DISQUS

Interest post. I am in the beginning stages of trying to figure out "What next?" I made a career change about 9 years ago and have had mixed success with it. My instinct says to it's time to make a change, the logic in me says "And what would you do?" I agree with others, the mistake would be to stay and be static. And as you have pointed out in your post. I am a very different person than I was 9 years ago. I can't see staying in my current field, don't want to go back to the field I left 9 years ago, and the biggest hurdle that I face is to figure out what I want to do and then go from there!

Good luck!

I have to admit, I like a certain amount of clutter around the house. The totally sparse look is just not me or my style. There does come a point when you have to say enough is enough. I recently put a bunch of books and DVDs on E-Bay and Half.com, partly for the money and partly because they were unused and just taking up space, they may as well go to someone who wants them! I have a hard time parting with books especially, I love to read and will re-read books over and over again. I don't need to keep the entire Janet Evanovich series at home, I can check them out from the library.

I live in a very small house (under 500 sf) with a bad floor plan and very limited storage space. I constantly juggle the do I really need it/want it/have room for it dilema. I recently donated a bunch of perfectly good bedding to a charity shop because I never used it and I needed the storage space.

I think some folks have gone to decluttering because they need the money-e-bay and craigs list is chock a block full of items.

I hear ya! I got fired from a job a couple years ago and it ended up being a blessing in disguise. It was a small family run firm and lets say one of the partners and I never saw eye to eye. He took great delight in my termination interview. I was upset for all of two hours, then realized it was a beautiful summer day, I could go for a walk, I could go for a swim and I had my first real summer vacation in years. I ended up in a better place. The only down side was I was in a bad fiscal place at the time,so it was a little rough, but mentally, leaving that old work environment was the best thing that could have happened to me. I ended up with a new job less than 10 days later with better pay, better benefits and much nicer people.

I have this feeling you will be OK, you have a plan, you have savings, you have contacts. Enjoy a few weeks with your family while you sort out your next steps! GOOD LUCK!

The Jets did win a super bowl in my lifetime (but I was very very young). I guess my question is "Will they win another?".

Great post about keeping on top of things. I just took my car in for a service, caught what could be a big problem early, and all I have left is my yearly visit to the dentist.

I like this post very much. You make some very valid points. It's about buying what is neccessary and needed and waiting on what is not needed. People need to really suss out their needs (immediate, can wait, long term, actually a want) and not give in to temptation and buy now. Look before you leap!

I bought The Secret video last year and downloaded some e-books from their web site. What I have taken from The Secret is that having a positive outlook gives me a happier vibe overall. Has this good vibe manifested great wealth (of any kind) in my life? Not really, but I prefer to try and maintain a positive outlook on life instead of a negative one. Like you said, I have an optomistic outlook on life and this makes me more open to the good things that are out there.

Another great post!

BB

You wrote about exactly what I am struggling with now. The desire to have a life and the desire to really work on my finances/work. I've lost some fiscal motivation for a variety of reasons and I'm trying to spend more time with the people I care about now that I am crawling out my fiscal hell. My balance between getting fiscally fit again and become a social person is a delicate balance.

I spent Monday sitting in my yard, flipping burgers, drinking beer and just enjoying the company of my friends. I could have been working on my blog, I could have been working on my resume, I could have been doing a lot of things, but I chose to enjoy the day off. Do I regret it, maybe a bit, I could have had a stretch of uninterupted computer time, but it was a glorious day to spend outside with friends. As Dorian said, we still have a life to live.

Sounds to me like you had a grand time. Hope you get to do it again soon.

BB

I don't "do" PDA's, just one more electronic device I have to keep track of. I do use a notebook (not a moleskin, but similar. At the end of my day I sit down and write our my to do list for the next day and I star or highlight the really important items. I cross out the items done, tasks accomplished and every few days, I redo the list so something does not get lost in the "done" pile. Like you said, the best thing to do is be specific with your tasks. I also keep a list of things I might need or want (ya never know when someone is going to offer you a freebie), measurements for furniture or window treatments, etc.

I like the tactile sensation of opening the book,writing in it and then crossing off the completed items.

I get a lot of satisfaction from crossing off the items to be done. I also use decent notebook, a decent pen and a decent highlighter. My current notebook was a freebie for attending a seminar. Sturdy cover, heavy weight paper, acceptable pen. Can't complain about that!

Sometimes I do think about "walking away" but I think it has to do with your previous post on finding a purpose in life. Right now I don't have a great plan or purpose, so what good would walking away do? I'd be in a new place with no plan.

But moving someplace brand new and starting all over does sound enticing at times.

Great Post! I am also trying to find my new purpose in life. After a number of years working towards specific goals, I find myself for the first time wondering What Now. Alas I've been wondering What Now for a number of years........

A few years ago a freind of mine as an executor of an estate of a couple who passed away (no kids, very few relatives). We went to clean out the house and it tooks us a couple weeks to sort through all the things they had, books, knick nacks, photos, mugs, etc. I went home that very weekend and threw out/donated 4 large bags of things I did not use, want or love.

The hard part is most of us have too much emotionally invested in our possessions. I'm having a hard time with my latest round of de-clutter (and surprisingly with kitchen items.) My ex and I really used to enjoy cooking and for me getting rid of the excess kitchen items has been hard. I realized that even though the ex and I have been apart for a number of years, this was my last real connection (and a happy one) to him. Once I realized this was fairly (no really) creepy, I've had an easier time paring down my kitchen clutter. I don't have 16 coffee mugs, but I do have about 10. And I do serve myself a decent Sunday Lunch once a month complete with silver serving dishes.