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Tread lightly

Everyday ways to help you consume less, reduce waste and be kinder to our precious planet Earth.

Creating your own economic stimulus package

April 28, 2020

Chopping board illustrating how to keep food fresher longer and avoid food waste

How to keep food fresh longer

April 10, 2020

Child playing with blocks to illustrate why to join a toy library even if you have too many toys already

Clear clutter / Tread lightly

Why to join a toy library – even if you already have too many toys

March 13, 2019

Just Do It (Yourself)!

June 20, 2018

Shopping bags to illustrate mantras to stop impulse buying

Mantras to stop impulse buying

November 21, 2017

Avoiding food waste traps – #FoodWasteFriday check in

March 10, 2017

A #foodwastefriday check – 24 Feb 17

February 24, 2017

A frugal shopping challenge dishes up dividends

February 24, 2017

A #FoodWasteFriday check-in

February 10, 2017

Twig with a gift tag to illustrate how to approach Christmas gifts as a minimalist

Slow down and simplify / Tread lightly

What to do about Christmas gifts as a minimalist

November 23, 2016

Find me on Instagram

moretimethanmoneyblog

It’s taken 8 years, but finally we enjoy gardeni

It’s taken 8 years, but finally we enjoy gardening together.

I had dreams of the two of us cheerfully gardening together from when the little guy was a tiny wee thing. In reality, it was more chore than cheer. I lowered my expectations dramatically.

And then this spring, something changed. He’s just that much bigger and much to my delight, he’s super enthusiastic about growing things. We’re having heaps of fun in our attempts to grow our own veggies. Making the most of it while it lasts!

PS. This is not our garden, this is my mum’s. We have a shady strip and collection of pots, which is more than enough for me to manage!
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#slownotlazy #gardening #ediblegarden #gardeningwithkids #gardenersofinstagram #minimalistfamily #minimalismwithkids #simplefamilies #minimalistmom #slowmotherhood #slowliving #simpleliving #seekthesimplicity #essentialism #simplifying #slowyourhome #slowlivingforlife #livethelittlethings #slowerbetter #nzblogger #nzbloggers

I’m feeling very fortunate to have work at this

I’m feeling very fortunate to have work at this time when so many people suddenly do not. Being especially intentional with my spending to spread some of my good fortune and giving is a big part of that.
Through making donation I can play my part in getting the economy going without buying a bunch of stuff I don’t need AND support good causes. Win, win!

So spread the love - tell me all about your favourite charities.
Two of my favourites are @littlesproutsnz and @kaibosh. Both focus on redistributing from people with excess, to those with not enough.

As the biggest challenge the world has faced in my

As the biggest challenge the world has faced in my lifetime played out, my role was to stay home. With no medical expertise and no link to the food supply chain beyond end consumer, I was officially “non-essential”. While hard-working and clever people around the world heroically used all their energy to combat coronavirus, I sat home and did nothing. Immensely grateful, and not unused to free-riding, I felt useless.

Now the medical emergency is subsiding (at least here in New Zealand), attention is turning to the economic crisis left in its wake. Coronavirus exposed not only the fragility of human health, but the fragility of global consumer capitalism. While combating the virus was the domain of the essential few, resuscitating the economy is something we will all be called upon to do.

But before you start dutifully clicking “add to cart” at every opportunity, take a breath. Don’t leave yourself at the mercy of advertisers and their plans for your money. Make a plan of your own.

I’ve made a three-step guide to creating your own intentional spending plan. Link in my bio.

In the rush to return to normal, remember going “back” to normal is only one option. Within all this disruption, there’s also the option to create a new and better normal.
Over the coming weeks and months, I expect loud and relentless calls to action to be a good citizen and help get things back to normal with reckless consumerism. Before you start dutifully clicking “add to cart” at every opportunity, I encourage you to take a breath. Don’t leave yourself at the mercy of advertisers and their plans for your money. Make a plan of your own, based on the values and priorities you’d like to push forward in the new normal.
If you’re fortunate enough to maintain some discretionary spending, make a plan for how you’re going to go about it. I call this creating your own economic stimulus package. I’ve made mine and new on the blog I’ve got a 3-step process you can use to make one too.

Link in my bio

Tempted to tackle a bit of decluttering while you’re spending more time at home?
Go for it!
New on the blog, I’ve got some advice to help you get started and avoid a common pitfall.

Link in my bio.

New on the blog, since we’re all avoid trips to

New on the blog, since we’re all avoid trips to the shops as much as possible, I thought I’d share some tips on keeping food fresh for longer and avoiding food waste. Link is in my bio.

Tip one - to avoid bendy carrots, keep them in the fridge, in an airtight container lined with a paper towel.

Just a friendly reminder that it’s the weekend 😂

Trying to banish that Groundhog Day feeling by changing things up a bit in the weekend.
Things that have worked:
- not doing paid work
- going for a longer morning work than usual
- making a special dinner and eating it at the fancy table.

Things that haven’t worked:
- Convincing the 7 year old to have a lie in.

Can tell I’ve been successful as I’m pretty sure I’m going to wake up on Monday morning and wonder where the weekend went.

How are you mixing it up for the weekend?

Hands up who is finding lockdown makes them even m

Hands up who is finding lockdown makes them even more obsessed with food than usual?

No more nipping to the shops and it’s a bit of a lottery as to what’s left when you do get there (although I hear that’s calmed down). I’m trying to avoid going to the supermarket and that means making good use of what I’ve got in my pantry.
It’s a bit like a month-long MasterChef mystery box challenge.
I’m trying to experiment and have fun with it, plus use up some of the more random things that if we don’t eat now we never will.
There’s heaps of inspiration online and on the blog I’ve got a round up of some of the resources and recipe inspiration that I’ve found useful.
Lots of tips and inspiration from @nicole.5.avery, @legourmettv, @jamieoliver, @thehappypear, @chelseawinter and @veggie_mama.

Link in my bio.

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