Doing More With Less

The topic of doing more with less is on my mind. Every time we’ve added a child to our family, my instinct is to clear out our space, to get rid of gear and simplify wherever possible. It probably has something to do with making mental space for this new person in my life.

Last week, I was packing for our trip to San Jose and thinking about what I should bring for June’s meals — she’s still mostly nursing, but she’s also eating 3-4 meals a day of solids. At first I was thinking several bibs, 10+ jars of baby food, a bag of rice cereal, utensils and bowl for preparations, utensils for feeding, etc. But finally decided it was a short trip, to a town with every convenience, and that all I would need was a baby spoon.

For breakfast, I found plain yogurt and oatmeal among the offerings and grabbed a ripe banana for when we were out and about. And I was able to find similarly soft foods wherever we were. During feedings, I kept a napkin handy to keep her clean and I was good to go. While I appreciate the helpfulness of things like bibs and lots of food choices when we’re at home, it was nice to be reminded that it didn’t take much to keep June happy and fed when we wanted to travel as light as possible.

Another example that comes to mind? The giant table we built after moving to Colorado. It is the most used piece of furniture in our house. We use it for entertaining, for homework, for art projects, for sewing projects, for building things. And when we’re not using it, it does its duty as a piece of furniture that’s nice to look at and that compliments the space.

What about you? What are your thoughts on doing more with less? What’s an item you have that you get the most use out of?

410 thoughts on “Doing More With Less”

  1. Wait, so I can keep leaving comments? Neat. Another thing I do more with less of: TV. The less I watch, the more I get done. But some days I just can’t help myself. The laundry can wait another day, right?

  2. Truthfully, when I think of doing more with less, I think of our minivan. It’s just your standard white Chrysler Town & Country (a/k/a Dodge Caravan) that everyone has, but since it’s from 1995 and since, with 7 people in the family, it usually carries more than one passenger and is often full to capacity, I feel like we’re getting pretty efficient use out of it. And we’ll keep driving it until it dies.

  3. My husband and I go to the same school, but work in completely different places and are making it work with 1 car! AND it gets FABULOUS gas mileage, so it’s a double bonus.

  4. before i used to buy things just bc they were on sale. now, i think about function. if at all possible, things have to have more than one function in order for me to even think about buying it. (unless it really only has one purpose!) thanks again for the chance!

  5. I try to grocery shop thoughtfully and buy less as I really hate to throw money out with spoiled produce or other foodstuff. We always have what we need on hand, just not over abundance.

  6. Sites such as Groupon and Living Social have been invaluable to me as far as coupons and savings – but it also gets me out to shop locally which is totally a win-win!

  7. I do more with less by mixing up white vinegar and water in spray bottles, one for each bathroom and the kitchen, and a box of baking soda for each as well. I clean almost everything with the vinegar spray-toilets, mirrors, shower doors…and when I need to scour a sink or stuck on food, I sprinkle a bit of baking soda on it & scrub. No harsh chemicals to dry my skin or make me sneeze.

  8. I try to do more with less by simplyfying our life and realizing the best days are the days we go out shopping, or to museums or when we wear tons of nice clothes and jewelry, it is when we simplyfy and enjoy playing for hours with our kids using an old diaper box and some blankets to make a fort.

  9. We use the library like netflix/amazon – when we see a book, movie or video game we want, we “order it”/”put it in the q”, and that way, it is usually there for us when we make a library run.

  10. I try to do more with less by simplyfying our life and realizing the best days are the days we do not go out shopping, or to museums or when we wear tons of nice clothes and jewelry, it is when we simplyfy and enjoy playing for hours with our kids using an old diaper box and some blankets to make a fort.
    (Sorry I forgot the Do NOt)

  11. I get the most use out of Goody ouchless hair bands, and they have to be the ouchless kind. Not only are they perfect for lazy day ponytails, but at 6 months pregnant they also extend the life of my pre-pregnancy wardrobe.

  12. I have been cleaning out everything, definitely feeling the need to simplify! Fewer toys means less to clean up, and more creative play! I am also sewing storage boxes to keep things contained when not in use. I love a clutter free home.

  13. I have the same urge to purge as we are expecting our next. This time of year, it is easy to get caught up in thinking about all the new “stuff” to get. But really, I find myself more and more drawn to the homemade and simpler toys for my toddler. Each holiday, I try to make at least one gift for him.

  14. When my daughter was really little I had larger burp rags that were soft and cozy so they doubled as bib/blankie/nursing cover if needed. They saved lots of space in the diaper bag and were handmade with love.

  15. I try to do more with less when it comes to makeup. I work in a professional environment, and often just go to work with concealer, blush and mascara on. I love how it saves me time in the morning, yet I still feel great about myself! Thanks for the chance to win!

  16. Lately I have been forced to do more with less. My husband and I recently moved in (temporarily, I hope) with my parents. We are having to live out of boxes and suitcases so with little room I had to think very carefully with what we NEEDED. There are things in storage that I wish I could get to and use because I WANT them but we are getting by just fine without the extras. Makes me wonder what we are going to do when we do have all of our loot back.

  17. I grew up with live Christmas trees and was reluctant to give them up, but when I started thinking about how much money I’ll be throwing out at the end of the holiday season each year, I decided to invest in an artificial tree. I’ll be able to put it up sooner, enjoy it longer, and sleep better (not waking every hour to see if the tree is burning). One tree – many benefits.
    This counts only marginally – because I’m pretty sure I could have done with less but bought as much as I could get…

  18. We live on a sailboat, so our life is very streamlined. We don’t have running water, instead we pump the water we need into our sink with a foot pump. We wash dishes with ocean water and then use a spray bottle of fresh water to rinse them. We use very little water this way and live a very green, clean, lovely life!

  19. I do love this topic!

    What immediately comes to mind for me is the amount of toys and “stuff” our kids have. The less clutter we have in the house, the happier everyone is and the more time we spend together.

    My boys (6 &4) entertain themselves for hours using their imagination – and I have more time to play with them b/c I’m not busy cleaning and tidying everything! We have a 3,000 sq. ft. home (I would *love* to downsize but the community and school is amazing and I don’t want to leave that) but I’m proud of the fact that all of our toys fit in a basket on a small single shelf of a bookshelf in the family room along with a large bucket of legos, and a bucket of blocks. I haven’t found an earth-friendly solution to the amount of paper used on art projects though! =) Instead of a massive playroom, we set up basketball hoops a small indoor trampoline in that space and kids love coming to our house!

  20. Well, I’m a speech therapist, and I work with a large number of students. Instead of creating separate lessons for each group I work with, I usually pick out 3-4 sets of materials based around a theme, and spin them in different ways to use for all of my groups.

  21. I love using kaffir limes. I use them to clean the stove, i use them to deep clean my hair, i use them in curries. kaffir limes are awesome.

  22. I think this is a timely question, as holiday spending can get out of control. My whole family is really working to cut back this year and make the gifts count.

  23. I’m just going to admit that I have no idea how to do this. I’m infamous for bringing everything with me when we go on vacations, camping, even leaving the house for a few hours. It’s annoying, but everyone knows who to count on if they forgot something! I’ve got the “magical purse”.
    When I’ve thought about the question, “If your house was on fire, what would you grab?” I realize how unimportant everything but pictures and memorabalia is.Everything else probably wouldn’t be missed, or could easily be replaced.

  24. I dropped cable TV last year and haven’t looked back. Between Netflix and Hulu, I have access to hundreds of hours of TV that I actually want to watch. Even though I have 10 or so over-the-air channels, I almost never sit on the couch to watch TV any more. When my boyfriend moves in, it’ll be a different story…Go forbid we miss a Braves game!

  25. Sometimes instead of taking a whole purse + everything else you think you need for shopping I just grab a card and stick it in my back pocket and grab my kids and go. It feels so light to go with nothing.

  26. My husband and I only get one gift for each other for Christmas. We give ourselves a very small budget and we must be creative with what we have. It’s fun and it helps us remember that Christmas is not about ourselves.

  27. We tried to go a whole year without buying anything new, we made it for about 5 months, still quite an accomplishment! But we discovered many great uses for old things. My favorite is repurposing old clothes into new items, like sweater quilts, leggings for my 2 year old, etc. Saves tons of coin on fabric and makes meaningful items that we use every day!

  28. I find that doing more with less is like losing weight in that a little success is the best possible inspiration to keep going. This phone could certainly trim down my gadget collection!

  29. This concept is especially important this year as we have a new home and a new baby (3) and only one income. I try to do my part by saving money on groceries with coupons. Thanks!

  30. Less Christmas shopping means more time for everything else! By mutual agreement, my friends and family have scaled back gift giving plans this year to focus on shared activities and good food to celebrate the season. P.S. This would make a knockout Christmas gift for my Mom..!

  31. I have started using baking soda for more than just cooking–I heard it can make a good face scrub, and I love that it sucks the stinky odors from my fridge!

  32. Hooks in the bedroom keep worn-but-not-dirty clothes from going in the wash. Saves energy, money, and keeps them top of mind.

  33. I’ve really tried to teach my children about not needing so much. It starts when you are young, and I can easily see how it gets out of hand. The grandparents go crazy at Christmas and we finally had to step in!

  34. Goodreads.com in conjunction with the library is probably the combination ever. I love finding a book with good reviews from the site, then being able to place books on hold and then they call me when they are ready for pick up! No more wandering the aisles hoping for a good read.

  35. Whenever I get mail, I am typically very disappointed. It is usually junk mail, with the occasional “suspicious package.” What I usually do is keep a sort of “incinerator” out back to burn all of my junk mail. It is nothing more than a simple brick fireplace that I use to get rid of all this unnecessary clutter. It helps me do more with less!

  36. Whenever I get the mail, I walk directly to our outside trash can, and deposit 95-100% of what’s in my hand. Something else, which I didn’t choose, but is rather an awesome blessing: I have boys 15 months apart. They have 2 boy cousins, approx 2 yrs older, that are 13 months apart. Their mother, my sister, is a serious clothes-aholic. I have never had to buy clothes for my boys, in all their 7/8 yrs of life. Of course, I could not resist, and did buy them some skinny jeans this week. So adorable. (I can say adorable, b/c they are at school right now).

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