Car Shopping the KonMari Way

A little over a year ago, I went shopping for a new car.  It was a huge undertaking, as I had to be sure to make the right choice for me, and for my family. Not only for today, but my new car had to continue to 'spark joy' for years to come. 

I test drove beautiful vehicles at Lexus, Mercedes, and BMW. And although these cars were nice, I wasn't feeling that spark of joy. I remembered taking a road trip a year before in a Tesla Model S, and in comparison, the technology and comfort in these brand new cars was light years behind. I just couldn't justify spending that much on a car that didn't excite me. After all, I would be driving this car every single day! What else, besides your home, could be more imperative to building a joyful life than having a car that you absolutely love? 

Of course we all have different considerations when shopping for a car- reliability, economy, safety, utility, etc. My top considerations were technology, comfort, and environmentally friendly. I recommend choosing your top two or three considerations, and then be willing to bend a little on the others (but only if the car 'sparks joy' for you.) 

Well, I went with my gut and decided on a silver Tesla Model S 60.  I can honestly tell you that even though it cost a little more than I originally intended to spend, I have not regretted it once! I absolutely love my Tesla just as much today (if not more) than the day I first took delivery in January of 2017. I never have to buy gas again, and the speed, comfort, and luxury of this car, not to mention the sexy style, and the high-tech updates, are a constant source of joy. I love being part of the Tesla family, and especially being a small cog in the wheel of Elon Musk's environmental and technological revolution. It is worth every penny! 

Maybe a Tesla is not your "Spark Joy" car, but I share this story to stress the importance of choosing a car that doesn't only get you from point A to point B, but also supports your joy and your ideal lifestyle on a daily basis.  A car is an expense no matter how you look at it, and there are so many options out there! Car shopping can be overwhelming, and in that moment before you make the big decision, don't forget to do a major "joy-check!" You will thank yourself later, every single day!

My gift to you: If you are thinking of buying a Tesla, you can save $500 off your order and Unlimited Free Supercharging for life by using my personal Tesla Owner's link: http://ts.la/tiffani9916

KonMari Method- How to Handle "Necessities" That Don't Spark Joy

I recently read an article that suggested that the KonMari Method was encouraging people to throw out necessities of life. This is not true. The article inspired me to explain the way I understand how Marie Kondo approaches the objects in our space that may not excite us, but prove helpful in day-to-day life. 

Marie Kondo doesn't intend for everyone to throw away their rakes and toilet plungers. If a tool or appliance helps you to solve a problem in your life, the ability to solve that probably brings you joy. Therefore, you can say with confidence, this toilet plunger brings me joy. 

Unless you hate that specific toilet plunger then you should go find the nicest toilet plunger that you can find, and then store it in a way that when you see it, it sparks joy. Unless you absolutely hate storing a toilet plunger and in that case you can go buy one at the store when you actually need it. Is it worth storing if it brings you down every time you see? Maybe yes, maybe no. We can always buy one if we need one for $5 or $10. These are the questions you can ask yourself.

There are necessities of life, like can openers. Sometimes people don't even realize they have 4 of them until they go through all of their belongings in categories, as the Konmari Method suggests. When you discover you have four can openers, you can ask yourself, "Which of these can openers brings me the most joy?" and then discard the rest.  This is how you handle the tricky joy checking of necessities of life.