shopping – Page 2

Minimalist Christmas – a gift guide

Gifts, the dilemma of dilemmas for aspiring minimalists! Giving, receiving – it all becomes fraught.

A Christmas Gift Guide for Minimalists

Personally, I wouldn’t be without gifts at Christmas. I love watching my Dad trying to guess all his gifts before opening them, and seeing my Mum coming into the room late in the day having just found that gift she bought for me months ago and had stashed in a “safe place”.

But then there is the other side – the gag toilet seat golf set from Secret Santa or another hand cream. You do your best to keep things minimal all year, only to be defeated by Christmas clutter creep.

You don’t have to be a Grinch to be a minimalist at Christmas. Here are some tips to help you through. Continue reading “Minimalist Christmas – a gift guide”

My must haves this Christmas

Warning: This post DOES NOT contain affiliate links. My holiday essentials aren’t something you can buy in a shop.

My Christmas Must Haves - How I Approach Christmas as a Minimalist

Christmas – you’ve probably noticed that it’s approaching fast. Here in New Zealand, we don’t have Thanksgiving and we don’t really have Halloween, so the shops have been waiting for Christmas since Fathers’ Day in September.

Some people love Christmas, some people hate it. I oscillate between the two. Generally, I enjoy Christmas day, but can’t stand all the hoopla of the whole holiday season. I’m not Christian (or religious at all), so it can be a challenge to find meaning in Christmas beyond consumerism – gifts and food, and lots of them. Not to knock gifts and food, but if you’re looking for real joy in Christmas, gifts and food alone isn’t going to do it.

Christmas is a challenge to my more minimalist and anti-consumerism values. But that’s not a bad thing, because preparing for Christmas prompts me to pause, reflect and clarify my intentions. That leads to my must haves for mindful and meaningful Christmas. Continue reading “My must haves this Christmas”

Zeroing in on food waste

It is Friday, so it’s time to check in about my food waste over the last fortnight.

Shopping, food waste, food waste friday — What’s going into my freezer after this morning’s supermarket shop

Above zero

I am pleased to report that last week was another zero food-waste week, however unfortunately this week we wasted half a scoop of chips. It was a classic case of our eyes being bigger than our stomachs when ordering at the local fish and chip shop. My husband diligently cleaned up and threw them out before I managed to make a move to save them. I was going to try to reheat them the next day – they’d probably be quite soggy I’d imagine!

Continue reading “Zeroing in on food waste”

Shopping online to spend less

It is Food Waste Friday and I’m pleased to say that being accountable for my waste is making a real difference.

I got asked a great question this week (thanks Pip): “Have you found that doing it in public has helped more than just giving yourself a stern talking to?”.

The answer is a big YES. Obviously, going public is highly motivating, but there is more to it than that. Before starting this project, I felt guilty about my waste, but harsh self-criticism and bad feelings weren’t making much of a difference. Now when I waste food, I don’t feel as bad about it. I know I’ve made a good effort to reduce my waste and I use it as a learning opportunity to improve my systems.

And it is working! This week I’m happy to report zero food waste – until this happened.

Food Waste Friday, Food waste, shopping — Broken jar of capsicums – #FoodWasteFriday 10 July 2015

Continue reading “Shopping online to spend less”

It’s not a bargain if you bin it

Welcome to Food Waste Friday. This week, I fell victim to the supermarket’s super-marketers.

First, the good news. The system I implemented last week – designating a shelf in the fridge for items that need to be used up ASAP – is working well. All leftovers, half used jars of tomato paste, etc., were used up.

Food waste, Food Waste Friday, shopping — Broccoli to the bin – Food Waste Friday 3 July 2015

The bad news –1 ¼ heads of broccoli in the bin. I went to steam and puree it on Monday (in an attempt to save it) but it was too far gone. This was a clear case of “bargain blinkers”. Broccoli wasn’t on my shopping list, but I couldn’t resist it at a bargain two for $3. Wow, I could save $1 by buying two! So I did, but I barely used any of it – really, I wasted $2 and a lot of broccoli.

Continue reading “It’s not a bargain if you bin it”

Food waste – perception vs reality

It is Friday, so it’s time to stand up and account for my food waste.

How did I do this week?
Not great. Food wasted:
• 1 kiwifruit
• 1 mandarin
• 1 lime
• ¼ bottle of passata

#foodwastefriday, food waste — This week’s waste – #FoodWasteFriday 26 June 2015

This was an eye opener. I thought I was doing really well and on track for zero food waste this week. Wrong.

Continue reading “Food waste – perception vs reality”

The cost of free stuff – the Minimalist Game days 15 – 21

My decluttering has really ramped up over the last week. I am still amazed by the amount of junk I have stashed away. While my house doesn’t look much different, the kitchen especially is a lot easier to use.

Minimalist game, decluttering, #minsgame — Minimalist Game Days 15 – 21

Freedom from the freebies

As I decluttered over the last three weeks, I’ve been struck by the amount of stuff in the house I acquired for free. It is now clear to me that all this free stuff has a cost.

Continue reading “The cost of free stuff – the Minimalist Game days 15 – 21”