Dear Friends,

Saturday mornings are so pleasant now. They used to be filled with rushing around, driving all over the county going to yard sales and the occasional estate auction. Now we spend our Saturday morning with the sounds of birds and the pitter pat of hungry critters saying feed me as we drink a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Robert reads his favorite blogs, I check emails and listen to music. There is no pressure to clean house (because it is) or to go any place (because we are where we want to be)!

As we slowly decluttered our home over about nine months, the joy of that elusive bargain faded away. I no longer need the hunt to fill up that empty hole that was inside of me. I really believe it was how I placed value on myself; for the good buy I could find. As the CHAOS left my home; I began to see that the only things that I had around me were things that made me smile and things that had great meaning to me and Robert. The result was I did not want to bring things into my home that would interrupt the peace that we had established. I became very particular about the things that I would buy. In fact they had to have a specific need before I would start to look for it.

Now here is the strange upshot to not going to yard sales. I never realized just how much money I was spending, but when I quit going to yard sales our checking account started to have more money in it. I quit going shopping at Wal-Mart and junk stores too. Those places used to be part of my weekly rounds. If I wanted something new for the house; I could buy it without having to make do with other people’s clutter. Not that I am too good to buy from a second hand store; it is just that I don’t WANT (to fill that need to buy) anything any longer. Now don’t get me wrong; by all means recycle things if they are items that you love, will use and need. But don’t just buy them because they are a bargain. Things that you plan to purchase have a better chance of surviving a Super Fling Boogie than items that you buy on impulse; whether it at a retail store or a junk store.

When I was at my worst with my yard sale addiction; I would bring home bags of stuff and they would never be unpacked. When I started getting rid of my clutter; I found many bags that I had stashed in the closet or the basement. I didn’t even remember buying some of the items. So you see my shopping whether it was at Wal-Mart or a yard sale was a recreational activity that kept me away from home so I didn’t have to deal with or live in the clutter. As I removed the clutter and our home became a sanctuary, I didn’t have the need to fill up that empty hole. The peace in my home was doing that for me and the result was spending less time and money on things that were not fun.

It has to start with the peace that you feel with your shiny sink. As that feeling radiates throughout your home you too will become more selective about what you bring home. Then you are going to find that you have some extra money and you won’t even realize where it came from.

FlyLady

Coupon Code LaborDay15 Expires on Tuesday.

This code applies to anything in our FlyShop!

Thank you for all of our purchases. They help keep FlyLady Emails free for everyone.