Over 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!


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.


Lots of money actually!



Bellow,is a list of things we had stopped buying years ago and never missed them.

1. Television cable. ------------> Netflix and Amazon prime
2. Gas for my car. ---------------> Plug-in Electric
3. Oil change for my car.---------------------> Plug-in Electric car
4. Paper towels.-------------> Stack of 20 kitchen washable towels for drying hands and dishes
5. Disposable wipes--------> Micro fibers.
6. 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.)
7. Any kind of ziplock bags.-----------> Reusable fabric pencil bags with zipper. Also Pyrex dishes.
8. Aluminum foils -----------> Not needed. Either use Pyrex dishes or cover plates with clean napkins. 
9. Tupperware. -------------------> see this post
10. Plastic wraps.------------------> Not needed Pyrex dishes. Flour cloth. Napkins
11. Sponges ------------------------> hand made crochet from recycled yarn. lasts many years and I just wash them with our laundry.
12. Dish washing liquid-----------> Eco Friendly Multi purpose cleaner
13. Surface cleaner-----------------> Diluted multi purpose cleaner or vinegar. ( Used for bathtub, kitchen.......)
14. Coffee filter -------------------> French press
15. Bottled water ------------------> Tap water in reusable containers. 
16. Hand lotion in kitchen--------> Gentle dish detergent. Olive oil if needed 
17. Jet dry dish washer rinse-----> White Vinegar.
18. Disposable plates, cups, utensils ...------> Small jars for party drinks. Plates and utenciles reusable.
19. Disposable napkins------------> Fabric home made napkins. Only have one pack handy for picky guests. 
20. Disposable aluminum containers------> Big Pyrex dishes
21. Salad dressings.----------------> Olive oil and rice vinegar purchased from bulk store in my own jars.
22. Yoghurt. ------------------------> Home made
23. 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! 
24. Books -----------------> Library and on line blogs. 
25. CD, DVD -------------> Pandora and Netflix.
26. Toys -------------------> Once a year for Christmas. One Big toy only. The Birthday party is our gift by itself.
27. 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.)
28. Fabric softener-------> Not needed. Haven't used for many years and no one noticed. 
29. Drier sheets-----------> Not needed
30. 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. 
31. Cotton rounds--------> Home made and reusable. 
32. Shower gel------------> Soap
33. Exfoliator and scrubs for body.-----------------> Natural Loofah or a wash cloth
34. Hair masks and treatments-----------------------> Olive oil and conditioner
35. Face scrubs ----------------------------------------> Baking Soda
36. Tooth Paste-----------------------------------------> Home made
37. Mouth wash.---------------------------------------->  No need
38. 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. 
39. Different make ups --------------->  See this post
40. 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. 
41. Face mask, cleanser, toner, tanner, black head remover. Etc......... ----------> Soap. Lemon juice. coconut and olive oil. Peroxide for acne. Baking soda.
42. Hand sanitizers --------------------> Not needed.
43. Candles. Still have from old days. ------> But not really needed. Used once awhile. 
44. Bath foams, salts, fizzer........ -------------> Not needed. Preferring quick showers due to Drought. 
45. Seosonal decorations ----------------> see this post.
46. Air freshener -------------------------->  natural or not needed. 
47. Office supplies.------------------------> We are paperless.
48. Printer ink -----------------------------> refill.
49. Extra Shoes ---------------------------> maybe once per year for each family member only as needed. (Fast fashion is damaging to environment)
50. Latest gadgets and electronics.--------------> still working on my husband on that. But he is doing much better :) 

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.

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 .........

Laundry perfumes!!!!!  ....... I never even knew they do exist!!!  (What a waste of money!) 

Did, NOT buying these items changed our quality of life? You bet it did! 

-A LOT Less clutter (Visually, Mentally and Emotionally).
-Less wasting time window shopping and browzing.
-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 ).
-Less spending.
-Less time at stores ( We are usually In and Out).
-Less junk to organize and deal with.


 Yes. All these Less'es deeply changed the quality of our lives.

Think about it. 

What are YOU not buying and not missing?
Paris.


Addendum:


I noticed that my computer hadn't saved my proof reading and this post was packed with mistakes. Please accept my apology.


While I am correcting the problem, I may as well add few more items.


Hee hee hee.


Here there are.

51.  Vacuum cleaner bags ------------------------>Roomba and a hand held vacuum. Just emptying the canister directly in the garbage bin does it.
51.  Any specialty tools, like various peeler, Apple cutter, Garlic crusher, Olive oil mister...........
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)
53.  Extra clothing -----------------------------> We buy about once a year or so and only what we need.
54.  Microwave. Haven't had one for years.
55.  Individually packaged snacks.
56.  House decorations.----------> We have only two paintings which we have had for over 15 years.
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)
58.  Jewelry (Custom or real)---------------------> I have had few favorites that I love for years. Nothing new coming in
59. Nail polish ------------------> Have had a couple for years now.
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.


Can't even imagine how hectic my life would have been if I had been buying those stuff.


Thank you everybody for reading. Please think about your own shopping habits.
Paris

See 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.

So Please look on the right side of my blog for the newly added page called " Related movies".

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.

Here is a link to my new page.

Thank you and enjoy.
Paris

The 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.

                    

Green mostly includes minimalism.
Minimalism mostly make you live a more natural and green life.


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.




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.

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.

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.


. Do I need this or I just want this?
. Can I live without it?
. Will I feel happier when I acquire this thing?
. Will I suffer without it?
. Will I like having the money instead of the stuff I am buying?
. Will I have to make room for it?
. What will the impact of me buying this item be on the environment?
. Will it end up in the landfill?
. How long will I use it before I need to discard it?
. 10 years from now, will having this item make a positive impact on my life?
. What will happen if I don't buy it?
. Do I need to spend time and money to maintain this thing?
. Will it simplify my life or make it more complicated?
. Do I love it and will I truly enjoy it?
. Am I buying it, because it is on sale?
. Am I borrowing money on my credit card to buy this item?
. Is it worth borrowing money for?
. Can I afford it?

Just think about the above questions before you buy anything.


Are you a Green Minimalist? Think about it.

Paris

The secret of Minimalist traveling.

Today i want to share with you how we travel simply and minimalistic.



All the suitcases we need!!!

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...

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.

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.

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.

So,

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

How many suitcases do you have?

Paris



My 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

My winter bottom wardrobe. 8 pants. 3skirts. Too many pants. 

teeth and already had a headache. It was the second time I had this terrible dream.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Have you decluttered lately?

Minimalist Bank accounts.

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.

Life is complicated enough by itself. There is not need to make it more complicated.

Here are some tips about how to minimize, simplify and organise Bank accounts.





1. Gather all the paperwork and all the bank accounts you have in different banks.

2. Gather all your statements.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

8. Set up On-Line banking for your accounts, so you can access everything on line with one User ID and one Password.

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.

10. Back up all the information in your computer.( VERY IMPORTANT)


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.

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.

How many bank account do you have?

Minimalistic fall decoration.

Fall is here. Well, sort of. Here in California we had to turn the Air conditioner on today. It was just too hot.

But the excitement of fall is here. Halloween decorations and pumpkins are everywhere. My kids were very excited for us to decorate. But guess what, i didn't even noticed that I gave away ALL our Halloween decorations when we moved. I thought i kept some. But it is all gone.


So what i did. Went shopping. In a pumpkin farm. Not a party store. and also went for a walk in the neighborhood. That took care of all our decorations.

Here are some tips.

- Buy some inexpensive pumpkins to carve and make Jack-o lanterns.
- Buy some truly, unusual looking gourds.
- Make a center piece with the gourds.
- Hang the gourds at the door. It actually looks spooky.
- Have you kids color the smaller pumpkins.
- Pick some leaves and walnuts, or any other natural greens you can find. Use them to make a wreath.
- Make leave shaped cookies with your kids. They will have fun.
- Decorate the cookies with Candy corns.
- Make apple Caramels.
- Make a wreath with apples.
- Boil some Cinnamon sticks in the water to create natural aroma.
- Use fall yellow flowers for decorations.

Perks.

- Easy to clean.
- No storage needed.
- Gentle on the nature and environment.
- Biodegradable.
- No plastic.
- Supports local farmers.
- Inexpensive.
- No clutter.
- Fun to make, not a chore.
- Edible decoration.
- Stimulates your creativity.
- Valuable and enjoyable due to the investment of time and effort.
- No Packaging to create trash

Have you decorated your home naturally for the season yet?

All the things i didn't need.

A while ago, a friend told me about a big store that is closing. It is going out of business and is having a huge clearance sale. One day, when i had 30 extra minutes between two appointment, i stopped by to see what is going on there. I was amazed by all the stuff and all the discounts and clearances. So many things. So many Stuff.

Guess what? While i was there, i looked at all the stuff and kept thinking " Do i need another purse? Do i need another shirt? Do my kids need another plastic toy? Should i buy things, just because they are on sale, even though we don't need them?

Leaving the store empty handed, looking at others paying lots of money for stuff, I was thinking to myself, do those people really need all those stuff? Does that gentleman buying a whole shopping cart of stuff, really needs them or he is buying them, just because they are on sale and he couldn't pass on a good deal. I guess i will never know.


I remember myself filling carts and taking them home all happy( temporarily) about the wonderful sale. I also remember how frustrating it was to have debts, cluttered home, tons and tons of STUFF overwhelming our lives.

But i definitely know that i am happy now. Happy that i passed on all the good deals i saw there. It made me feel good about all the stuff i didn't buy. All the stuff i didn't need. All the money i didn't spend, all the space i didn't clutter, all the stuff i didn't add to our home, all the stuff i didn't need to care for, to clean, to use just because i paid for it, to store, to organize, to go through, to sell, to donate.


Have you ever thought about how much stuff you didn't need?

Minimalist Cosmetics

A few years ago, I used to have a huge amount of cosmetics. The problem was that i was buying even more and more.

The problem is that we believe if we buy more, we will look better, or will be happier. We even believe a new set of makeup will change our life. The truth is that we all have too much. way too much.

Three years ago, i finally decided that enough is enough. So I started to reduce and declutter.
Now three years later, i believe i finally found my happy place with my cosmetics.


Do you have too much cosmetics:

Follow these tips:

• Check the expiration dates. Make ups don't change their texture or smell much due to tons of chemical preservatives in them. This makes us hard to pay attention to the expiration dates. The best is to replace after 2 years. No make up should really be good after two years.

• Buy only 1. All you need is one of every thing you use. stop buying a kit that has all the eye Shadow, mascara, eye liner and you still have more eye liners, mascaras and other cosmetics.

• Stop buying. In order to organize and minimize, you need to stop buying. Make sure you use what you have first before you buy anything more. I bet you have plenty make up to last you years. You can save a lot of money by Not buying.

• Let go. Every thing you haven't used for the past year, just toss or give to someone. The chances are that you will never use that again.

• Stop occasion buying. Many people buy make ups for a specific occasion, like Prom, Wedding, Birth day party... The problem is that once the occasion is finished, all the charm is gone and all those expensive make up will end up at the bottom of your drawer and add to your clutter.
• Know what you have. Make sure you have all you make up and other cosmetics in one place. Put all the same items together in the same place. Lets say if you have multiple eye shadows, you want to make sure they are all in one place. This will help you locate whatever you need a lot faster and there will be a low chance for you to buy an item just because you didn't find it.

• Organize. If you keep all your items in their right place, there will be less likely for you to feel like you don't have enough. Only when you organize them, you will notice how many you got. Organizing also help you to have a clam, nice, accessible area.
• Donate and share. If there is anything that you know you are not going to use and is in pretty good shape, give it to a friend. They will probably put it to good use instead of it seating in your drawer or cabinet.
• Dont' buy sale. When we buy items on sale, we have the tendency to buy unnecessary items just because they are on sale. You have to be strong and tell yourself that you don't have to own everything that comes with a good deal. The best deal is you not buying it at all. Trust me. Your savings will be a lot higher if your just don't buy that unnecessary item.
• Buy only when needing it. Make sure you stop shopping just because. Only buy the items that you know you will and only if you know you truly need it. Otherwise it is just adding to your clutter.
• Buy natural. Try to buy only natural makeups. After all, the make up along with all the chemicals in it, will staying on your skin for a long time and will absorb in your body. The more natural a make up is, the less chemical will have, thus the shorter shelf life will be. So it is good to only buy what you exactly need, because they will not last, years after years in your drawer. This will make you buy only necessities.

My simplification worked and I am content with the amount of my make up.

All i need now is:

My minimalistic cosmetics.

1. A good face Foundation. ( I have troubled skin)
2. A wonderful face powder + Application brush
3. A waterproof eyeliner.
4. A waterproof mascara.
5. One multi use shade for eyeshadow
6. 4 different colors of long lasting lipsticks
                Natural plum ( Cold)
                Dark red
                Bronze
                Natural Orange( Warm)
I mix and match these 4 colors depending of what i wear. I always get asked about my lip colors and never have a good answer. Because it is always a mixture of many shades.
7. All in a cotton cosmetic bag.

Do i have other cosmetics, yes. The ones that i bought long time ago and are pretty similar to these. I keep them to replace one of these, once one item finishes. After that, i will always buy only what i need. And only when one item is almost finished. We are lucky enough to not have to worry, about not finding something later again. Here in US, there is never a lack of STUFF. You can always find everything in stores. So, no need to stock up.

At nights I just wash my face with warm water and soap ( I have acne prone skin). The stubborn make up can be cleaned easily with Jojoba oil.

How did you simplified your cosmetics?

Paris

Minimalism. What is it?

What is it like , to be a minimalist?
How does it feel like to live a minimalistic life?

When you talk to minimalists, read the minimalist's blogs or see a minimalistic design you might get different ideas about living a minimalistic life.

I believe a minimalistic lifestyle is relative.

• some choose not to have a full time job,
• Some might like the structure and the simplicity that a full time job brings to them and live very minimalistic.
• some choose to build the biggest company in the world and still design it in a minimalistic way and just call it Apple.
• Some might want to own less than 10 items in their wardrobe, others might choose to not count the items, but have a very minimalistic ,sleek, classic, style.
• Some may call earthy, Hipi and Bohemian style minimalistic, others might like Polished.
• Some might choose not to own any furniture.
• Some might choose to own furniture and design it in a minimalistic contemporary way.

I bet my perception of minimalism is very different from what you might see it as.

I see so many people judge each other's minimalistic choices and I see comments about a family's decision to move to San Francisco not being minimalistic enough. I see friends that feel obligated to try to explain to me why they can not live a minimalistic lifestyle.

I believe minimalist lifestyle is simply the type of minimalistic lifestyle that you choose to have.

A very dear friend of mine has been living a minimalistic lifestyle for years without her even knowing it. Her garage only has their cars and bikes in it. Her drawers in the kitchen contain very few items. Her house has the minimum amount of stuff.To me, she is already a minimalist.

I have another wonderful friend that her house if full of beautiful decorations and picture frames. Her furniture have no trace of minimalism and her beautiful house looks rather luxurious. But when I talk to her, she believes that her lifestyle is minimalistic.


So it is all relative. Minimalism is to live without any extra, unnecessary items. It has to make you happy. it shouldn't feel like an obligation, or a competition. You need to feel good because of decluttered house or simpler life. If it is not satisfying you, it is not the right way for you.

Have you found your own minimalistic style?

Minimalistic toiletries and Cosmetics

Minimalistic, simplified , declutter and organize toiletries and cosmetics.


Come on ladies! Lets admit it. We all have way too many make ups and toiletries . The thing is that we still keep buying more. It makes us feel good. Going to the mall, passing through those cool and exciting looking make up areas that smells so good gives us a huge happiness boost. Buying the stuff makes us feel good. A new color, a new miracle face cream, a new more expensive eye cream ... Not to mention the free gifts with purchases ( god knows how much unnecessary stuff i bought just to get those gifts with purchases) .

I used to have two whole cabinets full with tons of stuff.

It felt good to buy. But after a day, that piece of expensive make up, was just another thing in my huge cabinet full of make up. The funny thing is that I was sure that, that one piece , that one miracle blemish cream, would change my life. That is what I was told. That is what I was to believe.

The thing is, none of them changed my life. none of them made me look like tho model on the ad. none of them took my years away and made me be happier.

the funny thing is, after each big purchase,  i started to become stressed out about the new beauty routine and not being able to keep up with it,  I always ended up using the same good old stuff I was used to. I truly did not have extra 45 min each evening to go trough my beauty routine. It just didn't feel normal to me.

Those days are long gone. My new and hugely improved toiletries system is in place and I am loving it.

Here are some tips.

• Stop buying.
• Remove every thing expired. 
• Remove anything you don't like or you know you will not use.
• Pack your absolute favorites in ONE make up bag ( a big bag is OK depending on how much you love make up) 
• Pack everything else and place them in a box under the sink. Close the box.
• Within next month, keep going back for necessary items. But only if you have to.
• After a month, what ever is left in the box, donate. 

I did this and then donated all was left to a friend that brings these to her family members and needy girls in Peru. She was very very happy about it. To my amazement, i ended up with less than 1/6 of all the stuff I used to own. I regretted all the money I have ever spent on all the unnecessary stuff, nail polishes, lotions and poisons. 



At this point, I have only one drawer for all my cosmetics and a small bag for my make up. I still am not satisfied. I am trying to reduce it even more, but there are many things that I am waiting to finish and not buy, ever again or buy the organic and natural alternative. 

The hardest part is trials and errors. When I buy something natural and organic,sometimes it doesn't work as good and some stuff might need more testing. That is how I ended up with more stuff again. But once I find what is organic and natural and also works for me, I will stay with that and will not buy anything else. My goal is to reduce all my toilettaries to be able to fit them all in an Organic cotton make-up bag :)

Have you been through your toiletries lately?

Why simplifying? Simple steps to a simpler life.

Freedom!

why to even think about simplifying? Why bother?

Simplifying has many benefits. It could be life changing. We all are used to living in a rat race. This is a life, many of us are or have been living.
 

Wake up in the morning.

Ready. Set . Gooooooo

Work.

Buy.

Pay.

Worry.

Work harder.

Buy more.

Debt.

Pay more

Worry more

Stress.

Work even harder.

Burn out and be exhausted.

Buy even more to feel happier.

More debts.

Pay more.

Stress a lot more.

Worry a lot more.

Have a lot more to clean and maintain.

Have a lot more expenses and debts.

Hire and pay people to help you with your life. Nannies, Gardeners, Cooks, Personal assistants...

Buy more to feel happy.

Work more.

...

Minimalistic lifestyle is:
 

1. STOP. Just stop for a moment.

2. STOP buying. Go on a buying diet. Lets say for 3 months. Just buy necessary grocery items. That is it.

3. Start reevaluating things you own. 

4. Start decluttering.

5. Sell, donate, sell , donate and then donate some more.

6. Down size if possible and if you choose to.

7. Reduce the amount of your belongings. Declutter. 

8. Simplify your finances, 

9. Simplify your relationships.

10. Pay off your debts.

11. Start saving, you should have some extra money ,Since you went on a money diet. Right? 

12. Start living a happier, more relax, more simplified life.
13. Start feeling FREE.

Enjoy.

What have you changed in your life today?

Minimalism and plastic

There are two ways to step away from plastic by living a minimalistic lifestyle.


1. Credit cards. yes.This plastic would be your credit cards. The minimalistic lifestyles and credit cards don't mix together that well.

Usually when you live as a minimalist, you end up spending less. A lot less. Because you are not buying lots of stuff that other people buy. Even though many people become a minimalist to live more freely, or greener, or fight the consumerism, there are many people that choose this life to reduce their expenses.

Yes. Minimalism helps to pay off your debts and reduce your expenses. It helps you get less overwhelmed and more organize. This saving associated with the new learnt organization skill, is a perfect combination for paying off the credit card debt,AKA, "the plastic"


2. The plastic. The anti consumerism attitude that usually comes with minimalism, encourages people to buy less and create less waste. The minimalism also makes people think about the quality vs quantity and this by itself guides people toward buying less plastic and longer lasting, higher quality items.

Plastic means

1. Cheap,
2. Short life, breaks easily
3. Low quality, does not work as good
4. Discarded easily ( Not repaired), because it was cheap and doesn't work.
5. It lands in the landfills.
6. Next cheap item replaces it, happy corporations, due to a high sales production
7. the cycle repeats
8. The earth gets trashed
9. No money in our pockets, we have to constantly buy replacements.

The minimalism and De plastic-ing go hand to hand.

Have you thought about De plastic-ing your home?


Paris