I LOVE your blog! I have been reading it every few days and just now caught up. EVERYTHING you are saying is so true and it is really helping to keep me in check with a lot of things. I swear, we must be long lost sisters...I could have written your blog myself, right down to Dh's comments on salad dressing and pickles!

I am proud to say that I too am coming to the same realizations that you are about simplifying in general. I would like to report that the last TWO times there were triple coupons at Harris Teeter, I did NOT buy any pickles!!! This is a big step for me...
I also only made two trips each weekend. One for our house and for things we would use and the other purely for items to donate to the church food pantry. Not once was I tempted to keep any of the 15 boxes of bisquick, 9 bags of cookie mix, or frosting I bought for the church. I have been living off my stockpile for months now and it is actually getting down to a reasonable level. I do have certain items I will still send DH for if they are free or close to it. Laundry soap...I never have a large surplus of that around, Shout laundry pretreater (I get this for free every few months with coupons combined with bogo sales and in the interim I use Sun laundry detergent as a refill), and certail other cleaning supplies and paper products.

I am also about to re-inventory dd's clothing stash of larger sizes and avoid the siren song of yard sale deals for her. I am actually pretty good about keeping her clothing down to a managable level if I keep her inventory sheet updated and know what I have on hand for next year.

Finally, I want to add that I am REALLY enjoying my simple, clutter free house and life. I got a phone call last night from a friend that was on his way over with a tupperware I had sent home with him for his mother when I made soup a few days ago. He basically said I will be there in a few minutes to bring your container back. I had been baking bread all day and dd had been playing on her own so I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get the house in presentable order in "just a few minutes". Toys were put away, pillows and throw blanket put back on couch, chairs pushed into dining room table, books put back in dd's room, and her pop out school bus that is kind of like a tent was folded up and put back behind the couch all in 5 minutes flat!

I couldn't believe it! It was SO wonderful not to have mountains of toys and other crap to hide in closets, under beds, etc. I mean...I have always been organized, but this is a whole new level of simplicity! I love it!

I agree with spoodler, I have really enjoyed your blog, very inspiring Thanks!

Thanks for your kind remarks- it is still a work in progress for me, but I am glad you are enjoying my blog. I've enjoyed reading the comments people have left for me. I still have a lot to work on, so stay tuned....

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I don't believe in miracles; I depend on them