Healthy Living: Downsizing my Life

I think part of healthy living is downsizing. And I say that because I was going through my shelves and found several bags of yarn that I do not need. I think we don't realize how much stuff we accumulate until we're either packing for a vacation, or moving, or when we're looking for something particular.

One good thing about us living in a small apartment is that it keeps us from buying more stuff. I do have to admit that I like to shop, what girl doesn't right? But, I know that I don't want to have a lot of things around me because it just makes my mind feel cluttered. I've made changes already to my home studio to make it a bit more airy and less cluttered. But, minimalism is an ongoing task, it's a lifestyle.

And, it really feels good to donate, gift, or sell items that I never used, because I know I'm blessing someone else.

To keep my life on the simpler side, I know there's some things that I need to hold myself accountable for:

Clean out files on my computer. I keep all the photos I use for this blog and typically I have two versions, a large resolution and a small size. But once I upload the small photo to this blog, I don't need to keep it on my hard drive since I have the larger version. This will free up space on my computer.
Stop signing up for more newsletters. I don't have time to read the ones I do follow, why add more to the list?
Go through my crafts and gift out what I'm not using. I might do a giveaway but if I don't have time to prepare that, there are places in my town that I can donate to that welcome good items.
Selling all my handmade crochets and knits. I've made hundreds of items dating back since we first moved to Oregon in 2012 and I made them to sell but not all of them did so I've been warehousing them not sure what to do. This year, I made the decision to sell them a local garage sale. I'll have more information about this on my Facebook page.
Buy responsibly. Lately, I feel like I've been throwing money away and I haven't felt good about that. I love to shop, but I don't want to waste money especially on things that I won't use or wear. I really need to be saving as much money as possible, because hubby and I have some pretty lofty goals this year. So, my plan is to really try to stick to our budget and scale back from buying unless I really need it. And, even though I live in a town with many thrift stores, those 2.99, 3.99, 7.99 items add up.
Get rid of those too small sized clothes. I try not to do this, but I'm guilty of keeping that cute top that I know is two sizes too small. I tell myself that I'll lose enough weight to wear it, but it doesn't happen. So why torture myself? Just give it away.
Stick to a few beauty products. Sometimes I wind up with several unopened bottles of lotions, soaps, body washes and many times they are gifts but do I really need all that? I only need one good lotion, powder, soap, and body wash. That goes for shampoo and conditioner too. Putting these extras into a cute box, tying a beautiful bow on it and gifting to a needy family not only fills a need, but blesses me to be able to share.
Lessen the number of craft projects I'm working on. I used to have anywhere from 7 to 10 items going on simultaneously. And, that drove me batty! I've stopped that since and so my goal is no more than three especially if I'm working on a long-term project and I know it will take several weeks to finish. Right now, I'm at my limit of three: two crochet items and one knitting.