieces: make it a cheese fondue dinner night

Wine: If unopened- add to your wine rack of course, but if too many bottles are opened, freeze some into cubes to add to recipes later that call for wine, or make a syrupy boozy sauce to poor over pound cake.

Love and celebrations,

Kerry the Momster

The Very Uncluttered Bug

If you are a re-occuring visitor of this blog, you will know how often I try to organize my numerous carefully collected possessions. If, however you are a re-occuring visitor in my home,you will know that I have a hard time keeping things organized.Try and try I might, but alas I am a visual person, and need things to be in front of me to be remembered, appreciated and used. But I have decided that enough has pole-vaulted way past the line of enough! This time I am getting serious, even going so far as to purchase a book (self help,gasp!) to guide me.
        After thumbing through many at the library, scouring my trusty Amazon reviews, and even trying to read a few, I have settled on my litter-lifeline, Unclutter Your Life in one Week (E. Doland). It might not really take a week, but I am willing to take as long as it takes. I am going to sort through, shuffle around and rework my processing habits until I am satisfied. I refuse to get stuck in this unclutter/reclutter cycle as Oprah has her weight loss/ weight gain cycle! I am looking for some un-clutter buddies who are looking to join me in this process. So please comment, or email me and let me know your progress.

    My second step, to help jumpstart the process, is to not get sucked into this purchasing machine this holiday season. Every year I participate in Buy Nothing Day( the wonderful campaign started by Adbusters, to break the back of the Black Friday ridiculous spending habits). This year I am even more resolute in supporting this campaign as I feel that the holiday retail hours are not only ridiculous, but downright cruel to the employees. Sales starting at 4am or even midnight on Thanksgiving don't allow for those associates to spend time with their families, or much time to feel thankful for (or to even digest!) the holiday feast.

      So if you have someone you love who is in retail, or you just have common decency towards your fellow humans, join in this campaign and show those corporations who wears the pants! (Even if said pants were purchased at said corporations). It's easy to do: Don't buy Anything on Black Friday! (Nov 25th) The Worldwide Buy Nothing Day is Nov 26th, so everyone can join in!
Yaaay.Global anti-consumerism party!!

Love and live,
Kerry the Momster