Ambush

With all the goings on lately at the Lewis house the decluttering and simplifying kinda went on the back burner. That is until yesterday when my dear friends ambushed me and my bathroom. I'm ashamed to say the bathroom still isn't finished but it is enough in shambles that I think about it ever time I go in there, which is good. I have gotten a few odd jobs done here and there around the house.
 My daughters room is done, minus the closet that still has non baby items that need a home. There wasn't a whole lot that needed to be done in her room because she hasn't accumulated a whole lot in 8 months, other than clothes that is. The items she no longer needs have either been passed down or listed for sale. I figured I would start listing items for sale and try to work on that debt.
Our master bedroom is also done with the exception of the items that we are getting rid of being stacked up on the floor. I plan on getting pictures of everything as soon as It's all finished and everything. Every time I start a new project I forget about taking before pictures but maybe when we start the kitchen I'll get some good pictures.
Bathroom should be finished with the decluttering process by the end of the week. We did get through quite a bit of it yesterday with the ambush. And I did finally get my hubby to put up a shelf I've been wanting in there forever.
Laundry room will be a long term project because it is also our "junk" room, which means all of the decluttering gets pushed into that room. Kitchen will be started and finished next week. I'm posting that to hold myself accountable to it.
As I go through everything I have realized that living a modern minimalist life isn't just about getting rid of everything but may actually mean buying items to help you live a more efficient life. Meaning you may get rid of several small kitchen appliances and replace them with a more expensive one that does all the jobs of the items you got rid of. I have realized this in my clothes as well. I have previously had random items here and there that may not actually go with anything else in my closet but hey the were cute, or on sale. This has left me with a very small amount of actual wearable outfits after decluttering. I plan on doing a small shopping spree when we have extra money to put together some more usable pieces of a wardrobe. If they could just come out with a Garanimals line of clothing for adults I would be good to go. I have started a 30 Day Buy List on pinterest to help me see what is really needed and not impulse buy just because I want to. Currently there are quite a few clothing items listed but I will slowly edit those choices as I go and see how many of a particular item I really need. This board has already helped me a lot. I have already been able to take stuff off the list, not because we bought, but because we've realized we don't need it.
With all the nice weather we've had lately it's motivating me even more to get this decluttering/spring cleaning done so we can enjoy the season. I'm going to try and list some more items to sell today and bring in some more income.
Still trying to get those two businesses going just taking longer than expected to get the funds. If anyone has a direct line to the IRS if you could call and tell them we want our refund soon....I think 2 months is long enough for them to process it.
Bible studies are going well. I've really enjoyed meeting with the small group of ladies just to talk and have someone to listen to my problems and pray with me. The really helped me this last week when we went to court. It was nerve racking to say the least. The second meeting for Girl Power's STUCK study is this Saturday and I'm looking forward to it.
Hopefully the next few weeks will be more productive than this last one. I just have to keep thinking about how good it'll feel to have everything cleaned out and simplify the way we live.