It has been longer than most think since “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” hit the scene. The movement to simplify and save, in many areas of life, has grown in size and momentum exponentially over the last ten years, however. There is no time like right now to stop making excuses for not following the new three Rs, and the best way to start is with the first..
Reduce. It is a simple word, and a simple action, but the one that most people seem to have the most difficulty with. There is no wrong, and no ineffective way, to employ a reduction in your lifestyle. It will often yield rewards that you didn’t see coming, and will almost certainly free up something very precious: time.
Since I am working with a family of six, my natural inclination is to reduce at home. I am here all day, and see (and clean) first hand most of the excess in my own home. Reducing, I discovered, doesn’t at all have to mean giving things up! It can very often just be a simple change in a routine that makes all of the difference.
Weekly meal planning sounds like a tedious chore, but once you see the rewards, I am pretty sure you will find that it is a super effective habit and pretty easy to do. It is a simple process, that can take just ten minutes a week, and can save you time, money, aggravation, food waste, space waste, and groaning kids at mealtime! Oh, and let’s not forget those emergency trips you are making to the store in the middle of the week so you can throw together a meal. Now you are saving even more money, more gas, and more time.
The Purge ( as it is called around here) is another excellent way to reduce quickly, and save your time and frustration. Purging your things doesn’t have to be drastic or painful. Taking one room a week, zip through and pull out things that you are no longer using or are no longer working for your home or wardrobe. You can also pull aside things that you DO want to keep, but don’t really need to have out all of the time. Ridding yourself of these things can be fast and painless, too. You can drop them at charities (or have them picked up), have a garage sale, or offer them up for free or sale. Belonging to your local FreeCycle group or signing up for an account at CraigsList.org are simple and work wonders! Imagine, only having to type an email to rid your life of clutter.. and filling someone else’s need or want!
Finally, reduce your routine! If you have to get children off to school and yourself off to work, and remember to drop off the mail and pick up some dry cleaning, and fill the gas tank, and call the dentist.. then your day and mind are cluttered, too! A great way to reduce all of that listmaking and doublechecking, is to set up a family calendar. We use Google’s calendar, with everyone in the family able to view and add, and noone is left in the dark about what needs to be done and when. It will send you a daily agenda each day as a reminder to your email address or phone, too! Delegate, plan your routes, and combine outings to reduce the amount of time, energy, and gas you spend on the boring stuff, and you will find yourself with a cleaner home, a bigger budget, and more time for fun!
Please leave comments with other ways you reduce, we would love to chat about it more! Do you have any favorite places to donate unwanted items? Do you have a routine for de-cluttering that you can share? Tell all!
Don’t forget to check back soon for Part 2 – Reusing in ways that are actually practical and fun!
