For many moms, day-to-day life can be overwhelming. From juggling work, family, and household responsibilities, it can seem like there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done. I was no exception to the overwhelm. As a mom of 4 young kids, I have often felt overwhelmed and stressed by the clutter and piles of unnecessary things. The journey to simplicity seems out of reach at times. To be honest, it wasn’t just the kid’s things, but mine and my husband’s accumulation of want over needs.
Over the last year, ( since we moved out of our trailer and into a house) I have noticed that my anxiety, stress, worry, and irritability have increased. After taking a hard look at the triggers, we realised more often than not it was because of all the mess, clutter, and the need to be picking up. This took my joy and precious time away when I would rather spend it on my family.
Somehow, I allowed myself to move away from a minimalistic lifestyle and back into a more stuff lifestyle. After we moved into a larger space, I was not longer forced to think about what we brought in. Instead, I had this false feeling that I needed to fill the space.
Shocking Clutter Statistics
I know I am not alone. After reading these 2023 shocking statistics focusing on clutter I knew I needed to wake up and DECLUTTER to bring back rest and peace to our home and lives.
It is amazing to think how so much stuff our culture has changed from our grandparents’ generation to ours. The quickly changing world of technology, business and retail as far as the eye can see has deeply impacted American homes both in size and the amount of stuff in them.
Life is definitely easier in some ways thanks to all the fancy modern conveniences, but unfortunately, our stuff and habits also makes life tougher.
According to NerdWallet, the average household credit card debt in America is around $18,000. Households also owe an average of almost $227,188 in mortgage debt. Further clutter statistics can be found online.
I think it is fair to say from the beginning of these statistics that we have a stuff problem.
My Desire for this blog is to highlight some of the struggles we face as homemakers in our homes and help resolve those issues through simple tips so you can create a more joyful home.
My Goals
My goal for my own life at home is to get back to simple joy. No, I don’t mean I want to live like pioneers, though parts of that I do admire and want to adopt, like their focus on being more self-sustainable and simple living.
Rather, I am trying to find ways to reduce the extra stuff of life in order to have more space to breathe, more room left to say yes to great things happening, and more freedom from all the junk that weighs me and my friends and family down.
My purpose and passion are to break free from the norm and be comfortable with being different. I don’t want to be part of those average American statistics. I want to be intentional with my belongings, clothes, schedule, and relationships.
I want to say no to being busy and to allow time for rest, for family, and for living. I want my life to reflect my values and my why, one thing which is the driving force behind my decision-making. If you want to read more about me, you can find that HERE.
If any of this story resonates with you, I invite you to join me on this journey toward creating a more joyful home.
Want to keep up to date on the newest Joyful Home tip and resources? Sign up below and also receive a FREE Decluttering Checklist: 6 Areas to Declutter in 10 minutes!
