Iowahippiechick

Time to simplify is what all the financial experts seem to be telling us these days.  Simplifying our lives has almost become a necessity  rather than a choice.

Here are some of the steps Craig and I have taken to scale back the various parts of our lives.  Maybe an idea or two can help you start to simplify your life …

Simplify Your Financial Life:

• Inventory your financial papers - Calculate income and expenses.  Figure out a working budget. Check out your bank accounts, retirement accounts, and investment accounts. Become aware of where your at and where you want to be. Organize your will, living will, and insurance papers.
• Organize personal papers - Set up some organization system for your important papers. Don’t keep documents any longer than necessary and shred the ones you get rid of.
• Reduce your accounts - Think about limiting yourself to one credit card. It’s really all anyone needs.
• Set up direct deposit for your paycheck - You actually get your money faster this way!
• Set up automatic payments for routine bills.
• Create an emergency fund.
• Set up automatic payments into your savings and investment accounts.

Simplify and Lower Utility Bills:

• Get a programmable thermostat - Program lower temperatures when your out of the house and higher when your going to be home.
• Seal up your house - Weather strip doors and windows.  Shrink plastic insulation for the interior of windows.  Heavy plastic and lathe strips for the exterior of windows.  Silicone caulk and expanding foam caulk for holes and cracks.
• Conservation - We keep our thermostat lower than most people would find comfortable.  We keep ours between 63 and 65 degrees when we’re home and around 60 degrees when we sleep. It works for us - find what temperature works for you and your family. Every little bit you can lower it will help!
• Install low flow shower heads.
• Use a fiberglass insulation blanket on your water heater - If it is appropriate with what the manufacturer of your water heater says.
• Switch to CFL’s - Our utility company even offered a $2 per bulb rebate if we purchase these by November 30th of 2008.
• Set up a budget payment if your utility company will allow it - We do this more to less complicate our monthly household budget. But this also allows you to spread out larger usage months over some time.

Simplify Food and Meals:

• Plan menus around sale fliers and shop accordingly.
• Eat one or two meatless meals a week.
• Limit or eliminate fast food.

Simplify General Household and Organization:

• Allow time to accomplish the little tasks you want to get done - You won’t waste your energy thinking and nagging yourself about them if you just get them done.
• Declutter and don’t feel afraid of letting go of material stuff - Realize that a lot of the stuff we hang on to and clutter up our living spaces with - are things we have memories attached to. Sort through and decide what things are so sentimental that you can’t let them go, but let go of the rest. Remember you will always have the memory in your mind! You can donate the items your letting go to a worthy cause. Our sell them online. Or give them to friends, family, etc. Having the items that truly have value to you will simplify your space and life.
• Remember it’s never to late to start simplifying - Try some of these ideas and figure out what works for you and your family. We’re all different and different is good!   So make and adapt simplicity choices that work in your situation.

Have a terrific day!

iowahippiechick

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