Downsizing: a word that strikes fear into many. People don't like to do this and pay for it with debt and cash flow problems. Businesses delay in their performing of it and suffer long-term growth. Moving up is always much more enjoyable than moving down. I mean, come on. Who wants to sell their nice, newer vehicle and get a beater in order to get out of debt? Or, who wants to sell their home and move into a small apartment in order to get their family into a better financial position?
Downsizing can be a good thing, though. A lot of waste and expenses can be shed when people and business get smart and downsize out of sheer necessity. If you can take the long-term view that your downsizing is a short-term solution to get you in a better financial position for the future, you will have the motivation to make massive changes.
I'm currently undergoing some massive life changes where I'm working through this issue myself. I'm not doing this because of debt or financial problems. I've been debt free for over two and a half years now, but I want to simplify my life and put more margin into my finances to build a stronger foundation for the future.
Is it fun? No. Is it hard work to get rid of a lot of stuff and prepare for a move? Yes, at least in the short run. But, I have the incentive to perform these difficult actions for a brighter, more prosperous future.
Have you ever gone through downsizing in your personal life or business, and did you have a positive outcome as a result of your action?
Yes, we are living this right now. My husband and I sold our home and moved to a smaller home near an excellent, affordable, christian school for our children to attend. In order to afford it, we had to sell our car and get a used one and my husband really needs a new car but we have held off buying one. Fortunately, he can fix most of the problems himself since it is an older car. Even though I know we did the right thing and God confirmed it to us many times, it is still hard. The pull of this world is strong and when you live counter to the culture, you do stand out a bit. We have sold or given away many things that we can't fit in this present home or just do not really need. It's amazing how little you really need. We had a storage unit filled with stuff and we realized after 2 years, "Do we even miss that stuff? If it burned up in a fire, would be even care?" Most of it, the answer was no. Some of the things were sentimental and I would have hated to lose them. We are now rid of the storage unit, working on getting out of debt so we are in a position to help others more. I do believe Christ has called us to hold very loosely to the things of the world. Christians (me included!!) need to focus on storing up treasures in heaven and not here on earth with big homes, fancy cars, trendy clothes, and just lots of stuff!
ReplyDeleteGreat comments, Molly. I'm glad to hear your working hard at downsizing and getting out of debt in order to create margins in the life of your family. Keep up the great work. Way to go!
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