Sarah B

As long as you are certain that enough is enough and you can create a budget and stick to it - you will be OK... but there are tips and tools out there to make the process a little more enjoyable. I started my own little 'cash envelope system' back 2 years ago when I first got engaged and needed to save money quickly.  I bought a load of cheap envelopes from WHSmith's, wrote the vendors for the wedding on the back and the total I needed to save and I then made sure I added to it every time I got paid. If a payment was due, I would focus on that envelope and once it had reached the targeted amount, I would sellotape it shut and write "DO NOT TOUCH" on the back.  That is all it took for me to stick to this process. If you are a visual, goal oriented person, I am sure you can relate. If it is written in black and white, I am more likely to obey the command! Once the wedding had come and gone (all paid off without further debt). I decided I wanted to cement the proces...

In order to start living more minimally, the one thing you absolutely need to do, without fail is reduce your consumption. Buy less STUFF. We have all grown up in a world where you feel obligated to 'hunt and gather' when you are outside of the home. When you are at meetings and workshops, who doesn't take the free pen or sales merchandise that is on offer? If it is something we can take and feel we now 'own' it gives us that immediate gratification we all crave. To become a 'minimalist' it does take a conscious effort to reduce the purchases you make and what you bring into your household, however uncomfortable it can be. My biggest tip for stopping a spontaneous purchase?? Ask yourself the following; Will this item bring me joy and serve me for years to come? Do I have a place for this item? Am I ready to take this into my custody, to manage the item and love it like I do with all of my other belongings? Sounds like vows, right? It is usually the last bull...