Vacation lesson

I recently read an article in the New York times on how traveling can teach us how to declutter. Living out of a suitcase can show you how easy it is to live with less. Then when you get home you can continue this mentality when you get home by decluttering. Several years ago I began posting on my blog my tiny house mentality (THM) list as if I lived in a tiny home such as the 10 books I could have, the 10 pots and pans, jewelry, etc. For those that don’t know, I have dream to someday live in a tiny home.

I’ve written in the past about limiting the clothes you wear, capsule collections and how to part with sentimental items. I believe that if we all had to spend two weeks living out of a carry-on then we would all own less and pare down what we have.

My daughter is starting college next month. I told her that she must be selective about the clothes she takes as she will have limited space. She made a face at me. Consumerism is second nature for most of us.

So what is my point? That we all need less and can live with less. And in the end this is better for the health of the planet.

65% of Americans have no idea what their financial picture looks like. “Most people don’t keep very good track of all their finances. While you may not know your credit score off the top of your head or have your bank account number memorized, the assumption is that you know what really counts: your everyday expenses.” — Mint Not only are we consumers, but we don’t really know how much we spend. No wonder according to one survey 77% of people worry about their finances.

An easy solution would be to spend less. A better solution is to monitor your financial accounts on regular basis and track your spending. This is something that I should be doing, but often forget to do. Some of you might say you don’t have the time. If a goal of yours is to own your residence, then you would make time so you can see you are on track to save the down payment, working on getting a better credit score and/or determining the areas to live in so you can approximate the cost of a place. Even if you don’t have a financial goal in mind, simply make a goal of understanding your finances better, tracking spending and/or creating monthly household budget. In my upcoming group coaching program, I will help participants determine a financial goal, break it down and learn the basic skills such as budgeting,expense tracking, etc. to reach their goal. More on the program to come.