My Home Is Resembling Noah’s Ark!

I just moved to New Jersey. Actually, my husband and I had been splitting our time between two residences for years, one in Manhattan, and one in NJ. Due some recent changes in our lives, and with the intention of being able to save more money, we recently decided to let go of the city apartment. So, as of the end of June we are now living full-time in NJ.

As I’ve been unpacking and combining the two households, it’s been feeling a bit like Noah’s ark….with ‘two’ of many things: two irons, two jars of nutmeg, two vacuum cleaners, two water filters, a total of 23 pairs of athletic socks, and more kitchen towels than I can shake a stick at.

As I describe this experience to friends, some have suggested holding a yard sale to unload the duplicate items. My personal preference is to simply donate the items we have no need for, but I’m finding that there is something deeper going on for me within this experience, underneath all of the ’stuff.’

This process is bringing up the whole notion of abundance and ‘enoughness.’ I’ve been thinking about something I heard years ago from Joan Sotkin of Prosperity Place. She was talking about abundance and shared a tip that she suggests to her clients if they are struggling to feel abundance and ‘enoughness’ in their lives. She asks us to examine and explore for any areas where we feel this, offering: “For example, do you have enough underwear? Is this a place that feels abundant for you?” [This popped into my mind as I was organizing the 23 pairs of workout socks that now reside in my dresser drawer!]

There is such power in acknowledging and appreciating all that we currently have and are, in the here and now. One concept, borrowed from the Law of Attraction tribe, I subscribe to is “What you appreciate, appreciates.” And getting in touch, in such a literal and tactile way, with all my good fortune has been reminding me of this.

As is so often the case with a move like this, there is an inherent decision making process that happens regarding what to keep and what to get rid of. So by its very nature, decluttering ensues. “Stuff” is always cycling in and out of our lives, and I aim to declutter on a somewhat regular basis. It’s not uncommon for me to ‘declutter’ things that I bought and wound up never using or not liking for some reason. I like to keep this top of mind during any post-decluttering shopping in an attempt to make more conscious purchasing decisions moving forward. I find April Benson’s Six Questions helpful here as well.

Even with this decluttering, the house feels very ‘full’ of not only of ‘things,’ but of love, warmth, laughter, and the ’space of potentiality’ in my new home office, a.k.a. “Financially Smitten HQ.” We are ‘good to go’ for quite a while in a lot of areas [I think we have enough nutmeg to last for the rest of our lives!] and this feels like a comfy place to settle into. Hello New Jersey!

Financially Smitten Call to Action for YOU today:

Bring the concept of ‘enoughness’ into your consciousness this week and make note of the areas in YOUR life where you feel abundance. Use it as an opportunity to cultivate a deeper appreciation and gratitude for all of your blessings.

Schedule some time this week–even if it’s just 15 minutes–for some decluttering. It feels SO cathartic! We all accumulate stuff that winds up–unused–in the corner of the basement, the back of the closet, or under the bathroom sink. Perhaps you might even go through your sock drawer! Share the wealth by giving away or donating these items. Or if you feel inspired, resell them online or organize a yard sale.