Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living - Hardcover

Oxenreider, Tsh

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1440302634 ISBN 13: 9781440302633

Verlag: Krause Publications, 2010

Inhaltsangabe

Remove the Mess, Add Meaning

Simplicity isn't about what you give up. It's about what you gain. When you remove the things that don't matter to you, you are free to focus on only the things that are meaningful to you. Imagine your home, your time, your finances, and your belongings all filling you with positive energy and helping you achieve your dreams. It can happen, and Organized Simplicity can show you how.

Inside you'll find:

   • A simple, ten-day plan that shows you step-by-step how to organize every room in your home
   • Ideas for creating a family purpose statement to help you identify what to keep and what to remove from your life
   • Templates for a home management notebook to help you effectively and efficiently take care of daily, weekly and monthly tasks
   • Recipes for non-toxic household cleaners and natural toiletry items including toothpaste, deodorant and shampoo


Start living a more organized, intentional life today.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Tsh Oxenreider is the creator of the popular blog SimpleMom.net and is the founder of SimpleLivingMedia.com. She is passionate about simplifying life and eliminating clutter so that the truly meaningful things in life can breathe. Tsh spends her days with her husband and three young children—exploring the world, reading and learning, and being inspired by whatever surroundings their travels take them to. To learn more about her projects, visit TshOxenreider.com.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Organized Simplicity

The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living

By Tsh Oxenreider, Jacqueline Musser

F+W Media, Inc.

Copyright © 2010 Tsh Oxenreider
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4403-0263-3

Contents

Dedication, 
Introduction, 
Part 1: Living Simply in the Real World, 
1: Stuff: Our Modern-Day Slave Master, 
2: Simple Living: Discover a Definition that Works for You, 
3: A Family Purpose Statement: Make Simple Living Personal, 
4: Time Is a Tool: Use It Wisely; Enjoy It Thoroughly, 
5: Money Is a Tool: Steward It Well, 
6: A Gathering Place: Create a Home Management Notebook, 
7: Savor the Little Things: Rewards of Simple Living, 
8: A Home That Works: Create Your Family's Haven for a Simple Life, 
Part 2: Ten Days to a Simpler, More Organized Home, 
9: Day 1: A Fresh Start, a New Direction, 
10: Days 2 & 3: The Living Room, 
11: Days 4 & 5: The Kitchen, 
12: Day 6: The Bathrooms, 
13: Days 7 & 8: The Kids' Rooms, 
14: Day 9: The Master Bedroom, 
15: Day 10: Entryways and Coat Closet, 
16: Simple Living: A Journey, Not a Destination, 
Appendices, 
A: Recipes, 
B: Inventory Templates, 
C: Home Management Notebook Templates, 
D: Choices for a Simpler Life, 
Resources, 
Notes, 
About the Author, 
Acknowledgments, 
Copyright, 
Books of Interest, 

CHAPTER 1

Stuff

Our Modern-Day Slave Master

"Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like."

— WILL ROGERS

What does it look like for a modern-day family to live simply while still participating in afterschool sports, errand running, and getting enough sleep to not go insane? Simple living is about living your life with a purpose that aligns with your values. It's about enjoying the things you love and care about and not about stressing over the things that don't matter. It's fulfilling; it brings peace; it drips with contentment. Living simply is about being who you were made to be.

That's what this book is about. I want to park at the nitty-gritty of life — t he intersection between good intentions and reality. I want to help you find that peaceful place, where your pocketbook, your home, and your weekly routine reflect your family's convictions and values.

Responsible home managers must be intentional with their decisions — we need to take time to evaluate our priorities and then take the steps necessary to make our family life reflect the simple life we crave. It won't happen for us — mature adults proactively make decisions and form habits to shape their home lives into the lifestyles they desire. We can't blame a hectic schedule, too many bills to pay, or too many messes to clean for keeping us from our goals because we can do something about those. You want a simpler life at home for your family — a home that is clean and organized and fits your life's purpose. I want to give you some tools to help you do this.

Admitting that I'm not a certified organizer or a simplicity guru is probably not the best way to begin a book about simple living. But I need to lay that out on the table between me and you, the reader, before we begin this journey together. I don't have a database full of clients, and I don't have my own TV show. I'm a young mom running a busy house-hold. Maybe you can relate. Simple living is something I've learned to value through my life experience. It's been a long journey to get here, and it's a journey you can take as well. In fact, I'm still walking the path.

My husband and I have made simplicity one of our lives' highest priorities. We currently live outside of the United States in a 1,400-square-foot apartment (boasting only one closet) with our five-year-old daughter, our two-year-old son, and another little one on the way. We continually evaluate all of our belongings to make sure they still offer value to our lives. We are selective with the new purchases we bring in our home in order to make the most of our space. We hardly watch any television, and we spend lots of time together because both my husband and I work from home. These intentional decisions allow us to live a life that feels right in a way that corresponds with our highest values. We're able to live on a rather meager salary while still enjoying family outings, the occasional vacation, and even quality coffee. But our lifestyle didn't happen overnight. My life's journey has helped shape my philosophy about simple living.

Craving Intentionality

I grew up in a very normal American environment, ripe in the suburbs of Austin, Texas, in the 1980s, with my parents and my brother, who is five years my junior. Both my parents worked outside the home, and I spent my afterschool hours watching TV, playing with neighborhood kids, and going to ballet class. I attended public school and was a good student. My family was well rooted, and we lived in the same house for sixteen of my first eighteen years of life. My childhood was happy. You could say we were a typical family living an average upper-middle-class life.

At age eighteen, I moved out and cut the apron strings. My life up to that point seemed complete, but I had a nagging sense of being a bit unprepared for real life — the nuts and bolts that actually make life work.

While I was single and in my mid-twenties, I traveled internationally and saw the way many other cultures lived. I was inspired by what I experienced, but I still didn't know what I was made for. I knew I wanted to run a home that was full of kids, a husband, and love. But I felt like I didn't know how to manage a home, a most basic life skill. My problem was, I didn't quite know what that house full of love and family should look like. I enjoyed my childhood, so it wasn't as if I wanted a 180 for my own kids. But I wanted more ... intentionality in my life. More conviction. More certainty about the why behind the decisions I made as a home manager. I didn't want life to happen to me; I wanted to happen to life.

Moving Abroad

My husband and I married with the intention of one day moving overseas. We didn't know any specifics, but we knew that if our plan were to become a reality, we'd have to not bury our roots too deeply, too soon. So from the beginning of our marriage, we made it a priority not to collect too much stuff. This would make moving abroad easier.

Good intentions didn't keep life from happening. Even though our wedding registry was fairly Spartan, we still managed to need more storage space than our 1,000-square-foot apartment gave us. Our daughter, Tatum, was born just after our two-year anniversary, and with her came the toys typical of a firstborn child. It wasn't bad, mind you, but we knew it wasn't what we intended.

Our goal of moving abroad remained a priority, but we still accumulated almost $20,000 in debt (most of it being my student loans from college). My husband worked as many hours as possible while I stayed home with Tate so that our dream of living abroad could happen within the first decade of our marriage, not during our empty-nest years.

When we paid off all but the school loans, we were more or less ready to make the big move. But before we could leave, we had all of our belongings to contend with. It wasn't sane to trek 6,000 miles across the ocean with a full household, so a massive purge was in order. This purge took time, energy, and a few tears. We...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Krause Publications
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2010
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1440302634
• ISBN 13: 9781440302633
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 256
• Herausgeber: Musser Jacqueline
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Terminal Video; n.pederzini@terminaldistribuzione.com; ; Via Bruno Buozzi, 24/26,; Granarolo dell'Emilia BO,; Italien