How do you balance minimalism with birthdays and a case of the "I-want-that!'s"?

[mykdsmomy]

I first have to preface this with a big I'm really sorry for posting so many stinkin threads but I'm going through a life transformation right now and appreciate all the input from the great minds here :blush::leaving:

 

 

Ok, that said....can you help me once again with my quest for minimalism? My birthday is Tues and Valentines day is tomorrow :D. Typically, my sweet DH will send me on a "shopping spree" (This consists of me spending between $50-$100 (for both holidays combined) on clothes/shoes/household stuff whatever I want).

In past years I've gone and gotten my nails done, skimmed through the clearance racks at Kmart or Target and bought a new pair of shoes or something.

I always have a list a mile long of things I want to get for the house (in the name of organizing/simplifying/beautifying). This year is no different EXCEPT, I have no desire to get my nails done (no chemicals, please), I don't want to spend full price for clothes when we have a rockin thrift store not too far from us where I can find super cute things for super cheap. The two things I'd like right now is a new purse (I'd like a big soft brown leather purse that will last a long time) and an epilator (I'm sick of spending tons of money on disposable razors and I've researched epilators for a while but they do seem pricey and I'm not sure if they'll work for my cactus legs!)

However, my primary focus right now is getting our house in working, functioning order once and for all!! We are in the process of being re-certified as foster parents. Last time we were certified, I was ALWAYS stressed because of our house. I worried that it smelled bad or was too cluttered or not cleaned up enough (social workers pop over at inconvenient times :glare: ). So this is a big push for me right now.

 

We have a puppy who has decided that our hallway is her potty area (don't get me started). We are working with her but in the mean time I'm thinking of buying a couple of plastic runners to put in the hallway to both deter her from peeing there and also protect the carpet! I wish we could rip it up and put down some linoleum tiles but we have concrete underneath and it would need to be primed/etc before we could even lay it down. (that all costs $$$$$)

 

I realize now I'm rambling but this is how my brain works (as you can see). I have a gazillion and one ideas and things I'd love to get so it's hard to focus on just one or two things when everything is so expensive or time consuming. Here is my list of things I'd like to get (can't get all or most but maybe can do one or two things)

 

 

• over the toilet stand to house our bath and handtowels
  
• pantry cabinet for kitchen (we have no space..but maybe I just need to really pare down in there to make space for basic stuff?)
  
• purse
  
• apron (this is so non essential but I really want one of those cute retro dress looking aprons)
  
• hallway vinyl runners
  
• supplies to start square foot gardening (this is unrealistic but such a dream of mine)
  
• rug sets for both bathrooms
  
• paint for kitchen
  
• paint for boys room
  
• paint for dd11's room
  
• flooring to finish our living room (we ran out of laminate and have a few feet left of unfinished floor that I've covered with two area rugs :( )
  
• Steam mop (would love to minimize the chemicals we use)
  
• new set of flatware (we have a hodge podge of flatware and only two spoons!)
  
• curtains for boys room (currently using spongebob sheets turned curtains)
  

 

Ok, I'll stop there. So how do you choose which to buy? How do you decide what is minimal and what is frivolous? Any ideas/suggestions/input is always welcome! (and just a thank you for anyone who has read through this post ;) ) :bigear:

[AK_Mom4]

DH does this to me too - my birthday is right before Christmas.

Here is my mantra:

One thing for me.....one thing for the house.

One thing for me.....one thing for the house.

 

So, for me, I'd buy either the purse or the apron. For the house, I'd get either the plastic runners or the flatware. Probably the runners since carpet is so expensive if I could only get one, but I'd try to shop around for the flatware on sale too :)

[Night Elf]

I'd start with a special present for you. You deserve it. Choose one thing that would make you feel happy.

 

Next, I'd write out each room on a piece of paper and then write the 'wants' under the room name. This will help you sort out which room needs the most attention. Then, I'd decide on what will help organize your stuff and make the room look nicer. The stand in the bathroom for towels and whatnot is a great example. If your bathroom looks cluttered, you feel that clutter everytimg you walk in. The Spongebob curtains would be a last priority because at least they are functional. However, if they are making the room feel icky, perhaps you could address that with simple, cheap curtains.

 

I don't know how you are addressing the dog's potty problem but if it's getting into your carpet, it can indeed cause an unpleasant odor that other people will notice when they walk in. You need to neutralize the smell in the carpet because I think a dog goes back to the same area since he/she has "defined" it as his/her elimination area. When we were housetraining our dog, we kept him in our sight at all times and took him outside frequently. It was a pain in the neck, but entirely necessary. Beware rugs on the bathroom floors. That was the prime choice for an elimination area for my other dog. After months of a bare floor, I tried a new rug. Within the first few days it was down, she was using it again for the same purpose.

 

A fresh coat of paint brightens a room, that's for sure. But I would consider it to be a luxury unless the walls are all marred and dingy. Magic erasers work wonders on black marks on the walls and floors.

 

I'll be watching this thread. I bet you get some great ideas!

[Crimson Wife]

I got a Shark steam mop for my birthday last month from my folks and love it! They did kind of roll their eyes a bit and asked didn't I want something a bit more fun. But I told them that speeding up my household chores (most of our main living area has hardwood flooring and it's a HUGE pain to clean) would leave me more leisure time to do fun stuff ;)

[hooahwife]

DH does this to me too - my birthday is right before Christmas.

Here is my mantra:

One thing for me.....one thing for the house.

One thing for me.....one thing for the house.

 

So, for me, I'd buy either the purse or the apron. For the house, I'd get either the plastic runners or the flatware. Probably the runners since carpet is so expensive if I could only get one, but I'd try to shop around for the flatware on sale too :)

 

I like this idea. Since you have two special days, you should get two things for you and two things for the house. For the house I'd go for the runners and the silverware. It must be very annoying to have only two spoons!

[mykdsmomy]

DH does this to me too - my birthday is right before Christmas.

Here is my mantra:

One thing for me.....one thing for the house.

One thing for me.....one thing for the house.

 

So, for me, I'd buy either the purse or the apron. For the house, I'd get either the plastic runners or the flatware. Probably the runners since carpet is so expensive if I could only get one, but I'd try to shop around for the flatware on sale too :)

 

Oh what to choose, what to choose...lol I'll have to shop around a bit and see what I can find. I think the purse will be expensive but maybe TJ Maxx will have one for less than $20 :) I love your mantra!!

 

I'd start with a special present for you. You deserve it. Choose one thing that would make you feel happy.

 

Next, I'd write out each room on a piece of paper and then write the 'wants' under the room name. This will help you sort out which room needs the most attention. Then, I'd decide on what will help organize your stuff and make the room look nicer. The stand in the bathroom for towels and whatnot is a great example. If your bathroom looks cluttered, you feel that clutter everytimg you walk in. The Spongebob curtains would be a last priority because at least they are functional. However, if they are making the room feel icky, perhaps you could address that with simple, cheap curtains.

 

I don't know how you are addressing the dog's potty problem but if it's getting into your carpet, it can indeed cause an unpleasant odor that other people will notice when they walk in. You need to neutralize the smell in the carpet because I think a dog goes back to the same area since he/she has "defined" it as his/her elimination area. When we were housetraining our dog, we kept him in our sight at all times and took him outside frequently. It was a pain in the neck, but entirely necessary. Beware rugs on the bathroom floors. That was the prime choice for an elimination area for my other dog. After months of a bare floor, I tried a new rug. Within the first few days it was down, she was using it again for the same purpose.

 

A fresh coat of paint brightens a room, that's for sure. But I would consider it to be a luxury unless the walls are all marred and dingy. Magic erasers work wonders on black marks on the walls and floors.

 

I'll be watching this thread. I bet you get some great ideas!

 

I love these ideas (especially the list idea!) I'm finding I do better with lists. It helps keep me focused.

 

I got a Shark steam mop for my birthday last month from my folks and love it! They did kind of roll their eyes a bit and asked didn't I want something a bit more fun. But I told them that speeding up my household chores (most of our main living area has hardwood flooring and it's a HUGE pain to clean) would leave me more leisure time to do fun stuff ;)

 

Did you get the kind with attachments to use in your bathroom, etc? :001_smile:

 

 

I like this idea. Since you have two special days, you should get two things for you and two things for the house. For the house I'd go for the runners and the silverware. It must be very annoying to have only two spoons!

 

Oh yes, the spoon thing is really annoying. We wound up with a surplus of forks but they are super cheap and not very durable. I would like a nice set that will last us a long time. :)

 

Thank you all for the great suggestions!!!