Tag: minimalism

My Reading List: Bloganuary Entry #12

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Writing Prompt: What book is next on your reading list?

I really have slacked off with my book reading, and I should be absolutely embarrassed by this. I will never be one of those one-book-per-week kinda people because my free time is so little and the list of things I need to accomplish in my free time is extremely long. But that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t read ever.

To make matters worse, I have an extremely short attention span, so I will pop onto a blog or read short articles or listen to a podcast when I do have some time to sit. But I have not been motivated to read a lengthy book in a while.

I have downloaded a few things that are ready to go on my kindle over the past few months, and I’ve also gotten some book recommendations that I’m dying to jump on. So in no particular order, I’ll go through what I like to read and what books are on my upcoming reading list.

What I like to read: In general, the types of books I love to read are going to either be smut, forbidden romance, LGBTQ smut and romance (which covers the previous two topics), and things that make me think or learn. There’s something about people powering through every reason they shouldn’t be together so that they can love and be loved. I also love a good sex scene. And I love trying to get my life together. So, the books that I read typically fit into those boxes.

When it comes to getting my life together, I absolutely love Brene Brown, Tony Robbins and authors similar to them. My boyfriend and I love to discuss these books because they help us keep a pulse on our thoughts, emotions and goals. I love to learn about business and social media, and I love lifestyle books that inspire me. I particularly love anything that covers intentional, simple, or minimalist living. I also love to learn different ways to organize and budget.

So without further ado, here are the six books that I’ve downloaded and/or plan to read in the near future:

Saint (Priest Book 3) by Sierra Simone: Smut smut smut. I already read books 1 and 2, so this one completes the trilogy.

Strictly Professional by Kathryn Nolan: more smut. I haven’t read this author yet, but I started following her on IG and FB, so her book is on my list.

A Way Home by Kiera Andrews: A gay Amish romance, and the third in a series. I loved the first two books so I’m excited to find out what’s next for the main characters.

The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own by Joshua Becker: This author is a master of living a minimilist life, which is something I’ve been interested in for quite some time. So I’m super interested to read his thoughts on the topic.

Down to Earth (a guide to simple living) by Rhonda Hetzel: This book is on my blogger friend, Rebekah’s, Book of the Month list. It seems right on par with my simple living interests.

Kakeibo: The Japanese Art of Saving Money by Fumiko Chiba: I am really intrigued by this concept of budgeting and intentional spending and saving. I feel like sometimes something that should be simple is made difficult, and I feel like the Japanese concept of budgeting, kakeibo, takes budgeting and pares it down into simple concepts. It’s essentially a minimalist and mindful approach to budgeting, and I’m intrigued.

So that’s my upcoming reading list. What types of things do you enjoy reading? Do you have any book recommendations? I’d love to hear about it!

justamarylandgirl2 Comments

Airbnb Life: Discovering What I Don’t Need Helps With My Minimalism Goals

The thing I hate the most about airbnb hopping is definitely the packing. It is SUCH a pain! Packing up bags, loading up the car, just to go to another place and unload the car and unpack…just to pack and load…and then to unload and unpack…WHEW! It gets to be a bit much.

It’s rough. It’s mentally draining, and the physical toll of lugging, packing, unpacking, moving, dragging, lugging, and repacking…it’s just so exhausting.

Every time my boyfriend and I move, we go through this round-robin conversation that goes a little like this:

ONE OF US: We have too much stuff!! Should we try to scale back??

THE OTHER: YES! We should!

ONE OF US: OK, we’ll go through our suitcases at the next home and figure out what we can donate or get rid of.

**After looking through each bag and removing at best, two or three things**

ONE OF US: WE HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF!!!!!

But in all honesty, while I may have too much stuff for life on the road, I do live with far less stuff than what I ever had when I lived in a fixed location. Far, far less. For example…

HOODIES – I only have one hoodie with me. I own…AT.LEAST.20. hoodies AND 10 pull-overs.

JEANS – I have three pairs of jeans with me. I own AT LEAST 30 pairs of jeans and 15 pairs of jean capris.

MAKEUP – I have one eyeshadow, one eyeliner, one mascara…if I were home, I’d have several of each in multiple places throughout my home. And would probably still stock up when I went to stores.

ACCESSORIES – I travel with a small pouch of accessories. At home, I have an entire cabinet devoted to jewelry.

SHOES – I have five pairs of shoes with me, and they cross all seasons, and include my slippers. At home I have shoe racks in multiple rooms AND shoes for other seasons stored in bins.

HANDBAGS – I cannot even begin with my handbag collection. I managed to narrow it down to a fanny pack, a sling bag, two small purses, and one large bag. For me that’s a total success. At home…the story is dramatically different.

So…am I like those people that backpack through Europe and wash out their three pairs of panties at every stop? Ummm no. But am I living with CONSIDERABLY LESS items than usual? ABSOLUTELY!

And each day, it gets easier and easier to not have all of my possessions within reach.

It has been interesting making decisions and figuring out which creature comforts I have to live without. While I love having all of my “stuff”, there have been some positive outcomes from living with less of my things.

  • Less clothing choices means that figuring out what to wear each day becomes less daunting. Less stress!
  • Online shopping is done on more of an as-needed basis, because I have no place to put anything new, and figuring out where to get things delivered can sometimes be logistically difficult. Better for my wallet and no buyer’s remorse!
  • I rarely go shopping for anything in person unless I’ve identified a specific need. More intentional purchasing, and also a wallet saver!
  • Living with less has prompted a lot of productive conversations with my boyfriend around the type of space we want to have when we return back to a fixed location. Communication is key!
  • I have been rethinking some of the possessions that I have stored back at home. If I haven’t used it in this long, do I actually need it. Purging is therapeutic!
  • I have identified some shopping behaviors that I definitely feel like I would like to change. Know better, do better!
  • Learning to make-do versus always feeling like I need to buy things. Appreciate what you have, and problem solve!
  • Living with minimal kitchen gadgets makes me realize I don’t need EVERY kitchen gizmo that I see. Figure out what is needed to prepare meals. You don’t need it just because it seems cool.
  • I have a better sense of what items I love versus things I buy on a whim and then don’t actually ever use. Waste not, want not!
  • Starting with a blank slate in different homes each month makes me realize how much I love not having things cluttering up my space. Cluttered space, cluttered life!
  • I feel like when it comes to decor, sometimes less is more. When I return home, I will decide on a style and be mindful of purchasing excessive home items.
  • I realize now that cluttered space is uncomfortable and mentally draining. It is also the result of procrastination and unmade decisions. Make timely and relevant decisions in order to keep areas clutter-free.
  • I have not thought about any home decor purchases. I’d rather have blank walls than a slew of mismatched things I bought because they were cute.

SO WHAT’S MINIMALISM GOT TO DO WITH IT?

I had already started dabbling into the idea of minimalism. I love the concept and I want to figure out what that means to me and how to apply it to my life. Even before this journey, I felt like my personal possessions were weighing me down mentally, physically, and financially, and I do believe that “things” can totally impede happiness.

The concept of minimalism is too deep to get into in this blog post, but at high level, it’s the concept of living with less so that you can live a more fulfilling, free and intentional life. The concept can be applied to different people in different ways, but I have been intrigued by the idea. I feel like this journey could help me kickstart my minimalism efforts.

I am already overwhelmed thinking about all of the items that await me when I return. And I have already decided that I have no interest in returning to the clutter-filled life of excess that I had. I hope that returning from this journey allows me to make some quick and easy decisions about which items I’d like to keep from my storage unit and which items I’d like to let go of.

Minimalism is a personal journey that means something different for each person. My hope is that the experience of living with less and making do with what I do have helps to frame my thoughts around what is ultimately important in my life.

Have you heard of minimalism? Have you ever wondered about whether it was a good idea for you and your life? I’d love to know your thoughts.

justamarylandgirlLeave a comment

Simple DIY Photo Frame Upgrade

Me and my spraypaint were at it again this week. This time I did a super easy, super cute upgrade to some basic silver frames that I got from the Dollar Tree.

As is, these frames were cute and inexpensive but I thought adding a gold dipped corner may add a little umph to them.

I started with these two basic silver frames. I really liked that they came with a matte border if you choose to use it…which I did.

Using blue painters tape, I taped around the frame, leaving one corner exposed to be painted. I did two really light coats of spray paint for each frame, letting the first layer dry about an hour before putting on the second coat.

Then using my canva app/website (if you don’t use this, and you do a lot of design work or social media graphics, I suggest trying it), I created some simple text for my frames.

I printed them, cut them to size and popped them into the frames super easy!

I love how they came out! They look super cute on my entry way shelf!

Let me know if you like this and try something similar. I love Dollar Tree (or budget) DIY’s! Especially when they are easy.

Like my “Hello” and “Goodbye” signs?? Subscribe to my email list and I’ll send you the “Hello” and “Goodbye” sign downloadables as my way of saying thank you! Who doesn’t love a free printable??

justamarylandgirl

Purge–and have it picked up

donations 1

It’s time to get rid of that futon. And that old desk.  And that cabinet with three legs that you swore you’d find another leg for and paint and make brand new.  But you’re going on 10 years since making that promise, and let’s face it — it’s never going to happen.  Ever.  It’s time to let those long-held items go, let them find a new home with an owner that will live up to its promise to refurbish and make it whole again.  It’s not you.  It’s never going to be you.  Ever.

If you’re like me, one of the main reasons those items linger around your home way too long, is because they aren’t exactly going to squish into the back of your fiat or your volvo hatchback.  Even if you have an SUV like I do, some furniture is just too large to fit, or too heavy to carry alone, or would require entirely too many trips back and forth to the organization, or would require you asking a friend, which no one ever wants to do for fear of owing a favor…or you’re lazy.  Like me.  No judgment here, I promise.

So you have to figure out other arrangements.  The good news is that there are lots of charity organizations that will gladly take these items off your hands, and they will come to your home to pick them up from you.  Here are a few organizations that will do just that:

SALVATION ARMY:  This is probably going to be the way to go if you have a lot of random and bulky items that aren’t accepted by every organization.  They accept a wide range of furniture, home goods, appliances and clothing.  This is the option I went with.  They have a very simple website that, in a few short clicks and keystrokes, allow you to set up your pick-up date and location.  You can be present or leave the items in a location outside the home for them to grab.  It doesn’t really get much easier than this.

This organization accepts:  appliances, automobiles, clothing, furniture, household items, and miscellaneous items.

GREEN DROP:  This organization is a one-stop shop for multiple charities.  Your donation to Green Drop can benefit The American Red Cross, Purple Heart, National Federation of the Blind, and/or St. Vincent de Paul of Philadelphia.  You can donate at a Green Drop location or arrange to have your items picked up and they will also notify you when they will be in your neighborhood again.  Because, let’s face it, there’s always more purging to be done.  If you are doing a home clean-out, Green Drop will send a concierge to your home to let you know what they can accept, and to help you and your driver prepare for your upcoming donation.  Say whaaaaat????

This organization accepts:  clothing, bedding, tools, collectibles, kitchenware, toys, small appliances, electronics, musical instruments, and sporting goods.  They do NOT accept tv’s or tubular computers.  All donations must be less than 50 pounds.

PURPLE HEART:  Aside from its charitable work for veterans, this organization is best known its car donation program.  I have personally donated a car to Purple Heart in the past, and found the process to be simple and flawless.  A quick trip to the website and you can arrange to have your car picked up by the organization.  You can also donate clothing and home items by using Green Drop.

Please note, you must have a clean title (no liens) to donate your car.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY:  Best known for their work building houses, this organization also has its thrift store (the Habitat Re-Store), which sells building materials and other items that went unused in their home building, along with furniture and home furnishings.  Some locations will come and pick up your donated items from your home.  Habitat for Humanity also accepts car donations.

This organization accepts: new and gently used appliances, furniture, building materials, household goods, cars, and more.

SECOND CHANCE:  This charitable organization deconstructs buildings and homes, salvages usable materials and makes those available to the public through their 200,000 square feet of retail space.  With the revenue generated, Second Chance provides job training and workforce development for those with employment obstacles in the Baltimore region.

This organization accepts old doors and windows, hardware and tools, ironwork and mantles, and gently used furniture, building materials, kitchen appliances, bathroom fixtures, tubs, sinks, accessories, household goods, garden elements, collections, lighting or unique architectural items in good to excellent condition.  They even accept automobiles and homes.

COLLEGE HUNKS HAULING JUNK:  Started by a couple of college kids in 2003, this organization has grown and is now a franchised moving company that offers full-service residential and commercial moving, junk removal, donation pickups, and moving labor services across the United States and Canada.  Unlike nonprofit organizations, this is a company that charges a fee for its services.  But don’t shy away from that.  If you need stuff gone in a hurry, this is one way to do it.  And we all know, sometimes paying money is worth your peace of mind.

For items that you wish to donate, College Hunks will remove your items and take them for donation to places such as Goodwill, Green Drop, and Habitat for Humanity.

This organization:  does furniture and junk removal, appliance removal and recycling, yard waste cleanup, electronics recycling, carpet removal and recycling, mattress disposal, tire removal and recycling, office equipment removal, trash removal and garbage pickup, scrap metal removal, home junk removal and recycling, hot tub removal, and attic clean-out.  They will also In short, there is not much in your home that they will not help you remove or get rid of.

This is in no way an all-encompassing list.  Each area has local charities that may also provide donation pick-up services.  Do some research and see what your area has to offer.  But the take-away from this post is that this is motivation to get to purging.  Don’t let your car sitch or your lack of help keep you from getting on with your purging efforts.  Get your trash bags and boxes and fill them up.  Make the call, get your pick-up scheduled, and have your items ready to go when your crew arrives!

tata for now -m- (2)

 

justamarylandgirl