10 Simple Living Tips For Families

Tired of the chaos and overwhelm? If you are hoping to slow down, focus and find more free time you are going to love these simple living tips for families.

How to Simplify Your Family Life

The stress and expectations of modern-life can certainly make anyone yearn for simpler times.

Unfortunately, there is no time machine to take us back.

Plus I am pretty sure that once we arrived we would realize there were other challenges then that we would rather avoid….

Can you say small pox?

The good news is that you don’t have to time travel in order to live the simple life.

With a bit of encouragement and direction it’s possible to resist the urge to rush, and stop filling your life with the stress, anxiety and overwhelm that is so common today.

If you are ready to:

slow down
relax
and enjoy more time with your family while you can

Then you are going to love the list of tips that we have included to help live simple with kids.

What Does It Mean To Live A Simple Life?

While there is no precise definition for simple living, there are many common habits, activities and goals for those seeking simplicity.

Just like any other life-philosophy the simple living lifestyle is a spectrum which ranges from extreme survivalists to typical modern families.

My favorite explanation of the goal of simple living is:

Being satisfied with what you have, rather than focusing on what you want.
Linda Breen Pierce – Choosing Simplicty

For many of us this starts with the process of realizing that we already have more than we need.

That is why the common themes of simple living typically include:

Decluttering
Living within your means
Minimalism
Paying off debt
Less time spent on media
Self-Sufficiency/Homesteading
Fewer toys

If you are ready to simplify family life, keep reading gather some ideas for incorporating some of these strategies into your current lifestyle.

10 Tips to Simplify Family Life

Ready to simplify? Let’s get started!

1) Clarify Your Values

Much of the stress and worry of living comes from a misalignment between outside pressure and your personal priorities.

Sit down (by yourself or with your family) and create a list of your top 10 priorities. Then circle your top 5.

This exercise will help you clarify your values and help you to easily make decisions.

For example, if you decide that spending time with family is a top priority it makes it easy to say no when you are asked to work overtime during the holidays.

Living the simple life means you spend your time and energy on what matters most.

When you have a clear set of priorities and values it makes it so much easier to align your actions with your intentions.

2) Evaluate Your Schedule

Once you are clear on your values and priorities, evaluate your schedule in light of them.

Are your priorities reflected in your schedule?

If you don’t, it’s time to reassess your commitments and realign your schedule to work with your goals.

3) Delay Gratification

This simple living tip will save you money and help prevent clutter in your home.

Considering that debt and clutter can both lead to depression and anxiety, this is a great place to start.

When you are tempted to buy something new, wait 24 hours.

It’s easy to fall for advertisers claims and pressure to buy right now. However, people don’t tend to make the best decisions when they are stressed and under pressure.

Waiting a day will help give you clarity on if you truly want it. One of the hallmarks of “simple living experts” is that they have mastered the ability to clarify their wants vs. needs.

Being mindful of your spending habits is a a great first step.

4) Create a budget

One of the keys to simple living is to choose to live within your means.

In order to do that, you need to create a budget. Then you need to stick to it.

It isn’t easy to live simply in a consumer culture. You need to be committed to your budget and plan.

I highly recommend following Dave Ramsey’s tips to get started with a budget.

When you gain control over your finances life becomes much more relaxed and stress free.

5) Simplify Your Wardrobe

Have you decluttered your wardrobe yet?

Even if you have, chances are pretty good that you still have items in your dresser or closet that you don’t wear. Taking all of your clothes out and realizing how much you have and don’t wear can be a shock.

Go through and eliminate clothes that don’t fit, you don’t like, or aren’t in good shape. What you’ll be left with are pieces that fit well and that you love and feel good in.

It’s so refreshing to see only items you love on the hangers and in the drawers. This simple living tip will improve your life and your confidence.

Related Post: How to Declutter Your Clothes Closet

6) Clear The Clutter

Whether you’ve gone through and systematically decluttered your home or not, odds are you still have some spots that tend to attract clutter.

For many people counter tops are one of those magnets.

Look at your counters and assess if everything you keep on them needs to be there. Then go through the papers and other assorted items that have been dumped there and put them in the trash, recycling, or their home.

Having clear countertops is a sign of a clutter free home.

You’ll breathe a sigh of relief to see the counter clutter free.

7) Prepare Meals At Home

For many modern households eating fast food is a by-product of our busy schedules.

As we constantly rush our families from one activity to another these convenience meals seem like the only option. Unfortunately they are also what is causing an increase in obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Besides, shoving food in your face while you rush through traffic is no replacement for gathering around the table for a family meal.

Making the switch to preparing and eating family-friendly meals at home with help you to slow down, reconnect with your family and save money.

8) Spend Time Outside

So much of our lives are spent indoors. But current research shows that time outside can have a tremendous benefit on our overall health and welling.

Additionally, when we are outside we aren’t on our phones, watching tv or being lazy. So for many this increase in time outdoors also means a decrease in the amount of time spent on social media.

Spending time in nature will allow you to improve your mental and physical health – which obviously make life a lot easier.

9) Stop Comparing

“Comparison is the thief of joy”.

When you compare yourself with others, it’s generally a losing battle. Choose instead to be grateful for what you have.

Keep your focus on thankfulness rather than lack and you’ll be much more content with your simple life.

10) Choose Positive Influences

In life, email, and social media you get to choose who you follow.

If your feed is full of people you are tempted to compare yourself to (in a defeating way), unfollow them. If the messages in your emails and feed aren’t supportive of your goals, unfollow and unsubscribe.

Choose instead to find communities or groups who share your values and goals. Have the messages coming into your feed be ones of support and encouragement in your journey.

The voices that we choose to have in our inboxes and feeds influence our thinking. Be selective in who you follow and listen to. Choose sources that will support you on your journey to living a more simple life.