This year is slowly flying by. I can't believe it's almost March. I've been busy with a lot of school work lately, so I haven't had as much time to type up a blog post. I did not want to put too much pressure on myself to write down a plethora of new year's goals rather I wanted to focus on making myself happy, but I did find a goal that has slowly been making me happy: trying to lead a more minimal lifestyle. Over winter break and the beginning of this year I did a bit of research on living a less wasteful lifestyle. I have slowly adopted some new practices in my life and I wanted to share them with you.
I have found by focusing on helping the planet and reducing my wasteful impact on the world I am happier, and I can find joy from the items I do have. Simplicity in our lives can be hard to find with so much technology and advertisements trying to grab our attention. I hope a few of the minimal practices I have been doing inspire you!
1. I always have good intentions to use reusable bags as I keep a few stocked in my car, but this year I have remembered to bring & use my reusable bags at the grocery and other stores where plastic bags roam. Don't worry if you have plastic bags because you can easily recycle those at your local grocery store!
2. Instead of using the small produce plastic bags, I invested in some mesh produce bags to take to the store with me. I don't have to tie the bags as there is a drawstring, which saves me the hassle of trying to untie the bag and resulting to stabbing a hole to reach my apples.
3. Using bar soap. There is nothing wrong with using bar soap. There are so many locally made bars of soap full of lavender, oats, honey, or whatever else makes you happy!
4. Getting rid of clothes that I haven't worn in over a year. As a college student, I try to keep my wardrobe to a minimum due to moving frequently, but I still have some items that I have been hanging on to. I watched the documentary Minimalist on Netflix, and I was inspired to clean out my wardrobe and focus on having less, but more versatile items.
5. Use plastic or glass tupperware more often than snack or sandwich bags. I know it can be easy to grab a sandwich bag to stuff your turkey sandwich in, but it can be just as easy to find a tupperware container for the sandwich too! I use a bento box for my lunch and dinner, and it's easy to pack a wrap or sandwich, vegetables, and fruit in one neat box.
6. Wool dryer balls in place of dryer sheets. These are great because you can add essential oils to them to freshen up your clothes and the dryer balls also decrease drying time!
7. Using a bamboo toothbrush. Alright, you may think I'm a bit crazy for doing this, but the bamboo stick and the brussels lined with charcoal are compostable. That's right you can just throw it in your stick pile!
I find it refreshing to work on acquiring less items in a society where items and various "stuff" is always being waved in our faces. It's not easy when you see something online or in person and you are drawn to have that item. Typically we don't always need it, but sometimes little things can make us happy, so don't restrict yourself from it if you know you'll use it!
Enjoy your day today!
