me: simplified

simplifying. that is what we have been working on over here...on decatur street.

mr c and i have been engaging in long talks about future plans for quite some time now...we see ourselves in another house...a bigger home for our copious family...we see ourselves with complete and intentional financial stability...

we see ourselves retired early and vacationing with children and grandchildren...

in order to have those things and achieve those goals...we have decided to make movement now...and we are with full and uninterrupted intent...

.....

confession: this is harder for me than for mr c...

i am a spender...i love nice things...my taste...as my groom has put it...is a little expensive...

i have fallen victim to 'keeping up with the jone's' on several occasions...

i am an impulse shopper...i feel i need rather than want...

and i have put a stop to all of this.

a dead halting stop!

.....

we have decided together to make aggressive changes to the way we spend...

we are on a spending hiatus {somewhat hard for me to type...that sorta makes it official}

at first...

we agreed not to purchase clothes, shoes household extras and unnecessary items for 6 months...

6 w h o l e m o n t h s

then i decided to amend the new shopping hiatus and implemented a small but reasonable monthly personal spending allowance...

mr c rolled his eyes at me when i did this...i rolled mine right back at him.

.....

...as i transition myself into the saving more/ spending less system...i find that i am really jumping into the simplicity that accompanies this plan...

i have to be honest here...

we are grateful that we are not lacking or in need of anything...and

our closets and drawers and pantries are over flowing...

so when i freak out a little about not shopping...i really start to feel ridiculous and immature...

we have begun to clean out every room, closet, drawer, pantry and shelf...

we are ridding our home of the clutter...

purging is an amazing and cleansing feeling

it has led me to more space in our home...

it has led us to discussions and lessons regarding finance with our littles...

and in keeping honest...

it just feels good to make this change.

we know that our future plans will only come to fruition

if we start moving toward them today...

so this is my new journey...my spending hiatus.

i just hope nordstrom and starbucks don't go out of business while i'm away.