In July 2020, we made the last payment on my graduate school student loan (from 2003), the final step towards debt freedom. We spent the next couple of years building up our emergency fund, cash flowing car and home repairs, increasing our giving, and saving for special family adventures and home renovations we had dreamed about for more than a decade, but never thought possible.

Three years later, we are amazed and thankful to still be on this journey towards our longer term goals of building for retirement and exceeding generosity. Being good stewards of our money takes ongoing discipline and focus, but the reward motivates us to keep going. We have had some wonderful opportunities to bring our kids into the discussion as we consider purchases, talk about saving and investing (compound interest!!) and (hopefully) build stronger financial literacy for them.

How does this have anything to do with simplifying and organizing? It truly is a manifestation of pulling the reins of our consumption in order to minimize the mental (stress!) and physical (clutter!) load that debt and stuff create. Around the time we were about to pay off my car in 2018, I also really dug into the idea of minimalism. We sold furniture, toys, art, and clothing and threw the cash directly at our debt. Just as our debt started feeling lighter, so did our home and so we prioritized simplifying even more. I also happened to being helping clients organize and decorate their homes, but wasn’t yet as focused on the decluttering aspect. Eventually the whole idea of the cost + weight of our stuff became clear as clients shared their frustration at the tasks they struggled to keep up with while raising a family and working.

It is all connected - things, money, relationships, mental health….

If you are overwhelmed or stressed about money or the chaos that stuff can bring at home, consider a journey towards simplifying that just may reorient you and provide the peace of mind you have been longing for.