Okay, so I tried this blogging thing and obviously didn't keep up with it. But now I have a little more time. My five year old daughter started attending a 4K program this school year, giving me four child-free afternoons a week. Well, make that three. I volunteer one afternoon a week at her school.
Now, on to the point of this post, and the point of getting started again. My husband and I have decided on a year of simplification. I guess you might say it is our New Year's Resolution. We have multiple reasons for this. And they are all interconnected.
Reason One: Financial. In the past year, we have, once again, wracked up some debt. I guess that makes us the All American Family. But we don't want to live like this. We just bought a house, have two car payments, medical bills, and credit cards galore. The mortgage isn't going anywhere soon, but with a little bit of discipline, I think we can tackle the two biggest evils: credit cards and medical bills. We'll never be wealthy, but would just like to be comfortable.
Reason Two: Environmental. I am truly a treehugger. I embrace this title. I want our family to go back to basics. When we are out shopping, we have to ask ourselves if that wonderful, shiny object is something we WANT or something we truly NEED. I have gotten better at this, but now it is time to get serious. It isn't me nor my husband that I worry about. It is S. This is completely our fault. We often let her pick out something from the dollar section at Target as a little bribe. But, all those dollars add up. And, usually, the highly coveted item has lost appeal by the time we get home. It then ends up either cluttering the house or in the garbage. Then this plastic treasure moves into the landfill to live longer than me. And that doesn't even cover the overly abundant packaging that these shiny objects some in. Need I go on?
Reason Three: CLUTTER!!! Less junk around the house = a cleaner house. Enough said.
Reason Four: Time together. Last night, one of the things we discussed cutting is...gasp!....cable television!!! We talked about the many entertainment opportunities we have available to us. There are many free concerts at area coffee shops. We live right down the street from a sledding hill. There are two wonderful farmer's markets from May-October. There is a huge park with an ice skating rink across the street. We have books, games, arts and crafts, etc. And we still have our wii, which we really enjoy playing as a family. There is so much to do. And, of course, there are always DVDs and regular television. While we discussed this as a temporary cut, who knows where it will go. Maybe we'll find out that we really don't need it!
Of course there are areas we won't cut. We will always eat healthy, organic foods. S will continue with her dance and gymnastics lessons, which she loves.
So, we begin this journey, and I hope to keep updating this blog with our progress. I know there will be success, but I also know we will have some slip ups. Here we go.......
