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A Year Ago on miss minimalist

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Minimalist Wardrobe: The Power of Accessories: I’ve noticed something funny. I can wear an ensemble that someone has seen me in multiple times; yet if I pair it with a scarf, unique necklace, or interesting pair of earrings, they’ll invariably comment on my “new outfit.” Such is the power of accessories. They freshen up an “old” look in no time flat, and better yet, demand very little storage space…{read more}

Minimalist Life: How Many Keys on Your Keychain?: I’ve decided that my goal is to have as few keys on my keychain as possible. To me, the less keys on your keychain, the less responsibility you have—and the more freedom!… {Read more}

Real Life Minimalists: Lisa Fine

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Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details. (Note: the schedule is now full until May — but if you don’t mind waiting, feel free to send me your submission!)

Today, I’m pleased to introduce you to Lisa Fine. She’s the blogger behind Lisa’s Foods on the Move, where she moves towards simplicity through unconventional eating, and tracks her minimalist and other ventures, including baking her own bread for an entire year.

Lisa writes:

When I think about all of the ways I can make my life more minimized, food always seems to come to mind (besides giving away, selling, and throwing all kinds of items I no longer need, which I’ve been doing plenty of the last few months).… {Read more}

One Less Thing: Perfume

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An important part of being a minimalist is realizing what you can do without. It’s a continual process of discovering One Less Thing that—despite what peers, advertisements, or societal norms tell you—you just don’t need.

Several years ago, I discovered One Less Thing I could do without: perfume.

As a young girl, I associated those fancy glass bottles of fragrance with glamour, sophistication, and femininity—and was thrilled to receive my first one (the lemon-y Jean Naté—oh, the nostalgia!) as a birthday gift in junior high. I graduated onto the hipper Calvin Klein Eternity in high school, had a brief fling with Le De Givenchy during an Audrey Hepburn phase, and spritzed daily with Chanel Allure as an adult.… {Read more}

A Year Ago on miss minimalist

The Minimalist Wallet – Seven Ways to Slim It Down: I try to keep my wallet as light and streamlined as possible (no Costanza wallet for me!). To this end, I’ve found the following strategies to be particularly useful: 1. Carry one credit card. In fact, own as few as possible; signing up for every store card, or offer that comes in the mail, only complicates life. Who wants to deal with all that paperwork? (And worse yet, all that potential debt!)…{read more}

Minimalist Philosophy: Doing Less: A few years ago, I was involved in a group conversation about work and careers.… {Read more}

Real Life Minimalists: Aaron and Hsinya Lin

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Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details. (Note: the schedule is now full until May — but if you don’t mind waiting, feel free to send me your submission!)

This week, we have an inspirational story from Aaron and Hsinya Lin. They’ve drastically reduced their consumption out of concern for the environment, and blog about their green and minimal ways at Greenimalist.

Aaron writes:

For some, minimalism runs in their blood. Not for me–my family has packrat genes.… {Read more}

100 Possessions: My Handbag

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I’ve decided to start a new series here on Miss Minimalist called “100 Possessions.” My intent: to feature each item I own, and explain why I chose to include it in my minimalist life.

Sure, it may seem ironic to be talking about stuff on a minimalist blog. However, given that the majority of us are not Buddhist monks, we need a certain amount of things to function (and be comfortable) in our homes, jobs, and daily lives.

Furthermore, as minimalists, we must be mindful of, and make smart decisions about, the things we own—because the more versatile and functional each item, the less overall we need.… {Read more}

Real Life Minimalists: Sarah

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Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details. (Note: the schedule is now full until April — but if you don’t mind waiting, feel free to send me your submission!)

This week, Sarah gives us an international perspective on minimalism: she’s moved from Trinidad to Spain to the United States. She also shares what steps she’s taken to simplify her life.

Sarah writes:

I’m an international student from Trinidad and Tobago, and first got into minimalism a few years ago, having stumbled upon Leo Babauta’s blog, Zen Habits.… {Read more}

A Year Ago on miss minimalist

Ode to January: January is my favorite month of the year. It’s not simply a matter of aesthetics—though I do appreciate the beauty of bare branches, snow-covered ground, and a monochromatic winter landscape. The appeal, however, is more psychological than visual: after the excesses and over-stimulation of December, January is like a huge sigh of relief…{read more}

Minimizing Paperwork: Print to PDF: Like many people, I make the majority of my financial transactions online: from shopping to paying bills, from retrieving statements to managing bank accounts. In the past, I used to print off a paper confirmation of each one.… {Read more}

Real Life Minimalists: Katy

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Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details. (Note: the schedule is now full until March — but if you don’t mind waiting, feel free to send me your submission!)

Today we hear from Katy (who happens to be the twin sister of Rachel, who was profiled last month). She tells us why she’s decided to embrace a minimalist lifestyle, and how it’s changed her outlook on life. I think you’ll find her story quite inspiring (be sure to check out her blog)!… {Read more}

Happy Holidays!

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This year, I’ve decided to give myself a very special Christmas gift. Don’t worry: it wasn’t bought at the mall, and it won’t clutter my closet – in fact, it doesn’t take up any space at all.

I’m giving myself a digital sabbatical.

From now until January 10, I’ll be completely unplugged from the internet: no blogging, no Twitter, no email. I also won’t be logging in to moderate comments. If you’ve commented in the past, your new comments should be published automatically. Otherwise, your comments will stay in the queue and be published as soon as I’m back (I apologize for the delay, but it’s necessary to keep things spam-free!).… {Read more}