Although I have been absent from the blogosphere, I feel like, although not intentionally thought through, I have began to simplify my life. This winter when hell literally froze over in the form of the polar vortex has really made me stir crazy.  And with that stircraziness has come the need to purge and clean and reorganize and declutter.

It will have been five years in our home as of next week. Which means that there are so many things that we have accumulated that can disappear and things that we have held on to that no longer need to be held.

In other news, my goals from the past few years must have worked. For over two years we have not used credit cards and now we are so close to our safety net goal. It feels good.  We are still not as financially secure as we should be, but at our age and with our economy and student loan debt, I feel better than I have in years.

One thing I have started is the 52 week savings challenge.  You are supposed to put money in a jar for the corresponding week of the year" $1 for week 1, $2 for week 2, etc... I modified it realizing that by the end, putting in $49, $50, $51 and $52 was a LOT.  So I switched it up and did every other: $1 week one, $52 week 2, $2 week 3, $51 week 4. I also have been throwing loose change and extra money into the jar.  I am excited to see what I end with come Dec. 31!