For me it’s just better awareness. Like if you simply learn what a trap so much advertising and credit cards and debt really is and what a disservice it does to yourself, you really can find a better life if you can get yourself untangled from it. Minimalism does seem to be a good vehicle to get there tho and maybe once you get there you don’t want to ever go back. I would say same for things like downsizing and so on in a very big way, such as reevaluating even the size of the home you really need. Excess is so often the norm in America (Aka you’re hard pressed to find homes for sale smaller than the average 3br/2bath), tho so you really do have to jump on board with something that is considered “alternative” to most people still caught up in it thinking excess is “normal.” So as a single person, I don’t need 3br/2baths tho. It just sits there collecting dust unless I want to rent it and then that is taking on a lot of stress and work if you do that. So in the end, at most I would just need some little space for the kitties and then myself. And that’s plenty enough without wasted, unused space…which also has to be maintained, cleaned, heated and cooled etc. Higher property tax and so on. And then there is some strange compulsion we humans have that if we have all this extra space, we need more things to fill it. And they even want to market things like “bonus rooms” or “large garages” etc. None of which I really need.
A really good video. One of the things that has helped me the most in the debt free journey is realizing just how much I have and then practicing gratitude instead of always wanting something new. Practicing gratitude changed my whole perspective around "things" in that I now want to take care of what I have and make it last.
What can I say wanting to adopt another baby when having already 3 lovely boys ..for that and only 1000 BRAVO to you and your husband.. maybe a minimalist at home but not when comews to love and giving.. Sendind all my love to you and yr great family Regards from Athen - Greece
We made the decision to get debt free including our home. It was hard but so worth it. People advised us not to pay off our house but we have a sporadic income and it is so nice to not have to worry every month. Since decluttering I just don't want things anymore, I want to go and do things. Love your videos
Hi Angela! Big fan here. Thanks for this video. You and your husband and family are so cute! I completely agree with you - I too drive an older than most (an almost 9 year old) pretty basic car and I go to thrift stores for clothes regularly. Even though I could technically afford to spent more/full price on these items, without any implications of ever being in debt etc. I just don't see the value in doing that for vanity reasons ...nor would it be better for our environment, right? Have no interest in trying to keep up with the Jones either...esp since I live in a very high income/cost of living area where no matter what you have, someone always has more... so I surrendered my mentality to never comparing. If someone judges us for that for any reason then so be it, we decided we don't need to be friends with people like that anyway... Let's all try to appreciate more what we HAVE and be grateful for it vs. what we don't have. And give to those that have little or next to nothing! Anyway, we hope you are all having a good weekend and appreciate your supportive perspectives. Cheers :)
Minimalism was how we finally got rid of our non-mortgage debt. We had tried the Dave Ramsey plan for four years, but it didn’t stick for us until we minimized. We were able to finally get a decent emergency fund from selling large items like furniture, since we didn’t need as many dressers or bookshelves when we had fewer clothes and books. That made all the difference because our debt was from medical bills, so having a large emergency fund helped us pay our large insurance deductible without debt. We sold our house and moved into one that was half the size the same year we doubled the size of our family by adopting two siblings. The smaller house came with smaller bills and we we’re finally able to meet big financial goals like starting college savings. We decluttered about 80% of our stuff, but I still think we could go even further. It really helps!
Awesome! What a great story of debt freedom! I agree that things didn’t fully click for us until we made the decision to be more minimal. They kind of went hand in hand from that point forward ❤️
Such a great video. We started decluttering and being more mindful of possessions and spending. We don't buy unless we need, we thrift most of our furniture, clothing, decor, etc. We have older vehicles with no payment, low mileage and well maintained. Paid off all credit card debt, reduced spending, cooking at home, eliminated some bills like costly cable, magazine subscriptions, went with basic cell service, dropped limits on all types of insurance to save a bit on premiums, etc. Our only real bill now is our mortgage. Which we were smart when we purchased and went with small and cozy, instead of large and pricey. Its wonderful being debt free and not having stress of so many bills.
When all my little friends were getting the Birds and the Bees speech, Dad gave us the Compound Interest lecture. Thanks, Dad! Love your debt tower game. Great idea!
Our Dad had three daughters and he wanted to make sure we were financially literate. At the time I thought it was boring and silly but I am thanking him now! “It is not the principal, it is the interest gone forever!” was one of his favorite quotes. The other one was, “It is not spoiled kids, it is stupid parents.“
@@cynthiacrumlish4683 He is awesome! “It is not spoiled kids, it is stupid parents. “ practically one can read this on many of today's kids' face. “It is not the principal, it is the interest gone forever!” Exactly!!! The quote is worth being framed and hung on the living room walls in households who live off credit cards.
I miss him every day. “If you cannot pay cash you cannot afford it,” was another motto. (Except for houses.) My parents were raised in the Depression so the concept of doing without or making do so wisely cited by Angela was in their blood.
I find that debt free and minimalism go hand in hand. After paying off our mortgage last year and cutting up our credit card, we seem to be growing our savings quite quickly since there is nothing I want to buy anymore.
Thanks for your tips. I have been trying to get out of debt and took some drastic measures back in February to be able to get to my goal. I comparison shop for groceries as well. It's not easy but it can be done. Blessings
good morning 🐦🌻 you are truly inspired and inspiring!! -just being out shopping for something in those rows of stores in the busy parking lots and getting there on the busy streets is fraught with non- wonderfulness... whereas before where I could see I need a new 6 quart size Dutch oven type pot is a very handy one and my go-to thought would be cleverly figuring out which one is best and where to get it -now the mantra "make do or do without" is so handy and that chore and spending of money is dispensed with instantly and in reality I do perfectly fine without that new pot - & am even better served by not having to jockey it around- you are a true North star shining ever brighter!!!
Being debt free is an awesome way to live Hubby and I have pretty much always practiced frugal living Early in our marriage money was frequently tight but other than a car payment and mortgage, we almost always paid off everything each month Now we are completely debt free which no monthly payments other than insurance and utilities I am a firm believer in having a healthy emergency fund too! Loved this video and agree that patience is huge in the process
It is a much better way to live than being stressed out by finances! So happy that we were able to turn that mess around. Congrats to you and hubby on being intentional! ❤️
Thank you for sharing your ways to getting out of debt saving on your journey to saving and it today's world of survival. I have noticed that I no longer spend money without thinking any longer I have cut back where it needed to be cut always looking at the bigger picture ...thank you again I am retired and debt free and own my home happy and blessed that I could do before I retired my income does not go up so my Bill's must go down😊
Great video, thanks 😊Love your ‘find your why’. . For me and my husband it’s supporting our adult kids and their children through the cost of living crisis. Don’t have to ask myself why I’m not buying so much, eating out, etc! Kudos to you xx
Our finances are stable, but I’m trying to save money for a possible house in about 3 to 5 years. We are renting and we have to stay in our community for my son to graduate from his home high school. But, I don’t necessarily want to buy here. It would be nice to own another Craftsman for us to stay in forever. Other than that, we have no debt. Our biggest frivolous expense is eating out.
Absolutely agree 🎉Minimalist living and being debt free go together like peas and carrots 🥕 ❤ Paying attention to your daily habits in both areas make a world of difference
I understand it may be highly personal but I would love to hear more about the adoption process. How long it took, the costs associated with it and overall how difficult it was.
I guess my whys would be mental health and true freedom. Freedom both from the usual trappings and from controlling abusers. Untangling the web of letting someone else run my life…even indirectly. Right now it’s more like me trying to get completely untangled from past dealings with someone like Laban. (If you know the story, you know that he had Jacob strung along and basically trapped for about 20 years before he could finally leave and do his own kind of God ordained thing for his life. And in the midst of that was a lot of being conned and lied to and bait and switch and false promises etc. But even so, God still had a plan for Jacob’s freedom and also for him not leaving empty handed and impoverished. So ya know where I’m at right now is lining up my spotted cows and preparing to make my final exit). I think if I was looking back, I would say my biggest problem was making enough income rather than “excessive spending.” So over the years I was just like well why is it necessary to have this size of a place to live or to live at this or that zip code and so on? How small can I really go I wonder? I felt like that goes toward “knowing my flaws” or my natural tendencies and just learning what feels good or right for me. What “fits” me. I don’t have a husband so ya know whatever I do is all on me. But I never could feel like I was being honest with myself when I was trying to have some “demanding career.” I didn’t like how people came to me with the most pressing and difficult problems they wanted me to solve. And then when I tried the self employed gig. Same thing and just the weight of it and how you are basically “on call” 24/7 and you always have to keep a clean space to receive random clients. Etc. It got so blurry with home life vs work life. And I absolutely loathed marketing and trying to “drum up” clients. I was no salesperson. Let’s just put it that way. Lol. Like hey if you need this service then fine. But I’m not going to kiss butt to get you to “pick me” for it. Lol. So that was when I reasoned that I much would prefer a “helping” profession of some sort. Or just helping some other entrepreneur or business. I want less stress and nothing huge to have to “oversee.” So I could help. Get paid some decent wage perhaps and be relatively unburdened both at work and when I leave work. Home is home. And work is work. So my reasoning is basically that if that is all that type of income affords, then I’ll plan my living expenses accordingly. Smaller square footage or whatever that looked like. I am now involved in a kind of “on call” situation and people are looking up to me and counting on me and the money is coming in…and yet in my heart or hearts I’m not feeling like this is true to me. I did the math tho. Bottom line isn’t much diff than me downsizing my life vs having this large thing with its larger overhead etc. Plus stress. Bottom line is that if you have “enough” and if you have no or minimal debt, you are “rich” either way. I don’t have any aspirations to become a millionaire tho, so what do I care? That’s not my talent anyway…Drumming up business. And I don’t enjoy it so what good is a bunch of extra money going to do me if I loathe how I have to get it? So hopefully that didn’t go in too many redundant circles. I’ve been impoverished also before and that really sucks. But if you can have close to the same bottom line loving your life vs having money pour in and feeling miserable and stressed out…but at the end of paying the bills…you don’t have much more left anyways than if you took the “two bit” job you kinda at least half like and having a small, simple, low overhead living arrangement, I see no issues if I have what I need and don’t have a lot of debt. My fam has been good at making the money but they’re toxic. And they really are always venerating things like self employment and entrepreneurialism. But right. It’s just not my bag and I’m now making that ok for myself. It’s ok to just be diff and it’s ok if they think I’m crazy or even “stupid” for wanting what I want…which is what they’d call not “ambitious enough.” Am I a “fool” for throwing away “free” money and “opportunity?” Idk. (And the relatives often imply that I am indeed foolish etc). But I guess I just need to go find out for myself. I could be wrong but given that I know myself far better than they know me, I’m prob not wrong. And even if I am, so what? I have every right to try something new and test it out and find out if I was right or wrong….on my own terms. And really, you just can’t put a price tag on true freedom. It’s priceless. If all I have is pb&j sandwiches and ramen for a year, that is better than having filet mignon and lobster with stress. I don’t think it would come to that really, but if it did, it wouldn’t kill me anyways. Lol.
I am SO there with you! For some people the stress of the job affects their life so much that the payoff becomes not worth it! And, sadly, the way some people look at an office job versus blue collar workers is unfair. They assume that people are only doing the manual labor jobs if they didn’t ‘make it’ in the big leagues…don’t even consider that maybe it was an intentional choice that was made. I know that we have always told our kids that being college educated and getting a traditional 9 to 5 is NOT what we expect of them. If they want to take on a trade job, or be an entrepreneur- that’s great! ‘Jobs’ take up a huge percentage of our lives, time wise, so why would we want the majority of our lives spent feeling miserable? Kudos to you for searching for the right fit - even in the face of resistance or opposition! ❤️
@@ArrowHillCottage Aw. Thank you so much. I didn’t even know it but I really needed that shot in the arm just now. 😅😅 You said it tho. I agree 💯. Ugh. Toxic fam business. I thought I got out but then was somehow residually sucked back in again. The ugly machine still churns away even tho the psycho who started it is long since retired. But at least God is bigger than any of it. And who is Laban anyways? His jerk off ways didn’t exactly get him a reputation as some “legend.” The only reason he is even mentioned (and then soon forgotten) is Bcuz of his association with Jacob. Jacob of course not being that perfect son, but even so God still had better plans for him than being stuck with someone like Laban forever and a day. Power to the people and stick it to the man. Lol. 🤟💪💪 (kidding. Sort of. Lol). I am at least relieved that I don’t bear the brunt of it (that went to his mini me son who seems very happy to take over as the slumlord guru lol 🙄). At least I CAN get out at some point as I’m not so fully invested or entrenched in it like he is. But day to day is super taxing. I have to make time on purpose to keep moving forward with my own plans…somehow. This whole block is pretty much like Salem’s Lot. Go out and risk getting drained by some blood sucker. Vamps all over the place. Full of what I call “the needy and greedy.” It’s like all your “neighbors” are the paparazzi who are always “after you.” Meh. Lol. Funny not funny. I fend most of them off most days, but it is rather tiring to have to do so. It takes a lot of my energy to “hold my turf.” And looking forward to the day I really DO get to leave it all behind. I just don’t ever want to be “the CEO” of anything anymore. Lol. At least not right now and at least not like this. And even tho I don’t have a great parent like that (who would just let me do my own thing etc), it is still very hope inducing to me to just know that good folks are out there and very much doing right by their own kids. So kudos to you as well. ☺️ And it’s kinda funny. One movie I actually purchased was “Ever After.” I think I can relate to the poor Prince’s dilemma (stuck in pre appointed “Royal” duties and unable to just be a regular guy) more than the Cinderella character. Lol. People think well he’s so lucky. He’s not tho. He’s just trapped in a gilded cage. And of course my step father reminds me of Negan (TWD). Just a cruel, controlling, despot bully “CEO” type playing God and claiming to be a “Savior” of many. 🤮🙄 And just like on the show, my heroes finally concluded that living under Negan’s tyranny was not truly living at all. Better off dead anyways, so you may as well go for it. Rebel and defy the self appointed guru cult of personality. Let them think and say whatever they want. Just tell them to spell my name right when they get to gossiping about it. Lol. Wankers. They have no real power. Just their own wagging tongues. (Pardon my French but some days over here I could and do easily cuss like a sailor lol). It’s not normal tho. If a man builds some empire, he should INVITE his kids to join in rather than forcing them to take it on like some ball and chain curse of misery. Although granted this last time I pretty much was conned and tricked into it. My bad, but live and learn and even so, it still doesn’t make him any less of a deceiver and a jerk. And plus I was stuck between a rock and a hard place anyways. And he engineered it that way so I wouldn’t have much of a real choice anyways BUT to “accept his offer.” And I think he only resorted to using honey this time instead of vinegar Bcuz he knew that his straight up coercive and bullying tactics would no longer work on me. I had long since put a stop to that nonsense and he knew it. So idk. For the record I guess if nothing else. It seems almost unbelievable but even at the very end Laban chases them and demanded explanations and was angry and aggressive and accusatory. And there Laban still was touting his own deluded self righteousness in some grand display of fake nobleness. You just wonder how these folks got so far gone tho. SMDH. And Bcuz the only ways to get out is either ninja with leverage or brute force fighting tooth and nail Bcuz they NEVER want to let go of controlling you. An in any case you’re going to just have to cut your losses at some point. Some cases they don’t even get to live so I feel rather lucky that my very life isn’t threatened. But it still sucks to have my enjoyment of life under siege. But to my credit (and maybe to God’s credit for the inspiration) I made him a counter offer he could not refuse. Lol. So right now he is “happy” and maybe I can just sneak on out the back door soon and just leave him to his own folly. Lol. It does rather seem to be playing out like the whole Laban/Jacob spotted cow scenario, so I still have some real hope that my life will get better than this and hopefully not too long from now. Bcuz only God knows how to con the con when you’re used to always being the conned one. lol. And I guess the best way to appeal to a narcissist is many times to just make sure they think something great is in it for them. Bcuz that’s all they care about anyways. Don’t love it (having to be coy and sneaky etc) but if it equates to my get out of jail free card then I’m down for it. Lol. Besides I’m not “cheating” him in the least. I’m just removing his improper control over my life which he had no right to in the first place. And in today’s world, nobody is getting very far anyways without a little money in their pockets. I guess most folks aren’t in this bad of a kind of entrapment situation, but it might not be all that far from being ensnared into living a lie for whatever other reasons. So maybe whoever runs across it (or has the patience to read my long winded comments lol) could also benefit. The whole struggle for everyone is to be free. To not remain a slave to anyone or anything. Whether that is temptations or debt or abuse or anything else under the Sun.
