When less is more

I read this from a friend's blog today, about her decision to leave her full time out-of-the-house job and stay at home:

"Less days of working means more days of hanging out, just being. Less money to spend makes for more days at home, working together to make our world a better place.  It also means less crap in our lives, more room to breathe, more room to just live.  It seems to be in this state that we are happiest."

Less is more.  I love the connection she makes that less money means more room in our homes.  I feel like I'm in a constant battle to de-clutter this place.  I love the look and feel of an airy, open house and I'm always on a quest to send things out the door.

I'm getting much better.  I just purged my closet and parted with some items of clothing that I really loved but that are just too big now and never look right when I put them on.  I've stopped storing Dollar store purchases (party supplies, most notably) that I know I would probably use again for another event, but I just don't want to store for another six months.  Yes, that means I might have to buy it again, but that $10 is worth less to me than the breathable space around me.

I've been leafing through a Martha Stewart magazine on organizing.  So many awesome ideas.  I picked up a bench with storage to sit under my kitchen window.  It doubles as seating when we extend the table for company and tidies up the loose potatoes, breads, and clothes that were overflowing from under the microwave.  I purged more from the playroom (an ongoing battle) and I'm on the lookout for a big double bookshelf for more storage.  A couple of dresser drawers (anyone getting rid of any?) and some wheels will finally conquer the under-bed storage.  And one last end table for the living room will finally hide away the magazines and controllers.

When you're living in a tight space like we are, less is not just more, it is necessary.  I love our home, and I can go on for paragraphs on the merits of a small home, 3 boys in one bedroom, a main floor playroom, etc, but it forces me to keep on top of the mess, or we might never find our way out!