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How to minimalize your life to reduce stress
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Do you feel your possesions are taking over and adding stress to your life? Try some of these tips to minimalize your life. - photo by Megan Shauri
Society often tells us that in order to be successful, we must own a big house, a fancy car and the latest gadgets.

But often that just equals debt, stress and working harder than you want in order to keep up that lifestyle. Perhaps youve looked at a more minimalized approach to life, but have been hesitant to live in a tiny house, own only 33 articles of clothing and get rid of practically everything.

There is a way to find a happy medium between living with nothing and living with excess. Here are some steps you can take to find that place in your own life.

Ask yourself if an item brings value to your life

Once you decide to downsize, you will need to go through your things and minimize. As you sort through things, if there is something you are struggling with getting rid of, ask yourself one question: Does this bring value to my life?

This is vital when choosing if that object goes into the keep or discard pile. Is it something you are holding on to because it was in style four years ago? Or because you were told long ago that you should always keep your checkbook receipts filed away in case something comes up in the future? Probably not. Say goodbye.

Youll find the more you go through, the easier it is to let go, and the more freeing it becomes. If youre really struggling with an item, put it aside for two weeks, then revisit the same question of value.

Consider your finances

Being frugal is a main component of minimalism. Your own finances may benefit from downsizing. As you downsize, try selling things online. Many people make money selling on Ebay and other similar websites. It is pretty simple to do, and you can make extra money while clearing out your home -- win-win.

Question every purchase

As you go to the grocery store, mall or shopping center, before you mindlessly add things to your shopping cart, question it. Will it bring value to your life? Do you really need it, or do you just want it?

I found myself buying clothes for my kids because they were cheap and cute. Pretty soon I had so many clothes that they wouldn't even have time to wear them before outgrowing them. I had to stop going to kids' clothing stores; if I do find myself in one, I really analyze every purchase to decide if they need it, or if I just think its cute. This has really helped me not only save money, but space in my house as well.

Think about that when you go to the store. That $5 toy your child wants may get played with once before going to the bottom of the toy bin to never be played with again. Is that what you want in your home? Think about it.

Digitize

We are fortunate to live in a digital era. Think about what takes up the most room in your house. For me, its DVDs, books, CDs and piano music.

Each of these is available in a digital format. And most of the items I already own could be added to an online storage system, such as iTunes or the cloud, where it will be stored forever (I would recommend backing everything up on an external hard drive as well).

So start downloading, scanning and uploading. Many apps don't cost a thing. Moving forward, stick with digital versions or options to help eliminate physical objects in your house. Try finding recipes online instead of having stacks of cookbooks. Use Quickbooks or another online finance system to track your spending more accurately than that old checkbook ledger. There are so many options -- take advantage of them!

If you really want to keep it, do

A lot of people struggle with letting go of one particular item. Maybe it is a collection that youve spent years adding to; perhaps you love shoes. Whatever it may be, if you have something you really love and cant let go of, keep it. There is no law saying if you want to live a more minimalist lifestyle you have to get rid of everything. If you are really striving to downsize considerably, you'll have more room for that old soda bottle collection anyway!

Consider minimizing your activities

One part of minimalizing your life is to limit the amount of running around you are doing throughout your week. That means not as many extracurricular activities for your kids, less structured activities, and more time to play and have more free time. This helps kids develop their imagination, spend more time with each other and you, and eliminates that rushing around and strain on your finances.

Whether you want to try all of these ideas, or just a few at first, every little bit helps. Our stuff takes our time and money; by eliminating as much as is feasible for you, you will find yourself much more free and happy.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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