book chat - The Minimalist Home

The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker, Expected publication: December 18th 2018 by Waterbrook Press

"Make the most of the most important place on earth - home."

Joshua Becker has long been one of my favorite writers in the minimalism arena. Having enjoyed his previous book, The More of Less, I was looking forward to his newest publication, The Minimalist Home. I'm no newbie to decluttering/minimizing, but I love a good reminder to take another look around and pare back anything that doesn't still meet my needs (or that snuck in in the meantime). Yes, there are a lot of books out there about decluttering and minimalism, but this is definitely one of my favorites and would be a good fit for those new to minimizing as well as those, like me, who have been at it awhile already.

Becker leads the reader along as they work room by room through their home, getting rid of those items that are unloved or unneeded and helping the reader to work through the emotions that can arise when getting rid of stuff. Will you end up with a home full of nothing if you follow his plan? Nope! But you will end up with only those things you need, use and love and also end up with more time since you won't spend so much time cleaning or shopping. All good things. Thanks for another great book, Joshua!

If you're reading this before publication date, head on over to Joshua's blog at becomingminimalist.com (link will take you directly to the post with the details). He's got a great deal going for pre-orders! But hurry, this book hits the streets on December 18, 2018!

Thank you to WaterBrook & Multnomah and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

the paradox of choice

There's been a lot of discussion the past several years that supports having a lot of choices doesn't truly make us any happier. Having more choices actually more often results in dissatisfaction. Being faced with a lot of choices can paralyze us as we try to weigh out which is the "best" choice. Which features are most important? Is this brand better than that one? Did I pick the wrong one?? Even after we make our choice, we're less likely to be happy with it if we chose from a wide variety of options. Faced with only a few options, our choice is quick and simple and we're much more likely to be satisfied with the choice we made.

I'm finding I really enjoy having fewer choices in both my food and my other purchases. By avoiding packaging, I'm limiting myself to foods sold in bulk which (very happily) cuts out most brand name choices. For most food items, my biggest choice is whether to buy organic or not. If there is a brand name item in bulk, there's likely only the one choice anyway. Food shopping is quicker, easier and costs less too. Always good! Most trips to the co-op, my biggest choice is which flavor of locally brewed kombucha to try (there are 3 on tap and change from visit to visit). To make it easier, I bring two bottles now. =)

Only shopping for previously owned items limits my choices there as well. While I could have many more choices using online forums like eBay and Amazon to find secondhand items listed from all over the country, so far I'm leaving it up to fate (and avoiding the shipping costs and packaging too) by only looking locally. The best part? If I find one good secondhand option, I'm happy with it. No time spent comparing brands and features, no hunting for the best sale price, no wondering if I made the right choice. One good option at a reasonable price? That works! And again, it's a lot more budget-friendly too. Who wouldn't love that?! =)

Check out this TED talk for Barry Schwartz's ideas on the subject:

finding contentment

Ads attempt to sell us not only more stuff, but discontentment. They tell us what we need to be happy, what we're missing out on. Oh, no! Our lives would be so much better, so much easier... if only we had this new thing. It's a load of crap. Yes, companies need to get the word out to stay in business and I certainly don't begrudge anyone making a living but I don't need to sit idly by and fill my head with advertising so I'm cutting out as much as possible.

I don't own a television. I watch anything I really want to see online. Depending on the site used, I often get to watch completely commercial free which makes me very happy. :-) The fewer tv commercials I see, the more annoying the ones are that sneak through. Earlier this month, I was hanging out in the waiting area at my mechanic's and they had a tv on. I had my nose in a book, but couldn't help the tv content seeping in. I kept wishing for an empty waiting area so I could turn it off or at least change the channel. Also? The Price is Right? Super annoying. I really wanted that guy's car to get finished so I could turn it off! lol

It's not just video ads I'm avoiding though. I used to get quite a few emails from companies I've purchased from in the past. Now? Not so much. As they come in, I unsubscribe from the mailing list. If I'm not shopping new, no need to know when the sales are! ;-) Added bonus is having an uncluttered inbox!

My goal is not just having less or knowing that I need less, but truly wanting less. I think I'm getting there. My whole house has lost a lot of weight as unnecessary items have made their way out the door and even though I've picked up a few items from the thrift store this month, I've also donated at least as much. I love being able to open a cabinet or drawer and quickly grab what I'm looking for without digging through gadgets I never use or clothes I never wear.

the big tiny

We all have moments in our lives that make us rethink our future and what we want that life to look like. For Dee Williams, this trigger was a diagnosis of congestive heart failure in her early 40s. Pondering her mortality lead her to examine what was truly important in life and how she wanted to spend her time. The result? She built an 84 square foot home (yes, 84) on a trailer where a decade later, she still happily lives full time. Her journey to a tiny life started when she came across a magazine article about Jay Shafer, a major player in the tiny house movement, while waiting for medical tests to be done. So not only did her health condition give her the trigger for changing her life, but also the answer to how to achieve the simpler life she wanted. (Watch Dee's TEDx talk here.)

I've been interested in mobile tiny houses ever since I saw an article about Jay myself at least a decade ago, but I'd already lived in a few interesting places myself. During my years in Alaska, I spent time living in a couple of cabins without plumbing. One of those was barely bigger than Dee's home with the addition of an arctic entry which doubled as closet and storage. I loved that little log cabin with its loft barely tall enough to allow me to crawl across my mattress to sleep. I can vouch for the vaulted ceiling making a small space feel more open. :-) I spent a few years working a travel job that left me living in hotels around the country about 90% of the time. While I still had a home base, that experience taught me just how little I actually needed to live with on a daily basis since everything had to fit into what I could take with me on a plane while leaving room for my work supplies as well. I had a "capsule wardrobe" long before Project 333 existed. Before buying my current home almost 2 1/2 yrs ago, I spent over a year living in a 28' class C rv. Having minimal possessions wasn't a problem  - I had what I needed - and I loved feeling more connected to the outside world. The real downside to that was sharing the space with cats. My little dog did great and we both got plenty of exercise with a few walks a day, but the kitties really needed more space. I know a lot of tiny housers share space with a cat or two, but I'd never do it again. My two cats are both around 13 now so as much as downsizing and living tiny is still intriguing to me, the possibility is years away yet.

While Dee is happy installing her tiny home in a friend's backyard and staying put for years, what draws me to these tiny houses is the mobility. This is what drives me crazy about owning a standard home. I like my house, but I feel stuck. It's not that I think I would travel constantly, but the ability to move to a new location and bring my home with me is enticing. The added bonus of building a tiny house versus an rv is that it's completely customizable (and could be built without all the toxic materials). I know I could live tiny again. Will I go so small again? Time will tell. But for now, I just aim to live simply and lighten my impact as much as I can while living on a larger scale.

Overall, this was a really interesting book to read. There was a time in the middle when Dee was telling the story of building her tiny home and the mishaps of building alone that I wanted to scream, ask for help! But we all have our issues. If you're interested in tiny houses or just learning about how someone else is simplifying their life, check it out. My local library once again has a copy available. :-)

Have you ever considered going tiny? Or could you never imagine living in such a tiny space?

nothing new here

I hope the first week of 2016 is going well for you! Did you make resolutions? Are you sticking to them? Odds are good if you did, you still are at this point. ;-) I've been thinking a lot about what I want 2016 (and forward) to look like. There are some definite changes, but a lot more of what I've already been doing too... just stepped up a bit.

I love challenging myself. Last year, I swore off buying yarn again in favor of using my stash. I love knitting and weaving, but I have a yarn stash and I certainly don't need more coming in. Even after a couple years of intentionally not buying (and selling and donating too), I have plenty to choose from when the creative bug bites. The only new skeins that entered my stash last year were either ones I handspun myself (4 1/4 pounds worth) or bought secondhand (only 2!). This is my eventual goal for my stash. With the new (to me) loom (see my last post), I plan to make a large dent in my commercial yarn stash this year and be well on my way to an only handmade/secondhand craft stash!

I also spent time last year sorting through everything I own and keeping only what I love and truly use. I think the guys at the Goodwill drop off started to recognize me. I've found the less I own, the less I need and definitely, the less I want. The house lost a lot of clutter last year and I don't miss a thing.

So what's in store for 2016? Nothing new. Literally. These days, it's hard not to be aware of the impact our shopping habits have on the world, both environmentally and socially. I've been making more effort to lighten my own impact, but I know I can do more. So my new challenge for myself? Not buying new. Manufacturing new products uses resources that are quickly running out while many pre-owned items that still have a lot of life in them make their way into our landfills. Buying secondhand, I'll also be avoiding all the packaging and yes, saving some cash along the way as well. :-) This still leaves me plenty of options for finding the things I need - Freecycle, Craigslist, bartering, borrowing or at times, realizing I just don't need that thing after all. I discovered there's a whole group of people making this same choice for various reasons and lengths of time. Check out The Compact article on TreeHugger. There's also The Compact Yahoo! group. I do have a couple of caveats: home/car repairs (pretty sure I need a new car battery this week), sewing needles/thread (can't buy used) and a new pair of walking shoes before it warms up enough to resume our daily doggie walks. I'm also working to reduce my waste connected to food, but more about that later. I made my final new item purchase on December 31st. It'll be interesting to see just how long I can make it before buying new!