Finances

I Almost Closed My Business. Here’s What Stopped Me.

July 16, 2026 by Amy Slenker-Smith 8 Comments

There's a version of this story where I walk away. Where the weight of everything - a father's cancer diagnosis, failing health of a father and mother-in-law, a son's near-fatal accident, a business that had spread itself too thin - becomes too much, even for me. Where I decide that the most responsible thing I can do is quit and focus on my family. I almost told that version of the story. I'm glad I didn't. There's a version of this story where I walk away. I'm glad I didn't. The Before I spent more than 20 years in corporate advocating for myself and for the women on my team. Fighting for my place after my maternity leave, when I was one of the few women at the table. Fighting to prove that I was capable of more than what someone else had decided my ceiling was. I did the work. And then I walked away from it. An intentional decision so that I could build something of my own. Simply Enough started as a professional organizing business in 2016. Over the next …

How Clutter Causes Overspending And What To Do About It

July 1, 2026 by Amy Slenker-Smith Leave a Comment

You’re likely not overspending because of your budget. You’re overspending because of your clutter. Look around at all the stuff that used to be money. Clutter isn’t just a home organization problem; it is a financial issue that overwhelms families trying to stick to a budget. Disorganization leads to overspending because buying a duplicate item with free shipping is easier when you can’t find something, but it perpetuates the problem. Decision fatigue is real, and a cluttered home means spending more money on dining out, takeout, and convenience purchases. You’ll never need to organize something you did not buy. Removing things from your home and reducing what comes in work together to create more organization and help you build wealth with the money you save. Decluttering feels lighter and freer. It shifts your spending habits to not just buying less but a desire to own less too. Here are three habits that will have an immediate impact on your budget and organize your home …

5 Minimalist Habits To Achieve Financial Freedom

June 1, 2026 by Amy Slenker-Smith 7 Comments

According to WalletHub, the average credit card balance per household is $11,507. When it comes to decluttering and organizing, it’s impossible to ignore the financial benefits. For my family, financial freedom was the single greatest gift we experienced when we chose to own less. Our path to minimalism began when our son was young. Over time, we’ve sought to set an example by teaching the importance of debt-free living, owning less, and being intentional with our resources, especially money. These are character traits he embodies as a young adult from our example. Debt-Free Living The process began with a personal finance class that my husband and I took together. I was motivated to declutter anything that wasn’t nailed down in our house and never buy anything ever again. Meanwhile, he was motivated to accelerate our retirement savings and reduce our spending. We realized that step one was to eliminate every penny of consumer debt we had. We cut up our credit cards, …

5 Things To Stop Buying And Save Money Every Month

May 1, 2026 by Amy Slenker-Smith Leave a Comment

Our path to financial freedom began with embracing minimalism, getting rid of all the excess stuff in our home, and changing our spending habits. Over time, I’ve found there are things I no longer buy, which helps save money each month. Books I love books. They are easy to order online or pick up at the airport to take on vacation. But if you’re pursuing financial freedom and working to get out of debt, this is an item to stop buying. Books are free at the library. The library has every kind of book, including paperback, hardcover, e-books, and audiobooks. I love my small, highly curated book collection and my Kindle that holds multiple books with ease. Additionally, if you’re searching for specific books, you can belong to multiple library systems, even the Library of Congress. Most libraries take book requests to add to their collection. I have 15 books on hold at the library right now, many are new releases, and I’m never without something exciting to read. Years ago, I got rid …

How to Survive a Layoff with Financial Freedom

March 3, 2025 by Amy Slenker-Smith 1 Comment

If you've been through a layoff, or are worried you might be facing one in the near future, then you know how stressful it is. It's especially difficult if you are the family benefits-holder. But it doesn't have to be this way. Early on in our marriage, we experienced two significant layoffs and never touched our savings. As a family, we prepare for emergencies knowing they happen when you least expect it. Simply put, we have an emergency fund (6 months of expenses saved). And we make lifestyle changes to adjust to the lack of income. The Storm My husband was laid off in early 2019. The news arrived just before my son‘s 13th birthday. We had planned to go skiing and kept the trip as scheduled. The next day, en route to the mountains, with the layoff weighing on our minds, our neighbor called. A pipe had burst in our home. We turned around, dealt with the mess and arrived at our destination, albeit several hours late. One disaster after another but somehow we weathered the …

5 Reasons Why I Canceled My Costco Membership

September 18, 2022 by Amy Slenker-Smith 19 Comments

For years my family shopped at Costco. We went every month to buy paper products, groceries, and browse all the aisles. Each time, we expected a full cart and a long receipt. We never bought just one or two things. We always deviated from the list because the impulse buys were too tempting. The average Costco shopper spends $114 a trip and shops every two weeks. That’s over $2,700 per year. Costco knows how to design a store. Milk, eggs, and rotisserie chickens are in the back. Seasonal items, toys, and clothing live in the middle so you walk by them twice. Expensive electronics stop you in your tracks at the front door. The store's natural flow encourages you to walk by expensive items first. The groceries (which are what you came for in the first place) will be last as you travel the store. Shopping at Costco is an event. You need to allocate several hours for this trip. Generally the items on the list are spread across the store because of the strategic design. Since, we …

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