We’ve covered zero waste gifting, but wrapping and unwrapping the gift is oftentimes the best part! Traditional wrapping paper isn’t always recyclable, especially if the paper contains tiny shiny, glittery particles. It’s no surprise that we create 25% more waste from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, with a large portion being disposable paper waste.
The holiday season is peak time for consumerism and can create pressure for those of us attempting to live more minimally and sustainably.
Gone are the days of purchasing sticky facial cream from a shady company on GroupOn boasting the miraculous skin tightening properties of snail serum.
If someone were to question me on my latest success story; I would tell them I navigated the Boston public transit system to and from the airport without asking for assistance. Major win for us directionally challenged souls! How do we measure success in today’s culture; is it amount of income? Accomplishing meaningful work? Number of social media followers? Or could it be the high you feel after dragging yourself out of bed and kicking that AM workout’s booty? Maybe it’s nailing an in-office presentation or simply spreading joy. I’ve been intrigued by the habits of successful individuals for some time- especially fellow colleagues in the nutrition world. Having just returned home from the annual Food and Nutrition Conference (FNCE), I was able to hear from and connect with many fellow superstar RDs and I have the dish on what habits help them achieve greatness! To be successful-no matter your definition or profession-try adapting these five habits into your daily grind: REMOVE THE CLUTTER: Physical and mental clutter is ultra-destructive to creativity and productivity. Nutrition entrepreneur …
My minimalism journey began in the midst of a ‘quarter-life crisis’- stuck in a career I wasn’t passionate about, living in a city that wasn’t ‘me’ and dating a guy that lacked my core values. I wasn’t living the American dream and making 6 figures like some self-proclaimed Minimalists, but I had a decent paying career as a foodservice Registered Dietitian. And I was a dreamer…without a plan other than to make myself happy and live a purposeful life. So I took a risk and quit my job, traveled across Europe, broke up with my boyfriend and moved to a new city. Since then I’ve been extremely blessed to say the least and credit’s due to having faith and taking a leap. I’ll save the mushy details for a later date. After decluttering my life of that which no longer served me-I was free to focus on my passions. That my friends… is Minimalism. You don’t have to earn a 6 figure salary to be happy and live a purposeful life (if so-I’d never make it). If you can …
In April I challenged myself to travel abroad for a week with nothing but items that would fit into a regular sized college backpack. That’s 7 days, 2 pairs of shoes, 2 swimsuits, 2 pairs of shorts with tanks, 2 sundresses that doubled as pool-side cover-ups, 5 pairs of underwear, 2 bras and 1 minimal make-up/product bag.
What do you like better, Christmas or Wedding Season? Mr. Grey? Yes. The answer would be, um, Wedding Season? Oh, it’s here! We are in full on wedding-season-mode, in case you’ve been living under a rock for the last month. I still can’t believe that TODAY we celebrate our one year anniversary! YAY US! If you missed the post on how the universe planned our minimalist wedding you can read it here. Not long ago, I was asked about my most recent greatest accomplishment, to which I replied-planning a wedding AND honeymoon for under 5,000 US dollars. According to The Knot, a wedding planning site, the average American spent $32,641 for the big day in 2015; and that’s excluding the honeymoon! Say waaaaaaaaa! But it doesn’t have to be that way, ladies! I know it’s one of the biggest days of our lives, but do we really need to put ourselves through months of stress, meticulous planning and extreme work-outs, all for an elaborate party we’ll barely have time to eat at, while dishing out …
…”I am free to choose to live with less. For that I am grateful.”
For the longest time, I had no idea how to define it. The yearning I had for something more-to travel, to get outside my box, the need to experience the unknown and to taste adventure and creativity. I’ve never been infatuated with fashion trends, pop culture or media driven fads. I’d rather treasure hunt all day through a vintage ‘recycled’ clothing store than spend 10 minutes or my hard earned dollars in a shopping mall. The only ‘new’ piece of furniture we own is a bed that was purchased a couple of years ago, because well-it was time to move on from my college digs. I despise waste-especially of time and resources-when so many individuals around the world don’t have the basic needs to survive. There is a movement happening-a freedom from consumerism and materialism; living with less in order to lead a more fulfilling and purposeful life. I’m only now understanding this innate desire to be even more intentional as I’m delving more deeply into a way of life so many are already living-Minimalism. There …
Call it coincidence, call it chance, call it following the wind or maybe just call me crazy. I have always been one to listen when my intuition speaks, and let the universe be my guiding light. Our wedding being a prime example. The story begins last fall with a booked all-inclusive vacation to Jamaica. We had decided to get away for a tropical, beachy excursion in mid-November and neither of us had been to the western Caribbean. Vacation time approved, airfare and all-inclusive resort booked; the restaurant reviewing commenced. (Food-always my top travel priority!) We had retired to bed early one night at my old apartment. Never having any issue with sleeping throughout the night, I was mysteriously awoken from a dead, deep sleep. Not from a noise or bad dream, but a voice in my head saying ‘Don’t Go.’ I hadn’t discussed nor thought about the booked Jamaica trip that particular day, but I KNEW that the voice in my head was referring to this trip. Not over thinking it at the time, I shortly fell back …
