Okay mamas, we all have that closet or that corner, or sometimes in my case, entire areas and rooms in the house we just avoid because it stresses us out. The toys, the clutter, the overwhelm of STUFF can really weigh us down in ways we maybe haven’t even thought of.
Today I’m talking to professional organizer and minimalist mama, Christine Teigan. Christine’s a mom of 3 girls and has been married for 20 years to her high school love. She’s a self-proclaimed obsessive organizer, a big fan of budgeting, lover of thrift shopping and all things inexpensive.
Christine says she struggled for years believing she was the only mom on earth who couldn’t get her stuff together. Sound familiar to anyone?
She talks about how she felt suffocated by her possessions and that she was miserable and couldn’t figure out why until she switched the way that she viewed the “stuff” that occupied her time. Her family literally sold 95% of what they owned and lived “tiny” for 7 months!
Now Christine helps other women declutter their homes and lives so that they can step abundantly into a simpler life.
I learned so much in this episode, and I know there will be something in it for you, too. And see below for the info about Christine’s free challenge group to help us all get a little closer to a more peaceful, clutter-free life.
How she started living a minimalist life, what triggered it, and what her husband came home to on the day she started purging!
What is “Minimalism?”
Christine says it’s important for all of us to create our own definition of this. It can be anything to us! For her, it means owning less of anything. It’s going into a cabinet our closet that stresses us out, and owning less STUFF.
What are the benefits of going Minimalist?
Owning less opens up a whole new world for us! It becomes easier to function every day when we’re not bombarded with so much stuff.
How did Christine get started?
Christine was a mom of two toddlers at the time and due to finances, money was really tight. She wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, but she also realized that when she did that, she was closed off to the rest of the world. She didn’t have the money or the energy to do a whole lot of things.
She started to look around her house and realized there was clutter everywhere. There were so many toys, and she felt like picking up toys was all she did. There was a heaviness and lack of energy she experienced every day. She felt like the walls were closing in on her.
Then a Bible verse came to her. She realized that her “mountain” was her stuff, her things, her possessions.
One day, Christine’s husband came home to their garage stacked almost to the ceiling with STUFF. She felt their house getting lighter and lighter, and she felt better and better.
From that moment on, Christine made a commitment to be a better mom, wife, believer, and she was going to take small steps every day in a positive direction, away from depression.
Since then, she’s incorporated meal planning, budgeting, chores, and how to incorporate nontoxic products in her home.
Tune in to hear more processes Christine put in place to help with her depression, and how she found her center in the new minimalist lifestyle!
So much of this episode hits me close to home, because with the exception of the occasional purge fest I have, maybe once or twice a year, I’m pretty attached to my stuff. I don’t like getting rid of many things because I always say, “what if I NEED this someday?”
Christine talks about how it’s not about purging your entire life or house for the sake of purging (the word “minimalism” makes her cringe a bit), but it’s about what gives you the most peace and what makes YOU happy. It’s your choice! Start with problem areas that don’t make you feel content.
What about gifts from family, accumulating stuff, and all. the. toys? Tune in to hear Christine’s strategy for these!
Christine has a quick and easy process she runs everything through that I think will help all of us when it comes to the things we have a hard time parting with:
3 TIPS TO GETTING STARTED WITH MINIMALISM
PARE DOWN FIRST
How many times have we organized something and it didn’t work because the stuff is still around? We have to get rid of stuff. Notice areas that stress you out, and pick one. It can even be a junk drawer or a space in your bathroom.
REMOVE EVERYTHING
First, pull everything out of the space. Then run it through the “Triple A:” ASSESS, ALIGN, ASSIGN:
Assess
Does it align with your wants in your space? Does it deserve a space in your closet, drawer, etc.?
Align
Does it align with your wants for your space? Does it deserve a place here? How does it make you feel?
Assign
Take action! You can either…
Keep it because it makes you happy and serves a purpose
Donate it
Toss it because it’s just junk
Organize – the most rewarding part!
Christine shares her favorite organizing tip that everyone can start using today! Tune in to hear it.
Who else just feels like they have some work to do around the house?
I love Christine’s real and positive approach. It’s about having less stuff, but keeping the things that truly make us happy!
Christine has a live Facebook Simplicity challenge, where she’s going to help us to get more organized and have more simplified days. CLICK HERE to join the challenge!
If you missed her live challenge, stay tuned on Christine’s website, athomewithchristine.com . She runs regular challenges, and ALWAYS has free tools to help us get our STUFF on track.
Where to connect with Christine
www.athomewithchristine.com
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