Giving | The Minimalist Mom

Your Clutter Coach

May 7, 2012 By theminimalistmom 7 Comments

Source: theminimalistmom.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Sometimes you need more help than a book or a blog can give you.

Sometimes you need a friend to remind you to donate those bags of unworn clothing that are sitting in your basement.

Sometimes you need someone to make a plan for you, motivate you and keep you accountable.

Sometimes you need a Clutter Coach.

I get a lot of emails asking for help. I always respond (even it takes me a while) with advice, suggestion and encouragement.

And I always wonder, did they carve out a weekend to clean out that attic? Are they in the throes of home purging and feeling beaten by the process? Did they pull out some boxes from under their bed, lose a few hours looking through old junk, and then decide it was all too much work?

For some time I’ve wanted to help beyond the posts on this blog. Something very personal for paring down and living smaller.

A book wasn’t the answer. There are already some great books out there like Family-Sized Minimalism and Clutter Bootcamp for inspiration and how-to. A book can’t hold your hand, give you a kick in the butt or suggest another method for dealing with all that mail.

I want to do those things.

I want to see closets go from jam packed to roomy.

I want to help people get more sleep.

I want to find solutions for the mud room clutter that can be so hard to reign in.

So I’ve started something new.

Your Clutter Coach

This is for people that:

can’t make the time to declutter even after reading a lot of books and blogs on the subject
get sidetracked by old photos and trinkets every time they attempt to clean out the guest room
have pared down their stuff but it crept back quickly
need motivation and accountability to clear clutter for good

Your Clutter Coach is a personalized decluttering program. It’s tailored to your lifestyle, your needs and your schedule. It’s me kicking your butt and you kicking ass.

You can read more about the services here.

If you’re interested in the program I am currently giving away one free Four Week Clutter Coaching Program at Parenting with Crappy Pictures (if you haven’t visited this site before it is hilarious). The giveaway is open until Tuesday May 8th at 8pm PST. Head on over to read the details and enter.

PS. This will be the only time I mention Your Clutter Coach in a big post like this.

Filed Under: 2011 Challenge, Bathroom, books DVDs and media, car free, Clothing, DVDs, etc, Finances, Furniture, Getting Started, Gifts, giving, Guest Posts, Health, inspiration, Internet, Kids, Kitchen, Media: books, minimalist with kids, Minimize Yo Butt, moving overseas, Off Topic, One Simple Thing, paying it forward: wedding edition, Project 333, shopping mistakes, Storage, Technology, Travel, Uncategorized

4 easy ways to change your world this Christmas

December 15, 2011 By theminimalistmom 17 Comments

Source: westelm.com via Martha on Pinterest

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the more, more, more and bigger and better this time of year.

I still struggle with it. I see people in town with huge bags of gifts and I think, am I taking something vital away from my son’s childhood or my family’s happiness? Are we missing out by turning our backs to the commercials and urgent call to buy more?

We’re not missing out. We’re leading a richer life. We have less stuff but more time for the things that really matter to us: health, hobbies and each other.

We’re also slowly changing our little corner of the universe. And that feels really good.

You can do it too.

Four easy ways to change your world this Christmas.

Volunteer/Donate: it doesn’t have to be a big cheque or weeks at a soup kitchen. Give what you can where you can. Think different. Instead of sending holiday cards, Jo donates to a cause. See this list from Vicki for different ways to give (if you’re reading this site you’re probably already donating goods to a local charity – well done!).

Buy Local. If you can’t find, or don’t need, something locally made, support a local retailer. Independently owned shops need your business to survive. I know, I know, you can find it cheaper on Amazon. I’m not saying buy everything local this year but aim for 10% of your holiday gifts from a local independent retailer. Enjoy shopping in person in your community and watch your dollars stay where you live. Also, think climate change while you shop.

Give less stuff. Giving more is actually seen as giving less according to this study cited in a Globe and Mail article. While that should be reason enough to curb the overspend this year I will give you one more: the environment. It’s overwhelming to think of the carbon footprint of all that we purchase: out of season produce, electronics manufactured overseas, anything that wasn’t grown and produced locally. Let go of the guilt and simply buy less. One great much wanted gift rather than a sackful of junky filler gifts from the dollar store.

Smile. An easy way to spread abundance and joy this holiday season: smile. Smile on the street, smile at your children, smile at your spouse. It is contagious. It feels good. It’s good for your health. A smile is the easiest way to go viral.

My last tip: put up some mistletoe. I found fresh mistletoe the other day and couldn’t resist. Christmas 2011 will now be known as the kissing Christmas in our family.

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Filed Under: Gifts, giving, Health, inspiration, Kids

have less so you can give more

October 20, 2011 By theminimalistmom 26 Comments

Source: fromupnorth.com via Hillary on Pinterest

What’s your goal with all of this paring down and de-cluttering?

For me it’s more time, space and less debt and stress.

But I also want to give more. I want to be a better spouse, parent and citizen.

Those are lofty goals but I believe that small actions can help me achieve them. I can be more accommodating and selfless if I find the time and energy to take care of myself, to eat well and exercise. I find that time by having a small home that is easy to maintain and having less stuff that would require more hours of work to pay for.

It all fits together. Have less stuff so I can give more.

One of our goals as a family is to volunteer for causes that are near and dear to us. We’ve done a poor job of this since we moved overseas. Chris walked in a cancer research fundraiser (and Henry and I alongside him) but otherwise we haven’t joined any committees or volunteered our time. We need to get on that.

We also want to contribute financially to causes. Since getting out of debt we have started to set aside money each month to make an annual contribution to a cause. I want to give more financially. Sure, like most families we need to save for the future, unexpected expenses and our son’s education but I want to start giving now. Even if it is a small contribution.

Chris and I discussed it and settled on putting aside 100 GBP (roughly $160 CDN or US) each month. I know, it’s not a huge amount. But it’s a start. We’ll decide annually where to give that money. Cancer research is near and dear to us as both of our mothers have been treated for cancer. I’m also a big supporter of grass roots programs that encourage youth participation in sport. We’ve got some time to think about it and research where we want to send our dollars next fall.

We’ll continue to make additional financial contributions as they come up. At least every other month we have a request for sponsorship or donations for walk-athons or fundraisers. We’ll make those contributions work within our monthly budget.

As my sister wrote a while back, we’ve decided to open up our hands. Growing up in a family where finances were always tight, and debt was the norm, has often made me panic about money. While I want to continue to work on good spending habits, living below our means and saving, I also want to loosen my grip. I want to ride that fine line of saving for the future, enjoying life and not worrying too much if something unexpected comes up and we don’t meet a savings goal. Giving money away will help me with that.

It also just feels good. Money can buy happiness when you spend it on the right things.

This is a small start but it’s something.

This blog will also be a way for my family to give.

Available November 5th

The Minimalist Mom’s Guide to Baby’s First Year will be released on November 5th. I’m excited to have a launch date and even more excited to tell you about a wonderful cause that some of the proceeds will support. From November 5th to November 12th, $6 from each sale will go to Care.

Specifically the funds will go to support two maternal health clinics to serve women in the provinces of Kasongo and Masisi in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Why the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)? The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world. According to UNICEF, there are 990 pregnancy related deaths per 100,000 live births in DRC compared with 13 per 100,000 in the United States. The lifetime risk of dying in childbirth for a Congolese woman is 1 in 26.

By building a new facility in each of these locations, Care can provide services for approximately 25,000 people who currently have no access to care.

$1,500 can buy a delivery table
$100 can buy a stretcher
$40 can buy a mattress
$25 can buy a bed frame

I’m hopeful we can meet several of their targets and support the development of a maternal health clinic for these women in need.

These are small beginnings to what I hope will be a long road of giving.

How do you decide which charities you support financially, volunteer for or donate goods to? For those of you that make regular financial contributions, how did you decide on a dollar amount to contribute?