tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56990403144481305092024-03-13T07:42:54.799-07:00The Green MinimalistA guid to Simple, Minimalist, Natural, Clutter free and Happy life. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-44894331277850657632016-12-24T23:10:00.001-08:002016-12-24T23:10:09.968-08:00New at Decluttering and Minimalism? Start with this. Hello everybody!<br />
<br />
It has been a while since I have written for you. I apologies for the long delay.<br />
I have been busy with life. But the funnest part of my days (Other than the time spending with my family), has been the time I spent helping people to declutter and simplify.<br />
<br />
I see overwhelmed and stressed out people. I see tired parent who are spending hours organizing their children's closets and never get anywhere. I see huge stress about laundry. Piles of clothes everywhere and stores like Organize it, packed with people buying organizational items. I see people asking for help to get rid of stuff.<br />
<br />
And yet!!! I see stores packed with people buying, buying and buying!!! I see Black Friday!!! Packed malls and parking lots. I see long lines at Disney store and Apple Store.<br />
<br />
This is a never ending cycle of buying, spending, getting over whelmed, organizing and discarding. It looks like a never ending story.<br />
<br />
My post today is about the Overwhemed part of the story. This post is for the burnt out people that don't know where to start. This post is important since many people have asked me over and over again.<br />
"Where do I start?"<br />
"How do I start?"<br />
"What can I do to not get overwhelmed?"<br />
<br />
After many years of decluttering and helping others doing it, I created one simple system. A simple system which is easily applicable for everybody. I call it "The Half rule".<br />
<br />
To me, decluttering is just like peeling an onion. I disagree with the drastic and huge change many people recommend. I disagree with the mentality of removeing everything and tossing and trashing everything which is not bringing you joy? I believe it is not sustainable, too stressful and mostly not<br />
doable. I also believe such a drastic change might create a sense of emptiness and a void and also might make people give up and feel overwhelmed. I have even heard people regretting getting rid of stuff like that.<br />
<br />
So, here is my simple solution to clutter problems.<br />
<b><br /></b>
Let's get back to the Onion! I my opinion, everybody's possessions are like an onion. You will need to peel one layer at a time. Slowly and calmly. Over time, you peel layers and shave your Onion till you are left with what you really want to see.<br />
<br />
<br />
If you are just starting, your Onion is big and full of layers, I recommend you to start with the half rule.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The half rule</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
1. Start with Categorizing. Grab a piece of paper and write down the category of items you need to work on. For example,<br />
. kids room<br />
. Kitchen<br />
. Your own stuff<br />
. Garage<br />
. .....<br />
2. Now create subcategories for each. For example,<br />
. Kids room. . Toys<br />
. Clothes<br />
. Shoes<br />
. Books.<br />
...........<br />
. Your own stuff<br />
. Shoes<br />
. Long sleeve shirts<br />
. Short sleeve shirts<br />
. Dresses<br />
. Skirts<br />
. .........<br />
3. Gather everything. I mean every single thing belonging to that subcategory and gather them in one spot. For example gather all your kids shoes, Every one of them in the middle of your living room. Fist see how many shoes they have and try to see the reality of how many items you had purchased! If they are more than you need, for example if you have more than 3-4 shoes, start the half rule.<br />
<br />
4. Start making two piles. For every one you keep, one needs to go in to the Go pile. One in the right to keep. One in the left to go. Keep doing this till everything is divided in to two piles.<br />
<br />
5. Immediately put all the GO pile in bags and remove from your living room. Put them in a garage or patio or spare room.<br />
<br />
6. Now put the Keep half nicely and neatly where you want them. :)<br />
<br />
7. You can either go to the next category and do two to three of them before you get to the GO pile, or you can get to the GO pile immediately.<br />
<br />
8. From the GO pile, quickly decide what you want to do about them. The easiest is to donate everything. In that case, get them out of your home immediately. But if you want to sell some items, you need to get to that soon. Take pictures and post on line. Or have a separate area for your future garage sale. But under no circumstances bring anything back from that pile.<br />
<br />
9. Repeat the same with this same category every six months or so till your quantity gets to where you want it to be. I personally love numbers. I believe that kids need only 2-3 pair of shoes. 8-10 Tshirts. 8-10 pants (my son gets them dirty constantly). But you can choose what your number you want to be and keep peeling layers and half the total number till you get there.<br />
<br />
You can do that with every category. For example Books. Your own pants, shirts, shoes, dresses, suites, tools, kitchen gadgets...... Even have subcategories like forks, spoons, cups, or socks , jewelery, purses..... Use your own judgment and create your own categories.<br />
<br />
Once you get to a comfortable number and you truly need everything you have and can't let anything go, you can slow down. Congratulations! You are officially on your road towards the freedom of owning less.<br />
<br />
How many layers can you peel from your Onion?<br />
Paris<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-2872344131809451022016-12-22T08:29:00.003-08:002017-01-30T18:40:09.712-08:00Over 50 Things we stopped buying and never missed. Oh the beautiful savings! I keep hearing that becoming a Minimalist is only for rich people and it is expensive to become a Minimalist! <br />
<br />
<br />
Honestly, I have never heard a good or solid argument for this comment. But here is an example of how Minimalism can save you money. <br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of money actually!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Bellow,is a list of things we had stopped buying years ago and never missed them.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Television cable. ------------> Netflix and Amazon prime</li>
<li>Gas for my car. ---------------> Plug-in Electric</li>
<li>Oil change for my car.---------------------> Plug-in Electric car</li>
<li>Paper towels.-------------> Stack of 20 kitchen washable towels for drying hands and dishes</li>
<li>Disposable wipes--------> Micro fibers. </li>
<li>Garbage bags--------------> Barely create garbage. Directly in to recycle bin, compost bin and garbage bin. I have three small buckets, one for each in my kitchen and once they are full, I dump everything in the big garbage bins. (But have some bio bags in hand just in case.)</li>
<li>Any kind of ziplock bags.-----------> Reusable fabric pencil bags with zipper. Also <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5699040314448130509#editor/target=post;postID=6168214332252577160;onPublishedMenu=publishedcomments;onClosedMenu=publishedcomments;postNum=28;src=postname" target="_blank">Pyrex dishes</a>.</li>
<li>Aluminum foils -----------> Not needed. Either use Pyrex dishes or cover plates with clean napkins. </li>
<li>Tupperware. -------------------> see<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5699040314448130509#editor/target=post;postID=6168214332252577160;onPublishedMenu=publishedcomments;onClosedMenu=publishedcomments;postNum=28;src=postname" target="_blank"> this post</a></li>
<li>Plastic wraps.------------------> Not needed Pyrex dishes. Flour cloth. Napkins</li>
<li>Sponges ------------------------> hand made crochet from recycled yarn. lasts many years and I just wash them with our laundry.</li>
<li>Dish washing liquid-----------> Eco Friendly Multi purpose cleaner</li>
<li>Surface cleaner-----------------> Diluted multi purpose cleaner or vinegar. ( Used for bathtub, kitchen.......)</li>
<li>Coffee filter -------------------> French press</li>
<li>Bottled water ------------------> Tap water in reusable containers. </li>
<li>Hand lotion in kitchen--------> Gentle dish detergent. Olive oil if needed </li>
<li>Jet dry dish washer rinse-----> White Vinegar.</li>
<li>Disposable plates, cups, utensils ...------> Small jars for party drinks. Plates and utenciles reusable.</li>
<li>Disposable napkins------------> Fabric home made napkins. Only have one pack handy for picky guests. </li>
<li>Disposable aluminum containers------> Big Pyrex dishes</li>
<li>Salad dressings.----------------> Olive oil and rice vinegar purchased from bulk store in my own jars.</li>
<li>Yoghurt. ------------------------> Home made</li>
<li>Tissues --------------------------> Only have a home made handkerchief made out of old Tshirts for my kid with allergies. Rest of us don't need it. Don't even remember what would we be using it for! </li>
<li>Books -----------------> Library and on line blogs. </li>
<li>CD, DVD -------------> Pandora and Netflix.</li>
<li>Toys -------------------> Once a year for Christmas. One Big toy only. The Birthday party is our gift by itself. </li>
<li>Clothes ---------------> once a year or so. Only if we truly need something. (Consumerism and buying cheap clothing and fast fashion is horrible for the environment.)</li>
<li>Fabric softener-------> Not needed. Haven't used for many years and no one noticed. </li>
<li>Drier sheets-----------> Not needed</li>
<li>Face wipes, make up removers, eye make up removers wipe..... ------ > wash with soap and wash cloth. Olive oil. Or coconut oil to remove make up. Don't wear too much make up any ways. </li>
<li>Cotton rounds--------> Home made and reusable. </li>
<li>Shower gel------------> Soap</li>
<li>Exfoliator and scrubs for body.-----------------> Natural Loofah or a wash cloth</li>
<li>Hair masks and treatments-----------------------> Olive oil and conditioner</li>
<li>Face scrubs ----------------------------------------> Baking Soda</li>
<li>Tooth Paste-----------------------------------------><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5699040314448130509#editor/target=post;postID=6764569989566625922;onPublishedMenu=publishedcomments;onClosedMenu=publishedcomments;postNum=8;src=postname" target="_blank"> Home made</a></li>
<li>Mouth wash.----------------------------------------> No need</li>
<li>Different lotions for different parts of body. Foot lotion, hand lotion, cellulitis, dark spots, skin brighter.ETC, ETC....!!! --------> Home made lotion. Coconut butter+Shea butter+ bees wax+ water+ jojoba oil. Or just put some oil on right after shower and you are done. </li>
<li>Different make ups ---------------> See<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5699040314448130509#editor/target=post;postID=8041962063683297068;onPublishedMenu=publishedcomments;onClosedMenu=publishedcomments;postNum=59;src=postname" target="_blank"> this post</a></li>
<li>Colognes and perfumes ----------> Only have one perfume and only use it on special occasions. Lasts two years. It is in my Christmas list every other year. </li>
<li>Face mask, cleanser, toner, tanner, black head remover. Etc......... ----------> Soap. Lemon juice. coconut and olive oil. Peroxide for acne. Baking soda.</li>
<li>Hand sanitizers --------------------> Not needed.</li>
<li>Candles. Still have from old days. ------> But not really needed. Used once awhile. </li>
<li>Bath foams, salts, fizzer........ -------------> Not needed. Preferring quick showers due to Drought. </li>
<li>Seosonal decorations ----------------> see <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5699040314448130509#editor/target=post;postID=8077769771386090671;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=46;src=postname" target="_blank">this post</a>.</li>
<li>Air freshener --------------------------> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5699040314448130509#editor/target=post;postID=6063079291074230289;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=44;src=postname" target="_blank">natural</a> or not needed. </li>
<li>Office supplies.------------------------> We are paperless.</li>
<li>Printer ink -----------------------------> refill.</li>
<li>Extra Shoes ---------------------------> maybe once per year for each family member only as needed. (Fast fashion is damaging to environment)</li>
<li>Latest gadgets and electronics.--------------> still working on my husband on that. But he is doing much better :) </li>
</ol>
<div>
I am sure there is more. But honestly, many more items I see in other people's houses that I don't buy, need nor have.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
It is kind of hard to know what you don't buy if you never bought them. For example different laundry detergents for dark and light and white and wool .........<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Laundry perfumes!!!!! ....... I never even knew they do exist!!! (What a waste of money!) </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
Did, NOT buying these items changed our quality of life? You bet it did! </div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
-A LOT Less clutter (Visually, Mentally and Emotionally). <br />
-Less wasting time window shopping and browzing. <br />
-Less stress due to things finishing and being low on something. (" I need to run! We need fabric softness and I can't do laundry!" A friend once said ). <br />
-Less spending. <br />
-Less time at stores ( We are usually In and Out). <br />
-Less junk to organize and deal with.<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes. All these Less'es deeply changed the quality of our lives.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Think about it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
What are YOU not buying and not missing?<br />
Paris.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Addendum:</strong> <br />
<br />
<br />
I noticed that my computer hadn't saved my proof reading and this post was packed with mistakes. Please accept my apology. <br />
<br />
<br />
While I am correcting the problem, I may as well add few more items.<br />
<br />
<br />
Hee hee hee. <br />
<br />
<br />
Here there are.<br />
<br />
51. Vacuum cleaner bags ------------------------>Roomba and a hand held vacuum. Just emptying the canister directly in the garbage bin does it.<br />
51. Any specialty tools, like various peeler, Apple cutter, Garlic crusher, Olive oil mister...........<br />
52. Most school supplies. Pens and other items-------------------------------> We have enough from old days to last us years to come. (Don't even know where all these pencils and pens are coming from)<br />
53. Extra clothing -----------------------------> We buy about once a year or so and only what we need.<br />
54. Microwave. Haven't had one for years.<br />
55. Individually packaged snacks.<br />
56. House decorations.----------> We have only two paintings which we have had for over 15 years.<br />
57. Unwanted gifts for friends -------------------> Beer, Wine, Food, eatables, Flowers, Gift card (Everybody has more than enough stuff in their houses. More incoming items for them are not the best gifts)<br />
58. Jewelry (Custom or real)---------------------> I have had few favorites that I love for years. Nothing new coming in<br />
59. Nail polish ------------------> Have had a couple for years now.<br />
60. Last but not least!!!!! Anything other than strict necessary. Includes Extra Glasses, Extra Sun Glasses, Multiple different drinking and coffee cups and glasses, Serving dishes, Fancy looking anything, Duplicate of anything and anything that needs to be advertised to be sold.<br />
<br />
<br />
Can't even imagine how hectic my life would have been if I had been buying those stuff.<br />
<br />
<br />
Thank you everybody for reading. Please think about your own shopping habits.<br />
Paris<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-32403125085021016912014-06-24T21:13:00.002-07:002016-06-01T15:57:13.119-07:00Get rid of your closet clutter fast.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vbt_3bClZGI/U6pBPdX2ZwI/AAAAAAAABQE/v6tcLfEwDhQ/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vbt_3bClZGI/U6pBPdX2ZwI/AAAAAAAABQE/v6tcLfEwDhQ/s1600/photo.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you see ALL my pants. Including shorts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once people hear that we live a minimalistic life, after the surprised look and curious talks, the first thing they start talking and complaining about, is their closet. <br />
(almost every single time).<br />
<br />
Our closets have become one of our biggest sources of stress. No matter how much we buy, or how many times we organize, or how many visits we pay to the organizational stores and buy bins and boxes to organize our closets, we manage to get overwhelmed by it in no time. Closet organizing , have become one of those giant tasks that we tend to procrastinate and postpone. Sometimes, they even manage to become as big of a headache as doing taxes ! But the difference is, we can postpone doing the taxes and not look at it at all. But with our closets, we see it Every Single Day. It stresses us out every day and is one of those chores that will bother us every single time we need to decide and choose something to wear. Oh, and at the end, almost all of us, have nothing to wear. Don't we?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
To <span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">declutter your closet, the rules</span> <strong><a href="http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2012/11/decluttering-your-closet.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;">Here</span></a></strong></span> will help you tremendously. But if you don't have much time to dedicate and are feeling overwhelmed by the clutter, keep reading.<br />
<br />
Here are some simple tips to get rid of your closet clutter very fast and very easy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>1.</strong> Imagine you are going out of town and need to pack for the next three weeks. Start the job with this mind set and get to work. <br />
<br />
<strong>2.</strong> Bring some big boxes or suitcases.<br />
<br />
<strong>3.</strong> Categorize! Categorize! Categorize! I can not emphasize enough in the importance of categorization in doing ANY task. A big task, could easily become manageable and doable with categorization. In the case of your closet, I suggest you to focus on only one category each time you get the chance to spend even only few minutes. For example, focus on pants and only pants first. Nothing else. Gather all your pants from everywhere (don't forget the ones in laundry basket) and place them all on your bed. Now, fast, separate the work pants, jeans, shorts... . At the end, work on jeans only. Then get to the work pants and finally to the shorts and so on and so fort.<br />
<br />
<strong>4.</strong> Separate the clothes you would need for your next three weeks. For that, use the following rules. Do you love them? Do they fit? Do they match the rest of your wardrobe? Are they comfortable to wear? Are they warm enough or cool enough for the season? <br />
<br />
<strong>5.</strong> Do that for each category. Jeans, Shirts, Sweaters, Blouses... Place your next three weeks choices on the bed and the rest in a big bag, box or suitcase.<br />
<br />
<b>6.</b> Once your closet is empty and everything is separated and categorized, start hanging and placing the next three weeks clothes you chose, back in to your closet nicely and organized, based on their categories.<br />
<br />
<strong>7.</strong> Remove the storage boxes or suitcases out of site. You can always get to those later, one at a time. <br />
<br />
<strong>8.</strong> Ideally, place the extra clothes in the boxes based on categories as well. This way, for example, you can get to the pant first and decide what you want to keep and what you want to let go without opening any more boxes. This, by itself, is breaking down your future decluttering task. (You can even remove those boxes and bring them straight to the consignment store and never look back if you are ready for this)<br />
<br />
<strong>9.</strong> Congratulations!!! You took the first and the biggest step to building a <a href="http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2009/10/minimalist-closet.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>minimalistic closet</strong></span></a><span style="color: #990000;"><strong>.</strong></span><br />
<br />
<strong>10.</strong> Focus on keeping your closet clutter free by using these <a href="http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2012/12/minimalist-clothes-shopping.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">very important rules</span></strong></a><strong><span style="color: #990000;">.</span></strong> <br />
<br />
<br />
Hope this helps.<br />
Paris<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><span style="color: white;">Tagged as: Green living. De-cluttering. Clutter busting. Minimalism. Eco friendly. Minimalistic closet. Minimalist. Organized closet. Organize.</span> </span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-85142313662135249552014-06-09T17:35:00.000-07:002014-06-09T17:35:14.855-07:00Such a beautiful day!Such a beautiful day!<br />
<br />
Today we traveled to San Francisco by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) so my husband can help me learn the direction to my new part time job in the city.<br />
There were two beautiful incidents that I thought worth sharing with you wonderful people.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZ1j4Gk7ogU/U3z3S8j2_9I/AAAAAAAAA4M/D84P_IbcWEo/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZZ1j4Gk7ogU/U3z3S8j2_9I/AAAAAAAAA4M/D84P_IbcWEo/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>First, after taking a bus and the BART and some more walking, I learnt the directions to my work and after that, we visited a store. My husband needed to do some shopping there. Our son (now 7 years old!) found a balloon left over from the store's marketing event and before we knew it, both our kids were tossing it to each other and playing. When we finished shopping, our son was allowed to keep the balloon.<br />
<br />
We started a long walk outside on the sidewalk. My energetic son started playing outside on the wide sidewalk in a windy/breezy San Francisco weather. He kept hitting the balloon and running after it. A sharp and strong wind suddenly started and lifted his balloon up and away. We all ran after it.<br />
<br />
Suddenly four to five passerby people started running after his balloon to catch it for him. The wind was playing with all of us blowing it farther and higher. People of all ages and genders were jumping up and down trying to catch it. Their happy childish faces were priceless. Our son couldn't stop laughing from happiness. The wind was pretty playful and kept moving the balloon farther away up and down. Before we knew it, there were almost 6-8 grown up people jumping up and down laughing and trying to catch the balloon for our son.<br />
<br />
Every time one caught it and handed it to our son, he let go of it again laughing and some new people starting to run after it. He did this for a while and laughed from the bottom of his beautiful little heart.<br />
<br />
The laughter, the kindness, the playfulness and the care of all those grown up, yet childish people, was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I felt a deep happiness in my heart for being blessed with seeing such a beautiful scene.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Now, the second incident!<br />
<br />
We walked for a long time to get to the Mall with few stops for our kids to see some stores. By the time we got there, it was passed 7:00 PM and the Mall was closed. We forgot that the Mall closes at seven on Sundays. Also my husband admitted, he walks the same distance a lot faster without the kids. So he miscalculated the timing.<br />
<br />
We had plans to use a bus from our home and the BART(AKA metro) to go to San Francisco and the Bus only to come back home, so I learn where to find both stations. We started walking towards the Bus terminals. Again it proved to be a very long walk and our children were getting hungry and grumpy. Unfortunately, we didn't bring anything to eat with us. Suddenly our son saw the sign of a McDonald's from far and got super excited about it. <br />
I know. I know. A horrible thing to do to feed hungry kids junk food. But none of us had the heart to pass next to one with our kids being so hungry knowing it is hardly a possibility we could find anything open at this hour of around 8:00 PM. Plus, hunger can cause big time grumpiness for both kids and grown ups, you know!<br />
<br />
So we entered the McDonald's and ordered some food. Sat down and started eating. Our moods lifted immediately.<br />
<br />
On a big long tall table close to us, a group of young people were leaving and a homeless looking dirty man stopped them on their way out and asked to dig in, in to their trays looking for some leftovers. He found few fries here and there and ate them fast and sat back at his table waiting. I saw this scene and it broke my heart to see someone this hungry seating across us. Told my husband about it and we started talking about buying him a meal.<br />
<br />
Suddenly , I noticed the guy got up fast and grabbed a forgotten phone charger from the big table. Looked like someone from that big group that just left, had forgotten it.<br />
<br />
I started describing to my husband what I saw, because his back was towards that big table. At that second, a young man ran in the store looking around desperately and asking the two girls seating on another table about a phone charger. Once he made an eye contact with me, I pointed to the homeless guy believing he had the young man's forgotten charger.<br />
<br />
"What?" He asked.<br />
"Looks like you lost your charger. That gentleman seating over there just found one and grabbed it. It might be yours." I said feeling sorry for the guy.<br />
"No. I didn't loose my charger. I just need one desperately. Do you have any?" He said.<br />
"Sorry. We don't carry one. But check with that guy there. I believe he might have one." I said.<br />
"Thank you." He said going to the homeless man asking about a charger. The man showed him his new found treasure and it was a match!!! Yes. The charger matched his phone!!!<br />
"I sell it to you for $5" the homeless man said.<br />
"Yes. Yes. I will buy it from you. Here is $5" The phone charger seeker said very happily and paid him $5 cash. Got the charger and on his way running out, he looked at us and said " Thank you!!! You guys are life savers. I really needed that charger. It was an emergency" I nodded and smiled and he left.<br />
<br />
The homeless guy went as fast as he could and stayed in the line to buy food. Few minutes later, he came back very happy with a proud look on his face along with a plain burger. He sat on the big table, eating, counting the rest of his money over and over while happily watching TV.<br />
<br />
This scene, not sure what to call it, serendipity? mercy of a higher power? the law of attraction? Was a scene that truly brightened our hearts. Seeing those two very happy faces, was definitely priceless. As long as we were still there, no one came looking for a forgotten phone charger. We just hoped the person that forgot the charger, has a backup one.<br />
<br />
What an awesome day!!!<br />
<br />
What are some of the little perfect magical moments in your days? If you like to share them with us, we truly appreciate it. <br />
<br />
Paris.<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-5871585613946421062014-05-21T11:51:00.000-07:002014-05-22T00:55:02.972-07:00Simple Green living, My father's style.. The Ozone layer has a huge hole in it and is impossible to repair!<br />
. The wild life species are disappearing!<br />
. The pollution is everywhere!<br />
. The water is acidified and corals are dissolving!<br />
. The fresh water reserves AKA Aquifers are finishing and drying!<br />
. We all are doomed!<br />
. ...<br />
<br />
Yes, it is happening. Yes it is bad. But the question is, what are we all going to do about it? Should we just seat down, be scared and complain? Should we continue living our lives the way we are told to live and once awhile feel bad about the garbage we are producing and recycle one or two bottles? Should we drive our SUV's around and get angry at the others and the government for causing pollution? Should we be very scared of all the chemicals in our genetically modified food and yet when it comes to buying None GMO food, complain about the high cost and think only obsessed and crazy people buy "Organic " food?<br />
<br />
When I look at my own home and my own family, there is so much more we can do. There is so much we can change to become better tenants to our earth. Should I dislike my own life, make my family and friends miserable and nag and complain about the wasteful lifestyle? Or should I focus on positive changes we have done.<br />
<br />
"Be positive" is the last thing I personally want to hear. Few years back, when depression came to my life and changed me forever, everybody was kind and loving. But not knowing what I am dealing with, people kept telling me to "Be positive". The problem was, I was and still feel that I am one of the most positive people that I know and yet being positive by itself, did not solve any problems for me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qwiOgsheNAU/U3ztchGw_zI/AAAAAAAAA38/Db7cKXDJSeQ/s1600/photo.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qwiOgsheNAU/U3ztchGw_zI/AAAAAAAAA38/Db7cKXDJSeQ/s1600/photo.PNG" height="320" width="279" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My father.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Now let me introduce my father.<br />
My father is an civil engineer. He studied in Munich, Germany over 45 years ago. He has many memories about how his landlords lived so frugally and how nothing was wasted. <br />
<br />
One of his landlords he often talks about, back then, was an old German lady with memories from the war era. she had talked about the hunger, the hard life they had to endure. But one thing my father talked a lot about was the unbelievable amount of effort invested by every single person in post-world war recovery to rebuilding their country. He talked about how he ended up learning a lot from his own simple life back in Iran and the student life he lived in Germany.<br />
<br />
When my father finished his studies, he went back and went right to the harshest areas of Iran. He worked hard in the southern Persian golf coast's heat and also in the freezing cold weather of northern Iran. He worked in dirt and mud. He worked in unlivable environments and yet enjoyed every single thing he built. He built bridges, factories, roads and dams for areas that otherwise had none. <br />
<br />
Years late, when he got established, he created and managed a huge firm with over 40 engineers under his commend. He made great money and built a very comfortable life, yet when it came to water and goods, he valued every single grain of rice and every single drop of water. He never waited for a draught announcement to start conserving water, nor he waited for his financial situation to go down or the Electricity to become expensive to start turning off the extra lights. He just simply knows how much hard work and how much tear and sweat and blood it takes to produce these amenities. The amenities we take for granted. He simply valued all the hard work that was invested, so we can have clean running water, electricity and energy on demand. Yes, he values every resource we have been blessed with and use. He is one of the most positive people I have ever seen and had the pleasure of knowing. <br />
<br />
Fast forward years later, my father is retired and lives in a cute and cozy house he himself built many years ago. This house is located in a village in the north of Iran next to Caspian sea. The locals used to maintain their lives with planting and selling rice, citrus fruits and Etc. But now, the lands are being sold and developed. The developers are building luxury vacation homes and villas close to the sea and the nature is changing rapidly and drastically. When I was growing up, that cozy house used to be our vacation home. We have great memories with our neighborhood children. He had created a deep bond with the neighbors as well.<br />
<br />
Being retired and financially secure, he is enjoying the helps and gifts he is giving to young people, friends and neighbors around him. Yet when it comes to his own life, every single thing become repaired and every inch of dirt becomes used, planted and greened with something eatable or beautiful. Many years ago, he planted many citrus trees in his garden and when the fruits are ready, he contacts the neighbors to come and pick them up. It is actually nice and interesting to see how he names his trees based on his neighbors he dedicated the trees to that year.<br />
"This is Mr. ...'s tree this year. I let them know when it is ready, so they can come and pick the fruits up. I am going to give that one to this young neighbor. They just had a baby and could use the money. They sell the fruits in the stands their dad owns" He says. <br />
<br />
He is also the main giver of free fruits for neighbor's weddings, memorials, new baby celebrations...<br />
My father doesn't know much nor is concerned about all the environmental problems and pollutions around us. But unknowingly, he lives the greenest, non-consumeristic life one can live.<br />
<br />
Absolutely nothing gets wasted in his home. Every single thing has value and is getting reused. <br />
"I don't like to buy cheap plastic things when all these good sturdy old stuff can still be repaired and reused" He says, not knowing anything about the anti-consumerism movement that is growing roots all around the world. <br />
<br />
"Simplicity is the most important thing in life. Living simple and joyful is the best way of living. Why should I buy what I already have. I have more than what I need. How many clothes and stuff can I need and use in a life time. One belt is enough to secure my pants. I bought it 18 years ago and it still is good." He says.<br />
<br />
He is not a hoarder. On the contrary, he is a minimalist and doesn't know it. He never just gathers things for the sake of having them. He just has and keeps strictly what he needs.<br />
<br />
" Lets buy our groceries from the local stands. They need help" He says buying only from local small farmers to help them, but he does not know about the movement called "Locavor". He cooks from scratch, not because he wants to live green. Because he believes that is how the food should be. He buys only organic, not because he is fighting Monsanto, because he is believing that the food taste better and is healthier and again, that is how it should be.<br />
<br />
Now my friends, about our planet and lives, being positive does A LOT for us. Choosing small changes, believing we ARE a part of this planet, being grateful and appreciative of the lives we are living and being content and stop our greed, can make a huge impact in our planet' well being.<br />
<br />
How much do YOU respect and appreciate the amenities you have been given?<br />
<br />
Paris<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-69674930965616208112014-02-12T00:11:00.000-08:002014-02-12T00:11:10.297-08:00Simple and green oral care.As a dentist AND an environmentalist, I can not help but think about all the ways we can become more natural and more environmental friendly when it comes to our oral care. The amount of small pieces of plastic we are sending in to the nature due to our teeth cleaning routine is huge. <br />
<br />
I am not even talking about a Dental office with everything disposable and made of plastic. I am just talking about our homes and what can we do to reduce the amount of chemicals we enter in our bodies and the water stream along with the amount of plastic waste we create.<br />
<br />
In our own home, I have searched and tried many different ways to reduce our impact while maintaining a healthy oral hygiene. <br />
<br />
Here is what we do:<br />
<br />
<br />
Floss:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pUv_tcQhr1E/UvsR-yxCu9I/AAAAAAAAApE/LsTkRyK46BU/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pUv_tcQhr1E/UvsR-yxCu9I/AAAAAAAAApE/LsTkRyK46BU/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>I have tried many different flosses. There are some flosses that are made of real silk and I was very excited to find them. But the problem was, due to the tight contact between my teeth, the silk floss kept getting ripped. The best floss for myself, I have found to be the VeganFloss. All my family have been using it for the past four years without any problems. They are available in almost all health food stores. I buy mine at Whole Foods. The packaging is made of paper and the floss last a VERY long time. After all, 100 yards of floss is a lot of floss. When new, the floss is wrapped in a small plastic wrap which needs to be removed. This is my least favorite part about this product. The floss itself is also appeared to be not biodegradable. But the packaging is biodegradable. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_mULeyB1jUs/UvsQoQl6MGI/AAAAAAAAAog/qrMMTTpYcWg/s1600/May+2013+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_mULeyB1jUs/UvsQoQl6MGI/AAAAAAAAAog/qrMMTTpYcWg/s1600/May+2013+025.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>Toothpaste:<br />
Home made in reusable jars. <a href="http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2013/09/home-made-plastic-free-toothpaste.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">HERE</span></a> you can find the recipe.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W89fg9IJXvs/UvsRGuImD3I/AAAAAAAAAo4/IRKBdkP8Pi8/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
<br />
Tooth Brush: <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-duU0pYmZo_Y/UvsQvfRW_dI/AAAAAAAAAos/ysJEpCHrTTA/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-duU0pYmZo_Y/UvsQvfRW_dI/AAAAAAAAAos/ysJEpCHrTTA/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
I have tried many different tooth brushes and so far, my favorite has been Environmental toothbrush. I order them on Amazon. The handle is made from Bamboo and the bristles are made from natural fibers. The packaging does not come with plastic windows. We usually order a pack of 12 and color code the handles with a small dot with different color nail polish for each family member. The main problem with these is that they are not made in USA. I like to buy things local and prefer to help the local economy. We are shortly due for our new set of 12 and this time, I will try to look for a local company that can provide similar brushes. Based on my research on Amazon.com, there are many new local companies formed lately with great quality toothbrushes. I will definitely give them a try. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
My review of Green Panda toothbrush:<br />
Kathy from <a href="http://the-green-panda.com/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Green Panda</span></a> has been kind enough to send me a tooth brush as a sample to try. Here are my findings:<br />
<br />
<br />
Pros:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hBbtbrHP8LU/UvsieOo1nFI/AAAAAAAAApU/3wbj28sms48/s1600/Green+Panda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hBbtbrHP8LU/UvsieOo1nFI/AAAAAAAAApU/3wbj28sms48/s1600/Green+Panda.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
1. Sustainable bamboo handle<br />
2. Natural bristles<br />
3. Made in USA<br />
4. Reasenably priced<br />
5. Easily found in stores (Whole Foods)<br />
6. Family owned small business<br />
7. Post costumer packaging<br />
8. Anatomic shape<br />
<br />
Cons.<br />
<br />
1. Too big for my mouth. Was hard to handle and maneuver due to a pretty big size.<br />
2. I personally am not a big fan of anatomical shapes. No other options for the classic shape.<br />
3. Bristles are too hard. I prefer softer bristles. <br />
<br />
In general, other than the comfort part, it was a good toothbrush. I believe it just needed some getting used to. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DCugr8W3bhg/UvsRDemZ6xI/AAAAAAAAAow/w3ypKqHrJT4/s1600/Nov.+2012+062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DCugr8W3bhg/UvsRDemZ6xI/AAAAAAAAAow/w3ypKqHrJT4/s1600/Nov.+2012+062.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a>Here is another brand I found in the Rainbow store in San Francisco. "Brush with Bamboo". Have not tried them yet.<br />
<br />
I am not a big fan of mouth wash. But a good alternative to the chemical mouth washes is warm salt water. Some baking soda dissolved in water along with some mint extract can also freshen up the breath and neutralizes the acidity in the mouth.<br />
<br />
What is your green oral care routine?<br />
<br />
Paris<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-19734822217186376292014-01-11T15:01:00.000-08:002014-01-11T22:12:00.892-08:00The most important financial life lesson to my Children.Many years ago, when I arrived at United States as an immigrant, one of the first things I needed to learn, even before the language, was the importance of having a Credit.<br />
<br />
I was told many times that "A bad credit is better than no credit". <br />
<br />
But, what was a credit? Two continents and two languages behind me, I knew how to do a Root Canal Therapy or how to Extract a tooth or how to negotiate with my landlord in Romanian. But I had no clue what a "Credit "was. What an "Interest "was and not to mention an "Investment".<br />
<br />
Completely clueless.<br />
<br />
Back then, when and where I grew up, Credit Cards were not in style. ( Yeah. I am THAT old). Nobody knew about them and loans were not as normal. People saved to buy a car or a house. The population was a lot smaller and everything looked and felt and WAS a lot simpler.<br />
<br />
Now fast forward many years and I can't stop thinking about how little I knew about what proved to be one of the most important aspect of living a life here in US. Financials. Back, at my childhood days, financials were Taboo to talk about.<br />
<br />
Now when I see how many days and hours my 12 years old daughter is wasting to learn the old Greek gods and goddess's names, not knowing anything about the real life, it breaks my heart and it infuriates me. I feel frustrated too see that when our children go to college, Credit Card Companies have tables and booths set up waiting for them at the door. To me, those booths look like traps and they should be illegal. It is sad to see that it's crucial for our children to have good grades at tons of useless and outdated materials. But nobody has took the time to teach them anything about their financial decisions and it's effect on their future.<br />
<br />
When my 12 years old daughter was complaining about me asking her to save %50 of her money, Inspired by <strong><u><a href="http://jlcollinsnh.com/2011/06/08/how-i-failed-my-daughter-and-a-simple-path-to-wealth/" target="_blank">This</a></u></strong> post by Jim Collins (One of my all times favorite bloggers and a nice guy), I started to explain to her about the fundamentals of financial success as much as and as simple as I could. How much she got out of it? Not sure. But When she chose to be Sara in the example I gave her, I was happy and proud of her.<br />
<br />
Here it goes:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mPk_8h90UJI/UtGx-21unBI/AAAAAAAAAoE/8vhjQ-DHyZ0/s1600/Scan_Pic0005+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mPk_8h90UJI/UtGx-21unBI/AAAAAAAAAoE/8vhjQ-DHyZ0/s1600/Scan_Pic0005+(2).jpg" height="640" width="560" /></a></div>
<br />
I know that this is an extreme example. But I hoped it would shake my daughter up and will help her understand some basics about her decisions and their long term effects on her future. <br />
<br />
This is what I explained to her:<br />
<br />
So, Tom is a spender. He never thinks about saving. He feels like he is entitled to receiving what ever he wants. He likes to wear a certain brand of clothing and own a certain brand of electronics. He likes to be popular at school. He grows up getting a good job and makes decent money. He thinks that he is always going to earn money and live <strong><u><a href="http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2014/01/artificially-high-standard-of-living.html" target="_blank">a spender's life</a></u></strong>. He borrows lots of money believing that "Of course I can pay them off. I am the big shot that has always spent good and lived an expensive life" One day, when his job is unstable, he wakes up deeply in debt. His stress level is high and he borrows more "Expensive" ( Interest) money to be able to keep buying all the things he likes to buy. Because he does not want to change his <strong><u><a href="http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2014/01/artificially-high-standard-of-living.html" target="_blank">artificially high standard of living</a></u></strong>.<br />
<br />
Now Sara, makes the exact same amount of money as Tom. But she does not need all the expensive stuff to feel good. She knows who she is and does not need to look like she is rich. All her life, she saves half of her money and once she reaches $3000 when still very young, she starts to invest it in an investment fund. By the time she is 30, she has more than $1,000,000 in investments. ( I didn't even talk about compounding and it's magical power. Trying to keep it as simple as possible). <br />
<br />
Now, this numbers are just "Guesstimated" and have no solid calculations involved. They all might be wrong :) But the concept is what matters.<br />
<br />
Then I went ahead and explained what borrowing money and interests are. I call them "Borrowing expensive money". Then in my paper, I showed her where Tom borrows his money from and how Sara can be the one that is providing that money and receives her monthly interest checks which she earned not working and only with investing.<br />
<br />
And finally, I explained to my daughter that Sara can stop working any time she chooses to if she keeps her expenses the same or lower than her monthly income check she is receiving from her investments. But if she chooses to work which is a good idea, she can invest even more money or spend or donate it as her little heart desires.<br />
She is financially independent AKA Financially Free.<br />
<br />
If I had the power, I would make this simple page mandatory in middle schools.<br />
<br />
How about you? Are you Sara or Tom? Which one do you WANT to be? Think about it!<br />
<br />
Feel free to copy and paste this page and show it to your children if you like.<br />
Paris<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-25813417403484390042014-01-05T20:52:00.001-08:002014-01-07T20:43:11.890-08:00Artificially high standard of living?<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nmBau8LIbQk/Uso1b234pbI/AAAAAAAAAn0/ZHtmvq3IZTc/s1600/Ecuador+trip+Jan.+2009+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nmBau8LIbQk/Uso1b234pbI/AAAAAAAAAn0/ZHtmvq3IZTc/s1600/Ecuador+trip+Jan.+2009+022.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>My dear and wonderful readers. I have been gone for too long and am apologizing for that. Some <br />
health problems along with the Holidays became too much for me to be able to write. I have prepared a post that I have been wanting to write for you for a long time and hope you enjoy it. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Looking around at our friends, neighbors, acquaintance's life, I used to think they all are doing really good financially and have everything figured out. Wile I was very happy for them, it made me wonder. I wondered how they can afford such a large life while my husband and I, both Dentists, sometimes had a hard time making the ends meet.<br />
<br />
Now fast forward years later and I know better. Now when I think about their lives, I notice that in reality, they couldn't afford that life.<br />
<br />
Couple of years back, one of my high school friends was getting married in Los Vegas and my daughter and I flew there to attend her wedding. The wedding was beautiful and the food and arrangements were fantastic. We had a wonderful time and seeing my old high school friend was priceless. Later on, I was talking over the phone with another common high school friend of mine and since the Iranian culture is somehow unfamiliar and a very odd and curious culture, I ended up having this unwanted conversation with a friend from Iran over the phone.<br />
<br />
It went like this:<br />
<br />
She: So, how was the wedding?<br />
<br />
Me: It was beautiful. She looked like a princess and the groom looked deeply in love. Everything was very nice and we had a wonderful time.<br />
<br />
She: I heard the groom is pretty rich. Is he? ( I being out of Iran for over 23 years, felt pretty uncomfortable with this question)<br />
<br />
Me: I don't know. I never asked about his financial situation.<br />
<br />
She: But I heard that he paid for the wedding and he spent tons of money. So, he has to be rich. Is he?<br />
<br />
Me (feeling frustrated with this question) : As I said, I don't know who paid for the wedding and honestly, I don't want to know. Also don't know if he is rich or not. But the wedding was beauti...<br />
<br />
She (interrupting me): It is simple. If he was not rich, he would not be ale to afford such a nice wedding.<br />
<br />
Me: Well, in US, spending money does not have anything to do with one's financial situation. People can spend tons and not be rich, since that money could be spent on credit card and they, be deeply in debt. Here, spending can never be a measure of the person's true financial value. There are people that don't spend much, but have good savings and retirement accounts and there are people that spend a lot of borrowed money. It is also true that there are some people that are truly doing good and can afford what they are spending money on. The reality is, one's spending has nothing to do with the size of their pocket. So, I truly can't know if the groom is rich or not, based on his spending. I don't want to know who paid for what.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now when I think deeper about this conversation, I realize that what came to my mind that day from frustration and what I told her, was a huge reality that not too many people think about.<br />
<br />
Since I became a<a href="http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2012/10/are-you-on-diet-spending-diet.html" target="_blank"> <span style="color: #990000;">frugal</span></a> minimalist and changed my lifestyle, many people mock me, judge me and laugh at me. But many are feeling more comfortable with sharing their financial concerns with me. I guess the reason is that they feel safe and more comfortable about it since showing money is not a priority in my life and they know they will not become judged by me. Friends and family have told me about living paycheck to paycheck. They have told me about not having any retirement account at the age of around fifty years old. They have told me about their sleepless nights worrying about paying the bills. They have opened up about how un-calculated their financials are and how they can NOT reduce their standard of living. Many people tell me how lucky I am to be OK with downsized life and how they can not downsize, because they enjoy bigger houses. They enjoy their expensive car. They enjoy shopping.<br />
<br />
I remember this sweet single mom that worked for us. Her car had problems and she needed a new car. She refused to buy a car for months and took rides from everybody, because she would not drive anything but a brand new BMW. As her boss, I knew exactly how her financial situation was and not to mention the cash advances she needed to pay for her electricity bill. But at the end, she bought a BMW with borrowed money. Now if I didn't know about her financial troubles and I was to see her in the street, I would see someone in a brand new BMW and would think she is doing great. Sadly, the reality of her life was far from her appearances.<br />
<br />
But after many years of earning experience, I know better now. Living beyond our means can cause many damages that we are not aware of. <br />
<br />
To name a few;<br />
<br />
<strong>Raising the housing prices artificially: </strong><br />
<br />
When people live in houses that they can't afford, they end up paying a lot more for their house and this will cause the market to go up artificially. If every one stays within their means and only buy the house they can TRULY afford, more people will buy less expensive houses. The more expensive houses would become less desirable and the demand would drop. This would shift the market and bring it closer to reality. I believe there are too many people living in the houses they can't afford.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Raising the car prices artificially:</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
The same goes for the cars. We tend to borrow money and buy cars that are out of our range way too often. In reality, we should try to pay cash for our cars. But since we mostly live in cities where owning a car became a must by design, we have no other choice but to own a car to be able to commute and work. I understand one's need to borrow money to buy a car in order to be able to break this vicious circle. Going to work needs car. Owning a car needs money. Earning money needs work. Going to work needs car.... But in my opinion, this money must be paid back within one to two years. If you are buying a car on a loan and can not pay it in full within couple of years, it is too expensive for you. If people stop buying all these brand new expensive cars and start buying cars that are affordable for them, the demand for expensive cars will drop and the car companies will focus on making cars more affordable and the sales of luxury cars will not be artificially high. This will reduce the inflation.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Causing hidden sadness and suffering for people around us:</strong><br />
<br />
I have seen too many people feeling like a failure, believing that everyone else is doing great and only they, are the ones that can't afford living a luxury life. It is not fun to feel that you are behind in the " standard of living" competition, always feeling the pressure of not doing as good as others around you. I have seen husbands and wives separate. I have seen wives loose respect for husbands calling them lazy believing that their man is not good enough to provide and delivers as good as the neighbor's man. I have seen people divorce because one was frugal and one was seduced in to spending big and could not stand living frugally. I have seen too many suffering and sadness due to people living beyond their means.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Carrying a hidden financial stress and burden on shoulders:</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Owing money and having financial pressure is a horrible feeling. It destroys one's self esteem and it becomes a heavy weight on one's shoulders. People with financial difficulties even walk differently and talk differently. There is a lot of stress and insecurity associated with living paycheck to paycheck and have to borrow money for life's expenses. It is one of the main reasons people suffer from sleepless nights. The financial stress can take an enormous toll on the body as well as the mind.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Not securing a solid retirement fund:</strong><br />
<br />
When one is constantly in debt and has to keep up with paying for the things one bought long time ago, one can not make time to think about retirement. Retirement becomes a far future that people ignore and drop to the bottom of their to do list. When you barely have money to pay for your expensive lifestyle and your debts, how can you put money aside for twenty years from now? Which one seams more like a priority to you? I have done that mistake and retirement have had been our last worry for a long time. Not any more.<br />
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<br />
<strong>Not saving enough for kid's college:</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
I completely believe in teaching our children to be responsible for their own life. It is important that our children not to expect all their college money to be handed to them. Children need to participate in their expenses and learn to value money. But on the other hand, it is a tough time for our children to become independent. Overpopulation along with technology, replacing humans, drastically reduced their chances of getting ahead in life. Life is expensive and I prefer not to force our children to borrow money and get in debt even before they secure a job. If we teach them the mentality of living debt free and not counting on debt to live a life, I truly believe we are teaching them an important life lesson. We need to save for our children's college or their other life needs and help them start a life. We also need to involve them in the process of saving for their own future. If we live beyond our means, how can we save for their future? How can we teach them to be involved in saving for their future and what kind of role models would we become?<br />
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<br />
<strong>Not having and </strong><a href="http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2012/10/15-reasons-why-having-saving-is-crucial.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">emergency fund</span></strong></a><strong>:</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
I have a wonderful friend that I care about and respect dearly. As long as I remember, she has had deep financial problems and never had an emergency fund. But she had the most extensive DVD collection I have ever seen. She said lots of these movies were ONLY $5 and it made sense to buy them. To me, owning hundreds of movies, even if they cost $5 while one does not have an emergency fund just does not make sense. Many people can not live their money alone. They get this itch to spend every penny. Then they borrow and spend the money they don't have. Then when an emergency arises, they are stuck. An accident, a sickness, a car trouble, an important house repair,... can ruin your routine and can turn your life around if you don't have an emergency fund. It can stress you and rob you from your life as you know it. Even the smallest un-calculated and unexpected expense can cause too much stress for someone without an emergency fund.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Being forced to stay in an unhappy job: </strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Too many people get burnt out and complain about their jobs and suffer from a stressful job without having the option to do something about it, because they live paycheck to paycheck. They don't have a breather. They can't look in to their boss or manager's eyes and say "I quit". Because they can't even afford a few days without a job. They are deeply in debt and are scared to become late with their bills. Unnecessary debt is the worst thing one can do to themselves. You might say "But we needed the money and HAD to borrow it". I would respond that if one is living beyond their means and is in debt, they DID NOT NEED the money. They could have avoided debt. Believe me. I have been there myself and I know how easily you can confuse Want with Need.Most people have a choice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Feeling pressure to keep up with the artificial lifestyle we created:</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
People have a very easy time Up-sizing and an extremely hard time Down-sizing. Once one reaches a certain level of lifestyle, it is very hard to reduce and change that. That person becomes their own "Joneses" that needs keeping up with. In some cases, it is not as much about what others think as it is about what one thinks about themselves. When you create an artificial sense of achievement and luxury, you tasted that life and going back to your own real means is very difficult. The pressure of keeping up with that artificial standard of living becomes a huge burden and usually, not wort it. This artificially high standard of living, becomes too much to loose and keeping up with it become an stressful emergency.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Drowning in debt and ending up paying a lot more due to finance charges:</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Unfortunately, most people are drowning in debt and it looks more normal having debt than being debt free. People react very interesting and very surprised once they hear we don't have any debts. They look at us shocked like they just saw a ghost. The truth is, debt means you will pay a lot more for the same thing. You still pay even when you don't own that thing you bought long ago. You pay for months and years and you pay interest. You pay interest to be able to borrow unnecessary money! How crazy is that? Think about it. Are the things you buy on credit card, to raise your standard of living, worth all the extra interest you are paying? Are they worth all the extra time you are spending working to pay for them. Are they THAT important that we have to pay such a high price for them?<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Becoming surrounded by NOT so close friends:</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
I used to live in a very upscale part of Scottsdale, Arizona ( By default) for five years and never forget how hard it was to hang out with friends that dressed a certain way and lived a certain way. When we spent a lot and went with them to expensive restaurants, we had tons of people that believed we were worthy of hanging out with. But when we had to tighten our belts and become frugal to be able to pay for our Dental Board Exams, all those people disappeared. I always wondered, Don't they have ups and downs in their own lives? Do they ever just grab a sandwich and go to a movie with a friend? Does it have to be the expensive night club every time we get together? Back then, it affected our self esteem and self confidence trying to become accepted by all the people that wear nothing but brand name clothing, carried thousand dollars purses and drove luxury cars. But now, I look back and I feel sorry for them. Feel sorry for the fake cover they were hiding behind. Now I am not talking about people that can truly afford their lifestyle and choose to live like that, no matter how luxurious it might be. I am talking about people living beyond their means and were judging others that were not living as luxurious as they were.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Bottom line is, unfortunately. the power of advertising and Hollywood's fake reality had brain washed too many of us in to borrowing the money we don't own to buy things we don't have to have to be able to maintain a life style we can't afford. What a pressure!!! Exhausting to even think about it.<br />
<br />
Stay safe and happy and please live within your means.<br />
<br />
Paris<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-86417068370639009752013-11-20T23:25:00.001-08:002013-11-21T02:10:45.938-08:00See my new page "Related Movies"I love to watch documentaries. They are so many wonderful and eye opening documentaries out there and most of them are free. On my new page, i created a list of many movies and documentaries for you that have been life changing for me and my family.<br />
<br />
So Please look on the right side of my blog for the newly added page called " Related movies".<br />
<br />
I will constantly update it and add more links and names. I will deeply appreciate it if you wonderful readers add to my list by making a comment to this post. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/p/movies.html" target="_blank"><b><i>Here</i></b></a> is a link to my new page.<br />
<br />
Thank you and enjoy.<br />
Paris<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-66230065141546925922013-10-24T11:26:00.000-07:002016-06-01T16:04:00.375-07:00The green minimalist.I have been trying hard to categorize and separate my writings to create some sort of order. The problem is, it is all interconnected.<br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"> </span></div>
Green mostly includes minimalism.<br />
Minimalism mostly make you live a more natural and green life.<br />
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<br />
When I started to live greener and care more about the nature, becoming detached from the consumerism trap I was in became essential in my journey. To live green, you will need to buy less and Reuse your resources, thus become more minimalistic.<br />
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<br />
<br />
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Sometimes people confuse green living with hoarding though. They keep absolutely everything with the fear that someday, they might need it. But a true green lifestyle means stopping to buy unnecessary stuff. Another reason you wold automatically become greener by becoming a minimalist is that you will want to stay away from plastic. Living a plastic free life requires a lot of reduction in the things you own since way too many stuff are made of plastic.<br />
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Minimalism brings calmness and freedom to your life. The lack of unnecessary stuff is associated with a feeling of a heavy weight being lifted. I always note that getting rid of things makes me a lot happier than buying things. Give it a try and see the difference. Every bag of stuff that goes out of your home, will make you happier that a bag full of stuff coming in.<br />
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When you think like a green minimalism, you think functionality. Here are some questions a minimalist asks her/him self when tempted to buy something.<br />
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. Do I need this or I just want this?<br />
. Can I live without it?<br />
. Will I feel happier when I acquire this thing?<br />
. Will I suffer without it?<br />
. Will I like having the money instead of the stuff I am buying?<br />
. Will I have to make room for it?<br />
. What will the impact of me buying this item be on the environment?<br />
. Will it end up in the landfill?<br />
. How long will I use it before I need to discard it?<br />
. 10 years from now, will having this item make a positive impact on my life?<br />
. What will happen if I don't buy it?<br />
. Do I need to spend time and money to maintain this thing?<br />
. Will it simplify my life or make it more complicated?<br />
. Do I love it and will I truly enjoy it?<br />
. Am I buying it, because it is on sale?<br />
. Am I borrowing money on my credit card to buy this item?<br />
. Is it worth borrowing money for?<br />
. Can I afford it?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just think about the above questions before you buy anything.<br />
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Are you a Green Minimalist? Think about it.<br />
<br />
Paris<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-67645699895666259222013-09-20T17:34:00.002-07:002016-12-22T07:59:38.472-08:00Home made, almost plastic free toothpaste. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H-OhED1sUQA/UjzbkxvZA-I/AAAAAAAAAnM/f-l3cVIjOdc/s1600/May+2013+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H-OhED1sUQA/UjzbkxvZA-I/AAAAAAAAAnM/f-l3cVIjOdc/s320/May+2013+025.JPG" width="240" /></a>Toothpaste has been one of the problems for my zero waste green lifestyle. We all go through them a lot and they almost always come in plastic tubes. Not to mention all the chemicals in them. <br />
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As a dentist, I have became very fascinated with finding a solution to this problem. So, I got to work and started experimenting all kinds of options. <br />
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Here is my final recipe after months of research, trial and errors.<br />
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<strong>Disclaimer:</strong><br />
<em>Even though i am a Dentist, I am not giving you my professional advice here and am just sharing my own recipe. Please consult your dentist with any problems, or professional questions.</em> <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9lc-iMNPog4/Ujzb3grolNI/AAAAAAAAAnU/592uhCc1dFQ/s1600/May+2013+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9lc-iMNPog4/Ujzb3grolNI/AAAAAAAAAnU/592uhCc1dFQ/s320/May+2013+024.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
You will need:<br />
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. Xylitol 6-8 packs<br />
. Hot Water 2 tbsp<br />
. Hydrogen peroxide 2 tbsp<br />
. Vegetable glycerin 4 tbsp<br />
. Spearmint extract 40-50 drops<br />
. Baking Soda (As needed)<br />
. Dr. Bronner all in one liquid Castile soap( Not in the picture)<br />
.Tums Extra (Optional, also not in the picture)*<br />
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1. Dissolve 6-8 packs of Xylitol in two tbsp hot water.<br />
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2. Add equal amount of Hydrogen peroxide and vegetable glycerin. I start with two tbsp of each.<br />
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3. Add spearmint or any other flavor extract you enjoy as needed. I put around 30 drops.<br />
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4. Add 1 tbsp of liquid Castile soap.<br />
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5. Mix everything together.<br />
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6. Add a small amount of baking soda gradually till you reach your desirable texture. <br />
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7. Add more vegetable glycerin as needed if it is too hard.<br />
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8. Place it in your jar and live it open. The Hydrogen Peroxide might foam up and free some oxygen. Mix it after a while to let the oxygen out and help your paste to form.<br />
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Done.<br />
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<strong>. Xylitol</strong> is a natural form of sugar. Research has shown that it is beneficial to the oral hygiene and it helps the re-mineralization of teeth before the occurrence of dental caries. It also reduces the growth of some bacterias that are involved in decay generation by interfering the bacterial growth and regeneration. In our case, it also gives our toothpaste a more pleasant taste by sweetening it.<br />
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<br />
<strong>. Hydrogen Peroxide</strong> is an excellent germ killer. It fights the non aerobic germs that are one of the causes of periodontal diseases. It is also a strong whitener. You don't want to overdue the usage since it will also destroy the good germs and your natural bacterial environment in your mouth. That could cause the reduction of your mouth's defence system. Without the Healthy and natural bacterias in your mouth, the so called opportunistic germs and specially fungus could attack your mouth causing canker sores. You also want to make sure you are not allergic to Hydrogen Peroxide.<br />
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<strong>. Vegetable glycerin.</strong> For me, glycerin has been better that coconut oil. The reasons are, coconut oil's texture is unpredictable. It solidifies in cold and liquefies in heat. That could cause your toothpaste to change texture with the outside temperature changes. Coconut oil is also transported and imported traveling usually a long way and it's production has a high impact on the environment. The glycerin acts like a lubricant and reduces the damage the baking Soda could cause due to it's abrasive nature. It also improves our toothpaste and gives it that creamy soft and smooth texture. They are some debates over the benefits Vs contraindications of glycerin in toothpaste. It is said that it creates a film over the tooth and it does not allow the enamel to re-mineralize. As a dentist, to accept this statement, i need to see some solid researches. When i place a sealant over the grooves of a tooth prior to it getting decays, i am sealing the tooth. My gut feeling on this issue says, if there are decays, they need to be addressed as soon as possible and if they are no decays, the glycerin film might even be helpful by sealing the minerals in and protecting the enamel from the attack of bacteria and acids. But that is my opinion and i have not seen any researches regarding this matter yet. Please do your own research.<br />
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<strong>. Spearmint extract.</strong> I love the freshness it brings after brushing. But you can choose any flavor.<br />
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<strong>. Baking soda</strong> is purchased in bulk and I bring my own bag to store. Thus, zero waste. It is a mild abrasive that whitens teeth. It is very effective in removing the plaque and even some tartars. I have heard stories of people using it with Vinegar though. This is a NO NO for me. One of the problems we have these days and have been seeing more often lately, is erosion of teeth due to high acidity levels in the mouth. It could be caused by heartburn, high consumption of Sodas and acidic drinks, and ironically, the higher amount of salads with vinegar and lemon juice for healthy eaters have been causing some serious erosion and sensitivity. So, last thing we need to do is to add more vinegar or lemon juice to our daily regime (Sorry Dr. Oz, but i respectfully disagree with the lemon juice on teeth). Another thing you need to note is that Baking Soda might be too abrasive for cosmetic works. So if you have anterior work done, the Baking Soda might remove the glaze and it is not recommended. It also should be used only with very soft tooth brush since it is pretty abrasive and could cause gum recession. I highly recommend you to brush gently and never scrub vigorously when using this recipe.<br />
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<a href="http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20/detail/B00DAI76TC" target="_blank">. Dr. Bronner's all in one </a><strong>Baby Mild Liquid Soap. </strong>Just a small amount gives our toothpaste a very nice foaming effect that makes the whole brushing process more pleasant. The liquid soap cleans and flushes away all the unwanted debris from the mouth. I like to use Baby Mild kind that has no scent and is mild. The liquid soap can help to reduce the harsh effects of all the abrasives and cleaning agents in the mouth. For more information, follow the link on the name. <br />
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<strong>*.<strike>Toms</strike> Tums Extra ( Sugar free). </strong>Now this one I came up with for people that have acid erosion and sensitivity on the teeth. High acidity could be due to stomach problems, heartburn, consuming too much Soda and acidic food including salad dressing. You can dissolve one tablet of Tums in your hot water along with Xylitol and just continue as the recipe says. Tums will neutralizes the acidity and also helps to re-mineralize your teeth due to high level of Calcium.<br />
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We use a Popsicle stick to scoop up the paste and place it on our brush. The consistency changes over time and you can easily add more baking Soda or Glycerin to re balance the texture.<br />
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What is your favorite toothpaste? Do you have a recipe you would want to share here? please do so.<br />
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Thank you<br />
Paris<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-37107430898868320322013-09-17T09:30:00.001-07:002013-09-17T09:30:55.433-07:00Minimise Heirlooms, gifts and memories!!!Minimise heirlooms, gifts and memories!!!<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_0aokky6G4c/Ujh0vA8OfZI/AAAAAAAAAm8/T-GYHNgr_iQ/s1600/Feb+2013+093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_0aokky6G4c/Ujh0vA8OfZI/AAAAAAAAAm8/T-GYHNgr_iQ/s320/Feb+2013+093.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best gift!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Can i be frank with you? I mean very very frank with you? Heirlooms, gifts and memories are mostly a pain. A big pain. You might be wondering why such an extreme and insensitive feeling about those precious important stuff. But to me, they have <em>almost</em> always been nothing but a pain.<br />
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Don't take me wrong, i value a beautiful unique piece that i loved and were given from someone special. But Those are very rare and very unique. Other than those very unique occasions, rest of the heirlooms i have received were a pain. No matter what the heirloom is, it could truly become a pain. I am not a jewelery person and being a minimalist in my heart, i am not a big fan of stuff either. But i still know how to value a true heirloom. <br />
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We live in a time of abundance and digital memories. Everybody has hundreds maybe thousands of photos. Our houses are packed with stuff and mostly junk. The last thing we need is more stuff. In my opinion, as far as memories go, a photo will do it. <br />
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For me, they are two kinds of heirlooms though. <br />
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<strong>Special heirlooms.</strong><br />
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The kind that is very special to the person who is giving them and wants to give that gift to someone he, or she loves. Those are valuable unique loving heirlooms that need to be cherished and valued. Those are the gifts that the person will never, ever ask about and once they are given, they are yours to do whatever you want with them. You can sell them during difficulties, you can keep them forever and think about the loving person who gave them to you and you can pass them farther as a gift to your own loved one. They are given only once. The person is not going around buying stuff and giving them to you and calling them heirlooms. <br />
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This would be the gift i received from my lovely Mother In Law. She gave me her own precious necklace. Her own very valuable, unique, beautiful Platinum and Brilliant necklace. The necklace she loved, used and cherished for many years. The necklace she wished for and hoped for and longed for over the years and have been very dear to her. But once she gave it to me, she has never ever asked about it. She said "You are young and it is your turn to enjoy it. Do what ever you want with it. It is yours". This is something i kept lovingly in the Bank and hope to wear it on very special occasions. I thought about modifying it and use the beautiful unique Brilliant (Diamond with a special cut) to make a very nice ring for myself. A contemporary ring that will match my taste and will be just the way i like it. A ring i will actually use. But still hadn't decided yet. For now, it is loved and cherished just the way it is and is valued, because someone that i love, loved me so much that she was willing to let her precious necklace go and wanted me to have it.<br />
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<strong>The pain Heirloom.</strong><br />
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A pain would be a gift that is not given to you because you are loved. It is given to you either because it is the tradition, or it is an obligation, or the purpose is for the giver to make sure you remember him or her and it is all about the giver, not the receiver. Lets call them Pain Heirlooms, shall we? Those kinds of pain heirlooms could be from a friend or relative or even close family. Something that they just give you to remember them. But it is nothing about you and it is all about them. It could be a vase, clothes, even some jewelery. They are usually not special to the person and have no emotional value. Sometimes they do have emotional values and the giver regrets giving them to you and is constantly monitoring them. The monitored gifts are a leash. A pain. The giver keeps asking about them and wants to make sure you Never, Ever forget that THEY gave them to you. Do you see what i mean? They are not for you. It is not about the gift, or about you. It is all about the giver. <br />
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This kind would be many gifts i have received through out the years and have been a pain. One example of these kinds of gifts is some jewelery that i have received on a special occasion from someone pretty close to me, but the giver keeps asking about them. She even got upset once because she never saw me wearing them and said to my daughter "You know what? your mom is not worthy of MY jewelery. From now on, they are yours." My poor daughter was confused about what is happening. As you can see, this had nothing to do with making me happy. It was all about that person trying and hoping to show off her kindness. Would i ever dare to think to do something with those jewelery? Only if i am planning to have a very bitter relationship with that person. If i ever thought about modifying them, she would never ever forgive me touching HER jewelery. This type of gift makes you feel like you are just the temporary safe keeper and not the new owner. <br />
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Another similar gift was a vase i have received many years ago. I was told it is hundred years old and is very valuable. I received it in a different country and i had to carry it in my arms during a very long flight and Plane change. I had to even carry it to the bathroom with me to make sure it is not going to break. I had this guilt that it was valued by the giver and i really have to take care of it. it was not my style at all and in my opinion, it was very ugly too. But i kept it mainly for the guilt, love and the respect i had for the giver. During these years, we moved many times and this one gift has always been a big source of stress for me. The last time we moved (Two weeks ago. More on that later :)), i could not find anywhere safe for it. We downsized drastically and moving to a 1000 sq from a 3800 sq is not an easy task. So I finally decided to sell it in an antique shop and use the money to buy something small. Something unique to keep and always think about that person when i see that small heirloom. I decided to create my own smaller and more manageable heirloom from her gift. So with a painful and guilty heart thinking how special this piece have been to that person, i looked for an antique shop. I thought someone else can take care of it better than i do. I felt like i owed it to the giver and it was my duty to take care of her valuable vase. It took me a while to find one. I made an appointment and went in there to see the owner. Here is how it went.<br />
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"Who gave this to you?"Asked the owner, looking at it with her magnifying glass.<br />
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" So and so... gave it to me. She said it is very old and very very valuable. I have been carrying it around in the airplane. I also held it in my arms every time we moved. But i am so scared to break it and not be able to take care of it too good" I said feeling ashamed of myself for trying to sell it..<br />
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She lifted her eyes and looked at me kindly and smiled. Then she said. "Do you see it says Oven Safe? Do you see these corners? Do you see the bottom of it?"<br />
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I nodded my head each time looking carefully at the vase trying to see what she sees. <br />
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"Well. This piece is NOT old nor valuable. It is a very inexpensive and cheaply made piece. It has been bought within last several years. My advise to you would be, either gift it, or there is a goodwill close by if you want to donate it." She said.<br />
<br />
First thing i felt was relief. Relief from this guilt i carried with me along with this vase all this time. I was happy. I could finally get rid of that ugly vase not feeling guilty that it was something super special to the giver. The burden of the responsibility i felt all this time was lifted. But then remembering how hard it was to carry it in my arms all this time worrying about the special value and meaning it had to that person made me upset. Now it does not matter if it was valuable or not. But the bottom line is, it has become a pain to me and it didn't add to the value of my life emotionally. It made me so upset that first thing i did was placing it in the goodwill bag to go out and then turning on my computer to write this post. <br />
<br />
Now you know how some heirlooms are meaningless and just are a pain? I am not going to do that to my kids. I am not going to give them stuff and make them feel guilty for not loving it. I am going to set them free. I am going to set myself free as well and am going to keep only the heirlooms that feel very special to me. Not the ones that are given to me just because. I am going to let myself free and let everything go. I am going to live for myself and not for others. <br />
<br />
Do you have a heirloom or pain gift that you are keeping it only due to guilt? <br />
<br />
Paris<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-82394486884458034862013-09-08T15:39:00.000-07:002016-12-20T12:43:01.306-08:00The secret of Minimalist traveling.Today i want to share with you how we travel simply and minimalistic. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nN88jjn9eGY/Uizd6zmN1BI/AAAAAAAAAms/7gstXkRAiUQ/s1600/b+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nN88jjn9eGY/Uizd6zmN1BI/AAAAAAAAAms/7gstXkRAiUQ/s320/b+011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the suitcases we need!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We used to have at least 8 suitcases with various sizes and colors. We had a nice set we bought from Costco. It had four different pieces and we used it quite a lot. We also had many other pieces that we bought due to the immediate need at different places. My husband had some he liked and bought and our kids had Hello Kitty ones and other characters and styles. Our garage was packed with all kinds of suitcases and we also had lots and lots of toiletries bags. some came with the suitcases, some were free gifts with purchases and some were purchased because they were good deals or nice or cute or bigger or smaller...<br />
<br />
I found out that this was not the case only in our home. I met many people that had that many suitcases. (if not more ) Garages and closets and storages filled with them in every house. I also remember seeing people buying extra suitcases when they are ready to come back home from a trip. This last one is due to excessive shopping while on a trip or a vacation.That is a HUGE source of frustration when the travelers are getting ready to pack and come back home.<br />
<br />
My big wake up call about my luggage happened when we were spending three weeks in Spain last year. I was a Minimalist and tried hard to bring the least amount of stuff with us. I thought i was doing good till it was time to return. My husband returned earlier due to his work schedule and took one of our suitcases with him. But when i was getting ready to come back, packing became a nightmare. I still don't know how we ended up with so much stuff on our way back. We bought some stuff. But for some reason, it was extremely hard to fit everything. I had the option to buy another inexpensive bag. But i refused to do it and insisted that i am not going to be defeated by stuff. <br />
<br />
After a trip with heavy suitcases coming with all sizes and shapes, changing plains over and over again, i promised myself that i am going to do a big overhaul. Our traveling style was in the need of a desperate make over and it wasn't working for us.<br />
<br />
So,<br />
<br />
After many research and considerations, for Christmas, we bought four small, light, simple, matched Cary-on suitcases. One per person and no more than that. It took a little bit of work to bring my husband and kids on the same page with me. But the result was wonderful.<br />
<br />
We tested our new style on our trip to Iran this summer. We each got one suitcase and the gifts we took to Iran were evenly distributed between the suitcases. I packed the gifts first. This would let my kids and I know how much room we had left to pack our own stuff. We packed for less than one week and just simply did laundry there. On our way back, our luggage were lighter due to the gifts being gone. We easily had room for the souvenirs and yummy local delicatessens we were given and bought to bring for our friends and family here in US with some more room to spare. <br />
<br />
While traveling, we ran in to some complications and problems due to delays of the airplane and very frustrating un-cooperativeness of Turkish Airlines staff. We ended up having to get our luggage, carry them around the airport during our transition in Turkey and check them back in again. Then due to all the changes and not having an active cell phone that worked in Turkey, once arrived in Iran, we had to take the Taxi to my dad's house since he didn't know what time we would arrive. All these, with only three carry-ons were a piece of cake. My kids each carried their own luggage and moving around was not a problem at all. This trip, going around the world, even though long ( 35 hours door to door) was a lot easier than our vacation to Spain. We also traveled to two different cities in Iran by Bus and Airplane. Those were also very easy to manage and the low number of our luggage surprised everybody. The allowed weight for the airplane trips are 50 pounds per person. We had 48 ponds for all three of us. ( My husband didn't come with us due to his yearly humanitarian trip to Equators. He also took his new suitcase and loved it)<br />
<br />
Now that our new system passed it's test, we will NEVER ever go back to the old system of multiple bags and styles and colors. This simple solution also helped us to locate our suitcases very easily on the carousels in the airports since they all look the same. <br />
<br />
Another problem it solved was, the small disagreements we sometimes had over who gets the bigger suitcase and who gets the smaller one. We also sometimes didn't have room in the smaller suitcases and had to share the big one. This would cause a big mess in our destination and our clothes got mixed up. Now, each person is responsible for their own clothes and luggage and nothing gets mixed up. <br />
<br />
As far as storage goes, each person is storing one in their room. The empty suitcase could be either placed under the bed, or in the closet. They are very easy to store.<br />
<br />
How many suitcases do you have?<br />
<br />
Paris<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-29702815163049095922013-08-26T13:05:00.000-07:002013-08-26T13:05:00.752-07:00Home made Tomato paste<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cq0T7xNNDSc/URQIPheNPvI/AAAAAAAAAe0/ZdqumUwv6qo/s1600/blog+047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cq0T7xNNDSc/URQIPheNPvI/AAAAAAAAAe0/ZdqumUwv6qo/s320/blog+047.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Different colors are due to them being done in different times.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
During the past two years, one thing i never needed to buy again was tomato paste.<br />
<br />
Being Persian by origin and a lover of Italian food, tomato paste has been a vital part of daily recipes in our home. I used to stock my pantry up with the small cans of paste. But no more.<br />
<br />
I do our own tomato paste at home now.<br />
<br />
I do it at the end of summer when the tomatoes are ripe and sweet. They are also very inexpensive during that time of the year.<br />
<br />
I usually buy them for 50 cents per pound from our local farmers market. I choose the so called "Seconds" that are uglier ones and less expensive. Nobody else would buy them, because well, they are "Seconds". I get as much organic tomatoes as i can get my hands on. But they are sometimes harder to come by in our market.<br />
<br />
Here is a very simple and fast way of doing it.<br />
<br />
1.Wash and clean the tomatoes.<br />
<br />
2. Cut and discard the damaged parts.<br />
<br />
3. Cut or chop them in pieces.<br />
<br />
4. Place them in a large pot and cover.<br />
<br />
5. Bring to boil for ten minutes.<br />
<br />
6. Once cold, pass the content through a big sieve removing the seeds, skins and the tough parts.( I just dig in with my washed hands and squeeze the tomatoes)<br />
<br />
7. Add some or no salt.<br />
<br />
8. Blend the Tomatoes.<br />
<br />
9. Pour the paste in the large pot and bring it to boil.<br />
<br />
10. Boil and stir often till you get the desired consistency. To get a thicker paste and less elbow grease, you could pour it in a flat tray and place it in the oven for 1-2 hours on 250 degrees.<br />
<br />
11. Pour in your sterilized jars and place the lids.<br />
<br />
12. Wait to enjoy the pop sounds.<br />
<br />
<br />
You could add olive oil, basil, more salt, peppers, lemon juice...<br />
<br />
This paste has no preservative, is natural, inexpensive and fresh. Another benefit is that it does not create waste. It has become a fun project in our home. We do it once a year and it easily lasts us a year.<br />
<br />
You could try it and start small. Chances are you would love it.<br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-72454112901981422732013-08-09T18:46:00.000-07:002013-08-15T21:49:07.796-07:00Unhappy? Life is like eating sun flower seeds.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tgk46oRrhFU/UgMF2qIlGvI/AAAAAAAAAmc/3NxKQd9H3BE/s1600/b+035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tgk46oRrhFU/UgMF2qIlGvI/AAAAAAAAAmc/3NxKQd9H3BE/s320/b+035.JPG" width="240" /></a>Here in US, we have electricity, we have clean drinking water, we have cars that drive us around, we <br />
can travel around the globe, I mean a whole planet, while seating and watching movies in only few hours. We have coconut in the middle of winter. We have TVs and phones, wireless ones. We have whatever you can imagine.<br />
<br />
So,<br />
<br />
Why are we so unhappy? What makes us feel so dissatisfied? I can't stop thinking about it, and not understanding. All these unhappy people I meet, make me even more confused. What is wrong with us? What else we want? <br />
<br />
Now, i am not talking about unhappiness due to a disease or a family problem. I am talking about being unsatisfied and ungrateful while living in the suburb.We get in to our nice big air conditioned cars, drive to the store and buy eggs and bread and milk and meat and junk food. We then come back home in the gas filled big air conditioned car and unload everything filling up our two refrigerators. ( Half of this food will end up spoiled and in the garbage can) Then we seat in front of TV and browse on hundreds and hundreds channels. Then we start feeling down about other people's happy and perfect lives full of perfect looking materials and a whole series of self pity start forming in our heads.<br />
<br />
" Why can't I have that car? I wish I lived like those lucky people that can drive those cars. Poor me. I just have too many bills. I can never be happy the way Joneses are. Happiness is not for me"<br />
<br />
" Oh, my life sucks. I barley can keep up with my nasty bills. My life is miserable, because i can't afford a bigger house like others do. Why can't I be happy like others. If i only had a bigger house to put all my stuff in it, I would be all the way happy"<br />
<br />
"Wow. Look at all the vacations other people take. I am stuck here working and paying bills. I have to do laundry and the dishes. But look how happy people, have no problem in the world."<br />
<br />
<br />
Do I need to say more? I think you know what I am talking about. We have every thing you can imagine that only 100 years ago could be the ultimate sources of happiness and reserved for royalties and are still as unhappy as one can get.<br />
<br />
I thought deep and hard. I don't blame the unhappy people. I just feel bad for them. Because due to circumstances, first, they started becoming unhappy and loosing the sight of what they HAVE. Then they started feeling miserable and focus of what they DON'T HAVE.<br />
<br />
So what can cause this shift? Why we loose the happiness and pleasure we experienced at first when we acquired our stuff and conveniences.<br />
<br />
I thought deep about that too and I notice this shift happens, BECAUSE we acquired all the stuff and conveniences.<br />
<br />
You see, it is not easy to explain. I had a hard time explaining what I thought to my husband. So I came up with the sunflower seeds theory.<br />
<br />
I love sunflower seeds. i love to crack them open and chew the small sweet yummy seed. Once, i bought a bag of unshelled sunflower seeds. They are wonderful for salads. I remember, one time I grabbed a handful and put them in my mouth. It was NOT what I expected. I had to drink lots of water to be able to swallow them. They were just simply not fun to eat. There was no pleasure in eating them. I prefer to work for them and crack each one of them individually and then eat them. For some reason, the same seed, tastes so much better when it took hard work to get to.<br />
<br />
Do you know what i am saying?<br />
<br />
To me, life is like eating Sunflower seeds. When we have to be patient and work for something, we enjoy it more. When we have to work hard towards a goal and the result is a little bit of yummy ness, we value it more. It makes us happier and we try to get and enjoy every little piece of it. Experience have shown us that the rarer something is, the more valuable it is. If we had mountains and mountains of Diamonds, it had no value. Nobody would enjoy it.<br />
<br />
Imagine years ago, if you would tell someone that there in no need for them to walk a mile in storming blizzard to fill up their bucket with the clean drinking water and all they need to do is twist or lift a handle and here it comes, the clean drinking water, how happy they would be. Now imagine how shocked and happy they would be if you tell them not only you can get clean water, but also you can get HOT clean water with the other handle. They would think it is magic. No more gathering wood for the heat to warm the water? They would be in heaven.<br />
<br />
We devalue everything we don't work hard for. I know now you would say, I work hard to pay my bills. But what I meant was, if you would have your own chickens and raise them, would you let any of their eggs get spoiled or end up in the garbage bin? If you grow your own vegetables, would you forget the precious tomatoes and vegetable in you fridge in the garage after you worked so hard to help them grow?<br />
<br />
You see, the more connected to our lives we are, the more we appreciate every thing we have. If we had to wash our clothes by hands, a washer would be the best thing ever and we would never, ever nag about doing the laundry. In reality, we are not doing the laundry, we just put the clothes in a machine, add detergent and turn it on. We don't even have to make our hands wet!!! How can we complain about doing the laundry??!! We are truly spoiled. Don't even get me started on dryers and the luxury of having and using one.<br />
<br />
The unhappy people's lives are like the handful of unshelled sunflower seeds. You get a lot of the prepared products and that, makes you unhappy. Paying bills does not make us work hard for things, it just feels like another scary task. It is a chore. It does not bring us pride and joy. It does not make us value and enjoy everything more. We don't connect the bill of electricity with the luxury of having a washing machine. We just pay and nag about how expensive our lives are. But we never really stop and thing that the money we are paying, is bringing us an enormous amount of luxury that we need to cherish and enjoy. We all feel that we are ENTITLED to all the luxury we have in our lives and the bill part in just a very bad inconvenience.<br />
<br />
THAT, makes us unhappy. So, how can we become happier? To me, it is quite simple.<br />
<br />
<strong>Reduce your luxury.</strong> <br />
<br />
Even if it is done temporarily. Consider it a happiness training. For example, wash the dishes by hand for a week. Wash your clothes by hand for a week. Have a no electricity night once a while.( This one is fun. My kids love it) cook food from scratch. stop buying stuff. sweat in the heat and don't turn the AC on. Put on a heavier Jacket in the cold and leave the heater off. I know theses ideas look dumb. But trust me. After a hot day, you will truly enjoy the nice cool breeze coming from your AC.You will start noticing things that you have not been noticing before and you will start appreciating everything.<br />
<br />
If you just train yourself to accept and get used to some inconveniences, life will be so much happier and you will learn to love your washer. You will be happy and feel blessed to be able to do laundry without even getting your hands wet. You would fall in love with all the conveniences that surround you.<br />
<br />
All you need is the Sunflower seeds with the shell, your life, with some hard work and inconveniences. The hard work will teach you to truly enjoy every little piece of your life today. In a culture, where we all have more and more conveniences and are becoming chronically dissatisfied despite of all the luxuries, a little bit of hard work is a small price to pay in exchange for happiness.<br />
<br />
Think about it !!!.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-71358002834742889122013-07-20T14:26:00.000-07:002013-07-20T14:26:10.857-07:00My moving nightmare. So thankful to be a minimalist. Last night, I had a horrible nightmare. It was so stressful that when I woke up, I was clinching my <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5PWalPq5x6Q/UFt4VUyoTwI/AAAAAAAAACA/uAnKtEHFsss/s1600/Closet+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5PWalPq5x6Q/UFt4VUyoTwI/AAAAAAAAACA/uAnKtEHFsss/s320/Closet+001.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My winter bottom wardrobe. 8 pants. 3skirts. Too many pants. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
teeth and already had a headache. It was the second time I had this terrible dream.<br />
<br />
In my nightmare, my husband and I were moving from a small place in the other country and had to catch A plane. In the mean time, the landlord sent someone to inspect the place before we were gone.<br />
<br />
The apartment had two rooms and looked very nice and clean. We started packing. Our suitcases got full right away. Just when we thought we were done, we opened another closet's door and we found bunch of stuff we have forgotten about. We started going through those and the more we digged , the more stuff came out. The stress was building up. We finally emptied the closet and separatied every thing we really needed and wanted to keep and not knowing what to do with the rest, just made two piles of donate and trash.<br />
<br />
Then we opened another door. The same thing happened. Another one, the same thing. We felt like we were drowning in stuff. Most things were new in the piles. Lots of clothes and sweaters. Tons of dresses. Piles and piles of kids toys. There was no way the stuff we wanted to keep would fit in our suitcase.<br />
<br />
I felt the stress of missing our plane and the thought of all the money we spend for all these stuff that we coudn't take with us was very overwhelming. In my dream, I felt very poor. I felt that if we miss this plain, we can not afford to take another one. Also there were tons of good stuff in front of our eyes that we couldn't take with us.<br />
<br />
The pressure was building. We finally realized that we had to miss our plane if we wanted to clean this place. The person the landlords sent was a nice lady that told us, the land lord wants to rent this place tomorrow and it has to be clean and empty. Otherwise, you will need to pay for another month.<br />
<br />
We just kept going. Stuff started to change. They became more and older. Old books, old DVDs , classic valuable old dishes and decorations. Everything looked so expensive. We were not sure what to do and the time was going by fast. We gave tons of stuff to that lady and couldn't find a trash bag to place things in.<br />
<br />
We looked at the time knowing that we missed our plane, our kids were waiting for us and in my dream, I wasn't sure what will happen to them if we didn't make it on time to pick them up. The apartment looked full and everywhere were stuff. We didn't have any money and the stuff were our responsibilities. We were going crazy.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, that is the time I woke up. Ahhhhhhh. What a nasty nasty dream. My heart was beating fast and my hands were shaking. I looked around and seeing my simple and minimalistic bedroom has never made me happier.<br />
<br />
During the day, every drawer I opened, I started to get stressed worring about all the stuff in it. I kept thinking about my nightmare and looking at all the stuff in my drawers that I could get rid of made me happy. I was happy to be able to reduce even more.<br />
<br />
Today will be the day I am going to reduce a lot more and look for things that my family and I can live without.<br />
<br />
The stress in my nightmare was a perfect reminder of how much stuff we do not need and how their only real effect in our life is the pressure they put on us to take responsibility for them and take care of them. Every little thing in my dream was a huge responsibility for us and the decision of what to be done with them was overwhelming.<br />
<br />
Have you decluttered lately?<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-62402594307657993012013-07-16T16:39:00.000-07:002013-07-29T15:52:55.588-07:00Kindness Vs. fear.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vGxQxt1pdBc/UdYHGpdDbYI/AAAAAAAAAmI/lYFELvpG3Ao/s1600/May+2013+047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vGxQxt1pdBc/UdYHGpdDbYI/AAAAAAAAAmI/lYFELvpG3Ao/s320/May+2013+047.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta love this love.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Few month ago, we were driving back from a football party in our minivan. It was around 1:00 AM and it was one of the coldest nights our area have experienced. I remember i had to run the heater in my car for few minutes to warm the car before i can bring my kids to the car. We all had warm jackets too and still it felt like an extremely cold night.<br />
<br />
My lovely husband had a few drinks, so i was driving the car. On our way, we passed an area that is next to a big lake and a long Dam. This area is empty of any buildings or civilization of any kind and is just a construction site.<br />
<br />
My kids and husband were very sleepy and everything was calm till suddenly i noticed something unusual. I wasn't sure if i saw correctly. But i thought i saw a woman crying and walking in the dark next to the road with her arms tucked under her arm pits hugging herself. With the darkness all around us and the freezing temperatures outside, at first i thought i was wrong and i just imagined it. But then this nagging thought came to my mind. What if i didn't imagined it.<br />
<br />
"I think i just saw a woman walking next to the road alone" I said to my family. " Should i go back and check on her?"<br />
<br />
The first instinct that came to my family's mind was " NO. What if she is a bad person and has a gun?" My daughter said. <br />
"Don't worry, i am sure someone will stop to help her if she needs help. Who knows who she is. Don't risk it" Said my husband. <br />
" I am scared" Said my little boy.<br />
I suddenly decided to just turn back and check to see if i saw correctly or not. My daughter started panicking." What if she is a bad guy. Don't do it mom. I am scared. She is going to kills us all" She said.<br />
I just made a U turn" I will just check to see. Don't worry. What if she needs help? It is too cold for the bad guys to be out and about." I said.<br />
<br />
We turned back and after couple of minutes there she was. A woman in her forties walking in nothing but some pyjamas, shaking. I stopped the car in the opposite side of the road and asked if everything is OK and if she needs any help. She was shaking and crying. She couldn't even answer. I tried again and asked if she needed a ride. She started weeping and walked towards our car. My daughter went to the back seat to make room as we opened the door for her. She sat in the car and kept weeping. She was shaking so bad that she couldn't even talk. I gave her my jacket and we warmed the car up for her.<br />
<br />
She kept saying" Oh I am so cold. I thought i am going to die tonight. I am just so cold. So cold"<br />
<br />
I turned around in my seat and held her hands trying to comfort and calm her. She cried and cried for a long time while we were just waiting for her to calm down. Holding her hands, I noticed she had a nice wedding ring and some other jewellery on. She did not give the impression of being a homeless person at all. Not that it would make a difference to me. But made me thing something unusual has to happen to her.<br />
<br />
Finally after a long cry she started to calm down. I asked her where she wants us to take her. <br />
"I want to come with you. Every where you are going, i come." She said and started crying again.<br />
"So sorry, we can't do that. But I can give you a ride to anywhere you want to go." I said.<br />
" I am so sorry. You are right. I am so ashamed. I am just so ashamed" She said.<br />
" Is OK. How long have you been walking? This place is far from everywhere." My husband asked.<br />
" My husband threw me out of the car. We had a fight. I thought he would come back for me. I started walking towards our home. But it is so cold. I felt i can't walk any more. I thought i was going to faint. I was sure i am going to die tonight. God bless you" She said.<br />
<br />
" Did any body stopped to help?" I asked thinking some people might have stopped and she didn't feel comfortable getting in to their car.<br />
"No. Nobody stopped to help. You were the only person" She said.<br />
<br />
I was speechless. Didn't know what to say. Lets say her husband is crazy. But nobody stopping to help her was what stunned me. So we drove her home in silence and she finally stopped shaking. She gave me directions and her home was almost 20 minutes driving. She would have never survived the night and would have dies from Hypothermia if she had to walk that distance. She was also pretty far a way from all the homes and stores. If she couldn't go any farther and sat somewhere or passed out , It would have been impossible for anybody to see her next to that dark and quiet road.<br />
<br />
Once we got to her home, we waited for her in the car to make sure she can enter her home. She said she didn't have a key. She came back with a smile and handed me my jacket back. She said she did get in through the doggy door and her husband was not home. In my heart, for humanity's sake, i hoped he was out looking for her.<br />
<br />
She smiled and said Thank you and god bless you and your family and went inside. We all took a deep breath and my kids that kept quiet up till then, started attacking us with questions. We all slept deeply in thought that night.<br />
<br />
This incident made me think hard and long. What make me wonder, was that i remember, when i was a kid, back in Iran, stopping and helping and giving ride to people was the most normal thing. We did it all the time. Stopping and helping was just a natural part of life. Based on what i hear, this used to be natural and normal here too. But what happened? What caused us to forget our small kindnesses. What i did that night, did not appeared to me as an extraordinary act. It felt like every body would have done the same and yet there we were, the only people that stopped.<br />
<br />
When I look around, i see love and kindnesses every where. It is there in people's heart. But what causes it to be faded away and lost in some cases? What is the reason for all these wonderful people to ignore their inner kindness? <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hFdSliijmk8/UafP-riKl4I/AAAAAAAAAk4/-_ZAyaq3zNk/s1600/May+2013+044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hFdSliijmk8/UafP-riKl4I/AAAAAAAAAk4/-_ZAyaq3zNk/s320/May+2013+044.JPG" width="320" /></a>One example of pure kindness without any expectation is my wonderful neighbour. She is one of the sweetest people and has a very beautiful heart. Every time, she returns back our garbage or recycling bins to our curb side( The weeks that we have the need for. We are almost waste and garbage free). I never asked her to do that. She just does it out of kindness. I found out that she does that for other neighbours too.<br />
<br />
Here is a Photo of my wonderful and sweet neighbour. Here is a face of kindness.<br />
<br />
The same neighbour helped our other neighbours a lot when they had a problem with mold, with opening the doors to her house to help that neighbour. She also organized a nice birthday party for one neighbour's son that turned 16. Seeing these apparently small but enormously beautiful kindnesses coming from her, makes me believe in humanity.<br />
<br />
Another deep memory i have about the kindness goes way back to my student days. I studied dentistry in Romania. Back then, it was a deeply troubled country that just came out of communism and people were trying to adjust to the new lifestyle. <br />
<br />
Everything was sacred. The winters were so cold and i never forget how everything would freeze inside my small room i rented, not to mention the outside. <br />
It was during my exam periods and i hadn't slept all night studying with some low music on. I didn't have time to go shopping and had nothing to eat. My exam started at 7:30 in the morning and it would take many hours. The elevator was also broken in our ten story building. I lived at the seventh floor. One day, when my exam was finished in the afternoon, i finally arrived at the seventh flood by stairs after 40 minutes walk to my home from school in freezing cold temperatures and snow. I was tired, hungry, cold and exhausted. Happy though to finally be able to collapse on my bed in my cold and lonely apartment. Once on the seventh floor, i saw my grumpy old Romanian neighbor standing at her door staring at me. I always tried to avoid her. She scared me and never really responded when i said hello to her. <br />
<br />
But that day was when she finally started talking to me. Here is how our conversation went:<br />
<br />
"HEY, YOU, GIRL. COME HERE"She said with a loud voice. <br />
I thought to myself" Oh, NO. My music must have been too loud last night and now she is angry" So i went towards her ready to apologise.<br />
" I saw your light was on all night and i didn't smell any cooking." She said.<br />
"I am so sorry for being disturbing you" I said thinking to myself "What a nosy person! So what if i didn't cook anything.<br />
"Come here girl" she said grabbing my hand and took me inside her apartment. The first thing i felt was the heavenly smell of food. She had a whole table set up for me along with fancy napkins and warm soup. <br />
"Sit down girl. Eat. You must be hungry" She said.<br />
I was speechless. I started eating with teary eyes while being served warm delicious soup and then a big piece of pork steak along with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetable. A glass of mineral water and i finished one of the best meals i ever had in my life. Later on came some home made cookies and coffee. I ate with teary eyes and that was the beginning of one of my most beautiful friendships. <br />
<br />
Four years later, she still called me girl and had a hard time memorizing my name. She still raised her voice when talking due to hearing problem. She still looked grumpy when not laughing. But she was one of the most beautiful people i had the pleasure of knowing. <br />
<br />
She took care of me when i was burning with extremely high fever. She was the one person that i knocked at her door when having any problems. She let me sleep over in her apartment all night while she placed cold compresses on my forehead to reduce my fever. I used to get sick a lot back then. <br />
<br />
So that is how this angry grumpy old Romanian woman became my friend, my family and my mom during some of the toughest years of my life. I fixed hers, her son's and her grand kids teeth in our school. I tried to help her as much as i could to repay at least a small part of her kindnesses. Years later, i cried hard when the Christmas card i sent her came back with an ugly insensitive stamp" Deceased" it said . I cried and missed her. I missed her forever grumpy face that i came to love dearly. I missed her warm cluttered home which was nothing but a small room and a very tiny kitchen smelling like cooked cabbages.Almost twenty years later, I still miss her.<br />
<br />
Now years later, when i look back, thinking about people i have met, living in Three different continents and four different countries, all i see is lots and lots of love and kindness. Regardless of the religion, the language and the culture, kindness is everywhere and in every body's heart. I had many many bad memories of course. But the kindnesses i saw were a lot more and a lot greater than the negative.<br />
<br />
I miss those days when we walked to school without being scared of kidnappers. I miss those days when robbers where robbers, not killers. They never had guns and they were not scary. I miss those days when kids played outside. <br />
<br />
I am so tired of the media telling us about all the bad in the world. I am so tired of being scared of guns in the wrong hands. I miss those days when only police and army had guns and the rest of us, were just normal people. <br />
<br />
I am tired of the media planting seeds of fear in our hearts and not acknowledging all the good that is around us. I miss the weaponless, fearless life we used to live as a kid. I regret to say that one of the first words my little kids learnt was "Bad guys". I have seen amazing kindnesses in places less expected. I deeply value the human nature. <br />
<br />
What you think of all these? I would love to hear your opinion and hear what are your experiences with kindness and care from people least expected. I would love to read your comments. Please write for me. What have you done lately to help the kindness win and conquer the fear?<br />
<br />
Paris<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-85892079729712649142013-07-04T06:31:00.002-07:002013-07-09T18:25:46.647-07:00My plastic filled vacation :(Where were we for the past month? We were gone to Iran for three weeks to visit our families.<br />
<br />
It has been eight years since I have last visited. Not being sure what to expect, i was kind of apprehensive at first. the thought of changing three planes with two kids without my husband was making me very anxious. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TozBDzBzXMw/UdV0BoGUOEI/AAAAAAAAAlo/bX224-YC8t0/s1600/Tehran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TozBDzBzXMw/UdV0BoGUOEI/AAAAAAAAAlo/bX224-YC8t0/s320/Tehran.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image of Tehran from yahoo images.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Being American/ Iranian, traveling light is almost impossible. Bringing gifts for the beloved friends and family is a must. I truly enjoyed seeing their sweet and thankful faces when i handed them the small things i brought. But the challenge of making sure you don't forget someone and you bring small and light gifts, so they fit in your suitcase is a different story. The good news is that i managed to travel relatively light after all . More on my packing style coming later in my future posts.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Now lets get to the plastic filled part. We stayed with our families the whole time. The amount of plastic in every one's life was really hard for me to watch and try to stay quiet about, so i don't criticize and insult the kind and loving hosts and hostesses. They were working so hard and going out of their way to make us feel comfortable. It would have been very rude to start lecturing them about the plastics in their life. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4IMlgh20vvw/UdHpfp0S5AI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/pAtUPiTHKC4/s1600/2013+071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4IMlgh20vvw/UdHpfp0S5AI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/pAtUPiTHKC4/s320/2013+071.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plastic Pollution on the Caspian sea shore.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Every single small thing they bought was placed in a small plastic bag. The bags were too small to be reused for anything else. Bottled water were used everywhere and tons of them were found in the garbage cans around Tehran<em>( The huge capital with population of 14 million).</em> When we ordered some Kebab ( The most beloved Persian food) they were delivered in individual Un-recyclable packages along with every thing else, all individually packed in plastic. Even the Lavash bread ( a flat and thin bread) for each meal was packed individually in plastic. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hrWNrxPfVwM/UdHp4HL2jqI/AAAAAAAAAlY/DCI7_ChJodc/s1600/2013+076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hrWNrxPfVwM/UdHp4HL2jqI/AAAAAAAAAlY/DCI7_ChJodc/s320/2013+076.JPG" width="320" /></a>Later on, when we took a trip to the north of Iran next to the Caspian see, i was very sad to see that there were barely any sea shells left and the beautiful beach was filled with plastic trash. I remember as a kid that this shore was packed with beautiful shells and we collected just a few very unique ones to bring home with us. In this trip, we had to look hard and long to find only a few lone shells trying to compete with trash.<br />
<br />
All i could do was, under curious eyes of the locals, start gathering the big plastic water bottles and bring them in one place away from the water. I couldn't find any recycling bin anywhere. But in town, there were lots of trash cans to prevent littering. I was told that the trash gets separated by the waste district and is being recycled. I am not sure how much of it i believe. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3LfrE5SANIE/UdV2b4wxe3I/AAAAAAAAAl4/nEL6POJvF2I/s950/Tehran+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3LfrE5SANIE/UdV2b4wxe3I/AAAAAAAAAl4/nEL6POJvF2I/s320/Tehran+2.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong>On a positive note, here is what i accomplished while there.</strong><br />
<br />
. I informed my family about the great pacific and other ocean's garbage patches.<br />
<br />
. I showed the pictures of animals dying wrapped in plastic and educated my family.<br />
<br />
. My father requested no disposable plastic forks and spoons upon ordering some food for one of our gatherings. We just used the ones he had at home. He smiled and said he did it to make me happy :) ( Boy, I love this man).<br />
<br />
. My wonderful brother In-law and his sweet and lovely wife started composting in their back yard. That reduces their need to use trash bags to discard the Biodegradable waste. It also will help their garden to grow better and hopefully will reduce the need for them to buy some vegetables wrapped in plastic.<br />
<br />
. Did make some home made tooth paste with my lovely sister In-Law and showed her how Baking soda and vinegar cleans almost everything.<br />
<br />
. Did talked to the shop owners that gave me shocked looks when i asked them for NO plastic bags. They all looked very interested in the idea and were unhappy about all the waste that has been created. They said that it is a first that a customer is asking for No plastic.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now there were tons of good memories and small acts of kindnesses that impressed me enormously. With all the big hearts and caring personalities i saw there, I have very high hopes that some day people will realize the damage the new so called progress is causing to the nature and will act upon it.<br />
<br />
What have you done for our nature so far this summer?<br />
<br />
Paris<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-66043772311057355952013-05-25T01:02:00.000-07:002013-05-25T01:02:21.649-07:008 reasons why we never use coupons.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PgGaK2SmuP0/UaBux5BeTfI/AAAAAAAAAko/KxyrSeCYVE4/s1600/blogging+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PgGaK2SmuP0/UaBux5BeTfI/AAAAAAAAAko/KxyrSeCYVE4/s320/blogging+012.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
I like to save money like every other person. But one thing I never really use or worry about, is <br />
coupons.<br />
<br />
I know people, that swear by the power of coupons and I also have seen one single episode of Extreme Couponing. It saved people tons of money. But in our household, we almost never use them.<br />
<br />
Don't take me wrong. We are not extremely rich people that don't care about money nor we are big spenders. On the contrary, I am very interested in our household's financials and am not scared of talking about money. Saving money makes me happy. What I have been noticing is that the coupons simply don't serve us with our lifestyle.<br />
<br />
Here is why.<br />
<br />
1. <b>We eat fresh</b>. It is almost impossible to find coupons for fresh produce. They are usually just on sale and don't need coupons. We mostly buy our fresh produce at Farmers market and they don't need coupons. When we miss the market and have to go to stores, we just buy mostly organic fresh produce. They also almost never have coupons.<br />
<br />
2. <b>We eat local and seasonal</b>. We focus on eating local. I never understand why we have to buy food that have been traveling around the world. We are fortunate enough to have enough of everything produced here in our own country and state. I feel that my family will be just fine if they don't eat the Tilapia fish produced in, let's say Taiwan. We can just eat the fish that has been caught wild in Pacific Ocean. Nobody ever died or deeply suffered from the lack of Tilapia.<br />
<br />
3. <b>We don't eat processed food</b>. This one is a big one as far as coupons go. I would say possibly 99% of the coupons are from the big corporations and are almost always for processed, wrapped and boxed food. We make almost everything from scratch and don't need all those boxed, processed and old food.<br />
<br />
4. <b>We (almost) don't produce waste</b>. Everything with coupons is packed and wrapped. We buy in bulk and always bring our own produce bags. Again, there is no coupon for bulk and produce food.<br />
<br />
5. <b>We don't buy anything we don't need</b>. That means we don't buy bottled water, paper towels, juices, sodas, candies, snacks and junk food,.... these are usually the items which the coupons are used for. I make home made regular or sweet potato fries instead of packaged chips. We make strawberry and banana smoothies and i freeze them for home-made Popsicles. We make home made cookies with my kids instead of watching TV on weekends. It is a fun and healthy activity. We love the quality time and the cookies are delicious made with organic sugar.<br />
<br />
6.<b> We almost only eat organic meat</b>. They are from local farms and don't belong to the big meat factories with big names and brands. Again, no coupons. We eat tons of vegetable and eat meat maybe two to three times a week. We eat lots of organic eggs and fish during the week.<br />
<br />
7. <b>We don't buy frozen food</b>. Since we eat local and seasonal, we don't need to buy anything frozen. I do freeze our leftovers. But living in a country that stores are in every corner and even some are open 24/7, I don't feel the need to pack our refrigerator and freezer with tons of food. (We don't own a second "garage refrigerator" like most suburban families do).<br />
<br />
8. <b>We shop once a week and buy only for that week</b>. We don't buy something, unless it is finished. On the other words, we don't buy anything that we still have more of. We don't have forgotten food and expired goods. In fact, what we buy doesn't have expiration dates since they are not packaged. Since we buy only for one week or so, we never worry about expiration dates and freshness of our produces. It is always fresh.<br />
<br />
Looking at our grocery habits, you will know why we never really need coupons. Eating almost all organic meat and healthy food with lots of bulk nuts and fresh fruit and vegetable, you might think we must spend a fortune on food.<br />
<br />
I track our spending closely on Mint.com and our spending on grocery shopping is not out of ordinary. We like to eat out sometimes and do eat out around ten times a month.We also enjoy having friends over.<br />
<br />
How much in average are we spending on grocery shopping and food in a month? Around $600-$700 for a family of four. That includes our eating out and our coffee treats in coffee shop. This is our family's base grocery spending. It could vary depending on circumstances.<br />
<br />
This also does not include the extra spending on gatherings with friends which i consider it to be by far our best investment. The spending on inviting friends is a great investment in a better life enriched with wonderful friends and family. That is when we spend with pleasure.<br />
<br />
But still one thing I never have to worry and think about is clipping coupons.<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-30189442235215806552013-05-09T21:40:00.000-07:002013-11-04T19:17:38.447-08:006 Ideas on how to De-clutter your home.<strong>1. Don't overwhelm your self.</strong><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_QieBh5JRq8/UYx0nqbjFgI/AAAAAAAAAkM/5Ef6k3FoGDA/s1600/Blog+014+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_QieBh5JRq8/UYx0nqbjFgI/AAAAAAAAAkM/5Ef6k3FoGDA/s320/Blog+014+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Organized Kitchen drawer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Make sure you don't tackle everything in the same time. Clutter by itself is overwhelming and sometimes even thinking about it can be a massive energy draining task before we even start the actual <a href="http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2012/11/21-more-benefits-of-decluttering.html" target="_blank">de-cluttering</a>.<span id="goog_845412221"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_845412222"></span> Before you start, you need to calm down and take it easy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>2. Categorize.</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
Try not to focus on too many things at the same time. The best way is to categorize the clutter based on the item. For example gather all the books in one spot, all the toys in another , etc...<br />
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>3. Tackle one category at a time.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<br />
Focus only on the category you are working on and nothing else. Go through the items. Discard, donate, repair and organize before you move to the next category. For example go through all of the <a href="http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2012/11/decluttering-your-closet.html" target="_blank">clothing items</a>, belonging to one of your children. Then go to the second child, then go through the toys of each kid only one person and one category at a time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>4. Reduce and <a href="http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2012/09/minimalism-what-is-it.html" target="_blank">Minimize</a>.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<br />
One of the most important parts of de-cluttering is reducing. Before you go out and buy all kinds of containers and organization tools, reduce the amount of your stuff first. The chances are that you never even needed that extra storage to start with. All you needed to do was letting go of some stuff that you never use.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>5. Dedicate spaces.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<br />
Make sure you dedicate an area to each category. For example Instead of having a book case in each room, have one central location for all the <a href="http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2012/10/minimalize-and-declutter-your-books.html" target="_blank">books</a> in your home, regardless of whom they belong to. This will make the de-cluttering a lot easier.<br />
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<br />
<strong>6. Have fun and enjoy.</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<br />
The De-cluttering process has to be fun . Focus on the final result and try to enjoy it. don't let it overwhelm and stress you. If you do one category at a time, you can enjoy the fruit of your labor a lot faster. Every category you finish, the reward will be noticeable and enjoyed.<br />
<br />
<br />
Have you started de-cluttering yet?<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-19024365175828552502013-05-01T11:16:00.001-07:002013-05-07T23:14:46.904-07:00Don't give up on them.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oxlCvmF2SPI/UYFTrk2nBsI/AAAAAAAAAj4/f2shpfvOg64/s1600/Dec.+2012+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oxlCvmF2SPI/UYFTrk2nBsI/AAAAAAAAAj4/f2shpfvOg64/s200/Dec.+2012+003.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hotel soap.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A while ago, I saw a post on Pinterest about how to whiten <span style="background-color: white;">and</span> wash you pillows. On that person's blog post, i read the comments and was very surprised to find out that there are many people that don't wash their pillows. they just throw them away, because they are getting yellowed!!!<br />
<br />
Coincidentally around the same time, I saw someone throwing away six perfectly good, but lightly yellowed pillows. I was shocked!!! thinking about all the material and effort wasted.( I acted upon those pillows and saved them. More on that later)<br />
<br />
I started imagining and thinking about the oil that has been extracted from under the ground, Factories that has been built, paperwork that has been done, regulations that has been set up to process that oil, Cotton plants that have been planted and harvested, animals that have been killed for their down and feathers to be used...<br />
Just imagine all the work, time, money and effort going in to making those pillows! And then they have to be transported across the world by massive ships full of containers to finally get to our stores and bought by us. So we can throw them away, because we didn't want to wash them???!!!<br />
<br />
This makes my head spin.<br />
<br />
When we travel and stay in Hotel rooms, one small thing that has been bothering me was the soap that we use once or twice and would end up in the trash can. i always bring them back with me and keep using them till they are finished. Not because i am cheap. Because i value the effort and hard work that went in to making that soap and it shouldn't be only for one time use. I prefer to take our own soap, so we don't have to unwrap and discard the wraps ( Mostly plastic) the hotel soaps come in. But some times i forget and have to use their soap. That is when they always come back home with me and get used till gone.<br />
<br />
Another day, I was at a drugstore and noticed they have many dying live plants. I asked if i could water them, they said "no, they are dying and it is time for them to go either way". I offered to take them home and take care of them. Then bring them back, thinking about all the plastic containers that will end up in landfill if they are thrown away. It bothered me that just because a teenager in the store forgot to water those otherwise perfectly good plants, they will all end up dead and their containers in landfills. But they said it is against their policy. So I ended up buying as many as I could for a discount. They are now happily seating in my home, well fed, green and fresh.<br />
<br />
<br />
This made me think;<br />
Why we give up on something so easily?<br />
Why don't we work to improve things?<br />
Why are we so scared of hard work?<br />
What is up with this national laziness epidemic?<br />
Why are we so scared of inconvenience?<br />
Why are we taking things and our conveniences for granted?<br />
<br />
Our life has never been more convenient as humans and we are still unhappy and are looking for easier life and even more conveniences.<br />
<br />
Why nobody repairs things any more?<br />
Why we don't care any more?<br />
<br />
If your children get sick, would you treat them? If your home, your shelter needs repair, would you repair it? If your car needs repair, would you do it? Why not doing this for everything in our life?<br />
<br />
Lets seat back for a moment and look around us and think about our addiction to newness. We have been brainwashed by the marketing companies to think," Why bother with something old, if you can have a new one for dirt cheap." The problem is, none of us know, or are told the high price that is paid for our dirt cheap conveniences.<br />
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I don't know if you have seen the animation movie " Robots". The whole movie is based on the mind set of corporations telling people ( in this case robots) to buy new upgrades instead of repairing their old bodies. Even in this movie the scrap metals are getting recycled. In our real life, nothing that ends up in the landfills gets recycled. Have you ever recycled a pillow?<br />
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China, the main producer of our dirt cheap plastic goodies is in horrible shape. The pollution in their water and air is unbelievable. Despite their economic growth, people don't look happier. I read that even in one of their factories, <a href="http://www.dailytech.com/Foxconn+Installs+AntiSuicide+Nets+at+Its+Facilities/article18877.htm" target="_blank">they had to install a net to prevent their workers from suicide attempts</a>. This is the price that is paid for our disposable NEW plastic stuff we are addicted to buying.<br />
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Think twice before you throw something away and buy a new one. Can it be washed? can it be repaired? can it be used longer? can it be taken care of? loved? or upgraded or up cycled?<br />
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Stop and think and see if you can paint, reupholster, hem, repair, wash, glue, clean, sew, treat and even simply water something, before you throw it away and think about buying a new one. And guess what, the financial savings from the money you otherwise would throw away are a welcomed side effect too.<br />
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What have you cared for and revitalized lately?<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-33145500972614696162013-04-01T11:57:00.003-07:002013-04-01T12:03:33.366-07:00Minimalist Bank accounts.<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FkTpIjcj8f8/UVnYXO970XI/AAAAAAAAAjc/etOlH3O8myU/s1600/my+blog+065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FkTpIjcj8f8/UVnYXO970XI/AAAAAAAAAjc/etOlH3O8myU/s320/my+blog+065.JPG" width="320" /></a>Bank accounts are a must in our lives these days. We sometimes tend to open too many accounts and some of us even have some accounts left from the old days. The result could be too many papers, too many statements, too many bank fees and too much forgotten funds in different accounts.<br />
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Life is complicated enough by itself. There is not need to make it more complicated.<br />
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Here are some tips about how to minimize, simplify and organise Bank accounts.<br />
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1. Gather all the paperwork and all the bank accounts you have in different banks.<br />
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2. Gather all your statements. <br />
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3. If you are signed up with on line banking, create a folder in your computer with sub folders for each bank and download all your statements as far as you can go.<br />
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4. Scan and load all your paper statements in their appropriate folders based on the bank name and the year and then shred them all( Make sure you have a back up from those folders)<br />
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5. Decide which Bank you only want to work with and then close all the unused bank accounts in different banks. Sometimes we have accounts that we opened many years ago and they are just seating there unused with some money in them. Close all the extra ones and gather the balances in one bank.<br />
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6. Now that you have only one bank you use, close all the extra accounts in the same bank and stick with the minimum. In my case, One checking and one saving account is enough. If you feel you are not disciplined enough with your bills, you can create another checking account just for your bills.<br />
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7. Scan all the bank contracts and paperwork in your bank folder and shred the papers. You can easily set up a folder in your computer with two sub folders holding account numbers and information for each account. At this point you can discard all the contracts and papers from other accounts that you have closed.<br />
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8. Set up On-Line banking for your accounts, so you can access everything on line with one User ID and one Password. <br />
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9. Go Paperless. Set up for e-statements and e-alerts. Most bank have an alert system that if your balance goes under a certain number, you can get a text and/ or e-mail to inform you.<br />
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10. Back up all the information in your computer.( VERY IMPORTANT)<br />
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This simplifying should ease up a big load from your paperwork. In my own families case, we have one checking account that has a check book and two Debit cards. We also have a savings account. <br />
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I will write later about our system more in dept in my future posts and show you why one checking and one saving is enough for us.<br />
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How many bank account do you have?<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-35712825617995699902013-03-19T11:49:00.004-07:002016-12-25T14:52:27.388-08:00For here cup !!! Coffee.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OUJH2SFArQY/UUitAU2YFMI/AAAAAAAAAi8/pTPub2PTNv8/s1600/Dec.+2012+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OUJH2SFArQY/UUitAU2YFMI/AAAAAAAAAi8/pTPub2PTNv8/s1600/Dec.+2012+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OUJH2SFArQY/UUitAU2YFMI/AAAAAAAAAi8/pTPub2PTNv8/s320/Dec.+2012+022.JPG" width="320" /></a>In our house, we love coffee. Drinking coffee is not the greenest thing to do. But we still love our coffee. Imagine there are some people around the world that are cutting the Amazon trees and rain forests down just to plant coffee bushes for us. Then they are taking care of the bush and harvest them. Then we have the big corporations with all their paperwork and team of professionals roasting and preparing and transporting them here for us so we can drink our latte in the morning!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xjj5y_YNUng/UUiyw2x0m7I/AAAAAAAAAjM/QOrbzTD5eDk/s1600/Dec.+2012+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xjj5y_YNUng/UUiyw2x0m7I/AAAAAAAAAjM/QOrbzTD5eDk/s320/Dec.+2012+016.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xjj5y_YNUng/UUiyw2x0m7I/AAAAAAAAAjM/QOrbzTD5eDk/s1600/Dec.+2012+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xjj5y_YNUng/UUiyw2x0m7I/AAAAAAAAAjM/QOrbzTD5eDk/s1600/Dec.+2012+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>But what can i say. We just really love coffee. For our home, we buy Shade grown Organic bulk coffee to have a much better tasting drink with lower impact on our environment. See my post regarding that <a href="http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-best-coffee.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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To make it, we use French press. Simple. No filters needed. We ground our own coffee at home with a small electric coffee grinder. The smell and taste is unbelivably good. Zero waste created and the used coffee ground end up in either our garden, or compost. </div>
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But when we are going out for coffee, we usually bring our own cups. Our reusable cups have been our friends for a long time and we are used to them.</div>
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When we forget our cups, we try to just seat down and have our coffee there in the Cafe. Most of them have porcelain cups that you can request. In Starbucks, they call it "For here cups" They are beautiful and the coffee or tea or any other beverages tastes great in them. Once we are done, we just </div>
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bring them back to the counter and thank them. very easy.</div>
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It is very frustrating to see people order a drink and get a to go plastic cup and then seat there and drink it. At the end, that one drink produces waste. With the volume of beverages these coffee shops are serving and selling, the amount of waste is stunningly high numbers of cups, lids, straws,...</div>
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In the landfills.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aYE3-bfye6E/UUitNUJMarI/AAAAAAAAAjI/OGp3tu8ME4s/s1600/Dec.+2012+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aYE3-bfye6E/UUitNUJMarI/AAAAAAAAAjI/OGp3tu8ME4s/s320/Dec.+2012+023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So Please, when you go for that nice drink with a friend and you want to seat down to drink it, either bring your own coffee cup, or just ask for their "for here cups". Your coffee will taste better and you will drink it with a cleaner conscious.</div>
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What type of cup have you used to have your drink in it lately?</div>
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Paris</div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-72086482257602187812013-03-12T10:41:00.000-07:002013-03-12T10:41:57.765-07:00Simple 15 Min. Shoe repair.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xmNCPr8t6Vs/UTed1xUV8vI/AAAAAAAAAh4/iUFHT7J5k8M/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xmNCPr8t6Vs/UTed1xUV8vI/AAAAAAAAAh4/iUFHT7J5k8M/s320/012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ripped only after few months.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Simple 15 Min. Shoe repair.<br />
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Yesterday, i noticed my beloved husband's Gym shoes. The sponge on the back side was completely gone. I asked him about the shoes.<br />
"It is time for them to go. I need a new pair" Was the answer my husband gave.Of course, I couldn't agree more, at first.<br />
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In my mind:<br />
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My <strong>inner Economist Housewife</strong> said:" Oh boy. Didn't we just buy those few month ago? They suppose to be the best kind that is good for the back support. But he is right. The whole back is gone and they have no support. We will need to spend lots of money again to buy another decent pair. <br />
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My <strong>inner Green Diva</strong> said: "We will donate or recycle them. So someone else will use them."<br />
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My <strong>inner Economist Housewife</strong> said: "Or we can take them to the neighborhood Shoe repair store (Cobbler) and have them repaired. It hopefully will cost less.<br />
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My <strong>inner Green Diva</strong> agreed: " We could do that.What a waste if all these plastic pieces end up in landfills.<br />
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My <strong>inner Homestead</strong> said: "I might be able to repair them. All i need is some shoe glue and some foam. A quick trip to a craft store will solve that."<br />
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My <strong>inner Green Diva</strong> didn't like the idea of driving to store( Gas and pollution) for a small task. She also didn't like to buy packaged glue and foam. All plastics and all waste and clutter creators.<br />
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Well. I combined my inner Economist Housewife, my Green Diva and my inner Homestead and came up with a solution.<br />
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I said" I am going to try to repair it only with what i have in the house. So here i went.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VpBLubOWOnk/UTeeTxv9JsI/AAAAAAAAAiA/gyfBklTWgpg/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; height: 153px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 233px;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VpBLubOWOnk/UTeeTxv9JsI/AAAAAAAAAiA/gyfBklTWgpg/s200/014.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yvjOHy9wBOQ/UTeeVXOh0uI/AAAAAAAAAiI/pBrL4W2P9XA/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yvjOHy9wBOQ/UTeeVXOh0uI/AAAAAAAAAiI/pBrL4W2P9XA/s320/013.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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The foam was completely gone. But the fabric was still there rolled down.<br />
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I searched for something in our home to be used to replace the foam. Some soft and puffy yarn and a crochet stick were my solutions. You can also use your dryer lint to replace the foam. I also thought about using an old folded sock to replace the piece which could replace the fabric as well, if it was missing. But in this case, the fabric was there.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2deccg4JxeY/UTee31VnazI/AAAAAAAAAiU/inyYWWCumco/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2deccg4JxeY/UTee31VnazI/AAAAAAAAAiU/inyYWWCumco/s320/021.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pVj8-RqWxDE/UTee4B-dPFI/AAAAAAAAAiY/Xo151pey4ho/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pVj8-RqWxDE/UTee4B-dPFI/AAAAAAAAAiY/Xo151pey4ho/s320/018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It took less than 3 minutes to crochet the pieces. I measures the holes on both shoes and made two of these.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gx5cOvWrVZU/UTefINxEN0I/AAAAAAAAAig/i3TomsJGf7E/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gx5cOvWrVZU/UTefINxEN0I/AAAAAAAAAig/i3TomsJGf7E/s320/019.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Then just placed them in the shoe.Unrolled the fabric and cover the pieces. Sewing them was a little bit of a healthy and fun challenge considering the position of the piece.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FbvZmrFWt_g/UTeflFkgufI/AAAAAAAAAio/jwwcQL8Qvzs/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FbvZmrFWt_g/UTeflFkgufI/AAAAAAAAAio/jwwcQL8Qvzs/s320/026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is the final result. Like new. They also feel very comfortable and resilient.My husband loves it and he said they have never been so comfortable before.<br />
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What have you repaired lately? Please live a comment and let me know. I love reading your comments.<br />
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Paris<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5699040314448130509.post-70097493281443852762013-03-05T10:47:00.000-08:002013-03-05T11:19:15.485-08:00Quest to finding the perfect purse.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Quest to finding the perfect purse.<br />
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Purses are one of the most vital parts of a woman's life. They carry all our stuff, along with our children's stuff. Not to mention carrying our husband's keys and valet and sun glasses for them. <br />
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"Honey, can you please put my key in your purse? I don't know where to put them." Is a familiar phrase in our home.<br />
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Many years ago, i bought a red purse that i used once in a while. I just loved the color. Back when i started to reduce and minimise, this one was a purse that i just couldn't let go of. So i kept it.<br />
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Now i only have three purses. One is for summer, One is a gift from my lovely sister in-law that i Cherish and love and one is my red purse. Once the cold weather started, i started carrying the red one around and loved it. It was making me happy. My only problem was that since it was a big purse, i tend to over fill it. But i was OK with it. Unfortunately, being an inexpensive purse, the wear and tear started showing right away. Before i knew it, i started not enjoying it as much. The little threads started showing and only after couple of short months use, it already looked old.<br />
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The look started bothering me and it was time for another purse. Here is my quest for a perfect purse.<br />
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Since i am not buying anything any more unless i really need and love it, i took this quest very seriously. First i looked on line to see what i really wanted. <br />
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<strong>What was i looking for?</strong><br />
. Something versatile to be matched with any kind of clothing.<br />
. Made with natural material. No plastic please.<br />
. Minimalist look.<br />
. Classic and timeless look, <br />
. Not too expensive, but the price was something i was willing to pay for a purse that lasts few years.<br />
. Preferably red. I still loved the color of that red purse of mine.<br />
. Preferably a consignment piece since i love to reduce, and reuse. It is good for the nature.<br />
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My quest started with online searches. Everything i loved were very expensive designer pieces. Then i looked in the Mall. The same problem. The style i liked were mostly either made of plastic, or very expensive.Then i started looking in the consignment stores in our town. The styles that i liked, were almost all made by "Dooney and Bourke" brand. They are just all beautiful, but too heavy. I remember when i used to have few of their purses and they were hurting my shoulders. The prices in consignment stores were reasonable compare to the original price. But my comfort was not something i was ready to sacrifice for beauty.<br />
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After many searches and stubbornness, i finally was ready to give up, just go to the outlet mall and get the expensive , but almost perfect brown purse i saw there. I truly wanted something that lasts a lot more than few months for me.<br />
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One day, when i was dropping some stuff at the "Snowline hospice store" for donations, I just suddenly decided to have a look there.<br />
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BINGO.<br />
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There it was, waiting for me, the exact purse i was looking for with the tag still on , brand new with the beautiful price of $4.75. Yes I am not joking. It was four dollars and seventy five cents. It was made by Wilson leathers and was red. It was even smaller than my old red purse thus the perfect size for me. It looked like it was custom made for me.<br />
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Yes. That is when my quest for the perfect purse ended with a very happy ending. <br />
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Lessons learnt. Always take your time and research and don't under estimate the second hand donation centers. Always check there for hidden treasures. After all, the place might not look as nice or clean or fancy as other stores, but you never know when you might hit the jackpot.<br />
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I am set for a long time now. <br />
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Have you looked for your perfect purse yet?<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://astore.amazon.com/mylifesimplif-20</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14023866292796419290noreply@blogger.com4