At the end of the month, I want to be honest with you in an update about how my goals to live more simply have been going. Success or fail, this is really how March turned out…
March was definitely the month where things happened.
What’s that old saying: In like a lion and out like a lamb? Well, this month I got deep into a few of my Year of Simple goals. But the last week of the month, I’m spending by stepping back and assessing how the first quarter of the year went and where I want to go from here.
Some of my goals, like decluttering 2,021 things by the end of the year, got extra attention in March. Others, like my grocery shopping budget, were firmly ignored.
And still others, like my no-spend year, had to be rethought (I’ll explain below).
This was a big month of change for me, and I want to honor that by being flexible in how I live. I mean, if God is putting so many things in flux for me, I’d be pretty hard-headed to stubbornly stick to my plans as is, right?
So here is my March update on the goals I succeeded at or struggled with, or altogether had to reassess, and my game plan going forward.
UPDATE: My Year of Simple – March
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No Spend Year
My March update on spending was not what I expected when I decided on a no-spend year in 2021.
Like most Americans, I received a $1400 stimulus to help keep the economy rolling. After a lot of thought, I decided that I would spend a few hundred of it, but only in ways that would support small, local businesses. Here’s my March breakdown:
- Keeping my grocery budget to $600 – I spent almost double this in March, probably because our food stockpiles were running low. I think I may need to reassess this amount as it feels almost impossible to hit two months in a row. Let me see in April…
- I picnicked – Last month, I unintentionally went out to eat. This month, I made sure we met at an outdoor area and brought food from home.
- Stimulus money – I will be spending a portion of the stimulus money on the following… Birthday lunches for each of my kids from non-chain restaurants that allow me to tip a service worker. Hiring a self-employed cleaning person to help deep clean our house for spring (the best gift I could ask for). And maybe a visit to my local indie bookstore for my birthday. This way, the money stimulates the local economy and helps people working for themselves.
Simplifying the Clutter
This month, we got serious about clutter. With the first stirrings of spring, the kids and I began to systematically declutter every room in the house. It’s not completely done, but here’s my March update on what we’ve accomplished:
- I gave away 1,030 items – I cannot believe we donated this much, but the total is now at 1,105 items for the year. Admittedly, many of these were books and clothes, which were our most plentiful belongings. It won’t be easy to hit 2,021 from here, but much more doable than before.
- I enacted a 10 outfit per season rule – My kids have a lot of clothes, but most of them aren’t worn. So they must now keep to 10 summer and 10 winter outfits (no limit on socks and undies). And they only keep what they really love. Even my husband has packed up a lot of old clothes he just never wears anymore.
- Working on the clutter in my schedule – How often do I say no to something good because of something urgent? In April, I am going to focus on paring down my commitments to focus on what matters. There’s been a lot of change this month, so it seems like the right time.
Less Micromanaging
Well, I haven’t done as well as I hoped, but in some ways, there have been little successes:
- Still nagging and not being consistent – I developed bursitis in my hip, which makes it painful to walk, climb stairs, etc. While it’s healing, I have been using my yelling voice a lot more than I like. And not being consistent when I should. In April, I am going to have to find a way to work around this.
- I have been working on positive feedback – I learned as a manager that you need to offer 10 positive pieces of feedback for every 1 negative piece, or your message doesn’t get through. In April, I will continue to use positive reinforcement so my constructive criticism is more easily received.
Living a Life of Less Hurry
This March update includes a lot of changes to my schedule. So I’m spending the last week of the month (my kids’ Spring/Easter break) considering how I can make the most of these changes to slow down my days.
- Working less – Setting aside certain days for certain tasks turned out to be really helpful, but even more so was giving my notice to my biggest client. They were so compassionate and kind about it, I nearly cried. But despite missing these people, I am relieved. I can see the time opening up that can be spent with my family and on other important personal projects.
- Margin – I didn’t do great with this because I was finishing up my clients’ work projects, but it will be a focus in March. Specifically having a “shut down” time when my laptop is packed up for the day.
- Physically slowing down – This wasn’t quite what I meant, but God works in mysterious ways (interesting that I should develop bursitis, end a time-consuming job, and start Spring Break all at the same time…). Since I can’t run or walk much, I am physically moving slower, which means there is a lot of enforced stillness. I am going to try not to squander it.
- Staying in the moment – Here’s a quote from the Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh I’ve been thinking about:
“If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as they were a nuisance, then we are not ‘washing the dishes to wash the dishes.’ …If we can’t wash the dishes , the chances are we won’t be able to drink our tea either. While drinking the cup of tea, we will only be thinking of other things, barely aware of the cup in our hands.”
Basically, if we spend too much time in the future, we aren’t paying attention to the present, or enjoying it. This is a lot to chew on for a planner like me, but it resonates within me. In April, I’m going to try to enjoy my present more, without always being distracted by the future.
This was March 2021 in a nutshell. Here’s hoping that April will bring more progress, inspiration, and understanding of how God is shifting my life into alignment with His plans.
How are your 2021 goals going? Have they become harder as we proceed into the year? Let me know your thoughts in the comments or on social media! #thejourneyathome
Interested in more posts on goals and simple living? Check out some of these:
Inspirational Monday: Allowing a Cycle of Rest
How to Declutter Your Children’s Closets
How Mindfulness Can Bring Peace to Your Hectic Days
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