“I don’t buy my kid toys.” I remember hearing that sentence like it was yesterday. But it wasn’t. It was 12 years ago, and it was at my parents’ house. My cousins were visiting for the holidays with their 1-year-old baby, and that comment was part of their very grateful acceptance of the gift we … [Read more…]
My default setting is programmed to shop. It’s truly an instinct and impulse. I spend a lot of time guarding against it, but I want to acknowledge something very important. Critical even. I. Buy. Things. It doesn’t get said enough. Not like that anyway. No, I don’t mean the excessive line spacing, either. Whenever people … [Read more…]
Kids are really expensive. But what if you can get cheap toys? Cheap toys when they’re babies, toddlers, and kids. OK, never mind cheap. What if you learn how to get free toys? Kids are expensive anyway. But that doesn’t mean that learning how to score toys for less isn’t important. It is. In fact, it’s become … [Read more…]
Babies are expensive. Newsflash: so are toddlers. I’m fairly certain that any human that I have to feed, clothe, and house is going to be costly. Of course, there are ways to scale back these costs, and I think embracing a more minimal or essential perspective is key. I am not a minimalist by any … [Read more…]
It started with a box of Weebles. A coworker of mine loaded up a small Amazon box with a few dozen pear-shaped plastic creatures. My name was scrawled on the box in permanent marker. At first I thought it was to keep Weeble thieves away. What I realize now, though, was that it was a … [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…]