Less Stuff. A whole year of it.

We accumulate so much stuff in a year that it is unbelievable. I feel like I need a dozer to clean my house after every birthday party. Marketing keeps telling us we need more and more, but do we really? How many times have you walked around a store trying to find something to buy as a gift for a friend or family member who "has it all?" We literally have to MAKE UP things that people might even want. We decided, as a family, this year was going to be different. We were going to take a break from all of that stuff.

So we signed ourselves up for a whole year without presents. No valentines. No Mother's Day. Not even Birthdays. Our gifts this year, would instead be experiences. We could and would pick any activity (within reason) for each holiday.

We are about to close out the year, and let me jump ahead and tell you the end. IT WAS GREAT. We haven't had one single present that didn't get played with or needed to be returned! We have had more family outings than ever AND WE HAVE SAVED MONEY!!!! The final verdict was up to the kids and THEY LOVED IT TOO!

You can read more about the fun we have had (and get a few ideas of your own here):

Valentine's Day - Indoor rock climbing

Mother's Day - Arcade games and laser tag

Father's Day - Nashville Sound baseball game

Dad's Birthday - Bluegrass Underground

Lily's Birthday - Mining for gems

Liam's Birthday - Soar Adventure Tower

Linc' Birthday - Hippity Hop and Chuck E. Cheese

Mom's Birthday - Who knows?!