Thoughts from an Estate Sale

We picked up an amazing dresser from an estate sale this past weekend. It's solid wood, has great lines, is in excellent condition, and only set us back $50. I couldn't find something like this on Craigslist if I tried.

Obviously such a steal is a win for us and buying something used is a win for the environment. But that isn't the point of this post.

The biggest thing that struck me from this estate sale is how much stuff this person had in their house. Additionally, John and I have both lost grandparents over the past few years and have heard stories from family members about sorting through the many belongings left behind.

Seeing a house full of stuff inspired me to take a harder look at all the stuff in our house. While I try to do my best about donating or recycling something I don't need anymore, I sometimes hold back thinking I'll need that item in the future. Plus, I feel guilty about sending something to a landfill. Though I realize that doing so turns my home into a landfill. Fortunately, Jess has all sorts of resources about making under or doing a "Throw Out 50 (or 100) Things" challenge. And by "throw out," ideally that means donating or recycling before throwing out.

To help guide the challenge, Jess uses "The Ventilator Test" to evaluate what to do with the stuff. The basic premise is:

If I was suddenly killed, moved to Timbuktu, or put into the Witness Protection Program at a moment’s notice; what would my family do with my stuff? Would they donate it to a charity? Send it to the recycling center? Sell it on Ebay? Or put it in the dumpster? If the answer is the latter, it’s safe to say that if you don’t throw away that really old prom shoe, someone else will.

Seeing and hearing about "The Ventilator Test" in action is eye-opening. Family members have enough burdens when a loved ones passes away. Cleaning out a house full of stuff from the past 50 years shouldn't be one of them.

I won't become a minimalist overnight, but I'd like to do a better job at exfoliating the unnecessary things I have and minimizing the unnecessary things I bring into our home. And it looks like I'm on the right track because I was driving to Goodwill to donate a bag of stuff and the mall to return a sweater when I stumbled upon the estate sale.

Do you have any tips to share when purging the stuff in your home? Or getting over the guilt of sending something to a landfill?

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2012 Update

Hi there! Since it's May, I figured I would take a quick peek at my 2012 goals and see how things are progressing. Especially since I'm notorious for starting things, but don't always get around to finishing them. The graphic is a great reminder and is inspired by Ecclesiastes 7:8, "To finish is better than to start."

Financial

My two major financial goals are to save more (while spending intentionally) and earn more. The savings goal is well on track with the refinance, but I can be more diligent with investing. Like...the old 401(k) that I still need to rollover to an IRA.

Earning more is also going really well! My Etsy shop continues to surprise me with sales from the first 4.5 months of 2012 being almost equal to the 4 months I was open in 2011 (which included Christmas!) And the blog is starting to make a little more moolah too. There are some new ads on the sidebar, including one for CCAP Enterprises. Only the best place to get promotional products and screened and embroidered apparel. Yes, my Dad runs the show at CCAP. You can contact him now for 10% off your first order! 

Personal

My personal goals are a bit more "in process." I haven't picked up "The Pursuit of Perfect" and I still have clutter around the house. On the plus side, one of my personal goals is to spend more time in prayer. During Lent, I started to listen to Catholic radio in the car. There's a huge billboard along the highway for Relevant Radio, and I was having a rough week, so I thought why not? I now listen to Catholic radio about 95% of the time in the car. It's so refreshing to listen to the current events or business advice through the filter of my faith. And it really sets the tone for my day.

Health + Fitness

Last, but not least, are health and fitness! "Health" is going pretty well as I'm drinking more water, especially after recovering from a massive cold. And I've been eating meatless more often since we went Catholic vegetarian for Lent by giving up meat, but could have fish and seafood. I could afford a more consistent sleep schedule, so we'll see how that goes the second half of the year.

"Fitness" is more "in process" as I've fallen a bit off the work out wagon. Yes, I'm walking a half marathon with my Mom and have a 5K shortly after that, but I haven't been very diligent with my training.

Something tells me if I can balance my time better, I'll be able to workout, sleep, and do the thousands of other things on my list. But will all of that realistically happen? Probably not. Guess I'm more of an optimalist than I thought!

How are your 2012 goals going?
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2012 Goals: Personal

Next on the 2012 goals docket are the personal goals. These are a little tougher to write because they're a bit more intangible and, well, personal.

Be an Optimalist

One thing that will probably always be a work in process is my struggle with being a perfectionist. I didn't really "get" it until I read Jess's post about the book "The Pursuit of Perfect" back in 2009. I promptly purchased the book, but have yet to finish it. I've tried reading it twice and each time I catch myself feeling bad that I'm not the perfect optimalist, which is kind of twisted. Then I give up the book.

This year, I'd like to read the book from cover to cover, even if it takes multiple attempts and all twelve months. Even if I don't, I will be more forgiving of my shortcomings. And the goal is to become a better version of myself, not a perfect version. Trying to be perfect would be setting myself up for failure.

Be Loving

I love this guy! A lot! We've been married 3+ years and still act like newlyweds. Which means I should show you this picture, taken moments before the one above.

This year I'll continue to nuture our marriage. And I'm sure we'll continue to act like newlyweds :)

Be Balanced

I'm accountant. Debits equal credits. This should be easy, right? Fat chance.

My biggest focus will be on using my free time wisely since I should have a little more thanks to my new job. This will also be excellent practice of work/life balance for when kiddos are around. I want to balance the time between taking care of myself, nurturing my marriage, spending time with friends and family, hobbies, etc. And also make sure some of this free time is spent in prayer.

Be Organized

These are older pictures of our back room, but it still gets the point across. I am the clutter bug in the relationship. I don't expect to get rid of everything this year and magically become a minimalist, but I can try to corral the loose papers and keep things more organized.

How are your 2012 goals shaping up?
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2012 Goals: Financial

Welcome to 2012! 2011 was a big year with buying a house and I'm sure 2012 will have quite a few tricks up its sleeves too. To help hold myself accountable for my 2012 goals, I want to share some of them with you.

And based on preliminary results from the reader survey (have you taken it yet?) you're all really interested in the personal finance and savings posts. Therefore, I thought I would start with some of my/our financial goals for 2012.

Christmas present!

Save, save, save!
While 2011 was a good year financially, especially with my new job (10% pay increase!), we seem to be spending money on the house all.the.time! I know most of these items are rare purchases (snow blower, furniture, plasma TV, etc.), but they still put a sizable dent in our pocketbook. So 2012 will be the year of diligent savings and intentional spending.

We already made great progress on this goal by talking to our bank about refinancing our mortgage. I thought 4.875% was a great rate, but we might be able to get down to 4 or 4.125%! More to come on refinancing in the next few weeks.

Marimekko pink and white Lumimarja pillow cover

Create more moolah
Another way to offset an increase in spending is to create more income. My Etsy shop is one way we're doing that. While my shop was only open 4 months, I had $1,000+ in gross revenue! Not too shabby!

In 2012, I'd like to increase my gross revenue to $5,000. This seems a little ambitious, but I know I can do it! Based on 2011, that's about $417 and 12 sales per month.

I hope your 2012 is off to a fantastic start! Are you setting any goals for the year?
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Happy New Year!

Happy 2011! Cheers to a sparkly new year!

At this time last year, I was just getting settled into my new life in Chicago. I made a few goals, so I'd like to share my progress with you:

Run the St. Louis half marathon  - Check! Did this on April 11, 2010! Finish time of 2:02:58. Also ran the Chicago Rock n' Roll half marathon in August 2010. Finish time of 2:03:55


Yes, will run for cupcakes :)

Do PT for my knees every day that I don’t run - Nope. Didn't do much PT, but I did try out some different classes at the gym. Spinning and Bodyworks plus Abs are excellent cross-training activities.

Run a marathon - Ran the Chicago marathon on 10/10/10! Finished in 4:45:42. See my recap here.

Make new friends in Chicago - Check! I should also say "hello" to all of the new friends I've made through blogging.

Update wardrobe (get rid of things I don't like or don't fit) - Still a work in process. I've also learned how to remix what I have with a few new pieces or accessories.

Organize! And try to keep things in order. Kill the clutter. File paperwork ASAP. Attempt to get rid of one thing as a I bring a new thing in. - Definitely still working on this. Our apartment is a little smaller than the one in St. Louis, so this is forcing me to deal with clutter much sooner. This is definitely a 2011 goal.

Bake a wedding cake - This was a "just for fun" goal. It didn't have to be a wedding cake, just a bigger more fancy cake. I didn't do it, but I have been experimenting more in the kitchen (spaghetti squash for the first time) and made some pretty great cupcakes during the year. One of my most popular posts is my Raspberry Champagne Cupcakes recipe. And I'll post a recipe for the cupcake pictured above soon.

I need to think more about my goals for 2011. Maybe I'll share some of them with you in the next few weeks.
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