Category Archives: Life

Books, Life, Parenting

Clutterfree with Kids

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A few weeks ago I was honored to receive an advanced copy of “Clutterfree with Kids” by Joshua Becker for review. One of the things I appreciate most about Joshua’s writing and articles is that he’s what I consider a “normal” minimalist in that he owns a house, has kids, and has a job. In other words, he’s just like you and me – only he and his family have chosen to live a life of less so that they may appreciate it more. Even better, he rightfully acknowledges that everyone’s brand of minimalism is different.

Regarding the book, I’ll say that if you’ve read one book on minimalism you’ve read them all and this is not a huge exception to the rule, but if you have not this is a great place to start if you consider yourself to be a “normal” person and are interested in how living a life of less can give you more.

I think the key if you’re married is that you have to get your spouse on-board. Otherwise, don’t expect to have a truly “clutterfree” life (not that it’s really even possible with kids). I think the most you can really hope for is a more organized chaos. Making intentional choices like limiting TV or Internet time. Choosing to eat together as a family. Choosing your activities more deliberately. Choosing to travel with less so that you experience more.

To hit on some of the high points, these were a few of my main take-aways…

  • Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it <- Read that again
  • Start with small victories. Don’t tackle the hard things first.
  • Owning less allows us to own higher quality items.
  • Consider the true cost of your purchases – time, maintenance, cleaning
  • Less is different than none.
  • There is more joy to be found in owning less then can ever be found in organizing more.
  • Organizing more never addresses the underlying problem.
  • It is far better to de-own than to declutter.
  • Intentionally or unintentionally we are all minimizing something.
  • Gift giving: take time to let the fads show themselves then purge without concern. Conversely don’t force your ideas on others.
  • Compare downward – many people with less “stuff” are actually happier.

Bottom line, for a couple bucks and a few hours of your time, there are much worse things you could be doing, and on the bright side, it just may change your life. Can’t go wrong with that.

Get the book today

What do you think?

PS: Thanks again Joshua for allowing me to preview the book. I read every word, and it was a good refresher.

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.
Financial

Saving $1000 on Auto Insurance

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We recently received our auto insurance bill in the mail, and for once I decided to “just see” how much of a difference it could make going with a different company. At over $2k for the year (keep in mind MI is a no-fault state) I was hoping to knock a couple hundred bucks off. I started off as I would imagine anyone would do these days and took right to the internet. First stop… State Farm. After entering the data they wanted I waited eagerly and… more expensive. I almost stopped figuring “everyone is going to be the same”.

Still something pushed me onward even with children who needed things wining in the background. Next up I hit Progressive. This time I got a little encouragement with a quote around $700 every six months. I played around with the numbers and got it down to around $550 every six. We were talking some serious cash now. How could roughly the same benefit cost nearly 1/2 what I was paying??

Figuring it didn’t hurt to keep looking I decided to also give Geico a try. This time I was shocked to get a quote even lower! After looking over the numbers I chose to actually increase some of the limits and still kept it around $550 every 6 months.

In the end I chose Geico because for the same rate as Progressive I got more coverage, and still wound up paying nearly 1/2 what I was with AAA. When calling in to setup the coverage I was told that the primary discount was for an excellent credit rating, so for anyone reading this, make sure you’re paying your bills on time, in-full every month.

For those who want a breakdown of the actual coverage numbers, here they are…

Coverage AAA Progressive Geico
BI Liability $100k/$300k $100k/$300k $300k/$500k
Property Damage Liability (PD) $50k $100k $100k
Limited property Damage Liability “Included” $1k $1k
Property Protection (PP) “Included” $1M $1M
Uninsured Motorist BI $20k/$40k $100k/$300k $300k/$500k
Deductible/car $550 basic $500 comp/$1k collission broad form $500 broad form

The moral of the story? Go check your auto insurance coverage and rates then go comparison shopping. No guarantees you’ll see the savings I did, but it just may save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year.

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.
Life, Parenting, Productivity

Principles, Priorities, and Values – oh my!

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Lately I’ve been thinking about the important things to me. What my “principles”, “priorities”, or “values” are. I’m sure I could spout off a number of things, but here are the big ideas that come to mind.

Family
My family is the most important thing in the world to me. I will do anything within my power for my wife and kids. What is the purpose of life without someone or a cause to love?

Goals
Goals keep us moving forward. They give us something to strive for. But don’t confuse a want with a goal. Remember, goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Planning
A dream without a plan is only a wish upon a star, but beware analysis paralysis. Use planning to achieve your goals. And remember, plans change. Change with them.

Disciplined Action
This is where you walk the walk. Achieving any goal or carrying out any plan is primarily a matter of disciplined action. It’s making the hard choices. Doing things you don’t want to do. Doing as you say. Being a role-model.

Routine
The easiest way to maintain disciplined action is through routine. Routine isn’t a dirty word or meant in a negative way. Some might call it a ritual.

Spontaneity (White Space)
Of course once you have planned your disciplined actions and made them a routine it’s amazing how much time you can find for other things. Once you know where the unmovable objects are it’s easy to find the space between. Remember to keep white space in your schedule. You can’t plan everything and if you try to you will drive yourself and those around you crazy. Schedule your priorities. Don’t schedule your life.

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.
Parenting

Self Control

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A friend shared this post from facebook and I thought it worthwhile to pass along…
If we cannot control our own mouths (e.g. we lecture too much, have to prove our point, yell and scream)…how can we expect our children to control their mouths?
If we cannot control our emotions, how can we expect our kids to control their emotions?
… Let’s make 2013 the year we get control of ourselves.
Of course this is sometimes easier said than done as any parent can attest to 🙂
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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.
Giving

It’s my unbirthday!

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There’s still time left in my charity:water unbirthday campaign to bring safe drinking water to people in developing countries.  100% of all donations directly fund water projects, and  every dollar is proven using photos and GPS coordinates on a map.

You can even check out the results from my last “unbirthday”

The best gift is a gift to my unbirthday campaign

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Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own, and do not reflect the views of any employer, family member, friend, or anyone else. Some links may be affiliate links, but I don't link to anything I don't use myself.