tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49467331630609547092024-03-07T21:39:46.722-08:00Journey to JoyJoin me on my journey to find the joy of the simple things in life ... family, friends, health 🌿Yvettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954163852977404164noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946733163060954709.post-70623443544246217742014-12-22T08:32:00.001-08:002014-12-22T08:32:15.783-08:00My First Frugal Christmas
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">W</b>ho knew that by
being frugal at Christmas time, this would enable me to have the best Christmas yet?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year, around this time of year, I
embraced minimalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year, I’ve boarded
the frugal train and what a difference it’s made for me and my family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why spend close to two thousand dollars when
I can spend two hundred and have a more memorable Christmas than any that came
before?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why go into more debt when my
goal is to become debt free by next April?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few months before Christmas, I let my friends and family
know that we weren’t doing the big (read, “extravagant”) gift exchange this
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone, except my mom, was on
board with this new idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took the
pressure off my adult children to spend money they didn’t have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took the pressure off me in that I didn’t
need to spend countless hours shopping for that “perfect” gift that would
probably end up in someone’s closet by the New Year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year, I could use my imagination to come
up with gift ideas for my friends and family that were thoughtful, yet
frugal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, for my fiancé, I
bought a deck of cards at the dollar store and on the outside of the deck taped
a note that read, “52 Reasons Why I Love You” and then on each card I attached
a note that gave a reason why I love him … 52 of them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For my mom, I bought a photo album with the
title, “memories” on the front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then
bought $15 worth of scratch tickets and placed each of the tickets inside the
album with a note next to each describing a memory she and I shared (based on
the theme of the scratch ticket).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For my
best friend, I created a gift certificate to take her out for a movie of her choice.
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday, my adult children and my ex-husband came over for
our yearly family get-together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
provided a ginger bread house kit for us to make together and my youngest son
and I made rice crispy squares together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The kids brought me a home-made gift, too … a picture of the three of
them, framed nicely in a frame they got at the dollar store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simple, frugal, and one of the best presents
I’ve ever gotten!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m glad I’ve boarded the frugal train and I’m glad it
happened before Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s amazing
how good I feel this, my first frugal Christmas!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Yvettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954163852977404164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946733163060954709.post-23686776369128742462014-02-20T08:38:00.000-08:002014-02-20T08:40:27.676-08:00This Too Shall Pass<i>by Yvette Ryder</i><br />
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Everything in life is temporary.<br />
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The other morning at the office, I felt an inexplicable sadness well up inside me. From where this emotion came from, I do not know. What I did know was that even though I could not explain <i>why </i>I was feeling so sad, I did know, with certainty, that the feeling would pass. And it did!<br />
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Next time you find yourself getting caught up in negative emotions, think to yourself, "this too shall pass". Remember that nothing is permanent and everything in life is temporary ... even life itself.Yvettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954163852977404164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946733163060954709.post-64791183507289893012014-02-17T13:33:00.000-08:002014-02-17T13:38:57.384-08:00What's in YOUR wardrobe? <i>by Yvette Ryder</i><br />
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Long before deciding to become a minimalist, I've had the following philosophy on acquiring new clothes:<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><i> "Bringing home something new means getting rid of something old".</i></span><br />
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Not counting personal items, I currently have 34 pieces of clothing:<br />
<ul>
<li>4 pair dress pants</li>
<li>4 blouses</li>
<li>4 t-shirts</li>
<li>4 light jackets</li>
<li>3 sweaters</li>
<li>2 blazers</li>
<li>2 skirts</li>
<li>2 pair jeans</li>
<li>2 pair shorts</li>
<li>2 vests</li>
<li>1 sweatshirt</li>
<li>1 winter coat</li>
<li>1 fall coat</li>
<li>1 jean jacket</li>
<li>1 bathing suit</li>
</ul>
Is it time to clean out your closet?Yvettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954163852977404164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946733163060954709.post-63151965440414811142014-02-16T10:06:00.000-08:002014-02-17T13:39:04.760-08:00iPhone Experiment - Update by Yvette Ryder<br />
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Two weeks without iPhone?? I couldn't even go two days!! <br />
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Yesterday, I wanted to take pictures, but realized that the only camera I have is the one I use on the phone. Taking pictures wouldn't break my "fast", would it? How about texting my son to get advice on what type of cell phone would be appropriate for my boyfriend? And certainly I wouldn't be breaking my rules by texting a friend on her birthday?<br />
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As much as I hate to admit it, it looks like my cell phone is back in use ... at least for now. Perhaps as I delve further into the minimalist life style, I will be able to "let go", but for now, living iPhone free is not for me.Yvettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954163852977404164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4946733163060954709.post-72625464890209985442014-02-13T12:43:00.002-08:002014-02-13T12:43:32.881-08:00My iPhone Experiment<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">By Yvette Ryder</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In keeping with my philosophy of "letting go", I am now ready to part (temporarily) with my trusted companion ... my iPhone.<br /><br />For the next two weeks I will live iPhone free. I will no longer text and I will no longer keep checking my phone to see if anyone has texted me. If I honestly and truly need to call someone, I will do what I did before having a cell phone ... use a regular phone. What a concept!<br /><br />I will report back in two weeks to let you know how living iPhone free has changed my life (if at all).</span>Yvettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15954163852977404164noreply@blogger.com0