Ever notice that you have more abundance when you stop trying so hard? This is a phenomenon I have been experiencing lately. In a nutshell, if you have less expectations, you’ll naturally attract more opportunities into your life. Here are a few examples: 

Example 1 A month ago I flirted with minimalism and started decluttering my house, thanks to Frugalwoods. To this day, I am still living by these new frugal standards and believe I am starting to form a lasting habit. Even though it’s only been a month, I am feeling significantly happier. New items seem to welcome themselves into our home without my warm embrace, so I am constantly looking for old items to purge. It’s not any less cluttered in our small apartment dwelling than it was before, but I now have a grip on the stuff that naturally has a tendency to cling. And this is VERY freeing.

Example 2 I thought that it would be fun to try selling my unwanted items locally. These days, there are various apps that can assist in such a task such as Letgo and VarageSale. In theory, this concept seems pretty straight forward. 1. Post your items 2. Write a bad-ass advertisement 3. Pray that someone messages you 4. Profit $$$. What they don’t tell you is that small town dwellers will have a difficult time selling on these sites. The reality is that you probably won’t get the messages that you’ve been hoping for and you may end up wondering if your stuff actually does suck despite the great ad you poured your heart and soul into.

I have some good news for you. There is hope and it doesn’t have to be this difficult. Do yourself a huge favor and ditch the apps. Sell within marketplace garage sale groups where people actually congregate. Think Facebook garage sales. Post your ad there and walk away. It’s that simple. People will actually flock to you because Facebook is the place where most people spend their free time and likely stumble upon your stuff.

Example 3 A month ago, I also made the commitment to cut my spending habits which meant no more junk food purchases except for the occasional treat. I am very bad at keeping track of my spending habits so I write everything down. This method helped me see where I was spending money and made me conscious of the junk food I was treating myself to on a weekly basis daily basis. In reality, my “occasional treat” was really my every-other-day treat or days-when-I’m-stressed treat or I’m-freezing-I-need-a-fancy-hot-beverage treat. By slashing my spending habits in half, I also managed to lose a few post-partum pounds with minimal effort.

Christmas came early this year 😀

Example 4 Opposites attract. Literally. After I stopped buying junk food, we still seemed to welcome a lot of treats into our house from external sources. Mall trick or treating, candy given to me parents, the in laws etc. I mean, look at this candy! This is candy I accumulated without spending a cent. I believe that if treats are given to you, then it is perfectly acceptable to eat and enjoy them without guilt. Savor the moment and all of the good that comes from giving (and receiving). Both sides can be sweet.