Don Murray was nearing retirement age when he fell severely down on his luck.
He suffered his second heart attack, which rendered him incapable of working and evaporated 65 percent of his family's income. On top of that, his home lost 40 percent of its value during America's economic downturn. He was left befuddled at how he could not only make immediate money for survival, but also to sustain him and his wife through retirement.
He ended up with an exotic solution.
"We moved to Ecuador, and now we are retired here on the coast of Ecuador. I'm looking out a window at the Pacific Ocean, I could throw a rock and hit the surf line," he said during an interview with HuffPost Live's Nancy Redd.
It turned out that moving to a completely different country was exactly the type of reset Murray's life needed.
"We have absolutely zero stress in our lives right now," he said. "Our standard of living has significantly increased, our cost of living has gone down significantly. We just had to move some thousands of miles away to the equator to completely change the equation."
Catch the full conversation about optimism in the midst of financial struggles at HuffPost Live HERE.
Get Motivated
Are you looking to get rid of years of old family belongings now that you have an empty nest, or is it time to simplify your home (and life) now that you're heading into retirement? Whatever the reason, eliminating clutter can lower your stress levels, save time and help you to appreciate what you have. Consider what you hope to get out of the simplification process and keep that motivation with you as you go along -- especially when you're having trouble parting with personal items. Still unsure? Check out Martha Stewart's list of "100 Reasons to Get Rid of It" for a major dose of de-cluttering inspiration.
'Don't Get Organized'
When faced with mounting piles of clutter, our first instinct is often to find ways to tame it and hide it away, so we go out and buy boxes and bins and hangers to find a place for it all. But, as "Happier At Home" author Gretchen Rubin advises, "don't get organized" -- the first step should be getting brutally honest about what you need and what you don't. Then, you'll have to go through and get rid of any items that are unused, unwanted, and without enough sentimental value to be kept around. Getting rid of personal belongings can be tough, but once the clutter is gone, you'll be better able to make use of all the stuff you actually do want.
Do A Room-By-Room Purge
Getting rid of clutter can be an emotional process: It forces to confront our own bad spending habits (an overpriced kitchen product that still has the tags on it from four years ago, or a designer jacket that's never been worn), and to part ways with things that represented who we used to be. Set aside a weekend (or a few) to go through each room of the house methodically, making large piles of things to get rid of, and then subdividing into giveaway, throwaway, and sell piles. The book "Family-Sized Minimalism" may be a helpful guide for those with decades worth of family items to sort through. And if you're going through the belongings of an adult kid who has moved out, try to have them present if possible -- but be firm in your desire to get rid of anything that's no longer meaningful or necessary.
Enlist The Help Of A Friend
Having a friend or non-immediate family member there when you go through your closet, garage or kids' rooms can help you to be more impartial and break emotional attachments towards your belongings. A 2008 study published in the journal Judgment and Decision Making, found that the longer we physically hold an item, the more we value it -- having a friend hold things up and keep them at both a physical and psychological distance will help you make more objective decisions. This impartial third party can help you to let go of clothing, old toys, books and knick-knacks that may have some memories attached to them, but not necessarily enough sentimental value to be worth keeping.
Get Re-Organized
Once you've removed all throwaway and give-away items from your home, then is the time to get organized. Sort items and store in places where they can be easily accessed, and buy any organization supplies necessary -- but only once you've determined a real need for them. And DON'T try to fill all of the empty space in your house: An important part of the simplification process is to learn to be comfortable with empty spaces that may or may not need to be filled later. Keep a drawer around for future need, rather than using it as an excuse to keep things around that aren't contributing to your life.
De-Clutter Your Digital Life
Now that you've simplified your home, take an afternoon or two to tackle digital clutter. Unsubscribe from unwanted email newsletters, delete old documents that you no longer need and organize photos and important paperwork into labeled folders. Bloggers "The Minimalists" recommend deleting any files that you haven't used in six months. You can also further reduce physical clutter by digitizing CDs, DVDs, photo collections, important documents and more.
Change Your Habits
Once you have a clean, well-organized and simplified home, you'll be more likely to keep it that way: Research has found that people are significantly less likely to litter in clean environments than already-littered ones, and the same theory applies to home clutter as well. Your simplified home is a clean slate, and the process of simplifying is an opportunity to reflect on consuming habits that may no longer suit you. As Faith James, author of "Family-Sized Minimalism," writes, "How you look at everything must change. Every item you own, every choice you make in how you spend your time, and every pursuit you have will ultimately take you closer, or further away from your goal of living a more simple life."
