Back to school season is always a bit hectic around here. A local church hosts a free yard sale that is packed with donations and yard sale discards that would normally end up in the trash while the local clothing closet has a yard sale where you can purchase bags filled with the clothing of your choice for a dollar apiece.
Along with that we have to go to school registration day and make the trip to WalMart for Katie’s and Donavon’s (my grandson’s) school supplies.
Each of these acquisition trips are accompanied with purging. When new clothes come in, old clothes go out. The ones that have been worn into rags are discarded while the items that are in good shape are bagged up and donated to the local clothing closet for them to either distribute among those who need clothing or to sell during their bag sales.
This is one way that we maintain balance in our lives. Since our space is limited, we refuse to allow our possessions to grow beyond what our house can comfortably handle.
What do you do to maintain balance?
When a regularly used food, cleaning, or paper product is used up (or very low depending on the product) it immediately goes on the grocery list. Running out no longer happens.
I maintain balance by donating and discarding throughout the year. I don’t have any particular day or season for doing it. Nothing accumulates- it goes out to my car to be dropped off at the thrift store or the dumpster. Stuff is not much of a problem for me now, thanks to bloggers like you who share their story. Now maintaining the balance of time is another matter altogether. Working the 8 hour plus day five days a week and then setting aside another 8-9 hours for sleep each night to stay healthy leaves little time. When faced with so little free time, I tend to idle away the time.
Hi Cam!
It is so easy to just sit down for a brief rest after work and allow the time to pass, isn’t it? I try to work a little bit every day…even if only to jot down some ideas for books or blog posts. It may not be much, but it helps me to move forward. Another thing I do on my days off is to create a list of the things I want to accomplish. That helps me to stay on track. Hang in there, Cam! I know it is exhausting, but you can do it.
Hi Annie,
You know that I’m in the process of moving now. My move date is on August 31st and I can’t wait. I will be downsizing to a smaller square footage home and living in a cheaper town, and it’s only a 90 minute drive away. I can still visit people and events in the former town, but I’ve been cleaning out and purging my home all summer so I totally understand where you’re coming from. It’s exciting to start over. I’m open to meeting new people and adventures. It’s almost over. Woo-hoo! Wish me luck. Blessings!
Congratulations on your move! Are you settling in okay?