I’m super excited to have my friend Sarah here with me today talking about something I am very passionate about. You may remember last Thursday I gave you 10 Tips For How To Insource Your Life. I got the inspiration for the post from Sarah and today she’s here to share with you how to get your spouse on board too.
Hi I’m Sarah, I blog at Creative Ramblings about my thrifty creative journey. I share crafts, DIY projects, and insights on how my family is attempting to DIY our life through simple living. I am excited for the opportunity to share with you here today.
Have you made the decision to simplify your life? Maybe you are stressed more often than not, you find yourself running around just trying to get all the tasks, activities, and daily essentials checked off your list. Maybe you are working long hours to pay for all the luxuries life has to offer. You know it’s time to slow down a little, and you have some ideas on how to do that. You are ready to insource your life.
Insourcing is simply taking those everyday things in life that you are stretched too thin to do on your own and farming them out. i.e. maid service, eating out, entertainment etc. Insourcing is all about living simply in order to make time and room in your life for the important things; those things that matter most.
My husband and I are on a mission to DIY our Lives. A few years ago we were spinning our wheels in order to have the life we thought we were supposed to have. We were both working long hours, paying for day care, a maid service, eating out and entertaining ourselves with a night out to unwind after a long week. It got to be too much, and we decided as a couple to simplify our lives.
If you are ready to simplify and start insourcing there is no time like the present, but what if your spouse is not so ready?
What if the one you vowed to be with through richer or poorer is not willing (or ready) to give up “the good life”.
Here are 5 ways to approach insourcing as a couple:
Set Goals. Take a look at this post for some printables and tips on setting goals as a couple. Take some time apart and write down what you want this year, 5 years from now, and in retirement. Then sit down together and compare. Come up with a couple goals that you share. Keep these goals in mind as you make everyday decisions.
It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. If you are ready to quit your job and raise all your own food but your spouse is perfectly content working full time and eating out daily, you have some compromising to do. That’s ok! A marriage is all about working as a team toward a shared goal. Use your goals that you set and work toward one at a time. Don’t pressure your spouse into something they are not comfortable with.
Know where your money goes. Do you know how you spend your income each month? Track your expenses for one month to get a handle on how you spend your hard earned money. Tracking is different from a budget in that you are not setting limits on what you spend, rather you are aware of where each penny goes.
Insource something. Use your monthly tracking to cut one piece of “excess” you both agree on. Do a 1 or even 3 month trial and see how you both fare afterwards. Be sure to pick something you both agree on. If your partner loves watching every football game every Sunday then cutting cable during football season may not be the right option. Maybe you will meal plan for one month, maybe you will stream a movie each weekend instead of going to the theater. The choice is yours, just make sure you both agree on the choice.
Repeat! This is a process, not one conversation. Keep the dialog going and remember to put your marriage before your ideals.
I’d love to stay in touch, you can follow my thrifty creative journey at Creative Ramblings and on Twitter and Instagram.
What have you done, as a couple, to simplify your life?
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