We’ve successfully navigated our first 20 day challenge! Everyone who participated should be incredibly proud. I’ve loved hearing updates from those of you who liked the Facebook page, as well as those who commented here. If you made it all the way through the challenge, leave me a note below, and I’ll include you in the upcoming victors’ post!
The plan for now (developed at the request of several of you!) is to start another 20 day challenge on May 12th. This should give us all time to figure out what we’d like to give up for this second round of challenges. If you didn’t get to participate in April’s round (or if you did, but want to do something new) let me know in the comments! If you’re unfamiliar with the challenge, here is the link to the Jump Off the Ladder info.
One last thing: I’ve come down with the flu for the second time in 30 days. 😦 Rather than just sulk about it, I thought this would be a great opportunity to do a series on home remedies. If anyone out there has advice on kicking illness the natural way, please let me know! I’ll be trying your ideas and documenting their success.
Off we go!
(And here’s a bonus pic of Jack and our car on the day we moved. We had made it our goal to fit everything we own into our Yaris, and we did it!)
The Live Simply Blog 
Well, I was proud of myself because I actually DID do a major clean out and dumping of my kitchen pantry (pat on the back). I got rid of a LOT of stuff. Goal success: high!
But, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t stick too well to my goal of KEEPING it simple. Well, i kept the pantry simple and only stocked it with food from my grocery list. But we ended up eating fast food way more than I wanted to. Goal success: moderate…
bleh…there were several reasons, involving time and energy…needless to say, I’m a bit disappointed in myself on that aspect.
I may choose the same goal for next time. It’s something I really DO want to make vast improvements on.
I think the achievement of just cleaning out the pantry is something you should be hugely proud of. 🙂 Doing the same challenge over for May is a great idea, too. Doesn’t really matter how often we fail as long as we don’t quit!
hold the phone! as I’m typing this comment, I see off the the right “Tshirs & Twine on Kindle” But there is no link to click… do you have a Kindle book, Amanda??
The widget is complicated. The book isn’t out just yet! The blog has a kindle subscription. It’s $.99 a month, so probably not a great deal if you use your computer for reading blogs, but for anyone who prefers to get updates on their kindle, there it is! The link is hidden in the picture.
ahh, I see! wow, i didn’t know you could get blogs on the Kindle! I’ll have to look into that option for my own blog, how cool.
Are you publishing a book in the near future?
Hopefully before the end of the year! I have two book projects and an online course underway. 🙂
Ok way cool on the kindle thing.. Mines broke and Amazon has not been very nice about it.
My lucky charms was pretty easy ( Ok not really) But I kept busy got a lot done so I would not miss the sweet marshmallows!
@ Carrie, Perhaps going back to revisit will help you pair down on more stuff? It works for me. You should be proud because you did something… So NO MORE being disappointed !
Great Job!
As far as home remedy’s… When I am sick, tea, honey and a little rum.. works every time
I packed up at least 8 bags of 20 things to donate. I don’t feel like I’ve really made a dent yet, but it gave me such a great feeling to get rid of things we didn’t need. With each bag I gave away, I felt lighter. I am definitely going to continue going through things and lightening our load.
Regarding the flu, if you look up Natural Flu Remedy on Pinterest, there is a recipe for a drink that includes a whole garlic bulb, 6 lemons, ginger, and several other things. You’re supposed to drink a cup of it every four hours until your symptoms are gone. I made it for my husband and he said it was so awful he’d never drink it again. Crazy thing is, I didn’t hear him cough or sneeze once after he drank about 1/2 a cup and he got out of bed and made it out to dinner that night with friends. If you try it, scale down the recipe to one or two cups because you’re never going to drink more than that. I hope you feel better!
My goal of no more consumables went pretty well. Until my husband came down with tonsillitis that the Dr. said was highly contagious. So paper napkins were used as I didn’t want bacteria lingering on cloth napkins. Then we went to my husband’s hometown, in the land of ‘Where Thrift Reigns’) where I knew a VERY dirty house awaited me, so we used paper plates & cups for the first 2 meals.
But since my plan included saving the single-use items already on hand for emergencies or ‘particular’ reasons, and those were the only items used, I still feel I stuck to my goals. So overall, I think it was a success. I had hoped to do better, but life isn’t always as we plan it & sometimes we just have to make the best of it!
I’m glad your move was a success. That’s an awesome feat fitting all your belongings into a little Toyota! You must be really pleased!
I’m so sorry to hear about your husband’s illness. 😦 I hope he’s feeling better!
I’m really impressed with how your challenge went though! I really struggle with consumables – particularly with paper towels and plastic utensils. My OCD makes eating off of unfamiliar plates with unfamiliar silverware extremely difficult for me, so I use paper and plastic a lot. I’m working through it, though, and I look forward to being able to cut those things out entirely!
OCD with consumables may have to do with perspective. Ever been inside a factory? They’re usually not too clean & some quite filthy. Even in food factories they say vermin thrive. Never been in one, and don’t think I’d want to!
But what I’m trying to say is that usually any dishware or cloth item washed in soapy water is probably cleaner than things out of factories!
I’d almost be afraid to see how they make paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, etc. Probably not too hygienic! And as far as plastic plates, utensils, etc. ANY thing plastic has a petroleum base. Enough!
But I do know that the Lord can help you overcome this. Try memorizing verses that speak of his protection, his care and his overcoming power. There is great power in the word of God!
We got our house on the market a week before the May 1st deadline! We gave up our microwave, the iffy junk we had been considering donating, lots of clothes, and the ability to dirty up our house. The great thing is that somehow or another we have actually managed to keep the house impeccably clean! We do about 15 minutes of tidying before leaving for work and 15 minutes of tidying when we get home from work. I’ve never kept my house clean for that long! I’m hoping the cleaning and fewer clothes habits we’re picking up right now will stick with us for the long haul.
I cannot believe you fit all of your belongings into a Yaris! That is simply amazing!!
Whoo-hoo! A week early is awesome!
It’s a beautiful thing to see how simplifying can free up time in the form of less housework. That’s one of the biggest benefits we’ve received from clearing the unnecessary clutter. 🙂
Oh, and being about to pack everything into our car doesn’t hurt either. 😉 We were very, very excited to meet that particular goal!
I already have plans for the next challenge…
I was just wondering? Don’t you have any furniture? What do you cook on?
By way of furniture, we have one antique trunk (which serves as great storage), and we sleep on a (very, very comfortable) sleeping pad on the floor. Our roommates have living room furniture already. Jack and I prefer to have as little furniture in our room as possible, for the sake of space.
As far as kitchen things, we have one crate (like a file box-sized crate) that holds our frying pan, saucepan, and basic utensils. We have almost nothing in the kitchen department because we try to eat as many whole foods as possible and don’t do a ton of cooking!
I figured you must have been moving into a furnished place. Here in Italy those are very rare. Over here you have to move everything or the ONLY things you have in the house are heating furnace, toilet, bathroom sink & shower/tub! That’s literally it. No light fixtures, toilet seat, towel bars, closets (only wardrobes are used here), kitchen sink, stove, fridge, washing machine, etc. Moving is a major operation, even if you have very few personal possessions! Another good reason for not holding on to a bunch of stuff!
And sleeping mats, well, since I’m middle-aged with arthritis, I’ll stick to a regular bed. Now it I were younger like you, that might be a different story! Hope you are enjoying your new place.
I actually have RA myself (juvenile onset, so I’ve dealt with it for a while 😦 ) but since moving to a sleeping pad I’ve noticed dramatic improvements in my back and hips! Now I only have bad flare-ups in those areas when I sleep on a regular bed! haha!
Everyone is different, of course, but if you ever have the opportunity, give it a try for a night or two and you may be pleasantly surprised!
Sorry to hear of your RA. That’s not a nice thing to have. My problem, in addition to arthritis, is spondylosis, a degenerative rigidity of the spine. What seems to help me most is a firm mattress (but not too firm) and keeping as active as possible, which I try to do. Glad your mat helps you!