How complicated is your life? Do you have time to do the things you want to do? It’s easy to get caught up in all these things we believe we “have to do” without realizing that we actually don’t have to do any of them. I’ve totally over-simplified things here (obviously if we want to keep our house or put food on the table there are some things that have to be done). But if we forget about the essential functions of our lives for a moment, we can take a look at everything else.

Simplicity means not having responsibilities in your life that aren’t worth your attention. It’s about choosing to invest your time in things that actually improve your life. It is NOT about keeping up with the Jones’… which is- I think how many of us wind up taking on too much. Every choice you make about what you buy and what you commit to must be taken with the following consideration: will this add real value to my life, or not?

Too often, those extraneous things, nagging chores and responsibilities are things that we took on believing 100% that they would add value to our lives. In reality, they may be decreasing the value of your life. Take that fancy, awesome, kick-ass boat that seemed completely necessary for total life happiness. Now, it needs repairs, it needs to be hauled back and forth from the lake, and it takes up space (which may mean additional costs incurred to store it). Maybe your family is pretty busy, so for all that extra work and responsibility, you get to use that kick-ass boat only a few weekends a year. Is the boat adding value, or just taking up time and money?

It could be the house with enough bathrooms to handle a football team, an elaborate wine cellar, and a yard to die for. Suddenly you have to hire a housekeeper, a gardener, learn to love (and buy) great wine… and have you really actually used all those bathrooms? Is this big beautiful house worth what it costs to keep it, or was it something that at the time seemed to ensure absolute bliss in life?

Granted, for many people these examples don’t work. There’s probably someone out there who loves his boat spends all his available time on it, and can absolutely say that it brings him value, joy, and happiness. That’s awesome! Everyone should have that one thing. Problem is we’re in the habit of thinking we have to have everything! That everything will increase the value of our life… until it doesn’t and so we’re on to the next thing. If you’ve ever wondered how all of those storage unit complexes stay in business, this is how.

A personal example for me was my Jeep. I had owned one before, but it was a total lemon and I had to sell it so I could actually make it to work on time. I vowed that I would one day own a Jeep again and that it would be my hobby. My project. My happiness. So, six years later with a daily driver paid off and money in the bank, I went and bought my Jeep. She was beautiful! Everything I had ever dreamed of. Six months later, I still only had time to drive it twice a week (to work), was incurring additional costs each month for maintenance, insurance, and the small portion of it that I financed. I kept telling myself, “No! This is what is going to make me happy!” Well, I finally came to my senses and realized that the dream I had finally fulfilled actually took value from my life by inundating me with more work, more responsibility, and more costs. It turned out that my answer to happiness was costing me a lot, and was taking value from my life instead of what I had intended it to do.

So I sold it, and I don’t regret it. I’m not worrying about the additional money needed to support it, not wondering how I’m going to find time to use it, and not thinking about how it’s sitting in my garage “going to waste” because I don’t have time to use it. I took something that I truly believed would be value-adding to my life and got rid of it because it was doing exactly the opposite. And that is exactly what I’m telling you to do too.

Getting rid of a boat you don’t use, or a house that’s too big, not only means monetary savings that can be used for better things (things that actually add value), it allows you to have extra time and space in your life (both physically and mentally). The icing on this proverbial cake, is you also have less stress because it’s one less thing you have to think about. Now imagine if you could eliminate everything except the essentials? What if you could prune your life down to a tiny, efficient little machine that was so simple in form that it practically ran itself. Then what would you do with all that time, money, and brain space?

Simply put: the value of simplicity can be priceless. Simplicity means wealth… just a different kind.

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Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do with your kids when they’re off for the summer. If they’re home all week, they’re inevitably bored by the weekend. If you’re on a budget, options maybe limited. I have mastered the art of finding free things to do with my kids. I also find, as a bonus, when you do splurge on an outing, they actually appreciate it!

• Picnic at the Park. This one is a given. Find a part that suits your kids well (e.g. an awesome playground if they’re into that, or a wide open field for sports). Bring a fun lunch from home, a blanket and some balls and other toys. It’s sometimes better if you leave your own neighborhood and explore others to find a new and different park. I find my kids can be entertained for hours and our picnic lunch breaks up the activities and makes for a nice dynamic outing. I play with them, but also bring a good book to read which gives me some downtime as well.
• Movie Night. By making this a routine event at our house, every Friday night is something to look forward to. We make popcorn in an old fashioned kettle, flavor it with butter or whatever we want that night, and pick out a movie, either from our own collection or from our instant netflix account. Granted, if you don’t have your own stash of movies or instant netflix, you may have to splurge on a $1 redbox rental, but that’s a far cry from a $50 outing to the theater! What makes this so fun for my kids is that its time together… they really look forward to just being with their parents and chillin’ on the couch.
• Hiking. In Colorado, there is a million places to hike and all you have to do is drive. We plan a nice big loop hike every weekend, load the dog’s backpacks up with snacks and water and we set off on an adventure. Not only is it great fun while you’re there, but when you get home, they’re ready for some quiet time to rest and relax at home (this means nice quiet time for you!). If you don’t live somewhere with mountains to explore, find a beach, or an open space park. Often if you check your county or city websites, you’ll find links to their open space areas with information and maps.
• Give them a garden. It may sound silly, but giving your kids a garden of their own to tend to not only gets them outside in the fresh air, but it also gives them something to take pride in, take responsibility for, and put effort into. It can be a vegetable garden, or a flower garden; either way, I am always  amazed at how much interest they have in watching their garden grow.
• Go for a bike ride. Hop on your bikes and set off for something fun. Maybe that picnic in the park! Have a destination in mind, though. Maybe bring $5 with you and bike to the local convenience store for a Popsicle. Maybe bring your suits and bike to the river and splash around in the cool water for a bit. A destination is key to making it feel like a journey or adventure.
• Find free days at your local museums or zoos. This one is not something you can just get up and do, but most museums and zoos offer free days. Pay attention to their calendars and plan ahead to get your kids some educational and informative free fun.
• Plan a mini-party. Every once in a while, I plan a special dinner night at home for just the family. It always has a theme… could be a luau or an Italian pizzeria, but I get them excited about it by having them help with dinner, decorating the dining room or patio just right for the occasion, and we even get dressed up! After dinner, a simple dessert and a board game are always winners to finish up the night.
• Take them to the local street fair or Farmer’s Market. It may not always hold true, but I find at these types of free venues there’s almost always free stuff being handed out to kids. Sometimes its free food and drink samples, but other times its goodie bags, face painting or balloon animals. It’s great to get out, support your local community, and the kids love the atmosphere.

Keeping kids entertained during the summer can be tricky. Implement some of these things and throw in a couple putt-putt golf outings or swimming trips and you’ll not only keep your kids active and engaged, you’ll also save yourself a little bit of cash!

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Next time you’re sitting around wondering what you want out of life and why you’re not where you want to be, examine your values- the things you consider to be most important to you life- and ask yourself if they’re really yours.

• Do you dream of being a doctor because you want to be a doctor, or because it will give you the respect and admiration of the people you care about?

• Do you dream of being 10 pounds lighter because you want to be, or because you care about what people think?

• Do you want the expensive sports car because you truly dream of driving it, or because you will look cool?

• Does your job deserve all of your life energy because it is your most important value, or because you desire the approval that career success brings?

Once you sort through your values (the very things that drive our life choices), how many of them are real values, based on what you believe vs. values that you’ve been convinced should be important to you? I guarantee that many of the goals you struggle to achieve without success are because you don’t truly value them, someone else does.

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