A Minimalist's Approach to Revamping a Pair of Wedding Shoes

I talk frequently about letting things go as a part of my journey into minimalism. I whittled down my closet to the essentials, and even during my pregnancy, I lucked out by scoring some maternity pants from a coworker. When we moved from Austin to Houston, I packed up several boxes of items, including many pairs of shoes. While living with Kendan's cousin for nearly a year, only a few pairs made it into the closet of a spare bedroom we were renting.

When we bought our house, I couldn't wait to unpack and give away more donations to Goodwill. I know that sounds kind of odd, but we hadn't used anything in the boxes for nearly a year, as they had been stacked in my parents garage, rearranged dozens of times and remained unopened. I finally found the box labeled "Kelsey's Shoes" and knew which ones I had wanted to keep.

I pulled out my wedding shoes and tossed them in the keep pile. After much debate, I decided to revamp my wedding shoes. I found the Houston Shoe Hospital and dropped them over the next day for a total makeover. The dingy creme-colored pair of shoes were slightly dirty from my bridal photography session (by an amazing photographer—Sassani Photography), and the handful of times I had worn them since then. When I picked them up a few weeks later, I was absolutely stunned at how they turned out.

There are now only five pairs remaining out of the nearly dozen or so pairs I had accumulated over the years, which include

• one pair of black flats
• one pair of tennis shoes
• one pair of flip flops
• one pair of silver heels
• one pair of black (wedding) shoes

My point is this: Don't let go of something that means so much to you. For me, keeping this one pair of shoes and revamping them as my only pair of black heels was important to me. I donated my other pair, as I only need one black pair of heels. Invest in a high-quality piece of clothing or item that makes you happy, and be OK with that! I can't wait to rock these new heels, but I'm currently nearing 9 months of pregnancy, so we'll have to wait a few more weeks. 

Check out my before and after photos below!

Photo Credit | Sassani Photography

Photo Credit | Sassani Photography

Top 3 Places to Donate & Cash in on Clutter

While researching for this blog post, I found an amazing article by a minimalist that covered a detailed list of where to donate anything. If you're looking for that kind of guide, be sure to read Miss Minimalist's guide, 101 Places Your Clutter Can Do Good. I thought I'd cover a few places where I like to go when I'm ready to get rid of something. With the three of these, we've been able to pare down much of our possessions to what we truly need and care about. Because, really, do you need 50 t-shirts?! I've found that with less clutter, I have way more time to focus on The Little Red Journal and spending time with my husband while we're not at work!

Goodwill | There's over 2,700 locations nationwide, and I can think of two within a three-mile radius of our new home. Not long ago, I found myself bringing home less than $450 a paycheck cleared after taxes. I had no other choice but to shop at Goodwill for clothing. They will literally accept nearly any type of household item or article of furniture and clothing. You're also creating job opportunities for people who sort, price, and sell the items, which I always thought was a great perk. Their pricing is great, too, if you're needing a new item of clothing or are looking for some used furniture. I'm all about donating, and think it's great to free your home and mind of the clutter.

Half-Price Books | I don't know how we amassed a library of books. When we lived in Huntsville, Texas while I attended Sam Houston State University, my now brother-in-law asked me, "Who do those books belong to?!" As if they magically appeared out of thin air or we were storing them for someone else. When we moved from Austin, we filled up two reusable bags and hauled them over to Half-Price Books. I was stunned to be offered nearly $50 for the lot. I cashed out and tossed it into our savings. We saved the hassle of packing two boxes during our move and we haven't even missed those books.

Craigslist | This one can be hit or miss, but when we moved out of Austin to Houston, Texas, we definitely cashed in on some items that we wouldn't need for one year. We sold a couch to some total hipsters (vintage holds its value in Austin) for $300 (and I made $50 profit!), and we sold a record player cabinet for $130 that I had only paid $100 for originally. So for higher-priced items, it is definitely worth it, but I wouldn't recommend trying to sell items of clothing or small trinkets around the house. Not worth the time you will spend going round and round with a potential customer. Big items, though—YES!

Interested in minimalism? Read some inspiring posts!
How Minimalism Made Moving Day Less Painful
Minimalism 101: We The Tiny House People
Skipping the Holidays: Minimalist Style
Cutting the Clutter: The 5 C's to More Happiness
5 Lessons I've Learned by Decluttering
Cutting the Clutter: Kitchen Revamp
Top 5 Reasons for Cutting the Clutter
Embracing a Minimalist Lifestyle

A Minimalist's View of Frozen's Anthem: Let it Go

I was teasing my mom recently because she's been talking about the movie Frozen for weeks now. She bought the movie because she heard it was good. I have not yet seen it, but of course, I can sing the entire theme song from memory because it's just so popular! Well, I think the title of that song has some great advice. So, I'll write this post while being completely ignorant about the context of this song, and we'll just wing it.

LET. IT. GO.



I'm talking about anything and everything in your home that causes you to cringe when you walk by it. Do you have a pile of items sitting in a junk drawer that you can stand to look at? Well, let's let Elsa do the talking here. We'll take chunks of the lyrics and apply them to minimalism. This should be fun!

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen
A kingdom of isolation,
And it looks like I'm the queen.

Alright, so here we have the perfect intro: your house is your kingdom and if it was cluttered up like mine a few years ago, you'd feel like the queen of a great treasure trove. But it does feel a bit isolated because you don't have the room to really breathe and enjoy your home. What's next, Elsa?

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried!

By now, you know there's something not quite right in your life, and you really do want to make some changes. Where do I start? How do I even begin to tackle the clutter in my life? You've tried to buy some organizational totes and you're too embarrassed to admit you totally fell for those bags that you stuff full of extra bedding, sweaters, and sheets that you really don't need, only to realize as you're sucking out the air out of the bags with your vacuum cleaner attachment, that you'll just be tossing these to the back of the closet once you've sealed them in their tomb.

Don't let them in, don't let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know
Well, now they know!

Crap, you have visitors and they showed up at the most inopportune time. Why didn't they call beforehand so you could do some speed cleaning?! How are you supposed to tidy up the house when you hear that knock on the door?

Let it go, let it go
Can't hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door!

No, no, don't lock the door and run away in shame! This is your chance to make some big changes in your life. You don't need to speed clean once you have decluttered your home. Why? Because everything has a home and nothing is left strewn about. You'll look like the queen on your kingdom and everyone will wonder just how you keep your house so tidy. They may comment how well-polished the home looks and you can probably get away with those unswept floors if people aren't focusing on a pile of magazines or other items that tend to pile up.

I don't care
What they're going to say
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway!

This is the attitude you will have AFTER you've made peace with donating any unnecessary items and letting go of those things you thought you needed. Once you realize that your home has a profound effect on your mental well-being and ridding yourself of the clutter can actually improve your outlook and attitude, then you'll be donating like crazy. Some people may not understand you or why you're letting go of things in your home. That's okay, and you should remember that this change only matters to you!

It's funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me
Can't get to me at all!

Once you see your possessions as what they really are, whether they be useful to you now, or five years ago, it will be so much easier to decide what stays and what goes. I'm not saying you'll be packing everything up, but you'll realize you really don't need three extra sets of bedding or 50 t-shirts. You'll soon be free of those preconceived notions and feel good about helping someone else out by donating an item that was once useful to you but is now surely much more useful to someone else today.

It's time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
I'm free!

So what are you waiting for? You can totally do this. There are no rules to minimalism. It is what you make of it. If that means removing items from your home, that's great! If you find that reducing the amount of time commitments you make each week is helpful to ease your mind, then that's also another way to minimize. Don't compare your journey to anyone else's, because it's a deep-rooted change that takes place, and it looks different for everyone.

Best of luck to everyone during their journey into minimalism, and I'd love to hear how it goes.

Helpful Minimalism Blog Posts
Embracing a Minimalist Lifestyle
Sell your crap. Pay off your debt. Do what you love.
Top 5 Reasons for Cutting the Clutter
Cutting the Clutter: The 5 C's to More Happiness
5 Lessons I've Learned by Decluttering
Cutting the Clutter: Kitchen Revamp

The Joys of Donating + Tips for Keeping Your Closet in Check

I've always loved donating and all that it stands for. For a quick recap, once upon a time, I used to make very little money for the first few years out of college. I didn't have much, so I couldn't spend much. I thought it was crazy how one of my jobs required a dress code of khakis and solid plain colors for a top. I didn't have either and I was only making $8 an hour. So off to Goodwill I went! I appreciated the low prices, high-quality, gently worn clothing. Yes, you do have to dig. But the time spent is well worth it. That's probably the ONLY con I can think of when it comes to shopping second-hand. Now, let's chat about the pros!

1. Amazing prices. I'm talking $4 for a shirt or $7 for jeans. Or what about $8 for a dress? I knew that Goodwill would be good for my wallet since I had to purchase clothing and didn't want to pay department store prices.

2. You're putting people to work. Someone has to sort the donations, and Goodwill puts people to work to build this skill sets and help them train to gain valuable experience. 

3. Fashionable clothing. I know you probably think of your great grandmother's blouse or an ugly sweater when you hear Goodwill, but trust me, if you dig, you WILL find the gold. Nearly everything in my closet is from Goodwill and I receive compliments every other day on the items I wear.

4. You can afford to recycle your clothing. After you're tired of a shirt that you've worn endlessly for six months, you can let it go if you're ready. Wearing something 15-20 times that cost only $4 is not something you'll fret over if you're ready for a new look.

A few tips for keeping your closet in check

1. Keep a one in, one out rule. Exactly as stated, if you bring an item into your closet, be ready to let something else go. 

2. Consider what you love and wear often. See something you've only worn once in the last six months? Let it go.

3. Don't keep a shirt for memories. Make memories, but you don't need to keep your college shirt to remember the good times. It's ok to let things go, and it's great for you to detach from a material item. Live in the moment.

Here's my current closet. I often edit this weekly so I know I'm not hanging on to items that no longer fit well or are no longer something that is bringing joy (and color) into my life.

Spring Cleaning for Your Bathroom + Dollar Shave Club Interview

Spring is here and as a minimalist, all I can think about is purging more items from our household inventory. To inspire you to create a zen, minimalist bathroom, here are some quick tips for keeping your bathroom tidy and in order. I've also included an interview with Dollar Shave Club, which offers a great way to save on razors.

1. Remove duplicates if at all possible. I had a HUGE stockpile of chapsticks that I found after cleaning up my bathroom before our big move at the beginning of the year. If you don't need it, donate it or give it to someone who will use it.

2. Limit your hair products. Seriously. It's amazing what a bottle of detangler will do for you. I use it to spruce up my hair before work to give it some body and lift.

3. Audit your makeup items. I may be boring, but I keep my makeup bag to a bare minimum with only foundation, brushes, concealer, two eyeshadows that I pair, mascara, and eyeliner. That's it. No need for all the fancy tools and extras. Keep it simple.

4. Check your medicine cabinet. I routinely check labels and properly discard of any items that are way too old. During Hurricane Rita in August 2005, I volunteered to help out with refugees from Galveston, TX and came down with who-knows-what. Luckily, my husband's grandma had a bottle of medicine that had to have been 20 years old. Let's just say I didn't remember Hurricane Rita blowing through Huntsville that night.

What tips and tricks do you have to keep a simple, minimalist bathroom? 

Now what about saving money on bathroom items? I love to hear from readers, and when I heard from Dollar Shave Club, I thought it made perfect sense to interview them, as I love saving money. Their slogan is: "a great shave for a few bucks a month." Sounds good to me. I personally don't love shaving and find it to be such a, ahem, hairy situation. When I first met my boyfriend-now-husband, I told him, "I don't like shaving my legs. So if that's a dealbreaker, let me know." But I'll be honest: there's nothing like shaving with a good razor.

When the time rolls around to tackle the jungle that I call my legs, I opt for a nicer razor, as you pay for the cheap ones twofold in nicks and cuts. I had heard of Dollar Shave Club before, but was surprised that women could also benefit from their service. It's also affordable, with packages at only $3 per month, with shipping and handling, up to $9 a month. You know by now that I'm a frugal person, but I think the $3/month option sounds pretty doable, even for a small budget.

Check out this NSFW video below about the company (contains cursing!):

LRJ: I see that you have plenty of options for men. Do you offer women's products, too?

DSC: All of our products are great for women! We recommend the 4X (aka the Lover’s Blade), but our women members have told us they love the Executive, too.

LRJ: I'm all about saving money. I've even splurged on waxing, but that gets expensive really quickly. What does an average person spend on razors a month, and how does this compare money-wise?

DSC: According to this WSJ article, about $20/month is usually spent per month, as compared to Dollar Shave Club options.

LRJ: What were some of the issues that he wanted to address by creating such a service?

DSC: Basically, help people save money and provide a great, fun service.

About the Company
Dollar Shave Club couldn't be simpler. Select one of our great razors, pay one low monthly fee, and we send 'em right to your door. No more over-paying for fancy brand name shave tech. No more forgetting to buy your blades.

 Links | Facebook | Google+ | Twitter

Renting a Room and Keeping it Minimalist

When we first moved in with my husband's cousin at the beginning of the year, we didn't really know how long we would be here. Would it be just a quick pit stop while we looked for our sixth apartment in 8 years? Where would we even begin to look? After a couple of weeks, it seemed that everything was working out just fine. With his permission, we began slowly moving our items into the house that we now shared.

As a reminder, we literally moved on New Year's Day and shoved every single box that we owned into my parent's garage while we figured everything out. I would rummage through all of the boxes, open each one, and mark with more detail what was contained inside them. Now, instead of simply labeling one as "Kitchen", I now knew if there were cups, bowls, or forks inside. Once you've opened a box five or more times, you begin to create a system that makes more sense!

I began bringing items back to our new home that I had carefully selected from the boxes in my parent's garage to piece together our bedroom. This exercise really made me reconsider what was important to me, and I was surprised to see that I had even more items to add to my donate pile. Before we moved out of Austin, I decluttered many areas of the apartment, but not that it was clear we'd be living elsewhere for a while, the decision to toss another shirt into the donation box was that much easier.

Each time I visit my parents now (which is way more often than I can ever remember in year!), I go through another box and really think about what I can do without. My wardrobe has been pared down yet again and my husband now owns more clothing that I do! Our favorite decor is adorning the walls of our bedroom, and we added some kitchen items to the household inventory for communal use. Check out some of our setup, and let me know what you think! I'm loving the simplicity of the room, and know that it's the perfect amount of items for us.

Minimalist Living Room Decor and Makeover

When we moved in with my husband's cousin a couple of months ago, I was completely grateful for the living arrangement that we had. We're currently renting out a room, and he has a house full of furniture and decor that had a bachelor pad feel to it. And hey, that's what he was! So once we finally "settled in", I was careful to toss around the idea of redecorating and moving items to give the place a fresh new look.

During a weekend conversation before he was heading out for the evening, we began discussing his living room and the possibilities of decor ideas. I had some ideas in mind and quickly sketched out a floorplan that could work a little better than the current setup. After agreeing on the setup, our roommate mentioned that it looked like a "weekend project". If you know me, you'll know that I like a good challenge. I told him I'd have it done by the time he got back to the house (within two hours).

Without spending a dime (and actually finding a lot of loose change in the process), I completely revamped the living room in just under the two hours. I completely rotated that massive rug and moved around furniture myself like nobody's business. I feel it opened up the space and really took the living room to a totally different level of comfort.

Check out how moving just a few pieces of furniture and rearranging some items can do to a room!

Before

During

After

New Roomie: This House Just Become More Like Home

I had been counting down the days and waiting for weeks for our newest roommate, my husband's cousin. While we prepared for his arrival, I wanted to make his homecoming something he wouldn't forget. I'm all about a challenge, and I knew I had to budget to make his home something really nice while working with what we already have. I've been making over the house we're currently renting with my husband's cousin (our new roomie's bro), and steadily have been making it a little more cozy.

I started off thinking about what all would be needed but also wanted to make the room a little minimalist. This would give him a good welcome home and at the same time provide some flexibility if he wanted to "make it his own". I thought about a budget for this, and figured about $35 would do the trick. We had the bed and bedding, but aside from that, the room was bare. I'll just jump right into the photos, and then we'll talk numbers.

Picture frame (Target) -- $1.99

Chair and pillow -- $0 (owned by roomate, free)

Laundry basket (Target) -- $3

Fake succulent (Target) -- $3

Lamp (Ikea) -- $0 (owned previously)

Bedding/bed -- $0 (previously owned)

Curtain rod/curtains (Ross) -- $20 

Clock (Target) -- $5

------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL --> $33

I feel like it turned out pretty nice, and our new roommate LOVED his room. Simple and minimalist, but it looked great. I'm becoming a big fan of less is more, and especially renting just one room can really make you appreciate the items that you have with you even more!

The Life-Giving Pursuit of Minimalism

Joshua Becker has been a great inspiration to me as I ventured into the world of minimalism. He's a father who found himself cleaning out the garage and having an epiphany as he realized he was wasting time with things he didn't even need. Here he gives a quick talk about owning less and living more, which is what minimalism means to me. I personally have found myself more calm and relaxed with our clean little apartment rather than stressed out worrying about, well, cleaning it. He has a blog, Becoming Minimalist, where he discusses all of these things and what minimalism means to him. Check it out and let me know what you think about owning less!

The Chair That Almost Blew Our Budget For The Month

A couple of weeks ago, my mom told me about this super cute chair that she found in Kirkland's. She knew I would love it and texted me immediately with a couple of photos. The price was $149, and it did match my couch perfectly with its colorful fabric in a mustard yellow tone. She called the store in San Marcos, which was the closest one to me, and they confirmed they had two in stock. I did think is was incredibly cute and I really wanted it. The problem was that I really didn't need it. I told mom, "That's not really in our budget for the month!"

I spent all weekend thinking about that chair. I had baked over 150 cookies and brownies for an Austin Bakes for West fundraiser that Friday night, and didn't have time to go to the Kirkland's in San Marcos. I kept busy all day Saturday working on The Little Red Journal site, and I worked some more the next morning. I  really didn't want to crack, because this is kind of my weakness. Before we had a budget, I would buy whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. This isn't that easy anymore. We're paying $1,000 a month on my husband's student loans, and a $150 purchase can definitely toss a tight budget off kilter. 

After meeting up with some friends for lunch, I was headed to the bookstore to pick up a copy of Happy Herbivore Abroad for a friend who's interested in eating more vegan meals. Before I arrived at the bookstore, I made a last-minute decision and turned into the parking lot for HomeGoods. I sighed heavily, and grabbed my purse to head in to the store. I knew I shouldn't be there. I hate to compare this to a serious addiction like drugs or alcohol, but I definitely felt jittery walking in there. I knew this wouldn't fit in to the budget and I had worked so hard to get rid of so many things lately while embracing minimalism. 

I took a look around, checked out the furniture, but didn't see anything that I loved as much as I did that chair mom had told me about. I shrugged my shoulders and hauled ass out of the there. If I hadn't left immediately, I would have found some small thing to look at and convince myself that I needed it. Once I had my first "real job" about five years ago, this would be a frequent event for me. Even growing up, I still remember piling into the car with my mom and grandma and heading for the mall. We didn't really need anything, but it was something that I learned to do to pass the time. (Bored? Go shopping!) So even though I didn't purchase anything that day, it is still very much something that I battle with. 

For now, our budget was safe. I'm sharing this with all of you because even though it is easy for me to donate, it's tough for me to stop spending. Don't get me wrong -- I haven't purchased anything like that in a long, long time, but I almost cracked and did. Walking out of that store felt amazing and I headed to the bookstore next. After picking up the book, I headed to my friend's house and noticed she was cleaning out her garage. I left her house and realized that I also should be cleaning out a few more things from our apartment. 

I've been so happy letting things go, and need to remind myself why I'm doing this. It's not a contest to see how little I can live with, but a true restructuring of our finances to work towards the goals we have in mind. That's why I found myself searching for "minimalist parenting" blogs when I arrived back at our apartment, even though we don't have a kid yet. I'm doing this now so that we can become parents sooner rather than later. And it's all a part of our bigger plan to pay off the debt and start living the life we really want. Don't use the "I deserve it," phrase, because what I deserve more than a chair is some peace of mind in our finances and think about growing our family.

The Infamous Chair

Ways to Minimize Your Housework and Belongings

During our move a few weeks ago, my husband and I were discussing how many things we have donated in preparation for our new apartment. I am the queen of donating, and people are actually afraid to give me presents knowing that if I don't find it useful, I will simply donate it. Packing up the kitchen was a big wake-up call for us, and I sat there staring at ramekins and other useless items that I thought I needed to cook or the cabinet full of cups and dishes that overflowed for only two inhabitants of a one bedroom apartment.

As we stared at all of our boxes, my husband said, "We should go down to one plate." I thought about that and wondered how awesome it would be to just be responsible for cleaning two plates when meal time rolled around. Unfortunately, we aren't there just yet. I currently have a nice set of dishes from my great aunt that I can't let go of. They really are beautiful, but it's one sentimental thing that I can't let go of. Aside from their beauty, you can imagine our surprise when we first microwaved one and realized there was silver lining the edges of the dishes that will create sparking when heated!

Minimalism to me isn't about getting down to a backpack of your possessions, but downsizing to the things that you really want and need in your life. Once you start to dig around your kitchen, living room, bedroom closet, and bathroom, you realize that you really don't need all of that excess and that you could simply do without. There's something magical that happens once you get rid of all the little useless things in your life. I couldn't pinpoint it at first, but now I know what it is.

I can wake up in the morning and quickly tidy up the house before heading to work. There's no longer tons of little things laying around and everything has a purpose. I've always been sort of a neat-freak and I pride myself on my organization, but once you whittle down your belongings to the things that make sense for everyday use, you really free up tons of time. It's easier to get dressed in the morning, my kitchen always looks pretty spotless, and I am not stressing about big messes.

Think of the things in your life that bog you down or make you feel like you need to do a laundry-list of chores. Ugh, sorry to make you do that, but now check out these tips below for ways to ease your mind and lift the burden of abundance.

• Recycle cheap plastic storage containers and invest in Pyrex storage pieces that can quickly be tossed in the dishwasher and will last forever
• Clear out your living area of uneccessary items, including small catch-alls that attract clutter
• Look at your kitchen counters, rethink the space, and set out only frequently used items like spices and a cutting board
• Recycle any worn out plastic cups and invest in some glass or my favorite: Tervis tumblers
• Take a look around your bedroom and put away any items that are catching dust
• Utilize the drawers or shelves in the bathroom to store your essentials and keep them in an easy to reach space

Minimalism 101: We The Tiny House People

In the last several months, I have been re-evaluating many things. I feel like they have all stemmed from going vegan and changing my lifestyle, but it opened many doors into my finances and how I lived. After watching Adam Baker's TED Talk about debt and what freedom meant to him, I started to wonder if I was always meant to live by not following "the script". In many ways, when I began dating my husband over eight years ago, I envisioned how it would all unfold. Dating, college, landing the perfect job, engagement, marriage, buying a home, having two kids, etc. 

Then as we progressed throughout our life, we found all of these things to be somewhat unattainable and impossible to follow the path that I always thought we were meant to follow. A few months ago, I realized that no, I don't need to have all of these things in that order to be happy in life, and that not everyone lived the American Dream. What I did find was marvelous. Instead of buying McMansions, I found a documentary that revolved around space, basic comforts in a home, and a way of living that went against every thought and dream that I had. 

We, The Tiny House People is a great documentary that focuses on a different way to live. I sat here in amazement as I watched how each home was different than the next, although had the same principles and goals in mind. Living small was not only environmentally smart, but it's also financially flexible. Why hadn't I considered this before? I challenge you to watch this and re-evaluate what you think is most important in life. It's not always about getting the next best thing or having the most square footage.

Enjoy the full documentary below in its entirety!

Minimalism in Disney: Baloo's Bear Necessities

When you're a child, there's really so much great advice out there that you probably didn't even catch. Aside from the great Dr. Seuss quotes that I previously blogged about, Disney movies are also a great source of adult advice that we tend to tune out. After a night of singing Disney songs last weekend, I realized that Baloo really knew what he was talking about. Who knew that I would have watched that movie so many times without realizing that he was talking about a form of minimalism?

Look for the bear necessities
The simple bear necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bear necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bear necessities of life 

Great! Here we have some minimalism and what sounds like veganism to me, too! How did I just now hear this in the lyrics?! Have about the part where they are floating the water? Let's take a look at those lyrics!

Yeah! This is really livin'!
So just try and relax, yeah cool it
Fall apart in my backyard
'Cause let me tell you something little britches
If you act like that bee acts, uh uh
You're working too hard
And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true
The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you

My only regret is that I didn't figure out all of this sooner. I now tend to enjoy my life more without worrying so much about things. As Baloo says, you can really live without so much. For us, "bare necessities" is something that we're still working on. During our recent move, my husband suggested that we go down to one plate each. While we aren't there just yet, it's still challenging us to rethink how we consume, what we do with the money that we have, and how we don't really need all that we've had.

Vegan Diet 101: The Overconsumption of Food

I like to frequent Reddit, and one of my favorite subreddits other than r/minimalism and r/vegan is r/anticonsumerism. After watching the video below, I found myself repulsed in many ways. Even now that I am a vegan, there is still something unsettling about the video. There are no words in the video simply because they were able to tell this story without them. If you're still consuming animals, then it's worth taking a look.

Especially in the beginning of my lifestyle change, many people would respond to my journey as though they could never make these adjustments as I had. At first, I insisted that I was doing this only for my health. As time went on, my journey started to take another turn. I now realized that after reading Skinny Bitch and watching half of Earthlings (once you watch it, you'll understand why I only sat through an hour of it), something hit me.

These animals are no different than our dogs or cats. Why were we consuming them instead of our dogs? What makes them different? And more importantly, how were they being treated so inhumanely without anyone really caring? When I bring this up to non-vegans, I often hear, "I don't care about the animals..." or "They are for US to eat!" Would you allow your dog to be put in a cage, poked, prodded, watch its tail be cut off?

I know I may sound extreme (oh no, I sound like I did when I first went vegan!), but this happens to billions of animals each year. The total tally is over 56 billion, to give you some idea. I can't even fathom that number! Take a look at the video below and take a peek inside some of the food industry's darkest secrets.

Will it move you to change?

Cutting the Clutter: The 5 C's to More Happiness

I've been cutting all sorts of things out of my life lately: excessive weight and animal products in the form of veganism, as well as clothing and unnecessary duplicates in my attempt at a more minimalist lifestyle. I've already discussed a few of the benefits that I found and some of the lessons I've learned, but here's a few more things to consider if you're feeling a little crazy lately.

Carefully consider who is part of your life. Early on in my journey to better health, there were some critics of my choices. Some of the people that were the closest in my life supported me while others flat out didn't. I feel like I've conquered all of my goals already, but there's one thing I did learn from this experience: No matter what the challenge is that you are facing, if someone does not support you, too bad. They are out, even if it's just a temporary thing. I hate to be blunt, but the last thing you need while facing a health crisis or making a lifestyle change is negativity.

Committing to every event you're invited to is overrated. Make sure you are spending your time the way you want to. I have a problem saying no to anyone, so that can quickly catch up to me if I'm not careful. Although I would love to do anything and everything that I have been asked to do, sometimes you just have to know when you need down time. Most people will understand because they are probably just as busy as you.

Cleanse your closet and kitchen of any nonessential items. I know this sounds silly, but chores suck! My husband and I despise doing dishes, so I decided to pare down to the essentials. The result? A cleaner kitchen since almost everything that gets dirty can quickly be tossed into the dishwasher. Less clothing in your closet also means you can't allow laundry to sit around. When you're out of jeans, you really have no choice but to toss them into the washer. It's forced me to stay on top of our chores and I don't have to stress as much about keeping the house clean.

Cut out the white noise in your social life. I'm sure there are people on Facebook who really don't care if I make another #vegan dish. (My husband even says OMG#VEGAN all the time just to make fun of all my posts!) I keep in touch with nearly all of our family on social networking sites and I try to keep my friends list trimmed to those who matter most to me. In college, you were the coolest kid in class if you had 400+ friends. Now in simplifying my life, I have reconsidered all of my personal connections. Better yet, permanently delete your Facebook profile and scale back on social media.

Consume less and free up more of your money for goals. No matter if you are ready to save up for a vacation or just trying to get a hold of your credit card debt, one of the best ways to accomplish these goals is to consume less. And by "consume less", I mean buy less stuff, use less stuff and live with what you have. I started to use small washcloths that I toss in with the laundry instead of using a paper towel every time I wiped my kitchen counters. I can't even remember the last time I bought a large package of paper towels!

January 2015 Update: We accomplished two of our goals by paying off $17,000 in student debt in less than 18 months and saved $16,000 in less than 7 months to purchase our first home.

In short, find ways to live simply and happily. These are a few that have worked well for my life, but I'd love to hear how you've simplified yours!

Looking to embrace a minimalist lifestyle? Check out my posts below!
Cutting the Clutter: The 5 C's to More Happiness
5 Lessons I've Learned by Decluttering
Top 5 Reasons for Cutting the Clutter
Cutting the Clutter: Kitchen Revamp
Sell your crap. Pay off your debt. Do what you love.
Embracing a Minimalist Lifestyle

Embracing a Minimalist Lifestyle

I will attempt to go as minimalist as possible by start of the new year. Since that's only less than two months away, I will need to be swift in my actions. I have already embraced a much simpler lifestyle since my huge health shift in February 2012. Now, nearly nine months later, I feel there are others areas in my life worth improving.

We've probably moved a total of six times in the last seven years. When Kendan and I moved in together, we had hardly anything. A couch, bookshelf, dining table and basic kitchenware and bedding were all that we had. After two years in our first apartment, I still remember me bursting into tears the night we moved when we had so much left to cram into two tiny trailers (that were already pretty full).

I know how this happened. I was GREAT at organizing. When you organize all of your things in your life and home, more can fit. And that was precisely the problem! After our most recent move, we went from a two bedroom apartment down to a modest one bedroom. I still had lots of things, and knew that something had to give. We could only cram so much. During our move, I was able to get rid of a few larger items and even in our new apartment, it took a full day and several people to move all of the boxes.

I blame my shopping problem that I feel I inherited during childhood. I remember going to the mall with my mom and her looking at me and saying, "We only have one check left in the checkbook..." That to me meant: "Let's pick a good store to spend the last one!" And did we ever. I liked to think that I was a smart shopper who would only buy things on sale and mostly necessary items only.

Especially with my ~30 lb. weight loss over the last nine months, I was shopping at thrift stores more often. I was only buying a few clothes so that I could look fairly normal as my body began to change. Nothing crazy; just a few jeans here and there until I needed to buy yet another smaller size. Once I hit my six month mark, I wanted to make even more changes to my life, including the things that are in it.

Join me, either as a bystander, or someone who is also interested in making some minimalistic changes to their lifestyle, as I purge the rest of the unnecessary objects out of my life!

Looking to embrace a minimalist lifestyle? Check out my posts below!

Cutting the Clutter: The 5 C's to More Happiness
5 Lessons I've Learned by Decluttering
Top 5 Reasons for Cutting the Clutter
Cutting the Clutter: Kitchen Revamp
Sell your crap. Pay off your debt. Do what you love.