I am a neat person. I am organized. I am meticulous with my things. These personality traits are no match for the sheer quantity of stuff lurking just out of sight in my house. Or at least, I thought it was a house. Six years ago, I bought our dream house. We loved it so … [Read more…]
I I owe my undergrad professor an apology. He was the ultimate minimalist. He railed against conspicuous consumption, thumping his dog-eared copy of Veblen’s The Theory of the Leisure Class on a desk. He cycled through the same handful of clothes in the same neutral color scheme. He wore shorts that showcased socks he haphazardly … [Read more…]
Get rid of your stuff without putting a burden on someone or something else? Sign me up! Britt at Tiny Ambitions created a mindful decluttering challenge called Minimize in May. It spoke to me for a lot of reasons. It’s important work. (I still have too much stuff). It’s more manageable. (You can only fail … [Read more…]
Every Thursday, I drive through my neighborhood absolutely mesmerized by the heaps of trash and recycle that line both sides of the street. Flat screen TV boxes. Old media stands. Towers of single-use water bottles. For nearly three years, I have worked furiously to minimize what sits in front of our house. In fact, I … [Read more…]
To say that I’m not sold on minimalism is an understatement. Maybe it’s not minimalism as a whole that I’m skeptical of. Just the kind that comes with a podcast and a really expensive travel bag for sale. But the idea of decluttering and being more intentional with what is allowed to take up space … [Read more…]
I’m a firm believer that whatever someone does with a gift is their business. Maybe they keep it. Maybe they exchange it. Maybe they sell it, regift it, or even throw it away. When you’re none the wiser, it’s easy to not care. But what happens when you are?
As a recovering perfectionist, it’s hard for me to admit this. I’ve failed. Again. For the past two months, I’ve attempted the #MinsGame Challenge as a way of confronting the clutter that continues to plague my closets and home. For the past two months, I’ve failed. In September, I failed spectacularly, in October, a little … [Read more…]
So, I’m a teacher. Who’s surprised? Exactly no one who reads this blog, and that’s probably true for people who see me in real life. I’m not sure what it is about teachers, but it’s almost like one of the classes we take is how to dress like a teacher. When I switched dentists a … [Read more…]
All good things must come to an end, right? My streak of months where I kick all sorts of butt with my goals has come to a halt. A screeching, crashing, fiery halt. Even after a mid-month check in, I couldn’t put the wheels back on. The Blog – PASS-ish Reply to all comments – … [Read more…]
I struggle with minimalism. Not only do I think there is an under-discussed amount of privilege involved, I just plain stink at it. Case in point? I wrote my come-to-shoe-gods confessional post months ago, and I still have too many shoes. But it’s not just that I can’t get over the sunk costs or the … [Read more…]