Usually I write in once a month with ideas on everyday economy: how to do more with less. But May got away from me, and now I am trying to get my life back on schedule!

 There is a house that just went up for sale on our street. It’s a great house that has served well the family that lives there. It has room for five kids, a dog, and a mom and a dad, plus enough room in the driveway to park a 35-foot-long camping trailer. It has a fresh coat of paint on the outside trim, new carpet in the family room, and fresh landscaping to give it some curb appeal. The built-in bookcases have been 90% emptied to give them “a spacious look.” The back fence is under repair, as are the rain gutters. In short, the house has had a mini makeover.

 Numerous bags of outgrown clothing and boxes of toys came out of the house, destined for drop-off at a charity storefront. The kitchen cupboards were cleaned out, and food donated to a local food pantry.  The pretty “dust-catchers” in the corner, given to the family by a long-forgotten relative, were passed along to bless another person or family. In short, the family embarked on a process of downsizing and decluttering.

 I wouldn’t endorse the idea of moving just to accomplish this massive cleaning effort, but I do see the value in carefully examining what my family does and does not need, and purging the possessions that are only taking up space and gathering dust.

 For you see, it’s my house that is up for sale, and it’s my family that will be moving if…WHEN…God brings a buyer for our house. Job restructuring with my husband’s employer has meant that he now has an unreal commute, and we are moving “to the big city” to regain a quality of family life that has been missing since the change occurred.

 It has been a bittersweet journey putting the house on the market—and a tremendous amount of work! But regardless of what the future holds, the process of cleaning, decluttering, purging, and giving away unnecessary things has been a freeing experience. I’m secure in the knowledge that the things that no longer are a blessing to me will bless someone else. In and of itself, that’s a mark of everyday economy.

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www.thestoryofyou.cceasy.com