The topic of doing more with less is on my mind. Every time we’ve added a child to our family, my instinct is to clear out our space, to get rid of gear and simplify wherever possible. It probably has something to do with making mental space for this new person in my life.
Last week, I was packing for our trip to San Jose and thinking about what I should bring for June’s meals — she’s still mostly nursing, but she’s also eating 3-4 meals a day of solids. At first I was thinking several bibs, 10+ jars of baby food, a bag of rice cereal, utensils and bowl for preparations, utensils for feeding, etc. But finally decided it was a short trip, to a town with every convenience, and that all I would need was a baby spoon.
For breakfast, I found plain yogurt and oatmeal among the offerings and grabbed a ripe banana for when we were out and about. And I was able to find similarly soft foods wherever we were. During feedings, I kept a napkin handy to keep her clean and I was good to go. While I appreciate the helpfulness of things like bibs and lots of food choices when we’re at home, it was nice to be reminded that it didn’t take much to keep June happy and fed when we wanted to travel as light as possible.
Another example that comes to mind? The giant table we built after moving to Colorado. It is the most used piece of furniture in our house. We use it for entertaining, for homework, for art projects, for sewing projects, for building things. And when we’re not using it, it does its duty as a piece of furniture that’s nice to look at and that compliments the space.
What about you? What are your thoughts on doing more with less? What’s an item you have that you get the most use out of?
Doing more with less almost always is thinking outside of the box. Those air duster canisters are for more than just cleaning out your keyboard. You can use it to dust hard to reach areas too.
(fingers crossed) to win the phone. :)
I do more with less because I make good use out of everything that I have and don’t waste anything.
Doing more with less? Prioritize. Let the lesser things go and focus on the major things more. I think that would make a lovely quote on a pillow :)
My new mantra is: a perfectly kept home is a sign of a misspent life.
One step at a time. One moment at a time. Be in the moment.
Thanks to some hearty student loans, doing less with more is more of a necessity than a mantra. But when I get jealous of those with more, I just remind myself that happiness isn’t about things; it’s about people. And when it comes to family and friends, I’m very rich.
I’m doing more with less….simply by changing my mindset and how I look at things. I have consciously shopped less in the past year, and it’s amazing how much money you save by not buying the things you don’t need anyways. I don’t agonize or antagonize myself if I do buy something; it’s more of using the free time I have (that I may have previously spent aimlessly shopping) for more important things, like doing things with my family.
I always think about the concept that less is more around the holidays. We do one gift each, and this year everything has to be handmade.
I am doing “the 12 books of Christmas” this year with books I purchased for 50% off on the final day of a toy consignment sale. They are beautiful books. And ranged in price from .50-$1.00. Score.
It seems like “more” but truly spending 60 dollars, once every two weeks on a housekeeper, makes my house sparkle and I feel like a million bucks. Not to mention I can get other stuff done during that time. It may seem indulgent but that has been so freeing!
We try to buy on sale w/ coupon and reuse what we can.
My sister always impresses me with her way of doing more with less. This year both of us opted to make Christmas gifts for the family instead of buying them.
We live in a 650 square foot condo with our two kids. It’s cozy but I actually love it. We are trying to simply our life as much as possible without it affecting the boys too much. It’s the clutter that has taken over here and to be honest, most of it we don’t need. We just have to get past the emotional pull of some of the things! Next up, simplifying my kitchen. We have way too many things that we do not use.
I recently chopped off 8 inches of hair, all the way up to my jaw. I. LOVE. IT. I used to spend ages trying to blow-dry it into submission, ending up in a ponytail anyway every single day. Now it’s 5 minutes with the blowdryer and I’m out the door, looking cute.
We try to stick to gifts that work for the whole family- games, household items, books. And one toy per kid… which they are young enough to think is amazing.
When it comes to clothes I try to buy classic pieces that will stand the test of time. And I wait for sales and use coupons. Then I take good care of the clothes so they last. I also make sure that they all mix and match so that I don’t need very many and it doesn’t look like I wear the same things over and over.
I’m constantly trying to find small ways to lessen our families footprint on the earth and many times that coincides with a less is more type mentality. We are always trying to find new and creative ways to use what we already have rather than purchasing something new. Surprisingly the kids are exceptionally creative with finding new uses for things.
To do more with less I stay out of the stores. Whenever I head out shopping I end up buying more things that I don’t need, stuff clutters everything about your life, so keep it simple, don’t get more stuff!
doing more with less is pretty much the story of our life…we moved from Arizona with nothing but what we could cram in our cars…we’ve slowly been aquiring pieces from Craigslist and Ikea…and our home is rather sparse and bare. But. It won’t always be. …and we know that. Our kitchen table is also our study space…my sewing table and craft center, our computer station, and food prep space (as we live in a teeny apt with little counter room!)
We also both have phones that are 3 years old! Hahaha –
:-)
Jes
my husband, baby, and i are living out of two shared 50 lb suitcases, and it’s got me thinking of all of the things i don’t NEED. i’m realizing that i only want things that i really, really love, and i don’t need to buy anything else. and that it’s okay for my baby to sleep in her clothes. i’m also finding some great outfits i never would have thought of with all of this mixing and matching.
With 4 kids in an older home with zero closet space, we’ve really been forced to declutter whenever possible. At first I was a bit annoyed with the lack of storage, but I have actually found the process of decluttering to be very cathartic.
I try do a lot of Chirstmas Crafts with my kids with things I have around the house and then we hang them in the front window.
When I shop I often think “Where will this be stored in our home?” That always helps me remember that we don’t need MORE things crammed into our home. This year for Christmas I’m trying to make sure our purchases are useful and not more “Toy Clutter”. For example, each child will get their own monogrammed sleeping bag. It is special, personalized, but very useful.
My family is living within our means and try to explain to our kids that you can’t always get what you want and that we have to treat our things with respect. If a toy gets broken, we try to emphasize that you can’t just go back to the store and buy a new one.
Have I mentioned that my phone is a tracfone with pay-as-you-go minutes? It takes ten of them to download a picture…
I love using chicken broth to take shortcuts during the holidays and food. Its inexpensive and adds tons of flavor to any dish
Compost. I live in an area with all sand so I compost everything compostable that we generate in this house. I also have landscaping friends that I work with give me their leave/grass mulchings.
I do more with less time! I am back to work full time with my 2 and 1/2 year old and feel like both jobs got 100 times harder, but they are both getting done – with at least moderate success!! Not much worthwhile in the post – all I have time for – get it?? Ha!
Calendars are a huge help. And the Outlook Quickstep is a great shortcut tool that helps me quickly create some of my common tasks, appointments, and emails while on the go. The win phone 7 will be a great mobile tool to aid in this.
Doing more with less…very important at the holidays. My entire extended family is going to just focus on gift giving for the children this year, rather than buy for all the adults like we usually do.
For me, doing more with less means asking “do I really need this?” before I make a purchase or “do I already have something that might work?”
It just feels GOOD to do more with less. When my kids have less toys, they get more creative. After seeing the Babies documentary, I know they can play with rocks and sticks and still have fun!
And the same with me – if I’m missing an ingredient or two for dinner, I get more creative and try to use what I’ve got rather than run to the store for just one or two things…(which usually ups the grocery bill a bit). It’s nice to know I don’t NEED what I think I do…and then I think “What else can I do without??”
Oh MAN was it crazy at Target today.
I try to reduce my grocery-store trips. This forces me to use up all those random ingredients from the back of the pantry, so it’s not such a mysterious jungle in there.
I am applying this to the relationships in my life. Not that I am unkind to others but instead of trying to be friends with everyone, I am using my time to make lasting relationships with those I care for the most.
This holiday season is going to be about more with less. Homemade gifts and hopefully a lot less of the ridiculous last minute over spending. thanks!
We have two kids in a two bedroom house. We are constantly looking for more space and less stuff. Grandparents are the biggest obstacle to this goal- I swear we get a box of toys/clothes/books at least every other week!
This is the phone I am waiting for. One way I do more with less is require that something I want be on my list for longer. I try not to compulsively shop. I wait, and research, and wait until the price and my budget are aligned and then….no guilt!
Thank you, Windows, for designing this phone. This is the one I want.
Back in May I spray painted branches white and hung miny pinwheels on them to use as a centerpiece for a baby open house. I used the same branches for a wedding shower with hearts hanging from it and then changed the hearts out for spiders for halloween. The best $2 craft I’ve ever done.
our whole life is doing less with less. just last march we sold everything we had to follow a dream and more to China with our kids, but three months later we had to turn around and move back due to health problems so we had to sell or give away everything we just bought in China. Everything our family of five owns now fits into 14 suitcases and we are surviving just fine.
I’ll be able to get more done with less by consolidating my devices when I get a Windows Phone.
I have been so lucky to have the chance to go back to school to finish a bachelor’s degree. At this point with a small child and only one real income, EVERYTHING we do feels like we are doing more with less. We think these are good lessons for our daughter.
I would love this!
To do more with less, we try to make a ‘meal plan’ out at the beginning of the week and buy all ingredients at that time. This prevents us from impusivly going out to dinner or picking up expensive carryout because we can’t think of what to make!
I use Photoshop Elements instead of the full PS suite–and I still am able to do just what I need to do!
I shred nearly everything that comes in the mail. I save the shredded paper for stuffing in packages and I also use it as filler in the bottom of my very large flower pots.
i’m a big fan of thrift stores. i find lots of great treasures for a fraction of the cost.
I always give a handcrafted gift instead of buying an item if at all possible. I make cards (which I give as a set) or make a personalized shadowbox. I have so many items in my scrapbook room, that I rarely need to buy anything. I went through a phase where I “gathered” up really cool items from my craft store but never used them – now I am and it just delights me to make something special that only I could give. I have learned that treasures are inside me and that it doesn’t matter that you spend a lot – if you give something special from yourself, that is what is cherished the most.
me again, just my daily entry. Love all the ideas for more with less. It’s a concept so many of us can improve upon.
I cut off 17 inches of hair after baby #3 was born earlier this year. I can’t believe how versatile short hair is, or how much less hair product I use every day. Fantastic choice. Though I do miss it somedays.
This would be great since my son threw mine and it just broke Saturday! Doing more with less….i think that’s been a good lesson to learn lately with our family budget being tighter. I make things stretch. I have really gotten a hold of doing food with less. we are doing to one car and it is hard to be able to grocery shop unless it’s at 5 in the morning or 9 at night. So I have found to not only do more with less money, but also make up recipies and different combinations of food with the randomness that is left in our cupboards, like the time last week where I had to make dinner with no milk, no butter,no veggies, no cheese, and no meat.