minimalist

A Year Ago on miss minimalist

February 8, 2011

To Drift Like Clouds and Flow Like Water: My husband and I spent the last ten days traveling through Southeast Asia, spending a few nights each in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur. As usual, we packed only our small carry-on bags, giving us the freedom to wander between and throughout these places without the burden of heavy luggage. It was a wonderful trip. Our friends tend to view our vacations as something between exhausting and crazy (particularly as they are often planned less than two weeks in advance). To us, however, being “in motion” seems perfectly natural. We feel at peace, and at home, when we are on the road…{read more}

A Little Travel Talk: Since I mentioned my recent trip to Southeast Asia in my last post, I’ve received several requests for more details about the experience.… {Read more}

Real Life Minimalists: Karen Johnson

February 7, 2011 27 Comments

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!)

I was thrilled to receive this story from Karen Johnson, who proves that you can indeed be a minimalist even if you have kids (she has nine!). To read more about her family’s journey, please visit her blogs, Crunchy Minimalist and Be-Encouraged .

Karen writes:

The roof blew off my sister-in-laws house, the storm destroying it & much of their possessions including my mother-in-laws stuff as she lived in the basement suite.… {Read more}

The Year of the Butterfly

February 3, 2011 53 Comments

.Today marks the first day of the Chinese New Year, which according to their lunar calendar is the Year of the Rabbit.

Well, I’d like to propose a special New Year for us minimalists: let’s make this the Year of the Butterfly.

Why? Let me explain with an excerpt from my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide:

When we overconsume, we’re like bulls running through a china shop—leaving a destructive path of downed forests, dirty waterways, and overflowing landfills in our wake. In our quest for more goods and unfettered growth, we break the Earth’s fragile ecosystems, shatter the lives of indigenous peoples, and leave future generations to clean up the mess.… {Read more}

Real Life Minimalists: Lisa Fine

January 31, 2011 33 Comments

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

January 27, 2011 128 Comments

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

January 25, 2011

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

January 24, 2011 22 Comments

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

January 20, 2011 94 Comments

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

January 17, 2011 16 Comments

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}

Real Life Minimalists: Katy

January 10, 2011 20 Comments

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}