What I Thought About While Pumping Gas: 7 Simple Ways I Find Peace When Life Feels Expensive

Large Southern live oak tree in a Louisiana backyard, representing peace, gratitude, and the calm that comes from simplifying your home and life. Photo by Martha Carol Stewart

I stood at the gas pump this week watching the numbers climb.

Three dollars.

Twenty.

Forty.

Sixty.

Almost four dollars a gallon.

I may have muttered a few words that shouldn't be repeated in front of small children. (I was a kindergarten teacher...I know better!)

I wasn't worried that I couldn't afford the gas.

My mind immediately went somewhere else.

I thought about my daughter and her husband, expecting their first baby.

I thought about my son, who's about to begin his first physical therapy job while still carrying student loans.

I thought about my goddaughter, settling into a new position at a law office while fiercely saving for a place of her own.

Then I thought about the families quietly trying to stretch every paycheck just a little farther.

Not because they're doing anything wrong.

Simply because life feels more expensive than it used to.

And with that comes stress.

When stress walks through the front door, peace often slips quietly out the back.

By the time I hung up the gas nozzle, my brain had already started asking the same question it always asks whenever life feels uncertain.

What can I simplify?

Not because I'm afraid.

Because simplifying has become my way of breathing again.

When life feels expensive, I don't immediately look at my bank account.

I look around my home.

Where am I carrying more than I need?

What have I accumulated because it felt good in the moment?

What decisions am I making over and over simply because I own too much?

After thirteen years of helping families organize their homes, I've learned something surprising.

Sometimes the greatest luxury isn't buying something new.

It's needing less.

Here are seven ways I simplify when life feels overwhelming.

1. I Reduce Decisions

One of my favorite sayings has always been:

Never own more than you can maintain. ( I wish I remembered who said these wise words….they are not mine!)

When life gets stressful, every extra decision feels heavier.

Too many beauty products.

Too many lipsticks.

Too many pairs of colorful sneakers. (I confess...I love them.)

Every extra item asks something of us.

"What should I wear?"

"Which moisturizer?"

"Where did I put that?"

Owning less doesn't mean living with less joy.

It means making room for more peace.

2. I Shop My Own Home First

That adorable hair clip on Instagram?

It really is precious.

But do I truly need another one when I already have six waiting in my bathroom drawer?

I've learned to "shop" my own home before shopping online.

More often than not, I already own exactly what I need.

3. I Wait 24 Hours Before Clicking "Buy"

Impulse purchases usually aren't about the item.

They're about the feeling.

Sometimes I'm not looking for another lipstick.

I'm looking for a little burst of happiness after a hard day.

Waiting just one day gives me space to ask:

Will this still make my life better tomorrow...or does it just make this moment feel a little easier?

Sometimes the answer surprises me.

4. I Notice What I Already Have

I make my bed.

I fluff the sofa pillows.

I clear yesterday's mail from the kitchen counter.

Then I pause.

Yes, the patio furniture probably needs washing.

But I have a patio to enjoy.

I smile at my deep porcelain sink that patiently waits while I load the dishwasher.

I admire the piece of artwork I found at a local resale shop that still makes me smile every time I walk by.

Gratitude has a beautiful way of reminding us that enough already exists.

5. I Simplify My Days, Not Just My Stuff

Owning a business means invitations, networking events, meetings, and opportunities.

Sometimes the most organized thing I can do...

...is say no.

I sit on the porch swing beneath the sprawling branches of our old oak tree.

It reminds me that some of the best things in life grow slowly.

When my children were little, simplifying looked different.

It meant sitting on the floor building a zoo out of plastic animals.

Splashing in muddy puddles after a summer rain.

Rinsing off together in a little plastic kiddie pool.

Those moments never appeared on a to-do list.

But they became the memories we still treasure.

Breathe.

Notice.

Be present.

6. I Leave Room for Real Life

Homes are meant to be lived in.

Not photographed.

There are children.

Spouses.

Dogs.

Laundry.

Life.

Sometimes the dress-up clothes belong tossed into a basket because little imaginations are waiting for tomorrow.

Sometimes stuffed animals deserve to stay lined across the bed.

Childhood moves far too quickly to spend every day chasing perfection.

Give yourself grace.

7. I Remember That Peace Has Value Too

On my hardest days, I intentionally look for something beautiful.

Sometimes I write it down.

Sometimes I take a picture.

Eastern bluebirds splashing in my fountain.

A stranger's kind smile.

Someone holding the door.

A photo memory that unexpectedly appears on my phone.

Little reminders that life is still good.

My goal has never been to create a perfect home.

It's much simpler than that.

I want to walk through my front door, stop for just a moment...

...and smile.

Because this is the house we worked so hard to build.

These are the children I prayed for.

This is the beautiful chaos I always wanted.

Life will always have expensive gas.

Unexpected bills.

Hard seasons.

But peace doesn't have to disappear just because life gets complicated.

Sometimes it begins with taking one deep breath...

...and simplifying one small thing.