After buying a pop-up camper last spring I began to prepare for a summer of camping adventures. This time when preparing for something new, I decided to take a different approach than I had in the past. Old me would have used this as an excuse to purchase all the things. To shop and spend […]
Three Little Words
For the sake of simplicity, let’s put everyone in the world into two groups: First, there are the Naturally Neat. And then there are the Not Naturally Neat. While the Naturally Neat person may live with a lot of clutter (that is, unused and unloved items that do not contribute to the quality of his […]
What I Learned in the Margins of an Old Binder
It was dutifully named Professional Development and I had avoided letting go of it for years. A type A, three hole punched, multi-colored tabbed old version of myself. It’s a throwback to my former life in hospitality. When I finally took an hour to touch its contents one last time, it became apparent that I […]
7 Things I Learned in the Uncluttered Course
I never considered myself one to keep too much “stuff”, but somewhere inside I knew there was an issue. I had the typical American single-person household’s worth of stuff, so why did I still feel so bothered by the clutter? I wasn’t happy with the amount of clutter in my home and- though manageable, it […]
11 Ways to Buy Less
Sometimes I feel like shopping. It’s true! Even after more than 20 years of decluttering, simplifying my life, becoming debt-free, and writing about minimalism, I sometimes feel like shopping, even though I don’t need anything. The 2020 holiday season was one such time. After a year of COVID-19, an acrid political campaign, economic troubles, racial […]
Choosing Happiness
I’ve learned that positive energy and an upbeat attitude can rub some people wrong. Close to 15 years ago I spent five days camping with a large childless group of 30 and 40-year-olds in Moab, Utah. We were a rowdy bunch staying on a remote campsite located down a dirt road about 20 miles outside […]
Keeping Free Time Free
My friend makes amazing costumes for a small theater troupe in Chicago. It’s a non-profit, church-based group, and she donates her time and skills. She’s incredibly talented, and finds the most exquisite fabrics and trims at clearance prices. I’ve seen photos of the finished creations and having worn many costumes for plays and operas, I […]
The Gifts of Time and Energy
As younger parents, we have accepted the reality that we don’t always have the same financial means as other families. The main reason is that I never had a career before having my son at 25. Others may have worked 5-10 years before children. This felt like a huge hurdle in the past. Sometimes my […]
The Joy of Decluttering
When I was in high school, I owned a puffy vest from The Gap. The color was a shade of powder blue, with vertical elastic ribbing on the sides. (They literally ‘don’t make them like that anymore.’) It was a staple of my wardrobe at the turn of the millennium. It carried me through school […]
Lessons From Losing
Our son’s Godfather, a close family friend, passed away last week. It was a sudden, unexpected passing. The kind that leaves you struggling to find your footing in the wake of a life ended too soon. In trying to make sense of it during this somewhat surreal past week, I’ve found myself asking questions. Naturally, […]