Easy Ways to Simplify Life Every Day

A less stressful home can be right around the corner when you find easy ways to simplify life every day!

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Having a simplified life can mean many things to different people.

A simple life can be one without financial debt. Or a minimalist home. Or maybe even one that’s completely unplugged.

For me, it means having an uncluttered mind and an uncluttered home so I can pay more attention to the things I really care about.

Here are some of the easy ways that I simplify my life every day.

Make lists

I know it may seem like having a bunch of lists around can just take up space, but it’s actually the opposite. Writing lists helps me clear my mind of the everyday to-dos and other random bits i’m trying to remember. With all that stuff out of my brain and onto paper, I’m able to relax and enjoy what’s actually going on around me. I’m able to get out of my own head.

Combine trips

When I run errands, I like to tackle as many at a time that I can. Not only does this save loads of gas, but I tend to buy fewer things. I’ve found that if I avoid running out to a store every time I think of something I want to buy, I tend to get over those impulse buys in a day or two. That leaves me with less unneeded purchases and less clutter.

Minimal wardrobe

Since I’ve been working at home for a number of years, I’ve been able to really cut down on the amount of clothing I have. I don’t need to have a set wardrobe for work, but I try not to just wear yoga pants every day (even though I would love to do that).

If and when I do start working in an office again, I plan on really refining a capsule wardrobe so I can have a lot of outfit choices without buying a lot of clothing. I do a similar thing for my children’s clothes. You can read about how I buy their clothing in this post about shopping at consignment sales.

Buy used whenever possible

This goes for clothing, home goods, appliances…the list goes on.

I love thrift shopping because it’s eco-friendly and it saves loads of money. It definitely one of my favorite activities and I find it incredibly calming for some reason.

Buy in bulk

Buying in bulk checks off a bunch of boxes for me. It allows me to stock up on basics so I can shop less and also cut down on the packaging that I purchase. Plus, I enjoy cooking from scratch with whole ingredients, so having loads of rice, oats, and lentils in hand makes that easy for me.

It’s a small habit that makes me really happy.

Meal plan

Everyone is talking about meal planning nowadays, but it’s not a new concept at all.

In fact, my mom’s been planning her week’s menu for the past 40 years. Before she goes grocery shopping, she makes a note on the side of her list with the dinners she is planning on making and on what day.

Now I do the same thing!

Just like every other list I write, making a meal plan clears up my headspace and keeps the 4 o’clock dinner guessing game at bay.

We also have a chalkboard menu (see it in this post) where I write down the dinners for the week. I still get asked “what’s for dinner?” every once in a while, but the number of times has greatly decreased.

Routines

Knowing what to expect from day to day is soothing to children. It’s the same for me. I don’t plan every moment of every day. Far from it. But I do like to have a general idea of how my day is going to go by setting up a loose routine for me and my children.

This is especially useful right now while my son is on summer break from school. He craves the structure that he had in first grade, so I printed up a simple schedule of the day. All I included is wake-up times, meals, when he can play and have screen time, and when it is time for quiet. There is also plenty of time for my boy to make some choices about how he spends his time. These small details are just enough to keep him feeling like he has some control over his day and secure in knowing what comes next.

Quiet time for everyone

Both of my children gave up their afternoon naps at 3 years old. But they are still early risers who start to lose it a bit in the afternoon. Even if they won’t sleep, they need some time in the afternoon to be alone and play quietly in their rooms.

And, trust me, after an average day, I can use a bit of time to recharge too. I rarely use that time to sit and relax. But those few moments without spent having to answer questions or grab snacks helps my brain decompress and improves my attitude.

I use this list to simplify my life with the goal of making a more peaceful home for me and my family.

It may seem like some of these ideas are unrelated. But my goal is to reduce stress in our lives by saving money and living with less.

Now, this is a very personal list for me. The point isn’t to follow what someone else recommends down to the T. It’s more important to figure out the values in your life and what simplicity means to you.

For example, hunting around in thrift stores can be really stressful to some and feel like a total waste of time.

I get that.

So if that’s the case for you, do your shopping the way you like and move on to find where else you can get back to basics in your life.

But, please, take a moment and find the easy ways to simplify life every day that works for you!

And, if you have any thoughts about what simplicity means for you, leave your comments below to spark some more ideas for all of us!