Downsizing My Closet and Nixing the Chupacabra Tee

Over the last few days, I have given much thought to my closet and everything in it. Even as I sit here, I'm thinking of letting go another shirt. For several years now (I would say at least the last five), I have almost exclusively shopped at thrift stores and Goodwill. This worked especially well for my budget, and I don't mind giving something away since it only cost $2-$9 for each piece. Most shirts I can get for less than $4 each, and shorts are only $7. Jeans are $8 each and dresses are $9 at my local Goodwill.

My Look Book: Piecing Together My Perfect Future

In high school, I distinctly remember my art teacher assigning us a project for creating a sort of look book. It was more of a designer project where we found a floorplan that we liked in a design magazine, then chose images of fabric swatches, furniture and paints. That was my freshman year, and smack dab in the middle of my wild imagination for how life would be by the time I graduated college, found my amazing first job, and started the family with the man I loved. Except there was a catch: I was neither in love, nor did I have a set career in mind, and my expectations were way off.

Once I hit my senior year of high school, I began dating a guy who I would later marry. Falling in love followed and before I knew it, we were off to college together and within another year, signing our first apartment lease. Moving in with him wasn't really a tough decision at all since I knew it would save money by splitting the rent and food instead of living in the dorms again for a second year. Soon after we moved in, I began to dream about what our little apartment could one day look like. 

We only had some hand-me-down furniture, a vintage and tattered couch, our new dining room table, a couple of cheap computer desks, and my brother's old bedroom furniture. At this point in my life, I wanted to work at a magazine as an associate editor, so our mailbox was always full of magazines including Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, and Better Homes and Gardens. I felt like such a middle-aged mom subscribing to those magazines, but the homes featured inside of them were almost always stunning. 

I began to thumb through the magazines and tear out images and tidbits of info, much like that high school project I described earlier. What resulted is my heavy "Look Book" which contains bits and pieces of how I envisioned my future home. It's funny now, since I tend to laugh at how naive I was about everything, including my dream to own a home by the time I was 25. What was I thinking?! Not about student loan debt or the impossibility to even save for a down payment on a home years after working at my first job, obviously! I'm not sure why I thought it would be easy, but it's something that I can smile about now. 

While moving this last time, I grabbed the Look Book off my shelf and considered tossing it away. Before I put the book down, I opened it and felt a little nostalgic looking at it again and seeing the choices I so carefully taped inside of this book. Each page consists of cardstock and images taped to ever so gracefully to create dozens of mini-collages that represented what I thought my house would look like. It's like an imaginary fairy-tale that I was creating. I couldn't let it go, and many of those images still reflect my style. 

I saved dozens of article about finances before I even really knew how to budget, organizational tips that I still use, and omnivore recipes that I no longer crave. I don't have the heart to throw it out since I know I invested several hours compiling these together. It's interesting to look back and see how I've always been in some way a little too prepared for life and in the same sense, totally unaware of what challenges I had before me. For now, we'll keep chugging along as usual, and I'll continue striving to understand what I really want in life.

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

How Minimalism Made Moving Day Less Painful

I know it's been far too long since I have blogged. Since my last post, I have left my previous job that I held for nearly a year and half, started a new career in the marketing field, and have been packing up my apartment for a move on Saturday. Life has been busy and full of emotions lately! Leaving my old job was emotionally tolling on me and I felt like I was breaking up with everyone in the company. Starting my new position has been scary, fun, detail-oriented, and I am settling in quite nicely.

When I began looking for a new position, I wasn't sure what I'd be looking for. I knew I wanted to write, so I went into marketing and have been exercising my writing skills every day. When I applied for the job, I couldn't believe where it was located. I now work two doors down from my husband. It's weird running into him in the corridor and I'm not used to seeing him throughout my work day, but it's been great to run out for lunch together and enjoy a nice vegan sandwich. 

A couple of months ago, we started thinking about where we wanted to move. We love living in Austin, but the rent keeps creeping up. The Southwest Austin area has really grown in the last few years and we've been down here since 2009. I knew I wanted to stay down here but wasn't really sure how we would be able to find an apartment that was within our budget. If you've been keeping up with me, then you'll know that we have been aggressively paying down my husband's student loans and we knew we had to keep the budget tight on our new apartment. 

Luckily, I was able to find an apartment that is two miles west of where we currently live, nestled in the little suburb of Oak Hill, and only half of a mile away from where we both work. I couldn't be more thrilled to move and have been anticipating the packing part for some time now. I had been collecting free boxes from Spec's for weeks now, and also been filling a few to take to Goodwill. Tonight, just one full day before we start loading up a moving truck, I'm 99.9% done packing and we hardly have 40 small boxes of things. 

Now I know that sounds like it is too much, but I promise this is 1/3 of what we used to own! I had a bit of a shopping problem a couple of years ago and had no regard for the health of my bank account. If I wanted something, I would tell myself that I deserved it! (Why, I have no idea!) Since I watched Adam Baker's TED Talk, I realized that I don't need to bury myself in debt and more crap. I can proudly say we've been paying $1,000 per month for the last three months on the student loan debt and are projected to be completely out of debt in less than a year and a half.

Top 5 Reasons for Cutting the Clutter

As I clear away the clutter from my small apartment, I have been having deep discussions with my husband about what our goals are and if we can make more adjustments to meet those goals. One idea that I've been seeing with minimalists is the move from a one bedroom or two bedroom apartment down to a studio apartment. I can picture ourselves in a little studio apartment and have thought hard about what it would to get there. The following are some of the thoughts I've had as I'm purging all of these items from our lives.

1. The stuff that I'm letting go of is just stuff. My mother was always sentimental and I remember finding dozens of wedding announcements, birthday cards, newspapers, magazines, catalogs, etc! I always thought that I would never do that, but as I pulled down some bins in the closet, I realized I was heading down the same path. I'll always have the memories of the events and people that had given me these things, so why keep lugging these physical mementos around anymore?

2. I really don't need 50 shirts. Although I have been frugal when purchasing new clothing, too many trips to Goodwill and thrift stores have still wreaked havoc in my closet. They may only cost one dollar, but all of those one dollar bills add up, and it's just not necessary. After I started tossing shirts into a Goodwill bag, my husband wandered in the closet and started doing the same.

3. Out of 5 pairs of jeans, I only loved 3. The other couple of pair would loosen up throughout the day or didn't have the right cut for my body. Why keep hanging on to something that doesn't look amazing on you? There's just no reason. I know it's fun to go out and buy new stuff, but I just can't justify it anymore.

4. I've been filling my life with things instead of making room for new experiences. As I mentioned before, I grew up with the women in family shopping. On the weekends, trips were made into the big city of Houston to take advantage of the latest deal and weren't complete without eating dinner out. While I go through all of my things, I have to remember what brought me here and how I can reverse this behavior and end the cycle of consumption.

5. We're living beyond our means. I often think of my husband's student loans and they bother me. Just the thought of this big red number over our heads makes me nervous. I've heard different reactions from everyone I encounter who also have the same debt, if not more. Almost everyone tells me to not worry about it and that I have years to pay it off. The thing is, Kendan and I don't like that idea. We've made a pact to end the unnecessary spending and dedicate more of our income to his student loans.

Source: onehour.tumblr.com via K i m b e r l e y on Pinterest

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
Cutting the Clutter: Kitchen Revamp
Sell your crap. Pay off your debt. Do what you love.
Embracing a Minimalist Lifestyle

Cutting the Clutter: Kitchen Revamp

We have a modest 704 square foot apartment, and the first landing spot for all things clutter was our kitchen bar. On the corner, I had a "catch all" spot with a letter tray. This was one of my bargain buys from the $1 bin section at Target, and it was my "organizer" for all the things that were being set on the bar. I would sort through it and tidy it up to make it look presentable, but soon I found it overflowing with junk.

When I embraced the idea of minimalism about a month ago, I realized that that "catch all" was worse for us than just an empty, clean bar. So how do you revamp your "catch all" spot and where do you put it all? Here's some of my tips that I used and why it now works better for us.

1. Find a home for everything. The letter tray included random things such as tape, rubberbands, a cup of pens, chalk, stamps, mail holder, a coin jar... you get the idea! I have a neat little home for all of these elsewhere in another three drawer stand, but that's another post. I kept one pen out, the mail holder and my coin jar.

2. Rethink your space. What could it be used for that is more useful? Ever since my lifestyle change, we have been cooking more plant-based meals in the kitchen. I have many cookbooks now that are vegan only and a few that are my favorites. Instead of having a pile of clutter that served only as an eye sore, I chose to store my cookbooks instead. Now they are staring me in the face each day and beckoning me to post more recipes!

3. Reuse what you have. That bargain letter tray is now being reused as a spice holder. Now that I'm cooking more, I have a wider variety of spices, and in turn, many more bottles to store. I recently moved all of my spices to a different (and deeper) cabinet space. The letter tray fits perfectly inside the cabinet and allows me pull out all of the spices at once for a quick and easy selection.

4. Keep the new space clean. It's easy and tempting to start dropping items where you used to. As the saying goes, old habits die hard. Once you are able to enjoy the new functionality of your old clutter magnet, you'll take pride in keeping it as you intended. We've been able to keep it clear and it's such a focal point into the kitchen area, so it makes a big difference!

5. Keep only the essentials on the counters. I only have the bare minimum on my counters, including a cutting board, music dock, food processor and blender. These are the things I use most frequently and serve a purpose most days of the week. In the morning as I walk into my kitchen, it's almost comforting to walk into a clean space. Keep it simple, and tidy up as you go along!

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

Sell your crap. Pay off your debt. Do what you love.

Embracing a Minimalist Lifestyle

Cutting the Clutter: Closet Crackdown

I have quite an obsession with giving things away, and after I lost some weight this obsession worsened (for the better). There are often objects all over my house that I look at and begin to ask myself, "Do I really need this?!" If someone else could use it and I haven't in the last six months, then it's time to let it go. My family even says, "You better not donate this!"

 You know that saying, less is more? Apply it to your closet and use my tips below to cut the clutter.

1. Grab a bag and label it as Goodwill. When I was working at my first couple of jobs out of college, my husband and I were making our money stretch. I loved to shop (and still do), but I had a little secret: I shopped at Goodwill and thrift stores. I knew that I would get more bang for my buck there and truly appreciated that this type of store existed. If anything in my home no longer serves a purpose, I bag it up and drop it off at my local Goodwill store. The prices are low, the variety can't be matched in a big box store and everything I donate helps to provide jobs and training for many people in my community. It's a win-win!

2. Pick a night and have a mini fashion show. Yes, I know it takes some time to go through your closet, but it's well worth it to know exactly how everything fits. If you find yourself tugging at a baggy piece of clothing or pulling something down that just isn't long enough, then donate it. You want to keep things that fit you amazingly and not just keep it because you liked it at one time.

3. If you don't love it, toss it. Taking the time to truly evaluate what you love and what you don't anymore is worth the time! There were some items that were just gorgeous on the hanger but then not so much when it came to putting it on. After my weight loss, I really started to get serious about what I loved on the hanger (toss it!) and what I loved on me (keep it!). If something just doesn't resonate with you anymore, it's time to let it go.

4. Pare down large quantities to a few faves. I recently noticed that I owned several pairs of pajama pants. Who needs more than just a couple of pairs? It seemed to be the default gift during the holidays, and while I love comfy clothes, I also love to not cram them into an already full drawer. If the problem in your closet is t-shirts, do the same! Look at each shirt that you're having doubts about and remember that if you don't love it, someone else will.

5. If you bring home three items, donate two. My family used to think I was joking about this. But after all of your hard work, why ruin it by letting it all build up again? The key is to watch what you are bringing in the door and make sure things are leaving it, too. After a trip to Goodwill, I quickly scan my closet for a couple of items that no longer hold a place in my heart. It's simple. If you get into a habit of making a quick sweep of the items you have, you'll avoid another closet crackdown later.

DIY Dry Erase Weekly Meal Planner

After a few weeks of unorganized cooking in the kitchen, I realized that I needed a different strategy. I'm usually pretty good at organizing my life, but for some reason, I could not plan in advance for my vegan meals. I was adjusting to cooking way more at home, and was usually just tossing some veggies in a pan for a stir-fry. The idea of having an idea of what meals I would make a week in advance was appealing.

I was browsing Pinterest one night and stumbled upon a really quick and easy project for a meal planner. This could be used to track your family's schedule or even notes to remember for the week. This can be an effective way to make sure you're using up any perishable food, as well! I soon found myself in the picture frame aisle at my local craft store and also picked up a few sheets of colorful scrapbook paper to finish off the project.

DIY Dry Erase Weekly Meal Planner

One collage of picture frames
3 sheets of scrapbook paper
scissors
dry erase marker

1. Remove the stock images inside each frame.
2. Trace the glass or back of the frame onto the scrapbook paper for sizing.
3. Cut the scrapbook paper and insert into each frame.
4. Write down anything you wish with your marker!
5. Erase at the end of each week and repeat.