Creating Simplicity in Your Home -- Marriage Edition!

Good morning friends! I am so grateful to have you alongside us in our family's journey. Today I have a special post for you from one of my blogging friends, Rachel! She is sharing insights with us about how to create simplicity in your home as you come together in marriage. I tend to get cluttered so this is a post that inspires me to continue to make efforts to clean up my life cobwebs and place value on the simple!

Take it away Rachel --

Hello, friends! I'm Rachel...believer, wife, dog mom, lover of crisp sheets and hot cups of coffee, and proud chapstick-tube finisher.
I'm über grateful that Andrea opened up her space to me today! Seriously. Guest posts are a blogger's love language. *insert heart eyes emoji*

I want to start a conversation about simplicity, specifically when it comes to marriage.

I want to show you why I think simplicity in marriage is important and how to do it. My husband Hans (like from Frozen, except he's nice) and I have been married about a year and a half, so we don't have it all figured out. Does anyone?! But here are some insights that have helped us create a more meaningful, intentional, simple life together.

A simple life, to us, looks like guarding our calendars against busyness and excess activities. We commit to what is necessary and the places God has called us, but we say no to a lot of "good" things. They aren't the best things.

We share a closet and a dresser, because we'd rather have fewer well-made, functional items than hoards of cheaply made things.

We carefully but ruthlessly evaluated every single item within our home, making sure that each thing we decided to give space to was truly earning it's keep.

Our lack of excess means that our home is nearly always tidy, because there's just not that much stuff to get messy.

We have time to help others paint, move, or babysit because our schedule allows for margin.

Simplicity means that we can give away more of our income, because we don't buy what we don't need.

This simple living means that we have more time and less distractions. More money (not much more...I mean, we're newlyweds) and less clutter.

Mmkay, you may be thinking, that's all sunshine and daisies for you, Rachel, but you don't know MY life.

No, I don't.

I don't claim to have this figured out, neither do I claim that it works for everyone or that it's somehow made Hans and I better or perfect. It hasn't. We're not. What I will tell you is this: we believe Jesus has asked us to live simply so that we may live intentionally, and He might be asking you to do the same thing.

He's got a jealous heart, y'all.

He hates anything that takes our time and affection away from Him. Whether it's a PTO meeting or an overflowing closet, Let Him help you clear the clutter in order for your relationship with Him (and your marriage) to flourish.

Can I give you some practical steps on creating simplicity after marriage?

1. Talk about it. If one of y'all is super gung-ho about simplicity and you start trying to force it on your spouse, expect things to go...poorly. Discuss it together. Both the "why" and the "how" of what simplicity will look like for your marriage.

2. Trim the fat on your Schedule. You know, the things that are excess and maybe even good, but not best. The things that are not necessary. Gracefully let go of and say "no" to scheduling commitments. Not every dinner invitation or church event is require attendance. Your schedule will be healthier for it in the long run.

3. Share. Sometimes forced limitations really help us evaluate what is most important. Try sharing a closet, a dresser, or even a car (we do all three!) and the restriction will kickstart not only your conversation about simplicity, but your ability to carry it out as well.

4. Let go of the old. There is a definitive before and a definitive after when it comes to marriage. Where there used to be two, there is now one. Let go of some of the old things that defined that previous stage of your life...the cheap plastic bachelor-pad mixing bowls, the shabby chic duvet, maybe even photos of old flames. Let it go and...

5. Embrace the new! Hans and I had very different decorating styles when we bought our first house together. Like Caroline Joy Rector said in this home tour, "Embrace the messy mash-up at first – it’s like a fun little rite of passage. We’ve all been there." Over the past year and a half, we've let go of much of our own style ideas and embraced new ones together. Our home feels entirely us now, not just half Hans and half Rachel. Simply us. I could probably talk about simplicity all day long! If you want to continue the conversation, join me on my blog, Twitter, or Instagram. You can also find an entire series I did about simplicity right here.

 

Comment below, because we'd love to know::

How do these principles of simplicity apply in your life?

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5 Budget Tips for Paleo Living

I am so thrilled to introduce you to a wonderful gal -- Julie from Homegrown State of Mind! You may remember my first guest post -- Raising a Gluten-Free Toddler -- that was on Julie's lovely blog! Be sure to check her out! AND in 1 week you will see us collaborating for a special GIVEAWAY - so be sure to subscribe and stay tuned. ...and NOW it's time for Julie to share some great tips and tricks from her dietary lifestyle! I hope you enjoy :) 

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Hi! I'm Julie! I blog over at Homegrown State of Mind. I'm so honored to be guest posting for Andrea! Today I'm going to be talking about some budget tips for living the Paleo lifestyle. But first things first, what is Paleo?

What is Paleo?

The Paleo diet has grown in popularity over the years and is quite a buzzword in the health world. But what is it exactly and why are so many people deciding to "go Paleo"? Well, the Paleo, short for Paleolithic, diet is based on foods that mimic the food groups of our hunter-gatherer, pre-agricultural ancestors. Think about what our ancestors ate - way before we packaged everything in plastic wrappers and had drive-thru fast food. They ate REAL FOOD. Food that came from the land and animals - and those animals weren't pumped full of synthetic hormones and antibiotics; they were "organic," so to speak.

So, what kinds of foods are considered REAL FOOD? Vegetables. Fruits. Meats/fish. Nuts/seeds. Now, that may seem like limited options, but let me tell you, I've eaten MORE food while sticking to a Paleo lifestyle than any other diet I've tried. When I first went Paleo, I found the below list to be helpful in explaining what is accepted as Paleo.

{Source: Balanced Bites}

Now, if you'll notice, on that list there are some asterisks marked on some vegetables and fruits. That means those are the produce items you should be buying organic. When thinking about grocery shopping, organic can mean $$, and so can all those fresh meats, and I think this is where some people may shy away from Paleo because of the cost involved. But there's a kicker.

Why Should I Try Paleo?

I'm not going to sugarcoat it for you - yes, adhering to the Paleo lifestyle is expensive, and probably more expensive than your current food lifestyle. But what is your health worth to you? Let's ponder this for a moment. Would you rather buy cheap, highly processed foods, pay doctor bills, and feel sluggish all the time? Or would you rather buy Paleo-approved foods, feel energetic and not have to see your doctor very often?

{Source: Primal Palate}

I decided to try Paleo about a year and half ago, purely for the health benefits. And it was the best decision I've ever made. My body was crying for help on the inside with the foods I used to eat - breads, cheese, processed foods - and it was starting to show on the outside with a little weight gain, bloating, no energy, no motivation. Now, I actually feel good after I eat and feel energetic all day. I actually ate MORE and initially lost 12 pounds and have maintained that for a year and half without trying. I'm human, so I don't stay 100% Paleo all day, every day. I have treats occasionally, but at least stick to gluten-free options. Budget was a concern at first, but my health benefits outweighed everything else, so the added expense is justified for me.

5 Budget Tips for Paleo Living

There are some things you can do to stay on a budget while sticking to Paleo, however. You just have to be a smart shopper. Here are 5 tips.

1. Buy Local and Eat Seasonally - More and more farmer's markets are popping up everywhere, and you should be utilizing them and your local health food store. If you can afford it, buy fresh, in-season veggies and fruits in bulk. It may be more expensive upfront, but cheaper in the long run. Find a local farmer?s market here. If you shop at Walmart, Kroger, or any other chain grocery store, look for signs that say the produce is grown locally. Sometimes these are cheaper. Also, check out local butcher shops and health food stores for bulk meats. Be sure to look for "grass-fed" or "free-range" items. Note: I don?t always buy organic. EEK! Sometimes it?s just not economical for me. I use my best judgement and think, "Will I be eating the skin of this veggie/fruit?" If so, I'll try to buy organic. If not, I?ll opt for a cheaper option. Here's an excellent guide on the most important foods to buy organic.


2. Cook in Bulk  - When going Paleo, it's a bit impractical to eat out all the time, as you never know what could have some ingredients in it that aren't Paleo-approved, and it's expensive. So, simply cooking all of your meals at home is the way to go. On Sundays, I cook for the upcoming week. I love using my crockpot for Paleo chili or Ratatouille (even in the summer!), or making a big stir-fry. I sometimes make egg muffins for breakfast or some Paleo pancakes.


3. Coupons - Yes, some brands of Paleo-approved items have coupons! Google is your friend here. I like Laura's Lean brand for some of my meats, and they have coupons on their website. Silk brand of almond milk and coconut milk often go on sale, too. Muir Glen, an organic brand of sauces, salsas and canned tomatoes (the only canned product I buy), also has coupons/sales. Some brands of coconut oil offer sales, as well, like Tropical Traditions. Online vitamin/health food stores offer discounts and coupons, like Vitacost, iHerb and even Amazon.  


4. Make You Own - This goes along with cooking at home, but you can also make your own almond butter/nut butter, fermented vegetables, kombucha, etc. Where I live, the Paleo-approved almond butter is $15 a jar! Ouch! I'm NOT paying for that. So I make my own with raw almonds. Tutorial here. I also ferment my own vegetables (helps your veggies last longer and is cheaper in the long run), and brew my own kombucha (fermented tea).


5. Don't Stress - Paleo is more of a lifestyle than diet, really. So don't feel overwhelmed when grocery shopping. Buy what you can afford and go from there. Have Paleo friends? Or friends who want to try it too? Go in together, buy in bulk and share the cost. Like I said, Paleo is a lifestyle, and you'll learn as you go. :-)

Here are some excellent resources for more information about the Paleo diet and Paleo recipes: The Paleo Diet, Balanced Bites, Primal Palate, Paleo Schmaleo, and Paleomg.

Thanks for reading! 

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