REDUCE, REDUCE, REDUCE!!!!!

Have you ever just looked around your house at all the “stuff” that you have?? It is amazing how much we all accumulate over time and then can’t even really remember why we even bought something in the first place! Several months ago I started a mission to simplify and reduce all the unnecessary items in our home. I decided there were three options: donate, sell on EBAY, or trash what we had. Well, being green and hating to throw out anything, I mostly donated and sold on EBAY!! It has been so freeing to simplify and make some extra money in the process! Oh, and there is way less dust building up on things that are just sitting around with no purpose! Since dusting is just about my least favorite household cleaning activity, I love getting rid of stuff! I think a huge step is when you decide to look around and say consciously to yourself “do I really NEED this anymore?” Sometimes the answer will be yes, but most of time, you probably don’t. Getting the entire family involved is a great way to teach kids about the act of charity and the act of business and what is involved when you sell items on EBAY! It was so great to empower my nine year old to make his own decisions about his personal things. He got to separate it all out and decide what to donate and what to sell, and what would ultimately be thrown away. He learned what is involved in a “listing” on EBAY and the fees that you must pay as a seller, and ultimately what amount actually ends up in your pocket after a sale. We are still simplifying and trying to only buy new things that are truly needs! I challenge you to give it a try, you will be glad that you did!