Two years ago I started the process of decluttering my home. A year ago I started the process of decluttering my closet. This year, I'm ready to tackle the a major area of my life that hasn't been through this journey yet: my finances.

This is more about learning discipline and self-control than it is about my bank account reaching a certain number. We may not be the most financially well-off couple on the block, but we've done pretty well. We have a mortgage and rent that both get paid, one car that's 100% ours as of last summer, and no student loan debt. We have an emergency fund that's equipped enough to help us weather a small storm, and a sizable savings account that we could live off of for at least 4 or 5 months, maybe 6 or more if we ate a lot of Ramen.

I'm just going to come out and say it: most of the financial cushiness we've enjoyed over the past 5+ years hasn't been so much a product of our excellent budgeting skills as much as having an amount of income that doesn't usually force us to choose between putting money into savings or going out to dinner, let alone between buying groceries and paying the rent. We've been able to spend money as we like (within reason, of course) and put money into savings without really missing it.

I didn't start a capsule wardrobe because I needed the closet space; I did it because I yearned for the the simplicity of fewer options, and because I wanted to be someone who didn't need a closet full of clothes. Likewise, I don't to want to be someone who spends. I