Simple living minimalism challenge Day 5: non-material gifts

     So if you've been following along, maybe you've gotten to the point where you're ready to declutter and get rid of excess stuff you don't need. Maybe you've straightened out your home and you're enjoying the free feeling of owning less unnecessary stuff. You've streamlined all your digital photos, music, apps, and movies to only what adds value, letting go of what doesn't add value nor bring you joy anymore. So where do you go from here when it comes to people getting you gifts for birthdays, Mother's or Father's Day, and especially at Christmas or other major holiday you celebrate?
Here's some ideas to help you come up with a list of non-material gifts so you're ready with a good answer when people ask, "What do you want for _____________ (insert occasion)?"  On the list are experiences that especially when shared with someone you care about, becomes better than any physical gift. It also doesn't need to take up space, be washed, dusted, nor cleaned, and doesn't lose value as time goes by. By the way, if you truly believe excess stuff is pointless, you may choose to make this YOUR gift-giving list when it's time for YOU to buy a present for someone you love.

1.  Tickets to theatre, a concert, a show, a movie, an event, the possibilities can be endless if you happen to live near a large city. As an example, in one large city there's a performance of Little Shop of Horrors, a show with The Fab Four Beatles cover band coming up, a local symphony playing the music of the 50th Anniversary album, Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, another symphony playing the music of Pink Floyd, a performance of Man of La Mancha, Eseveral movie theaters nearby, several casinos all with a special stage for cover bands, a local baseball field and football field that host events year round in the off-season. There's also multiple sporting events to attend since most areas have baseball, hockey, football, soccer, basketball, and other sports within a reasonable distance.

2.  Gift cards.

     Although I don't believe in random, mindless shopping, but I do know that there are times we will need "stuff". It may be to fix something around the house, or to replace clothes, purses, wallets, or socks that wear out and no long bring you value or joy, or something else you would intentionally purchase in the future. It's doesn't make sense to hold onto something "just in case", but it does make sense to buy things "when - in case" (or something similar as the Minimalists would say). I think their example was buying toilet paper in bulk. You will need it, you won't stop using it, so it's okay to keep a few spare rolls around the house if it's cheaper that way.
     Gift cards for restaurants are also great ideas for a free dinner out for two people to get away for a few hours together. What a great idea for that young couple you know. You could offer to babysit and send them out on a much needed and long overdue date night.

3.  Memberships.

     I love having memberships to local places. It gives me the freedom to "get away" for a few hours if I need to, or a place to bring a friend/relative who hasn't been there before, with no cost for a year. Some great membership ideas could be for a zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, arboretum, science center, or to be more practical, if you know someone who has a larger family and you know they shop at a Costco or Sam's Club, paying those membership dues for them could be a huge savings to them, especially if money's tight. Another membership idea could be a membership to something they love, like Amazon Prime, Hulu, or Netflix. That would bring entertainment to them without having to accumulate more stuff.

4.  Museum memberships.  In your area, you may be lucky enough to have a large museum, like an art museum, where you can buy or receive a yearly membership. If not, many smaller towns (even ones so small it's technically a village) have a local museum. Many of these are history museums that exhibit things relevant to that area, state, or culture. Yearly memberships for those are a great gift. You get to find out things about the area you never would have known otherwise. One "village" I know of has a local museum that says it used to be one of the biggest towns in the area back at the turn of the centuries, with 6 banks among other things. Now it's registered as a ghost town. Who knew?
                                                                                                                    

5.  Fun experiences to share with someone else -

like for example, a painting class where they give you all the materials, a glass of wine, let you bring your own bottle of wine, and they give you instruction to complete a pre-chosen picture of your choice.
     There's also dance classes, like country line dancing, ballroom dancing, or salsa classes, to name a few. There's Zumba, yoga, and other exercise classes. There's also massages, manicures, pedicures, painting pottery, skydiving, off road adventures, jeep tours, trolley rides, deep sea fishing, whale watches, swimming with dolphins, a shooting range day out (they provide everything on site, even safety classes).

6.  A staycation weekend getaway - some places have great off-season deals. When I got married we went to a ski resort after memorial day and it was beautiful, the lake in the town center was pretty, the grass and flowers were all in bloom, the stores were open, and we didn't have to track snow around and wear bulky layers of clothes just to go outside. Also, some beach places are absolutely gorgeous around Christmas time. Check out the prices online for places you can drive to, and look at how much the prices drop in the off-season. A weekend 2 night getaway may be cheaper than a single night in the high volume season. A quick little private getaway for two people can be great, even if it's not a couple. Two best friends kicking back in a different area like camping and sitting around a firepit, or enjoying a relaxing afternoon on the deck of a beach house, can make it much easier to unwind than yet another weekend spent sitting on the couch waiting for the television to entertain you.

     So as you can see, there are some great experiences and non-material gifts to be given and received that can fit your new minimalist lifestyle. The memories are better than anything you could buy and sit on a bookcase shelf. Be creative. If you come up with some more ideas, comment below. I'd love to add them to the list!!!

LIving Simply Day 4 Challenge: Stillness

   

      When do you take the time to just be still? Too busy for that? Is it something you only accidentally experience when you can't get to sleep in the middle of the night and the house is still? Living a more simple life means being intentional, so finding stillness in your life will have to be something you do intentionally.

     I know there's kids and spouses to take care of, jobs to get to, meetings to attend, buses to catch, deadlines to meet, appointments to go to, kids' practices and classes to drive to and dinners to make. So how in all that do you find time for stillness?! You have two options: one - you can plan it, and two - you can let it happen naturally and take advantage of it. I recommend the first option if you're already over-scheduled and too busy. Let's find some practical things you can do to find stillness.

     Planning it - What if you made an appointment with yourself a few times a week to start? Maybe you need to start with waking up just 10-15 minutes earlier and spend those moments in meditation, prayer, quietly centering yourself, however you're comfortable being still. Maybe it's just sitting cross-legged on your floor or bed not thinking about anything but keeping your mind still. Maybe it could be the last few minutes before you get into your bed at night. Just don't spend it thinking over your To Do list for tomorrow or all you didn't get finished today. Another option is that you could plan a scheduled time for yourself a few times a week whether it's at lunch, in your office with the door closed, in your car, alone in your room, on your patio, a time without a phone, where no one has access to you for a set amount of time, whatever you can afford - 15 minutes? half an hour? maybe a whole hour once a week? What if you planned a time on your day off for yourself, maybe an hour or two since it's only once a week? You could use that time to walk if it helps still your mind, but imagine just being still, at rest, maybe doing some informal natural stretching out of your neck and shoulders, clearing your mind, learning to be still. If you have or follow a faith or religion, you could use your stillness time to focus on your creator, enjoying the peace you have in the moment, or even in prayer - but keep it prayers for thanks, not another To Do list of people to pray for and thinking about situations that have you tied up in knots already.

     If you aren't a planning type of person you could try to take advantage of life's breaks along the way like we used to before technology took over our lives. In between tasks, take a short break to just sit, breathe, maybe have a few sips of water or herbal tea (or coffee). When you're at a red light for the next 60 seconds, clear your mind, breathe deeply, exhale slowly, enjoy being in the moment for that minute, being still. When you're in line at the grocery store, instead of stressing out, again, intentionally clear your mind, breathe deeply a few times, exhale slowly, it doesn't have to be some big noticeable production. Just be still for that moment. You know when I used to sneak a peaceful moment? At my kids' soccer practice. They were mostly just running drills but I would soak in the smell of the fresh cut grass, the warm sun on a cool day (or a cool breeze on a hot day, lol). I'd just close my eyes for a few minutes at a time and be still, thinking only of how blessed I was that day.

     If you aren't so busy, or the kids are in school and you're at home during the day, if you're single or have no kids, you have a special advantage others may not. You can take breaks for stillness without so many people depending on you 24/7/365. You can tell people you have plans after work that could be just you, being still, maybe in a bubble bath, maybe just relaxing listening to peaceful quieting music.

     No matter what your day usually holds, for your own peace of mind, and to begin taking those baby steps towards living a more simple life, make time or find time to intentionally and purposefully be still. There is great power in stillness to create a better you.

Living Simply Challenge Day 3: Let It Go Emotionally

     This one topic is going to be a bit touchy because not everyone is "there yet" or even wants to be as a minimalist. People's emotions are something very individual and personal, and there's never going to be one opinion that everyone agrees with but having said that, take what you can apply from this and let the rest go.

     Things - they are inanimate objects without emotion, unable to give support, unable to relive moments of the past. Only the mind can do that. Memories aren't stored in things, they're stored in our mind. Often we associate memories to things, we attach value (or at least MORE value) to things because they remind us of a place, the person who gave it to us, the person it used to belong to, or even just a happier time in the past. There is real freedom to being able to enjoy the memory in your mind but let go of the material thing. Here's an example:

     When people die, it's usually up to their relatives to figure out what to do with their houseful of stuff, and depending on how old they were, how long they lived there, it can be 60 years or more of stuff. So what do you do when it's your turn to go through it all and decide what to do with it? Most people sell what they can if something has value, like a car, or jewelry, art, etc. The next step is to ask friends and family what they would like to remember that person. Next some gets donated to a charity or organization. Somehow, there's always still boxes of their stuff that you just don't know what to do with - you just aren't sure if you should get rid of it or let it go. Those things themselves have no meaning for you because they weren't things you collected, nor from places you've been, nor gifts from people you know (if you even know who gave the thing). I will briefly say I have been given a few things that belonged to people who've passed away but honestly - those things don't have emotional attachment because I never remember seeing them in that piece of jewelry, I don't like the style of the things (for example if my house were modern or art deco and this is country kitchen or cabin in the woods style). I remember my daughter kept a binder full of greeting cards we were told belonged to her great-grandmother. We assumed they were cards given to her in her lifetime. For over 5 years and 3 addresses, she held onto them until one night we pulled them out to see who they were all from. It turned out that they were NOT cards given to her! They were cards given to what I can only guess was a friend from where she lived over 30 years ago - who we'd never heard about - and all had long hand-written notes on them, some were 2 pages long. My daughter's great-grandmother wasn't even mentioned in them so I'm not sure if this was even a close friend. Our best guess is that someone gave these cards to HER when her friend passed away figuring they'd hold memories to someone other than the owner. It struck us as ridiculous to have carried these things around needlessly attaching emotions to them that we never should have. There was no connection from our loved one to us through those cards. We threw them out and have never regretted letting them go.

     Another similar story but with a more serious tone was described by minimalist Joshua Fields Milburn when his mother died and he was going through her things. What he found changed his life. You can read it here:

Essay on Letting Go

     On a bit of a sadder note, I will try to share an experience with as much anonymity as I can. I know someone who collected a category of things because that person had dreams of using them to build great memories with their family. Unfortunately work and bills always seemed to come first, around the time that started to change for them and owning stuff became something undesired, the recession hit and things got really bad. That stuff could've been used during the time that person was unemployed, but emotionally they just weren't up to it. Once back on their feet, work again became the priority and time flew by, in years. Now that person no long had positive emotions attached to all that stuff. It was all negative emotions of missed opportunities and little chance of using it as time marches on. That person gifted and donated it because now it was only a reminder of sadness. It was so difficult to watch. Don't hang onto things you won't use, but if you do have things that could add value to your life, use them before opportunity slips away.

     Let's briefly talk about gifts. I love giving gifts far more than I receive them. If I get a gift that a person bought for me but I know the clothing doesn't fit, or I'll never wear that color/style/size jewelry, or again it's opposite of my home or personal style, I am grateful they thought of me. I'm thankful they took the time to get me something. I wonder why they saw it and thought of me when often it's more a reflection of something more their style, but still, I feel a little spark of warmth, like a quick hug, for a minute. Unfortunately, after that initial moment, how much joy do we expect it to bring? Do we look at it and feel that hug again? Maybe, but it's not the thing that makes us feel it. It's our mind and heart and our love for that person that makes us relive the moment - the object had nothing to do with it. Don't believe me? I have been given probably over 100 candles in my life, another 50 bubble bath type sets, dozens of perfumes, all of which I couldn't stand because the smell hit my nose differently than it probably did the gift-giver's. It smelled pungent, sometimes even burning my nose a little. What did I do with them? I gave them away or donated them so others can enjoy them more than I will. Does that mean I don't like the giver? No, of course not. Do I lose those memories that they gave me a gift? No again. All I have to do is think about let's say Christmas morning or a birthday and remember how sweet that person is - they always remember me and buy something to let me know they remembered me. THAT MEMORY RIGHT THERE, that's what brings me the warm fuzzy feeling. That's what draws me closer to them in that moment, not smelling a pungent aroma. Sometimes the gifts are wonderful and exactly my style. They can be given with lots of thought put into it about what would be special to me. I have a few people who excel at this in my life. I just don't need the same things in my life decades later, that's all. What may have been important during a season of my life now can't hold a candle to more important, intimate things that add value. My father-in-law has always been a person not prone to mindless gift giving, not expecting gifts on every man-made holiday. His heart is touched by personal moments, whether it's a photo album of pictures of him with his grandkids, or a hand-written letter telling him how he's important to you, or something involving family. It's never been about some non-emotional material object.

     I know not everyone reading this will agree. Not everyone reading this is currently removing all clutter from their lives right now. Not everyone will want to let go of things that they feel bring them joy. By the way, on a side note, minimalism looks different to everyone. There's no one pattern or set of rules to follow. For some, a collection of mugs from places they've traveled during their marriage adds value, so it doesn't get donated. For others, it may be some other collection, or items made through their hobby, etc. Just because it holds no value to one person doesn't mean it can't bring value to you. And vice versa, just because you attach emotion to an object doesn't mean everyone else has to attach emotions too.

     Find what works for you, it's your life. Only you know what adds value and what doesn't.

Living simply challenge Day 2: Bartering

     When you hear the word bartering what comes to mind? Native Americans trading with Colonists? Exchanging garden vegetables over the back fence with your neighbor? Many of us have learned to be smarter with money from the 2007-2010 recession. People started getting creative to save money, sewing, cooking at home instead of eating out, couponing, etc. Let's take a look at a way to live a more simple life and save money in the process - through bartering.

     What skills or talents do you have? Can you paint (either as an artist or as a contractor)? Can you babysit? Do you know how to do taxes? Do you grow a garden? Have you successfully made some do it yourself items that others said they liked? Can you bake? Do you have a teaching certificate? Could you be a fitness or yoga or zumba instructor? Are you good at answering phones and filing? How good are your computer skills? Have you got your license to be an electrician or plumber? How's your landscaping skills? Are you a person good at really cleaning? Ever do construction? Ever wish you could be a photographer? Do you do nails? Are you good at fixing cars? Do you know how to play any musical instruments? Do you have years of dancing experience? Ever made jewelry that people said they loved? Can you knit, crochet or needlepoint? Ever make any woodworking projects you're proud of? Do you like sports? Do you know how to sew? Do you enjoy driving? Are you handy with basic home repairs and maintenance?

     Now that you've read through those, are there any (or a few I didn't mention) that you know you could do? What if you used that talent and experience to barter for things you can't do? Or for things that would cost money? What could you offer to do or make with the above skills? How about this:

     Paint art pieces, paint a fence, or a house (or even just the trim), babysit for a single mom or a family where both parents have to work, do others' taxes, barter what you grow from your garden, barter homemade gifts especially around the holidays, bake cookies, pies or cakes, teach a class to a group of kids in the community or your neighborhood, teach adults a new skill, teach a yoga class, help out a friend's home filing or answering phones for a charity, teach an older person how to use facebook to stay in touch with family, do some home wiring or plumbing for someone, cut lawns, yank unwanted shrubs, clean homes, build something, photograph someone's event, kids, pets, or sports team, do manicures/pedicures, fix cars for people, teach musical instruction, run a dance class, create custom made jewelry pieces for people, again especially around holidays, knit or crochet clothing or blankets, needlepoint to personalize or monogram items, build a bookcase or doghouse, coach a little league team, sew clothing, curtains, pillows, tablecloths, quilts, etc., be an Uber, Lyft, or UberEats driver (if you have a newer car), fix small around the home items for people who don't know how or are too elderly to be climbing ladders, the list goes on and on.

     What could you ask for in exchange to save money? All the same things or something you come up with on your own! It's a great way to get your talents out there by word of mouth (who knows? it could turn into a business someday?), to meet new people in your area, to help friends and family save money, to make connections in an area you're interested in - like other musicians, or dancers.

     Before shelling out cash for your next project or item, see if you can barter with others you know. Ask around in your circles of friends and family, coworkers, groups you're already in, people you hang out with regularly, clubs and organizations you're with, your social media contacts, your neighbors. What a great way to live the simple life - by people helping people.

Living Simply 30 Day Challenge: Day 1: Identify your values

     Welcome to another month of a 30 Day Challenge. If you're new to this blog, July was a Minimalism challenge. August is about learning to live simply. Day 1 is probably the hardest day, they're much easier after this. Here we go:

     Day 1:  Identify your values - how do you do that unless you get a good understanding of what a value is? A value is something you feel is deserving, of importance or great worth, usefulness. It's about your principles and standards that will govern your behavior. It's your judgement of what you feel is important in your life. So what in your life is truly most important to you? Here are a few examples of values some people hold:

their faith - their marriage - their kids - their family & friends - giving back/donating/charity/volunteering - education - personal growth - a strong work ethic (but not in a sense of workaholics, not at the expense of more important values like family) - authenticity - honesty - adventure - compassion - justice - kindness - citizenship - humor - determination - recognition - optimism - leadership - self-respect - pride - security - wealth - trustworthiness - wisdom - leisure - status - security - responsibility

     Which of these are most important to you? There's no right or wrong answer, although some will prove to produce better results than others. For example, kindness, marriage, giving back will produce better results than chasing material wealth, pride and ego, and recognition. Chasing leisure aggressively before you've earned the right and financial stability it takes to do that can produce disastrous results too. Choose wisely.

     As for me, many are important values but which ones are my top priorities that will allow me to decide and discern what I do/don't let into my life? My faith is number one. Without that, there's no hope, no reason, no purpose. I understand that's not the case for everyone, and I'm not saying it needs to be everyone's top priority - it just is for me. Next comes my marriage. If deciding between making my marriage work or pleasing some group or organization, marriage wins every time. Next are my kids (with friends and family close behind). I have a large group of people in my life that I'm very thankful for, but a very intentional smaller group that I can share intimately with, and that's my third priority. Adding value to others' lives is my number four. Through that I am generous, supportive, I work in women's ministry, volunteer, teach, give, share, etc. If I don't add value in a relationship, then I'm just a "taker".  Taking is NOT on my list of values. Neither is Looking out for number one. Neither is getting "my fair share". I'm just not wired that way. My fifth and final value to mention today would be authenticity. I am honest with people, I am who I am no matter who I'm with and where I am. That's not to say I'll give people a piece of my mind without thought to being respectful, or if it's the right place/time to do it. It means I'm an open book. I hide nothing from my past. I tell it like it is as far as I'm concerned. I share what I learned from my mistakes. What you see is what you get.

     Take some time before you go to sleep tonight and list out what may be some of your top values. It will help with the rest of the month when it comes to prioritizing your home, time, work, health, and more. Remember, many of these can be of importance to you, but what matters MOST? In what areas do you have personal boundaries or lines in the sand you refuse to ever cross? Those areas will help you focus for the next 30 days.

Minimalist challenge evaluation on Day 31

     So now I've completed the 30 Day Challenge. I've heard back from friends and family that they've followed along and have either decided to make some changes too, or that they're learning from what they're reading here. Some have even done a few of these challenges along with the daily blog post. But what real changes have happened in just 30 days? I've listed them out but I need to give credit to The Minimalists because on their website I found an essay with these benefits generally in this order. I used that to make sure I hit lots of areas in this post.

1.  LIVE SIMPLY:  My main reason for doing this is to add value to other people's lives. Hopefully they will learn how to live more simply, less stressed. Maybe some people will even learn to reduce, and someday eliminate, discontent. I know this past month I have been more calm, breathed slower, got frustrated over things a lot less often, and I learned the true freedom that comes from understanding I can CHOOSE to let it go - material things, bad emotions, frustration, control - let it go, and live simply.

2.  RECLAIM TIME:  I read how minimalists somehow reclaim time after decluttering their homes, electronics, relationships, and lives. I don't know what exactly filled that time before, but I do find I have more time now than I did a month ago, even though I spent more time decluttering. This is very important since I'm about to fill up a lot more of my time with college classes in another three weeks!

3.  LIVE IN THE MOMENT:  Another side benefit to this past month is that I'm learning to slow down and live in the moment. When I talk to someone face to face, I'm truly, deeply listening now. I'm not thinking of the next thing to say to keep the conversation going. I'm not thinking of what else I need to do today. I'm in the moment with that person, and I feel closer to those ladies because of it.

4.  PURSUING PASSIONS:  My passions include travel, spending time with Tim, (and family/friends), seeing live shows/theater, and learning. I have done more of those in the last 3 years or so than ever before, but now that I've identified them as my true passions, I can pursue them more intentionally. After our anniversary trip, that may mean camping with Tim close enough to drive to, or seeing live music with him, or going through the Modern Instrument Museum with him (music is one of Tim's passions).

5.  DISCOVER OUR MISSIONS:  I was anxious about going back to school but with the things I've seen friends and family going through lately, and living in the moment, I am ready more than ever to get started so I can become a Women's Counselor. I truly feel I was meant to help them. By the way, I also just got approved for a scholarship that will cover half of this semester and half of next semester, so maybe that's some type of confirmation that I'm on the right track.

6.  EXPERIENCE REAL FREEDOM:  There will be greater freedom when all the kids are out on their own, so downsizing will bring us time and financial freedom, but in this past month, we have gotten our already in-order finances in even better shape (Tim gets credit for this one, not me), and with the scholarship, the next year of school won't be such a big burden either - no loans. That's the beginning of freedom, and now we're actively pursuing it.

7.  CREATE MORE-CONSUME LESS:  I've been creating intangibles like writing, better, more meaningful conversations, adding value to others, sharing ideas, and yes, buying less stuff. I still will be upgrading a few things as I go, like the shorts I mentioned in a previous post, but it's intentional.

8.  FOCUS ON HEALTH:  When things in my life start to come together, it's a great time to recommit to my health too. I'm trying to get more sleep (since I don't know how to sleep through the night, or even 6 hours at a time). I'm drinking more water, something I'd gotten off track with doing. I'm eating healthier foods than I already was - more veggies, a few more fruits besides just berries - less dairy, less meat. I'm watching portion sizes. And because I'm not stressed out, I'm not feeling like I'm on some diet, or missing out like I do when I'm too busy.

9.  GROWTH:  Everyone needs to grow, constantly. If you aren't growing, you're dying. No one stays exactly the same for years and decades. What we read, do, learn, let into our heads, eat, all these contribute to who we will be in the future. I believe the last 30 days I've grown more attentive to the needs of others and increased my desire to help others and to do what I can to make those I care about most to be happy.

10.  CONTRIBUTE:  I think 4 vanfuls of donations is quite a bit of contributing, along with our regular weekly giving at church. I also am wondering what things I should give or give back to going forward. I've got tentative plans to help out at a soup kitchen, and some other ideas to help my local community. I guess these are the kinds of things you can think about, figure out, and put into action when you have more time and mental freedom.

11.  DECLUTTERING:  This is a category by itself. In 30 days I've gotten rid of everything I don't need (until my next purging) from clothes to dishes to knick knacks. I've removed unwanted apps and advertising sites from my social media. I've let go of things in my schedule I don't need because they add no value to my life. I wish I could explain how having less stuff makes you feel so much better but I can't. You just have to experience it I guess.

12.  PURPOSES:  I mentioned my passions and mission, but purpose is more like why I was put on this earth. What gifts and talents have I been given to share and benefit others? I believe I was given a gift of encouragement. I figured out over the last 30 days that although encouraging others comes naturally, I sometimes feel too tired or stressed to offer it to someone who needs it. I've become more aware of the needs of others on a whole new level. I will encourage those more intentionally, even look for people who need it. It's so much better when you take the focus off yourself and focus on others.

*On a more interesting note, according to my blog's stats, in the last 30 days, this blog has been viewed 919 times! from 10 different countries: USA, Poland, Portugal, Canada, France, Ireland, Philippines, Germany, Russia, and India. The truths tend to be universal, so for those of you reading this blog, Thank You for joining me on this journey. Hope you'll stick around for what's next!

So what will August bring? Another 30 day challenge related to Living Simply - baby steps that anyone can do - and then I'll evaluate again at the end of August. Hopefully you'll continue to come back here and maybe even try some of them yourself.

I want the best for you. If you've done anything different over the last 30 days or been inspired to start something new, let me know. As always, I'd love to hear from you.

Day 30: Evaluate your last 5 purchases

   

     I like this challenge because it makes us think. It also asks the question AFTER the behavior so your answers can be more honest. So, let's think about and evaluate our last 5 purchases. What were they? By the way, I don't consider food/restaurant/seeing a movie a purchase - I believe the intent here is about material possessions. I thought the photo expressed what advertisers want us to think..."beautiful things, so little time"

     Maybe you purchased clothes. Did you need them? Or did you just want them? There's a difference. If you only own a week's worth of clothes and something gets torn, stained, damaged, or doesn't fit, then you probably needed it. If it's just one of hundreds of pieces of clothing, your closets are already full, and you've filled many dresser drawers with clothes, you only wanted it.

     Maybe you bought books. I love books. I love reading. Did you try to buy the book second-hand? Maybe a used copy on Amazon.com or something? Did you see if the library had it? Or did you just buy it. Maybe it was a new book that just came out and that was your only option, or you needed to save time searching for a used one, so you bought new. It happens. But what will you do with it after you read it? Will you donate it? Pass it on to a friend or relative that's interested in it? Or will it clutter the shelves with hundreds of others you've already (or worse, will never get to) and although the collection looks impressive, you wouldn't want to have to move it again?

     Did you buy decor for your house/office/place of business? This one is tricky. If it was an intentional purchase that fit and brought you value for more than just the quick 5 minute high you got purchasing it and placing it somewhere, then you did it with purpose. If you saw it, and on a whim decided to buy it, after all it was "on sale", and you've walked by it every day since you brought it home without a glance or even a second thought, it's just one more thing cluttering up your home/space.

     What about if it was some doodad, some little thing without meaning or reason? You saw it and again, on a whim decided since it was "on sale" you "had to have it". Again, this was probably a want and not a need.

     So what about MY last 5 purchases? Let's take a look:

1.  I bought dishes for my brother. He's coming to live with us in about 6 weeks and has food allergies. I didn't want him eating off ours and getting sick. I bought them new so they're clean, and although they're nice, they aren't expensive. I bought a small service for 4, not some massive set.

2.  I bought a set of 4 glasses for my brother. Same as above.

3.  I bought a small set of silverware for 4 for my brother. Same as above.

4.  I bought a pair of denim shorts. This was a trade off for the ones I'm throwing away. I've had the old ones for over 5 years, they're at least a size or two too big, they barely stay on. The edges are ripping. It's time for a replacement. I bought them new but at a discount store (Ross? I think).

5.  I bought a movie, the original Music Man from the 1960s. The whole family loves that movie, my daughter wanted it for her birthday and didn't get it from the person she mentioned it to, so she's actually keeping it as a late birthday gift. It won't be adding to my stuff. Was this a need instead of a want, probably, however, last night I sat down with my daughter and 23 year old son to watch it together. I can't remember the last time I got multiple family members to sit together to watch a movie together, especially HIM. Maybe I spent $12 on it, but it gave us a family experience that I may not have again at their ages. It was great to share laughs and jokes while watching it. To me, that was worth it for the cost of one movie ticket. I feel I paid for the rare experience, not the movie itself, and again, it won't be added to my collection.

     What will my next few purchases be? Intentional. They'll probably be clothes since I'm down to just 30 items in my closet, and I have no casual dress, no skirts, and my one formal dress it too long and outdated. When will I buy them? Not now just because I realize I don't have them. I'll wait until I feel I need them, then I'll shop discount stores for them. If I was a guy I suppose jeans and shirts could be bought on ebay or something, but if I can't try it on, I'm not buying it. No online clothes shopping for me. It didn't work out 3 out of 3 times.

     So what were your last 5 purchases, and how do you feel about them today?

By the way, the challenge isn't over. Tomorrow I'll do a Rearview Mirror of the last month, and tell you what I'll be doing for a daily challenge/focus/living simply thing in August...so stay tuned.