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MONEY // Part 01

MONEY // Part 01

It's June 2016 and that means it’s been three years since I started taking control of my finances. It feels like a life-time ago, I can’t even believe it’s only been three years! Since that time we’ve paid off over $40,000 - $30,000 of which was last year alone. So, that right there should clue you in on the fact that changing your life financially, or in any area, doesn’t happen overnight.

So, I want to take you back, back to the beginning of where I believe my money troubles started and hopefully my story can help at least one person out there re-route their mindset // behavior and start to move in the right direction.

Zero Waste Escapades // 02

Zero Waste Escapades // 02

Zero Waste doesn’t literally mean Zero Waste, it comes from a place of appreciation for our planet and our resources. It aims at getting our waste as close to zero as possible with the understanding that that process won’t happen overnight. It takes effort and a lot of research and education with practice over time and it takes people coming together under that appreciation to implement infrastructure and systems that will make this process sustainable and accessible. 

Since my last post about Zero Waste, we’ve tried some new things - here’s what worked and what didn’t…

Minimalism - A Documentary About The Important Things

Minimalism - A Documentary About The Important Things

Last Tuesday, Carl and I went to see The Minimalists’ new documentary film. It was released for one day in many theaters across the country. We both thought it was a great film and highly recommend it to anyone interested in pursuing an intentional, meaningful life. Check out their website to keep up with when the documentary will go on sale. 

Without giving too much away, here were my biggest takeaways…

How-To Shop Like a Minimalist... Sort of

How-To Shop Like a Minimalist... Sort of

Are you new to simple living and minimalism? Me too! I’m somewhere around my 5 month mark of making this lifestyle an official decision. It’s been really wonderful so far, but last Saturday I did something for the first time since making this thing official. 

I went shopping. At the mall.

[Insert moment of silence.]

You did what?!?

I know. I know. I know. THE MALL?! Isn’t that the last place a minimalist should go?! AHHH!

Alright. I’ll tell you all about my ill-fated plans. Here goes…

So Long Netflix

So Long Netflix

Yep. We cancelled Netflix. For almost two months, we’ve been TV free, for the most part. I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant when Carl first suggested canceling, because canceling meant taking away one of the last sources of distraction we had left. That was scary. It meant, no more excuses. Without TV, we would be gaining about 12 extra hours a week to work on our various projects and goals. That idea was exciting, but not having an excuse to fall back on made me uncomfortable and brought up old thoughts of not being good enough. What if we gained these extra hours and I worked on my projects and I put them out there and no one likes them? What if people think I’m not any good? 

Zero Waste Escapades // 01

Zero Waste Escapades // 01

I finished reading Zero Waste Home a couple weeks ago and I loved it! When I first discovered Bea Johnson, via The Lively Show and Slow Home Podcast, I was a little intimidated to say the least. I looked at where I was and where she was, [her family of four fits all of their trash for an entire year into a mason jar] and could not envision how anyone could possibly do that - and still have a life. 

I’m all for reducing our waste and slowing down/ simplifying, but I don’t want to just live in a tent somewhere like a hermit. [Although, now that I’m typing this - that sounds quite appealing, at least for a short time.] Turns out, that was quite an unfair assessment. When I started looking into how she actually does this, I was surprised to see how chic she was and how gorgeous her home was! Whoa - ok - I can reduce my waste and consumption without sacrificing living well - SOLD.