Over a year ago I used to be very into seasonal décor, specifically with an attachment to Fall and Halloween décor. I used to be the place where we all gathered at every holiday and family event.
We now do it but with less members and that’s ok.
I no longer decorate seasonally except for plants and a Christmas tree. So, I sold or donated most of my seasonal décor with the exceptions of some wreaths. And that’s ok
The value and time that minimizing these events and accoutrements made way for less mental, physical and emotional clutter.
While I still enjoy the décor I do it from online or in a store. If a spooky loving baddie posts their décor, I don’t judge them or even envy them. I can start up if I want to. I talk about how awesome the set-up is. Sometimes when I’m out I’ll sent photos of where they can get unique stuff and let them know.
I live my days being creative in other ways while also having a sense of peace with the amount of energy and time I’ve save by not taking down and putting back up seasonal displays.
I also have my attention more in the present which is why I was able to appreciate this spider web. I guess I am still decorating seasonally I just lean more to the organic.
What say you are you a seasonal decorator or a minimal decorator?
When my brother and I were growing up we had a single mother who we knew did not have any extra money. In fact, we both started contributing to the household with money before we were 18. I’m not mad or even offended. It taught me value and work ethic that has served me well all my life.
I did as most people do, I didn’t ask my kids for anything beyond house chores or paying for their own obligations like if they wanted a new iPhone or wanted a game subscription.
As my children have all become over 18, I’ve “helped” out each of them differently at times over the years. It’s so hard to be “fair” when they have needed help.
Here is some of the guidelines we have in place for them that we try to use.
They need to ask for help. If they ask, then we aren’t creating the possibility for resentment later and it shows they have looked at their situation and assessed their needs.
It must be a need and not a want. (This often can be the issue what they want they think is a need.)
We have a fluctuating income because we are self-employed. The amount we can help with is based on our current liquid resources. We will not go into debt, and we aren’t going to risk our own obligations.
If we do give them money for bills, we want to see receipts or we will pay the bill directly.
If you have adult children whom you’ve helped what are your suggestions or share some of your stories of lesson learned. I’d love to hear
In 2024 I became a minimalist. When I say that I get a lot of reactions. Some people get embarrassed, some are intrigued, others are defensive, especially when I’m standing in their homes that they want me to renovate. (If you didn’t’ know I’m a residential home builder and renovator at Bri the Builder.) When I first mentioned it to my children, they rolled their eyes and locked their bedroom doors.
One year later I’ve accomplished so much.
The reality of my version of minimalism is about living life with intention. Down to the possessions I own. They have to serve a purpose, make me happy, or be useful. Since I became a minimalist, I have paid off $100,000 in debt. I started another business and doubled the gross income of the business I have now. I started a book and a blog. I lost 50lbs and reduced, sold, or donated over 75% of my possessions.
That is what I mean when I say I’m a minimalist. I do things with great intention and value. But people still sometimes don’t get it. So I thought I would use a visual example and a story. Because who isn’t visual and who doesn’t love a good story.
This was my living room after the Christmas decor was put away at the end of 2024. I was so excited to clean, organize and put away my decor that I did it on Christmas day. Only I still wasn’t happy with my living room. Which is where I spend majority of our time at home. It’s because of the couch that goes down the center of the room. We bought it two years before and the dogs and intermittent visitors sit on it. It was meant to create seating for our two college age daughters to sit with us. Only they are busy and when they are home they are in their rooms. So the couch wasn’t useful it was in the way.
Here is where minimalism by intentional living comes into play. I sold the couch. And moved it out of the way. Now the dogs are sitting on their little beds and in their kennels. I have a wide open space. There is plenty of room for activities. (But if the need for more seating comes up, I have a recliner in our parlor we can move that’s only a third of what was there before. That’s the thing about living minimal. It’s a verb not an adjective.
The flip side is Minimalism by design would be getting rid of that dog kennel on the floor by my bigger furniture kennel. I tried to remove it. My dog, Benjie, ran through the bars. He went and sat in the spot where his kennel used to sit. I want something cleaner and more pleasing. I’m not trying to make my dogs miserable because I have a design aesthetic in mind. That’s where I’m not a minimalist by design but by purpose.
What do you prefer with the couch or without?
Thanks of reading. Your views are something I’m grateful to view.
If you are followed along then you know that today is step IV. You need to do step I, step II, and Step III to get the hack and not be overwhelmed. If you are doing those then you have all your bills set up on a calendar around their due dates.
First, take another calendar for a 30 day interval. Then, set your bills to be paid on Fridays only.
If your electric bill is due on a Wednesday, pay it the Friday before. Alternatively, you can pay it the Friday after. Additionally, this should also be set up on a 4 Friday a month rotation. Some bills will be early and some bills will be a little late. But do not pay bills late that would incur late fees like a credit card.
It will take a minute to get this figured out and you have to adjust. But, once you do it for the first 30 days the next 30 becomes easier. And here’s the way this budget set up gets you extra paychecks.
In the year of 2025 there are 4 months where we get a 5th Friday. (January, May, August, October)
If your bills are paid based on 4 Fridays, this 5th Friday is essentially an extra week of pay. You don’t need to assign it for bills.
You can use that money to build a savings, pay off debt, go on a trip, do home renovations. The choices are endless. And the best part is that you don’t have to work any extra hours to get it.
This was how I set up my bills when I was drawing a weekly pay check. It will be uncomfortable at first. You will say things like why am I paying a bill early. That’s your ego talking and it’s been in charge now for a while and what has it got you? Try this and see if it works. If it doesn’t you can always go back to the discomfort you know so well.
I hope you find this resource helpful. Please let me know how it worked for you in the comments. Let me know if it didn’t work for you as well.
In Kindness
PS: Credit to Linna Mitchell who taught this to me many years ago as a young mother. I hope this finds someone else who will benefit from it as I did.
Welcome back to Part II of Your Guide to Facing Financial Reality. In case you missed the first post you can find it here. Picking right back up from where we left off means looking at your total. What is it? Is it more than you thought? Less than you thought? Or have you actively not thought about it?
The number isn’t something to tie emotion to. You need to come at this from a place of logic. Remember if you made it you can unmake it. You have the power.
Now we need to know what you have coming in. If you have a consistent income, this should be fairly easy. This applies if you work for someone.
Figuring out your income
Step 1. If you have a salary or an hourly wage, first look at your check stub or direct deposit slips. Next, do the math that helps you figure out your monthly wages. Then, calculate your weekly wages. Remember there are 12 months in a year and 52 weeks in a year.
Step 1: If you are self employed or your income is inconsistent this can be harder. Go back through your records that could be your book keeping software, your taxes, or your checking account deposits. Anywhere you’ve received money for your business or services you want to get totals for each year. You want totals for at least 2 years 5 if you have them.
Step 2: Review the information you’ve gathered. Find out the smallest amount of money per month you’ve ever brought in. This will be the monthly income we build your budget around.
Step 3. This monthly total you need to break down into 4-week intervals so you understand what your weekly income is. So you’d take this total and divide it by Step 4. Figuring out what your least income is imperative to learning how to live below your means. If you can develop the lifestyle to live below your means, you can use the excess income to tackle debt. You can also build retirement, invest in your business or health, or even travel. Living intentional has to start with strategy and strategy can’t be achieved if you don’t have a plan. And a plan can’t be built if you keep ignoring your spending habits.
You can’t create a relationship with a new life if you are still living the lifestyle of your past self.
Come back tomorrow when we put part I and II together.
In 2008, I was affected by the real estate crash. I learned many lessons about personal and business finance. I was grossly uneducated and immature. I paid for it with my possessions, my ego, my businesses, my credit score, and my confidence for a while. This is the motivation for my continued drive to always be learning about money and finances.
Nevertheless my education started when I finally accepted I was no longer a victim. My choices and lack of education were contributing factors to the situation I was in at the time. The amazing part of being responsible is you become empowered. You can turn it around and be better for it.
The second step is getting it all out there. This is the part a lot of people have a hard time with…facing the music.
Step 1: Get all your recurring bills in a list on paper or with the mailed copies in a pile.
Step 2: Get a 30 day calendar. This could be a planner online, your phone, a piece of paper you draw on.
Step 3:Record on the due date of each bill the name of the expense and the least payment
Step 4: What is the total? Record it.
Step 5: Take a deep breath and walk away and sleep on it.
Come back tomorrow and I’ll tell you the next steps.
Leave me a like or a comment if this is helpful and I should continue.
Hi My name is Bri and I’m an intentionalist. That means I live life with intentional attention to how I make my choices. For example how I spend money or don’t spend money. Which is the inspiration for my challenge of 90 Day Spend Fast. From January 1st to March 31st I won’t be shopping beyond the necessities of living. In April I can buy all the things I needed or wanted to get during the prior three months.
Here are my rules. You can take and apply whatever resonates with you.
90 Spend Fast Rules (My ultimate Goal is to do it in 90 Day increments. If you start in January then you can buy in April, August, and December)
Allowables
-Groceries and basic kitchen supplies
-Monthly Bills and necessities like Gas for cars
-Cosmetics and Toiletries (Only when I run out or am about to)
-Cleaning Products (only when I run out or am about to)
-Gifts for others (Try and repurposed first)
-Material for work projects
Opt Outs
-Take out food and coffee (Unless with someone else like Date night with your spouse)
I’m taking this week to get situated. Anything that I’m out of I am ordering now. The toothpaste that I need I’m ordering now. Anything I’ve been putting off like bras and underwear I’m getting now. I’m erasing all ordering apps from my phone. Which is inconvenient but forces me to be intentional with my purchases. Especially with my business. I’ll create shopping lists for my products then sit down to buy them at the computer. Instead of doing it while I’m thinking about it off my phone randomly. If I can only shop weekly at the store, I make lists. This allows me to better plan my meals and shopping.
The Goal
I applied this same method and adopted minimalism in 2024. I was able to pay off all my debt and bring my credit score up to 800. Then, I saved even more money by redoing my car insurance because of my higher credit score. I also built a savings to fall back on when needed. My goal for 2025 is to pay off all my husband’s debt. I also want to build the savings account and go on six camp outs. Finally, I plan to take a trip to Europe.
How to Spend Your Time Wisely
While I am in a spend fast I find that I have more time on my hands you will too. This is a perfect opportunity to declutter, donate, or sell anything you don’t need. I make it a point to read all the books on my kindle. These are books I’ve been putting off or books that are on my bookshelves. Unfinished projects are getting finished or they are getting retired. When you are fasting it’s a perfect opportunity to spend your time more intentionally. I’m working on writing on this blog and on books I’ve had in mind to write. I also find more time to focus on my health. I adopt a sleep routine and aim for 10,000 steps a day.
I’ll keep checking back in over the course of the Spend Fast and report how it’s going. If you’re thinking of joining me please leave a Y in the comments of the blog.
Bri Clark 