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

Get rid of your closet clutter fast.

Here you see ALL my pants. Including shorts.

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.
(almost every single time).

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?





To declutter your closet, the rules Here will help you tremendously. But if you don't have much time to dedicate and are feeling overwhelmed by the clutter, keep reading.

Here are some simple tips to get rid of your closet clutter very fast and very easy.


1. 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.

2. Bring some big boxes or suitcases.

3. 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.

4. 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?

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Remove the storage boxes or suitcases out of site. You can always get to those later, one at a time.

8. 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)

9. Congratulations!!! You took the first and the biggest step to building a minimalistic closet.

10. Focus on keeping your closet clutter free by using these very important rules.


Hope this helps.
Paris


Tagged as: Green living. De-cluttering. Clutter busting. Minimalism. Eco friendly. Minimalistic closet. Minimalist. Organized closet. Organize.

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

Minimise Heirlooms, gifts and memories!!!

Minimise heirlooms, gifts and memories!!!

The best gift!!!

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 almost always been nothing but a pain.

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.

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.

For me, they are two kinds of heirlooms though.

Special heirlooms.

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.

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.

The pain Heirloom.

 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.

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.

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.

"Who gave this to you?"Asked the owner, looking at it with her magnifying glass.

" 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..

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?"

I nodded my head each time looking carefully at the vase trying to see what she sees.

"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.

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.

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.

Do you have a heirloom or pain gift that you are keeping it only due to guilt?

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



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?

Simple Christmas Ornaments..

A simple paperclip could be a great Ornament hanger.

Here are some tips for Simple, Natural, Clutter free and Plastic free Christmas decorations.

1. Separate and Remove all the plastic Ornaments that you are not in love with and are made of plastic.

2. Donate them and let someone else use them instead of buying new.

3. Bring the nature in your home by making natural ornaments.

4. Some good old paper clips make great ornament hangers.

A natural stone and a simple elastic band. Create an ornament.

5. Try to get a smaller tree this year. They use a lot less resources to grow and do the job perfectly.

6. Stay away from plastic trees. Plastic is not healthy and they are really bad for the environment.

7. A natural tree has been planted in farms for this occasion and is not going to harm the nature.



Found at the Christmas tree store(free). A perfect ornament.

8. Reduce and minimize the amount of decorations. You will love it when you need to take them down and store them at the end.

9. Saves lots of money by not spending any more on ornaments.

10. Our tree has never been so beautifully simple.

Did you reduce your ornaments yet?

Simplified Holiday gifts. 14 tips.

Holidays are around the corner.

These wonderful days are, by far, my favorite time of the year. The fire place, the cold weather, smell of fire and cinnamon. Hot chocolate. Christmas songs. Holiday decorations. Reading Rudolph book for my kids, the beautiful music everywhere " Chestnuts roasting on the open fire"

How come with all these beauties, it became one of the most stressful times of the year? It suppose to be filled with joy and happiness. What happened? Why?

Shopping happened.

Yes. when it is holiday season, all people think about, is how much shoping they have to do, how much money they have to spend, how to make time for all the shopping. Last minutes shopping has become one of the greatest source of stress. Not to mention the Credit Card bills that will follow in January. So what is the solution? How can we have a wonderful holiday like good old day without going broke?

Here are some tips.

• The first thing you need to do is , change your mindset about holidays. Don't look at it as a chore needing to be done and over with. Think about how wonderful and beautiful it is. Look at it as a beautiful and joyful experience, not a source of stress.

• If you have time, buy ahead of time. When you see something on sale, or something that you know for sure would make someone happy, buy and save it ahead of time.

• Reduce your expectation and teach you family member to reduce theirs. You don't have to buy the biggest and the most expensive gifts. Get used to giving small meaningful gifts in stead of huge and expensive purchased gifts.

• When you give a simple, yet meaningful gift, the other person will appreciate, not feeling obligated to go out and shop for an expensive gift for your the next year.

• Give gifts of services or experiences, instead of unnecessary stuff. We all have closets, garages, pantries, cabinets and rooms packed with stuff. When you give a gift of service ( Massage, restaurant's gift certificate...) the person can truly enjoy it without adding to their clutter.

• You don't need to buy too many gifts for your kids. One nice present ( Something they need) and some mini stocking stuffer should be enough. Help your kids write a letter to Santa ahead of time and let them know that Santa can only bring 1-2 presents, so they need to choose their favorite and make it easier for Santa.

• Don't fill the stocking with cheap plastics. Place some edible, or educational gifts. Candy or cookie along with an old fashion,wooden or knitted ornament or toys are something kids will be looking forward to. One quality ornament per year, created a tradition in our home. It is easy to buy, inexpensive, makes my kids happy and it will not end in the landfills or trash can or clutter our home. They deeply value and always keep these ornaments.

• Make Do-It-Yourself gifts if you have time. Holiday cookies, Home made soaps and some other home made products are wonderful gifts with some personal touch.

• Make a list of all the people you want to thank, tip, or give gifts to, ahead of time. Start with writing their Holiday cards ahead of time to reduce the season's stress.

• For tips for your mail person or gardener..., it is better to write their names on an envelope ahead of time with a nice card, then plan ahead and fill the envelopes with the cash needed. This way, you wouldn't have the last minute stress. You can paper clip them to your calendar, so you would not forget about it.

• Buy only for people that you are close to. You don't need to go too far with gift giving. A small gift, like a plant or home made Wine or fruit basket with Farmers Market fruit, would make an awesome gift for business related presents.

• For your family member, keep an eye on what they need first. Don't go out and buy your husband anothe massager or golf related item , just to buy something, while he does not even play golf.

• Make sure you give them local gifts that helps the small businesses around you as well. It is rewarding too.

• Keep the wrapping to minimal. If you can use reusable gift wraps or bags, that would save you money and also is not creating waste.

Keep it simple and pleasant, so you can enjoy your holidays as well as your other family members. Happy gift giving.

Paris.

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

The good old simple life

Happy Orange

I am comparing my life with the life i used to live as a kid, years ago, back in Iran.

Our life was simpler. Not just because i was a kid and my own life was simpler and uncomplicated, no. Because the life was simpler. Less convenient! , but in a way simpler.

• We never used disposable.
• The milk was in glass bottles that we brought back to stores to be reused.
• We squeezed oranges to make orange juice.
• We took fruit to school for snack.
• We used tab water.
• Our paper work was not even comparable.
• Our school system was simpler.
• We played outside.
• There were no Fast foods.
• No obesity.
• Diabetes was a rare disease that only Grandparents had.
• Neighbors were not scared of neighbors.
• We never heard someone saying "I don't have time"
• I never knew what ADHD or Autism were.
• Kids program was only one hour per day at 5 PM. I never forget the excitement we had for that sweet time. 5 PM meant Cookies and milk along with Cartoon for one hour. We had to finish all our homework first.
• We didn't have tons of games and DVD players in the car and still get bored like our kids do now.
• We did not have such a thing as "Organic food". Every thing was the way it suppose to be. Natural and organic.

Do you remember the good old days?

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?

Simplified linen closet

Organize and simplify your linen closet.

Linen closet could become the source of stress and clutter. Linens are something that you could easily buy too much of. It could be a big task to organize and declutter. But with the right system, it could also be quite simple and organize.

Simplified towels

Minimalistic towel system.

Simple and organize towel system is well worth the minimal effort and money spent.

We used to have tons of mismatched towels. Bunch of guest towels, old Hello Kitty, Barbie, Cars, Spider-Man towels. Over the past 10 years the Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgivings sales got me many times and caused me to buy tons of extra stuff thinking our life will be happier with these. But the truth is that it just added to our stress and clutter.

Now, I don't even think or stress about it any more. My system worked!!!

Easy Laundry

Laundry.

One of the biggest complain of all times by families, here in US, is doing laundry.

Over the years I heard complains about :

• The time it takes.
• The load of unwashed clothes waiting
• The cost of detergent and fabric softener
• The allergies to some stuff
• The electricity cost
• The fragrances, some family member love it and some hate it.
• The washing separate. Baby clothes with baby hypoallergenic detergent, kitchen separate, undies separate, hand wash, wash in cold, delicate, ...
• The big old enemy, FOLDING.
• Surprisingly, the least of every body's  concern and my own #1 , effect on the environment.
• ...

I personally like doing laundry. A lot.

Here is why.

The greenest Laundry detergent !

For Laundry, I use Soap nuts . I absolutely enjoy using it. It simplified my life .

Just place 5 in a bag .

Pro's

• 100% natural.
• Inexpensive,
• Does not create any garbage.
• Biodegradable.
• Non-toxic.
• Cleans really good.
• Safe for septic and gray water system.
• Organic. pesticide and chemical free.
• Simple to use.
• Eliminates the need for fabric softeners.
• Keeps laundry simple and organized and de-cluttered.
• Has no fragrance.
• Eliminates odor.
• Safe around children.
• Saves money
• Softens and keeps the clothes from deteriorating.

 Cons:

Couldn't find any yet.

(Update: after a while, I noticed my whites are not as bright any more. I bought a regular laundry detergent for the white laundry and started using it once a month for whites only. This will keep the chemicals to minimal while still brightens my light clothes. )

I was pretty skeptical at first. But I have been using it for quit some time and had no problem with it. I am loving this product.

Paris

Simpler life= Happier Life

Our new place. Scroll down to see update.

Today my family is feeling happy.

Not just because we got something new, or we are planing an expensive vacation or something like that.

We feel happy, because we have less.
A lot less.
My husband and us closed our office due to financial problems and are living on our savings at this time.I became a stay home mom. My husband is spending a lot more time with me and our kids.
We are decluttering like there is no tomorrow.Every item we reduce make us feel good in an unusual way.We were surprised to find out that letting go of things and getting rid of things makes us feel better( much better) than buying things.
We never expected this when we started to declutter. It feels amazingly refreshing.

Our kids have less stuff thus our daughter can focus more on her school and does not get distracted as easily. Our son is actually playing with his stuff and we found out that we need and use 1/3 of our home after the decluttering and stuff reduction.

Kitchen cabinets are getting empty. I gave each my kids a cabinet so they can put their toys in there. Any toy that does not fit was removed. My kids love it and all their toys are very accessible. They never went upstairs to play with their toys in the past. Due to this change, my kids are calmer, happier and have more fun.
The perk is that they are actually OK with less TV time :)

I plan to work on the second wave of decluttering soon.I plan to cut another 1/3 of our stuff. wish me luck.



Update sep.2012 :

We moved. We moved to a town house half the size and we are loving it. The decluttering and minimizing was a wonderful tool for our move. Our move was stress free and easy. We are not where I want to be as far as stuff goes, yet. But it is much better compared to the amount of stuff we used to have.

I had a guest post published in one of my personal heroes Bea Johnson ( the zero waste home) blog . http://zerowastehome.blogspot.com/
She inspired me a lot. She is my hero.

Also Leo Babauta from Zenhabits was a huge inspiration. 
http://zenhabits.net/

Our life is just wonderful. We are truly enjoying our declutered minimal home. My husband is working in a place that he is enjoying. I am staying home with my kids and our stress level is not even comparable.

We are simply happy.


Paris