Project 333

Q and A about Project 333 / Courtney Carver

Woman diaged w/ MS started this program for health reasons. She started minimalizing her life to reduce stress. WE have a lot of STUFF. It clutters our lives. We SHOP to feel better. I do this... I know that I do bc I get a "high" even if it is something from a garage sale. But I am pretty good about letting go of something else ... I do like to shop at Goodwill, Thrift Stores, garage sales, etc. I tried NOT shopping and I found myself very depressed. I like to shop. But I know I don't buy expensive things. I think shopping is okay as long as I am letting go of some other things on the other end. I like getting new Tshirt, etc every season. But they are cheap... and I get rid of the old. I actually wear out my things so badly that they won't even resale. I literally wear my Tshirts and shorts out. And my jeans. 

Question: How do I RELATE to my stuff??? CC says that shopping did not bring joy to her life. I know that I tried NOT shopping  at all for like 3 months and it was really depressing. I like having something a little different. I shop so cheaply. It is boring to me to have nothing new for a long time. The CHALLENGE is about not shopping for 3 months and then becoming more mindful of what I do purchase after that. That's not a bad idea. I need to do this and then become more mindful. I have all the flowers I need for the summer. I put pots away and didn't plant near as much. I didn't put any annuals at all in the backyard. I have only the hollyhocks for color and I'm already enjoying them. Not near as much to take care of. Last year I got tired of messing with so many flowers in the backyard. 

The questions that arise are "Am I going to have enough? Am I going to be bored? What if I need more?" Those questions come to my mind frequently about LIFE in general. Hmmm. That hit a button for me.

How to life a Simple Life Tips / Meghan Livingston

1. Declutter and Organize/ have only what I need , what I love, what I use. 

What if I LOVVE too much stuff? hmm. I think that might be my issue. I love a lot of my THINGS. 

2. Refurbish what you have instead of buying something new. I like this idea for furniture. I have a few furniture pieces that I would like to refurbish... and repain w/ chalkpaint. 

3. Reuse / Mason jars or glass jars are perfect for cotton balls, make up , tea, spices, etc. I throw away glass bc our recycling does not accept glass. Hmm I will have to rethink this. I like the look of a clear glass jar almost anywhere in the house.

4. Thrift stores/ This is HUGE for me. I love thrift and garage sales and resizing things to fit me. I bought a jacket that I know I will wear a LOT bc I've seen them at Walmart. I bought it for $1 and resized it today. It is perfect. I bleached it / it is white / and cleaned it up in the wash.

5. Makes Lists of everything / what I want to do / recipes / things i want to make / etc. / journal it down / keep it organized

6. Do as you go... / this is about NOT procrastinating. When something comes up.. .then just do it. When a bill comes in , pay it. When something needs to be done, do it. ... keep the project small and don't let things pile up. / The ONE MINUTE rule. If you can do it in less than a minute... or how about even 3 to 5? ... the just do it. I do this trick with unloading the dishwasher... and things that I do not like to do....  sometimes I even set a timer

7. Design your living space/  keep things to a minimal in an area. Do not let clutter build up in an area. / I am starting to do this more 

8. It's ok to say NO / ... to events, to ppl, to others, to ourselves, etc

I really liked Meghan Livingston MUCH more than Courtney Carver as far as tips. The 333 seems to just focus on wardrobe and that's not enough for me. I want more of a spirituality or overall health thing going on.... not just wardrobe. Gahd... life is much more than about wardrobe to me and i have to focus on streamlining more than just my wardrobe.

OK... I need to get back to busy with minimalizing. But I need to do it more focused and not just haphazard. I also need to focus on spirituality and health streamlining and watching these videos today helped me a lot. 

Namaste