It seems like life flows through cycles. I’m learning to embrace the ebb and flow as time passes by. But I also know that it’s good to want certain cycles to stop once you understand that they are not serving you well.

I love simplicity. I really do. I feel like my heart meshes with my family and nature better when I’m not thinking about everything I want to buy.

This is where my thoughts normally remain, but sometimes, I enter a cycle of consumerism.

I might buy things I don’t need when I’m trying to feel better about myself, or about life. Last year, my emotions experienced so many things. Throw in becoming perimenopausal, and it was almost a recipe for disaster.

Almost.

Thankfully, I usually remember why I love to live simply before it’s too late. It’s very important to have a why.

Otherwise, whenever life throws something at us, we might be tempted to spend unnecessarily.

For a while, my “why”  was to get out of debt. Now, it’s to teach my children that money cannot buy the most important things in life. It’s also to treat the earth well. I know if our consumerist ways continue, the earth doesn’t stand a chance…or rather, we don’t stand a chance. Earth usually repairs itself well, and it’s possible we will spend ourselves into extinction.

This isn’t a pleasant thought, and I don’t dwell on it for long. Instead, I think of what I can do to make a difference.

While it doesn’t seem like much, I believe that if enough people control their spending a difference can be made. But for this to happen, there needs to be a major mindset shift.

This movement can easily be birthed in the heart of homes by women who choose to be content with what they have. We can learn to not follow trends that encourage us to purchase new clothing and home decor items each season. This is what corporations want us to do. But we can wear what we have until it wears out, and learn how to repurpose items in our homes.

We can become deeply thankful for the things that we do own, knowing that it truly is enough.

We can do things like take less trips out of town, and condense our errands whenever we can.

We can show our children how special nature is instead of placing value on things bought in stores, and hopefully they will remember this lesson for the rest of their lives.

I’m not perfect at any of this. I fail miserably sometimes. But I know the cause is worthwhile, and I plan to continue pursuing it.

I’ve made some small tweaks to our budget this month, and I’m going to see just how little I can spend. Turning it into a game makes it feel much more fun.

I’m savoring what I have, and my time outdoors. Oh, and I’ve been doing a lot more reading. It’s been perfectly lovely.

Simplifying our lives can be a huge blessing to our families and our world. I’d love to encourage you to try it!