Getting Started/Inspired:
When I first decided to overhaul my lifestyle, the single most useful + inspirational site I found was (and still is) mnmlst.com. It's a site by Leo Babauta about "how less is the answer". I read every single post he had ever written at the time, started following him, and haven't missed a post since. No matter what part of your life you are trying to simplify— he's probably written about it. Here are some of my favorite posts to get you started:
The Dreaded Closet:
One of the first places I started to cutback and simplify was my closet. This is always a huge challenge for people and but I have found some help along the way. I'm not quite where I want to be yet, but here's some help to get you started:
- Edit Your Life, Part 5: Your Wardrobe: another article by Leo
- The No Brainer Wardrobe: an ebook by Hayley Morgan
- A Guide to Quality, Taste, and Style: a book by Tim Gunn
- 8 Tips for Thrifting Quality Vintage: a guide from Secondhand Sundays
Helping Your Wallet:
I can't say that I'm a money pro or that I know how to do taxes, but I have paid off all my credit cards and am making headway on student loans. Money is a complicated topic and varies widely from person to person, but the things that help me most are to carry cash, live within your means/know your budget, and get a second job/hobby to help make extra payments on things. I'm also a big fan of using The Snowball Method to help get your debts/finances in order.
What You Eat:
Almost no goals list would be complete without a diet change, eh? I'm a big fan of food, not a big fan of diets. I much prefer that people practice self-love and body positivity rather than beat themselves up about an arbitrary number sewn onto a piece of fabric. But I do think most of us could use more fruits and veggies in our lives. I really love eating wholesome foods so choosing salads or smoothies isn't hard for me since I already think they are delicious.
However, I am terrible at food planning and smart grocery shopping. Now that I have a super adult 9-5 life, I really want to learn how to streamline my meals so that I can save time and energy every morning and during the work week. Two things that I think will help me are these diy pre-made fruit packs for fast breakfasts and these salad in a jars for lunch. I love food ideas that save time!
Keeping You Inspired:
These are some different sites and tools that I've found useful for providing me daily inspirations every week:
I'll definitely need to check out these resources on clothing, food, & money. Starting to pay off my student loans & it is definitely scary!
ReplyDeletei'm totally with you! it can be so scary to think about that much money but i just remember to break it down into little manageable goals. i'm motivated to pay it off faster because i can't wait to finally experience financial freedom. good luck— we can do this!!
DeleteI know one thing that helps me big time with grocery shopping is just making a meal plan. I used to go to the grocery store and still come home with nothing to actually make a meal from. If I've got a week of meals planned out I know exactly what to buy and don't have to worry about what I'm making for dinner!
ReplyDeletei need to do that! sometimes i will buy stuff for a taco night or soup but i don't ever think about just making a list of meals and then buying ingredients for those. hopefully i can get better at this— maybe you could even blog about it to help us clueless people!
Deleteeverything ♥
ReplyDeleteGreat post and perfect start to the new year! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is so great! I love the snowball debt effect, im going to try that! Thanks for posting this!!
ReplyDeleteXo
yes! it's a great way to actually see and feel the progress you are making. i've already paid of my credit cards with it and i'm working on my smallest loan now. it's so great to just *know* you are making progress! i'm sure you could find some library books on it or research more articles to help more.
DeleteThis post: AGREE, AGREE...continues to agree throughout time. Ugh! If I could learn to shop for more than two days of meals at a time, and to make my closet more like an actual closet and less like a costume archive! These links should help inspire me to "get right with life" for 2013, though, thanks for the resources. :)
ReplyDeleteno problem! and i know what you mean about the costume closet— i recently cleaned mine out and found it was SO EASY and fast to get dressed when i love everything i own AND it actually fits great. cheers to 2013!
DeleteWhen we were unemployed is when we first fell in love with minimalism. We've never been much for shopping in the first place but we started by selling some of our items. We gutted out everything and sold or donated anything we didn't need or was in storage not seeing the light of day. More importantly, we didn't buy stuff to replace what we sold. In fact this is a topic I plan on eventually sharing on my blog and why I think it's beneficial to everyone. Thank you so much for all of the links. I'm definitely going to check them out! And I'm definitely going to follow mnmlst.com now! I'm glad there are other lovers of simplicity out there!
ReplyDelete-Aubrey
wow, it sounds like you guess really learned a lot. i would LOVE to read your story and any tips when you share it! i follow mnmlst through twitter (@zen_habits) and never miss a post— so inspirational!
DeleteI just followed him now as well. Thanks again!!
DeleteIt was so nice to see you again this weekend! And I love your first few pictures. Thank you for being REAL about the fact that when we haven't staged our homes for photos, things don't look so perfect. I hate to admit it, but for me being more in the present means accepting that some areas of my life are always going to be a little chaotic. The clutter might be under control (for now), but I'll NEVER be a master of meal planning. :)
ReplyDeleteP.S. Your bed is dreamy!
i'm so glad you said that! i mean, here i am, constantly talking about working 55+ hours a week— there's no way i can even PRETEND my house is perfect. it's getting better now that i'm settling down in my job but this is honestly how i lived for way too long. hopefully i can share some pictures of progress, but i'm sure those won't be perfect, either ;-)
DeleteLove this post! So many useful tips, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAlso, your blog is looking SWEET!
thanks, renee! i am loving my redesign— obviously inspired by minimalism and cutting back this year <3
DeleteLove this post! I'm always trying to simplify, though it can be tough to make significant headway sometimes (especially after the holidays). I'm eager to check out some of the links you listed.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great blog post! It's my dream to live in a tiny home so I have a lot of simplification coming my way. I especially love the mnmlist site, thanks for pointing it my way.
ReplyDeletehttp://twigsandtea.blogspot.com