So I finally thought, Duh–I should just make my own.

I found a couple of soft, holey shirts and promptly cut them up for hankies. They’re not the prettiest things in the world, but hopefully they’ll do the job!

–Deep clean the house. Do a thorough cleaning, as well as wash the shower curtain, clean out the “pantry” (my lazy susan cabinet), etc.

–Clean up the sunporch. It’s been used a dumping ground while we worked on the wiring and is a total mess. Now that the weather is nice and we are almost finished with that project, it’s time to clean up the area so we can start enjoying it.

–Continue cleaning out books I don’t read anymore. I’ve been doing this bit by bit over the past week; I found a used bookstore where I can drop these off for credit.

–Maybe clean out my wardrobe and jewelry a bit more. Some of the cold-weather items I thrifted to help me get through this exceptionally cold winter don’t fit anymore and need to be gathered up and dropped off at the thrift store.

Next week I hope to help Jason do some taping and floating so I can start painting the walls and trim. I also want to work on that nursery closet some more and clean up the spare room where Jason works on his music. That room’s been our tool headquarters and it’s also a disaster.

I hope spring has really sprung.

What I have been missing these past couple of weeks is hearty, nourishing food. At first, I had no appetite for much of anything and just ate some small meals to sustain myself and drank lots of water. Last weekend, I was too sick to cook anything and Jason was too busy with wiring, so he got some yummy take-out for us whenever he had to go out for project supplies. But this week I knew I needed to start eating real, healthy food again if I wanted to get my energy back.

So I’ve been heading into the kitchen late in the afternoon so I can take plenty of time and not wear myself out (it’s amazing how tiring just coughing can be). One night I fixed black bean and chicken quesadillas with Spanish rice. Then I cooked up some spinach rice casserole, and Jason fixed an organic ribeye he had discovered in the freezer–still no idea how I could’ve lost track of something like that! Tonight I’m planning on heading in there really early to cook up some scalloped potatoes and creamed corn. After meager meals and take-out, real, homemade food tastes so good.

But now when I am in need of a few pieces of furniture for the nursery, it’s a desert out there! Thankfully I still have all spring to browse the thrift stores, but usually I can find something close to what I am searching for within a few weeks. The longest search so far has been for a modern media console, and I finally found one a few months later for $50 on craigslist (sure beats the $300+ places like West Elm and CB2 want for theirs). Maybe some people will start spring cleaning soon and hauling all their junk to the thrift stores so I can scoop some pieces up and give them makeovers like these…

Work Less, Live More–I wasn’t so crazy about this book. It seemed to be mostly numbers and got a little tedious for someone like me who is more idea-based. Though it did espouse frugality, it also echoed the idea that you need to have xx amount of dollars to retire and still live a comfortable lifestyle. For an early retirement/downshifting book, I much prefer Your Money Or Your Life.

Simple Prosperity–Loved this book. It is by one of the co-authors of Affluenza and presents so many practical ideas and solutions for creating a simpler, more sustainable lifestyle and economy.

How to Survive Without a Salary–I had actually been wanting to read this book for a long time, and I’m glad I finally did. The most compelling idea in this book that really stuck with me is how quickly we jump straight to the idea of buying a product as the solution to whatever dilemma we are facing. For example, I was thisclose to running out to Target last week to buy a small storage ottoman for some extra office supplies. But a product isn’t actually what I need–I need to store some supplies. I need to learn to recognize the actual need rather than jumping straight to the product that is marketed for that need. I may end up buying that ottoman, but–if I take the time to brainstorm about the actual dilemma–I may think of something even better and less costly.

As I’ve been simplifying many areas of my life, I noticed one aspect of my wardrobe that hadn’t changed. I didn’t feel it really reflected who I was trying to become, and I spent a lot of time pondering if it was time to let it go. I decided it was. So, this past weekend, we sold my engagement ring through craigslist.

Why did I feel it was time to let go of my ring?

1. Neither of us ever believed a piece of jewelry was some sort of tangible evidence of our love and marriage. It was a just a traditional ring I picked out myself because it was beautiful and we were getting married. I loved it all the years I wore it.

2. While my engagement ring was far from an idol, I do believe I had far too much vanity vested in such a little thing. I wouldn’t say it was something I thought impressed others (it wasn’t a honker or anything!) but I think I was a little too attached to the prettiness of it. It was freeing to break the material link.

3. Having been bought at chain jewelry store, my ring was probably a conflict diamond, and I was always pretty uncomfortable about that. The more we explore and expound upon our values, the more I want my life to be aligned with them.

4. Wearing a simple band is a better reflection of the lifestyle shift we are slowly making. I wear very little jewelry, and letting go of this ring was just another step in that direction. I much prefer to throw a warm scarf around my neck if I want to accessorize.  

I sold the ring to an adorable girl living in a nearby town. I hope she loves it and gets a lot of wear out of it–I sure did.

(And, for the record, I’m not telling anyone they should go and dump their jewelry! This is just what is working for me at this time in my life.)

See how Juniper James put together an adorable thrifted outfit for less than $18.

Over at Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op, Notes From the Frugal Trenches posted about a subject very dear to my heart (and pocketbook): reading addiction. See all the ways she reads and buys books while still living a very frugal lifestyle. One of my favorite posts in the last few weeks.

Matt and Sara have their new blog up and running…yay! Check out their life on the road with 2 beautiful girls in one stylin’ RV.

Congrats to the giveaway’s winner…#6, Joleen!

Then we moved here and lived in a 900 sq ft house for 3 years. For those of you who live in 450 sq ft studio apartments, that kind of space might sound huge. But compared to so many of our friends and family members who live in 2000 sq ft homes and above, we lived in a cracker box. When we decided to purchase our own home, we knew we didn’t want anything nearly that big, but I was really craving a bit more space. We decided something around 1500 sq ft wouldn’t be too crazy for us to buy. As it turned out, the home we ended up purchasing is just over 1500 sq ft.

And it is too big for us. After a few months of living here, I miss a smaller space so much. This house feels too spread out, and we’ve only used the living room a handful of times. Even with a baby on the way, we are going to have lots of extra living space.

I am really surprised by this realization. I grew up in a 1600 sq ft rancher, and I always thought it was the perfect size. But what I have come to realize is it is not the size of the house that matters the most to me but its efficiency. I realized I chafed at the small laundry room in our last home not because it was small, but because it had a terribly inefficient layout. What I thought I wanted was a little bit of extra room; what I have come to understand is that efficiency in a small space is truly what calls to me.

So we are discussing options for the future, including some ideas I never thought I’d even consider. We had looked at Tumbleweed homes in the past, but I don’t know if that’s an option we’ll put on the table this time. All we are sure of at the moment is we thought we were moving up and gaining a bit of space and freedom, but living small is where our true freedom lies.

And don’t forget you have until midnight tonight to enter the giveaway!

If you’d like to win, just leave a comment on this post by Thursday 2/25 at midnight. I’ll announce a winner on Friday. Good luck!