Some people have asked me if I have been able to maintain my frugal and minimal lifestyle after having a baby. The answer is – absolutely YES! This is the best time to practice this lifestyle by proving that your child doesn’t need much either. Now, before you start to feel bad for my child because he may seem “deprived”, I assure you that’s not the case. My child doesn’t have an understanding of the value of money and what is a toy and isn’t. He is just as happy with a plastic spoon as compared to any other toy. Children find temporary happiness in toys but they definitely get bored of them quickly. This is why I do not have a lot of toys for my child.

Teaching your child that less is more is the plan. I’m more about adventures and the experiences to be had such as the aquarium, the zoo, etc. These are the things to live for and it’ll show your child that quality time is the best time. This is better than having to clean up tons of toys that are on the ground. Less toys means less picking up. I always pick up before I leave the baby room and it takes me less than 30 seconds. This helps with not cluttering the ground and room and you have a fresh start the next time you enter the room.

What Do I Have?

I always have the essentials for my baby and a few toys. I have a jumper that he is on once or maybe twice a week, we spend most of the day with motor and developmental skills. I have the minimum and I have no regrets.

What Don’t I Have?

I don’t have a mamaroo, a walker, a glider, a bassinet, a sit up seat, a toy pen, etc. for my child. Most of those items are not recommended by pediatricians and if I did, the babies grow out of them very quickly. 

This blog is not to shame anyone who has or doesn’t have any of those things, it’s just to show that we can do and are probably better off without them. Those things do nothing but bring clutter into our home and our mind. Always think: less is more!

Is this sustainable when they get older? The answer is always absolutely! Keep the toys to a minimum of 10-15 toys and if they buy a new one, they’ll have to donate one of the old ones to charity. It’s not about stripping toys away from children but allowing them to have a few toys and be happy with what they have or else they’ll always be wanting.

I have included photos of my baby room and what it all consists of. 

Yours Truly,

Melissa Lee

I’ve put together another list to help make extra income and how to save money.

1. Sell things that you no longer use/need/want.

When my husband and I were moving to our new home, we wanted to start fresh with everything. We sold our biggest items such as a guest bed, storage cubes, couches, computer desk, etc. to our smaller items such as kitchen and dinnerware. This started a fund for our new items that we would be purchasing for the new home. It also made moving way easier for us too since I was pregnant and unable to help.

When you need extra cash, look around your place for things to sell online and make some extra cash. They say another man’s trash is another man’s treasure and it’s true! I’m sure we all have plenty of items that we can get rid of and it also helps with decluttering your place. If you have enough items, you could even do a garage sale. This will bring in a little extra income and help you organize and declutter at the same time.

2. Turn off the TV on the weekdays.

My husband came up with this idea as he thought that we were just wasting away watching TV after work every day. We went to Barnes & Noble and got a book for each of us to read instead. This not only cuts down on our screen time and electricity, we were able to be in peace and tranquility in our home without many distractions. We are able to sit down at the table and have dinner together and converse. This has made quality time for us so much more meaningful!

3. Use only what you need.

This applies to anything and everything. I have a rule for toilet paper that if you are only doing a number one, use only 3 squares. Water usage is only to be turned on a small setting to wash your hands or dishes. Electricity is only to be turned on when it is needed. This might sound stingy but it’s actually preserving resources. Why leave the light on in the hallway if you’re just going to be in your room with the door closed? Why turn on the water all the way for it to spill all over the counter and make a mess? This creates more chaos and more work for you.

My husband and I live in a two-story home that is 2,600 square feet. Our water bill is an average of $45 a month! Can you believe that? Our electricity bill averages out to $95 a month. I think that number can be a little bit better and hopefully it will go down with us turning off the TV on the weekdays but we only try to use what we need. I know this can be difficult with bigger families but try to teach them how to preserve resources. It’s better for you and for the planet.

4. Make the most out of what you have.

For my dish soap, I do a ratio of 3/4 of soap and 1/4 of water in the glass dispenser. This has helped me make the most out of my dish soap because they’re both reliant on each other to work so why not combine the both? I haven’t seen a decrease in the quality of the soap usage either.

For cooking, I cook a bulk meal for dinner so that I have leftovers for lunch the next day – it’s breakfast for my husband. This helps us save on food and we don’t have to scramble to cook something for lunch or go out and buy food.

For my beauty regime, I wash my face while I am showering. I feel this is two birds with one stone because for some reason, when I am out of the shower, I don’t feel like going to the sink and doing it there. Don’t ask me why, I’ve just never liked doing it. Washing my face in the shower while the conditioner is in my hair helps me get my beauty regime done.

5. Look at where you can cut expenses.

We stopped purchasing bottled water years ago because my husband would leave them all over the house and I just couldn’t justify it anymore. We got a water filter for our refrigerator and I put water in a pitcher and that’s where we drink water from. This applies to us and all of our guests who come over. We set out a water pitcher with cups and coasters and this has cut down our use of plastic water bottles and clean up! We do have bottled water in our home but it’s only for emergencies such as hurricanes, pandemic, etc. Even when we travel, I fill a gallon water jug for us to use instead of water bottles. It’s just more eco-friendly and less wasteful.

I rarely ever drink coffee but I hear it’s one of the biggest expense for some people because they go to Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts every day. That’s $5 a day for 365 days totaling $1,825! You could use that money for a vacation or to pay off a debt! Just know where your money is going.

To stay disciplined for a minimal and frugal lifestyle isn’t hard once you get used to it but the hardest part is getting into it. I know we have our normal routines and attachment to things but if we don’t get away from that, we will always be left with a lot of “stuff” that will only clutter our house and our minds. How your house looks like will affect how your mind will also look like. Let yourself go of all those material things and find freedom in the things that are in the experiences that life has to offer! I hope this list helps.

Sincerely,

Melissa Lee

1. Clothes

I can’t emphasize this enough but your closet is the biggest hoarding space in your house. We like to keep clothes because it reminded us of a specific happy memory or time. Although there is nothing wrong with that, how often are you wearing it? Is it reasonable to still keep if it is old or no longer fits? This was my biggest dilemma as well, I have to admit. We have to get real with ourselves and purge what we no longer wear. I always stick to my 90 day rule: have I worn it in the last 90 days and/or will I wear it in the next 90 days? If not, purge and donate!

2. Shoes

Who doesn’t like shoes? I use to have shoes on racks and racks, it seemed endless! Well, now I only have 2 pairs of heels and 4 pairs of tennis shoes. Shoes just seem too valuable to throw away or donate but how many of those do you really wear? Or did you get a good deal on them or were they on clearance? We will find any excuse to keep them but we won’t find an excuse to purge them. Sure, they look good but are they taking up unnecessary space in your home? I don’t wear heels often, just to church and special events but that’s about it. Four pairs of tennis shoes suffice for me when I do 5K’s or go to the gym. Most of the time, I wear my Nike sandals/flip flops and that will do it for me. They are comfortable and easy to put on. I live in Florida so boots and such are stored in my garage so I can’t speak on that behalf but have just what you need and the rest can go to donations. Your closet will thank you.

3. Pots & Pans

Before I moved into my new home, I had to evaluate what I was going to bring into it. My kitchen was a huge chunk of items that I needed to look at. There were endless pots and pans that I had and only a select few that I used on a daily. I had even try to justify keeping all of them! It was insane. I separated my pots and pans from what I use daily to what I use once in a while or during get-togethers. When I looked at my once in a while pile, I really asked myself if I really needed them. Most of the items went into a purge pile and three months later, I have no regrets. I believe that we keep things in case we use them but isn’t that in itself odd thinking? If that were the case, we would never get rid of any of our items in hope that we will “maybe” use them one day. It’s either you use it or you don’t. I now only own 2 pans, 1 wok, and 3 pots – all of different sizes for my different needs and I haven’t had the need to get more than what I have. If you need anything of a bigger size for a gathering or special event, ask a family member or friend to borrow theirs for that day. This saves you space and money.

4. Cooking Utensils

Is it really necessary to have 20 cooking utensils? My utensil holder held so many that it was starting to get hard putting things in it. I purged all my utensils and went with one set of silicone utensils that were uniform and stored away the ones that I did not use or donated it. This makes my kitchen more appeasing to the eye instead of it being an eyesore.

5. Small Appliances

Small appliances are useful when you need them so this one isn’t about purging those items but storing them away until you actually use them. I try to keep my new kitchen counters clutter-free so I store away my small appliances such as coffee maker, rice cooker, toaster oven, etc. My coffee maker goes into my pantry and all other appliances go into the garage until we actually use them. After I am finished using the small appliances, I put them back right where they came from so I can keep my counters clean.

There are certainly more things that clutter our home but these are really the big ticket items. I hope this helps!

Yours Truly,

Melissa Lee