Celebrating Abundance in 2007

Anyone else planning goals for the New Year?
Celebrating Abundance in 2007
HT Enjoy the Journey

This celebrating abundance is really about simplifying. She writes:

I already have such an abundance in my home that for the next year I am going to make a concerted effort to live by this saying from The Great Depression:

Use it up
Wear it out
Make it do
Do without

I am going to try to limit my spending as much as possible and use what I already have rather than buying more. I suppose everyone has their “thing” that they stash. For some women it is quilting materials. For others it is yarn. For me it is books, recipes, counted cross stitch books, and scrapbooking paper. I have enough of all of the above to keep me busy for many, many months. We also have puzzles to do and games to play. So, for example, rather than going to the bookstore/coffee shop maybe we will stay home, make some coffee or cocoa, and actually use the books/puzzles/games we already have. Instead of picking up more beautiful flowered scrapbooking paper when I see it on clearance at Michael’s, I will just use what I already have.

This reminds me of some things Amy has said about decluttering.

Advent is a good time for me to think about this. I guess it is hard to set childrens' feet in a Spacious Place when we are all stumbling over clutter. (And since I'm someone who lived in a 1200 square foot San Francisco apartment with 6 children for several months when my youngest was at hospital there, I do NOT think a spacious place has to be literally, spatially spacious. It is more of a heart and spirit attitude).

I think it's even possible to get cluttered mentally. I love getting new ideas from other homeschoolers. Some inspiration and challenge is a wonderful thing, and brings beauty and color to my life. But I've learned that when I get that overwhelmed, stretched feeling, it's time to back off and think about "what's real" and "what works for me". I know most homeschoolers have found that some things are not for them, or their children, no matter how much they like that thing. Or it IS for them, but not quite at that season or not in quite that way.