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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

I don’t think I’ve specifically talked about this before, but the Mister and I are taking active steps to simplify life.

Part of that is purely financial; we really want to get debt-free.

Part of it is that there is just too much stuff in our house. I want our home to be a peaceful environment, so that we can both relax when we get off work.

With that in mind, we’ve been working on going through the house and identifying what needs to go and what needs a new system of organization. It’s all about reducing clutter. Here are a few steps we’ve taken to reduce the stuff:

1. Taking a big box of DVDs to be sold to a secondhand store; those funds went straight into the emergency fund.
2. Sorting through piles of magazines and making a massive trip to the local recycling center.
3. Taking 15 minutes to pull un-loved and unworn clothes out of the dresser and closet; these have been donated.
4. Re-organizing my yarn stash in a see-thru drawer system rather than 20-gallon tubs. I estimate that about 20 plastic Hobby Lobby bags were discarded as part of this process.

But simplifying is a little more than the physical things. We’re also trying to make choices that make life easier and focusing on the things that really bring us joy:

Cooking at home and eating together.

When your dinner comes out of the oven looking drool worthy. #homemadeeats #eatlocal #eathealthy

A photo posted by Aubrey S (@highheeledlove) on Jul 5, 2015 at 6:14pm PDT

Growing our own food and spending time in the backyard.

Love having #coffee outside each morning. #backyardparadise #garden #lifeisgood

A photo posted by Aubrey S (@highheeledlove) on May 29, 2015 at 5:32am PDT

Playing with the pups.

Too sweet. #pets #dogsofinstagram #puppy #roscoegram #pitbull

A photo posted by Aubrey S (@highheeledlove) on Jul 5, 2015 at 8:10pm PDT

Spending time with people who want to see us happy

Love that @junrbarnes & @aerichards0617 stopped by on their way through Columbia, & we got to see sweet Emily. #uncledaveisthebest #auntielove #sweetbabyEm

A photo posted by Aubrey S (@highheeledlove) on Jul 4, 2015 at 4:54pm PDT

In light of this, I chose the song “Problem” by Ariana Grande for Musical Monday this week. She’s singing about a person creating problems, but to me it speaks to letting go of complications in life.

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