So we have an electronic file cabinet. We scan in everything, keep electronic copies of all statements, all tax documents, important receipts, etc. It makes very organized every month statement of investments, checking/savings/CC, loans, etc.

But it does take quite a bit of while. I have been working 1.5 hours tonight and I'm still not done. I'm doing monthly statements pretty much for every account we have for 2017.

I already have our 1099 for Chase for our checking/mortgage documents because of this. But loading each pdf can take awhile. Then saving it and cleaning it up. Further scanning in bills that are not electronic like our water bill takes time. Also invoices or receipts for our remodel takes awhile as well.

I used to try and keep up 1x/month. Usually in the 1st week I download all credit card bills and statements and sit and make payments as well on the 1st. This usually takes 1-2 hours. I also log each payment and copy the confirmation code into an excel spreadsheet. But today I am doing all statements for investments mostly I've missed in 2017.

Then after I'm done my DH comes along and backups our electronic file cabinet, that's what we really call it, onto an external hard drive along with our photos from our phones. He also do a cloud backup as well. So we have a few different copies of everything. Included our file cabinet is scans/photos of birth certificates, passports, visa, all important documents.

I will admit has become quite time consuming. Sometimes I wonder if I should just kick it off. But it really helps us keep all bill paid on time.

What do you do

Stuff costs a lot. I mean buying yes costs money. Sure you can save money buying it used. Thrift store or garage sale shopping. But even if you buy everything used and cheaper it's still stuff. You need somewhere to store it. You need to move it. You need to organize it.

I saw this as we are about to move and everyone asks me how the packing is going and I say it's not. I say I am throwing things out and I'm trying to organize what I have so that I don't move it. They nod and look really confused.

I say that I think I need to purge more than pay movers to move unnecessary stuff. I've got friends seriously on both sides of the spectrum. Those who buy new and have tons of stuff. They tend to have big homes and lots of space.

The idea that we are moving to a smaller house that cost more seems well ridiculous and in some ways it is. But then we also have friends who buy second hand everything but also have tons of stuff. They are in their home and paying for a storage unit for 5 years because they can't fit everything into their house but they shop all garage sales, craigslist, thrift stores. I get it they probably don't spend as much but I really question that. I mean 5 years of a storage unit?

I don't say this but I'm thinking this in my head. Either way the things in your house costs a lot. I'm not perfect, not by a long shot. I have a lot of junk in my house that I am struggling to downsize and be motivated to get rid of it.

I write this because I am panicking that we are moving into a really small house compared to what we were hoping for and I know there isn't storage. So I am trying to come to terms that I may have to purge more upon moving.

But ever item I look at and ask "does it make me happy" I tell myself it's just stuff. Yes it cost money to buy. But it costs just as much to store. And my life can't be ruled by things.

I need to live comfortably and having less stuff to fit into the house we bought is a priority. The answer is not make more money and buy a bigger house. The answer is make your space work for what you can afford. Maybe if you can't fit your stuff then stop buying things is the answer.

Today's mini goal purge 1 box from the garage. Go through it and sort what I keep and I was discard.

So we had a nice visit with my mom for a week, hence MIA. She asked me how long have you lived here now? I said 8 months almost. Crazy I blinked and fall, winter, and now spring is upon us. I am so excited that I haven't even felt the seasonal depression I expected. Of course I had moments of nostalgia but the beautiful 80+ degree weather has cheered me considerably.

So I sold my jumperoo for $40 and another of my 2016 items gone. I also threw out a worn out hairtie and I am trying to get rid of 30 items by tomorrow. My mom brought another 3 boxes of my stuff from home. Stuff like my old journals and stuff I want to look through before disposing. Of course I'm trying to dispose quickly because we don't have much space.

But otherwise when she was here it was great. We did all sorts of stuff like the zoo, children's museum aquarium, science center, and looking at houses. We also shopped for clothes and shoes (thank you mom for the kids). So we just did a lot and had fun.

But I unfortunately got a ticket for going 40 in a 30 mile zone. My mom was in the car and said she hadn't noticed since we were going downhill. I was speeding and should have been braking, but I wasn't tailing anyone, not on the phone or anything dangerous, we were just chatting and I didn't think much of not braking. UGGGH. The ticket is ridiculously expensive $160 but I'm more worried about my driving record and insurance.

Did I mention my DH is in his 10th week of his program and has 3 more weeks to go? He is literally 13 days until the end. With hiring day being 7 days away? He's nervous as heck and can't believe that we're this close. I'm dying to know if our gamble paid off. I have no idea what to expect job wise, benefit wise, pay. In someways it's harder than getting out of college and finding a job. There you sort of know, friends who found jobs first in your field or older mentors. Here it's something completely different and a big risk.

Okay I signed up for decluttering 2016 things in 2016. This is going to be crazy. I probably easily have that much stuff in boxes that I haven't opened since our move. We have been pulling stuff in and out of the garage with our kitchen stuff. Funny this new house is bigger than our condo was but the layout is different so we have less space for kitchen stuff but we can store more closet stuff like towels and bedding much more easily.

So now I am trying to get rid of 2016 things this year. Today I got rid of 2 things a puzzle and a stamp set by donating it to the preschool. Yesterday I got rid of easily 20 small things like bracelets, figurines, etc to the speech therapist.

I am going to use this blog to keep track of stuff I get rid of. Question does it count to get rid of stuff that is old and well used? Or broken? Or only donatable stuff or paper?

So today I listed finally a thomas the train set we have that is worth a lot of money. We were unable to sell it before we moved. It has over 100 trains, 100 pieces of track, and a bunch of parts. I listed it multiple area on craiglist. I am hoping that it sells in 1 lot and I won't have to sell it piecemeal. Which I've been told by friends will make the most money but the most time as well. I took it to a consignment store which told me the same thing.

I also listed our old vacuum cleaner. We had all the old bags and filters. It's not in terrible shape and the spare accessories alone are worth at least $40. I asked $40, I'm hoping to get anything.

Next goal tomorrow is to donate the large pile/boxes of stuff we have gathered after our move. We haven't found a place yet to take it nor have we figured out who comes by to pick up donations. But that's on tomorrows agenda.

I also am testing out a crock recipe for sloppy joes.