Simplify Life: 10 Hints On How to Scale Back

After being accepted into the college of my choice (Milwaukee, here I come!) I was trying to think of the ways that I can save money and simplify my life for the unknown future. Some are a bit extreme, and I doubt I’ll follow through on them. Some make perfect sense, and will make me a better person, I’m sure. Here’s my brainstorming on moving to a new (and bigger) city.

 

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1. Move into a Studio apartment. I know, I know. A Studio, alone, when you can have roommates to help split the cost of living? Well, I’m not a roommate person. Unless I know them, and WELL. I mean well enough to know my habits or theirs will never tarnish our relationship. I love solitude. And in a studio, I’ll save money because I won’t be in a 1 bedroom, and I will be forced to get rid of the things I don’t use anymore.

2. Sell the car and get a little gem off of Craigslist. This is super risky seeing as how I JUST got a car in February and don’t want a piece of poo that will break down in like 6 months and leave me stranded with no heat, no transmission, or my favorite, no car. Because it’s old and easy to break into. And someone steals it. Thieves. PLUS, selling my new car for a used one will save me like $300+ a month. Which I can save up to pay off my student loans. Oh, the vicious circle of life.

3. Keep the car, and ride a bike more. I’ll not only save gas money, but gym membership money because i’ll have the legs of a mountain climber from all of the bike riding I will do. This site “Practically Green” had TONS of tips on how to live a life with a smaller carbon footprint. You can even take a test to see how “green” you are.

 

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4. Buy local. It may not always be cheaper, but buying local and fresh can save you money overall because you’ll be forced to cook with the fresh ingredients, and save money by not eating out as often. And if I do eat out, because I’ll be in a city full of sweet restaurants, I can restrain myself to a budget. Like having one drink out, and buying a 6 pack for later.

5. Sell my things. No, not all of my things. I love (most) of my things. I have already downsized by half of all my belongings in the last 3 years, and have only kept what’s the most important to me, like things I actually look at and use. I never used the George Foreman Grill, it went. I never used the coffee maker, I gave it to someone who needed it. Somewhere to start? How about selling ALL of the clothes you don’t wear anymore. Books you thought you would read but don’t. (Get them on your kindle app on your phone, if you miss it so much, people.) Old magazines, pots, the 5th spatula you bought, the VHS tapes you have but no VCR. Sell the old chair no one sits in, and the spare set of dishes you never use. And who needs 6 sets of sheets and mismatched pillowcases? Do you really use ALL of them? I don’t. And on that note…

6. Organize. Go through your things, and organize it all. That’s right, all of it. Start in one room. One little room, the bathroom. Get bins, and label them. One for lotions, one for makeup, one for first aid. You’ll be amazed at what you throw away because it’s old or you don’t use it, and how easy it will be to find the band-aids from now on. Once your things are organized, you’ll feel so much less stress on the mind, and you’ll have a mental inventory of what you own, keeping your mind at ease about where things are too. Like your passport and luggage, for when you go to France. Hey! A girl can dream.

 

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7. Don’t spend money on what I don’t need. I will always get myself a little treat here and there, (chai tea and a new book? Sure!) but I don’t need some things that are impulse buys, and that’s where I can cut back on spending, and start saving. Plus I won’t acquire stuff that takes up space if i’m not buying random things. Don’t go to the store because you’re bored, go because you have a list of things you need around the apartment, and stick to it.

8. Stay inspired to keep a tidy home. Read blogs like Apartment Therapy to keep your apartment tidy and “green”, (like this article on 10 tips to stay happy at home) and get recipe ideas for cooking yourself dinner. Watch movies with adorable apartments in them like 27 Dresses and High Fidelity. Always helps me.

9. BUDGET. Money is on of the biggest stressors for individuals or couples. I can’t stress enough how important it is to budget. Budget out how much your bills are vs how much you have coming in. If you don’t have enough to save some money for the future, and for the now, or for the things you really want out of live as a whole, scale back your spending or increase your income somehow. It sounds hard, but it’s not that bad. Sure I can say that, I don’t own a house or have a baby. But when it comes to my life, I’ve budgeted out my income vs outgoing money and figured out the best way for me to live comfortably. I’m still suffering for money mistakes i’ve made in the past, but I’m on the road to financial freedom, and way less stress. Check out Mint.com and go from there. Here’s some more ideas on how to save money from the Budget Diet.

10. Last but not least, Stress Less. Here’s some pointers:

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Don’t you feel better already? Happy simplifying!

Unusual Date Ideas

I found this today on Pinterest, and I MUST share. For anyone quirky (and in a relationship) like me, you’ll appreciate it. I’m always looking for cheaper date ideas, something fun, out of the ordinary, and something that doesn’t cost a lot of money… So go ahead, grab your hubby, and start crossing these fun ideas off your summer checklist .

 

 Image Credit. I especially love #17. Happy Dating!

Happy Earth Day! What’s in Your Closet?

With earth day approaching, I decided to start by doing something motivational, that actually doesn’t really help the earth… But it gets me in the spirits of earth day! I created a fake outfit on a shopping website. More on that in a bit. I actually treat every day like Earth day, trying to recycle, buy organic food item, pick up garbage on the street to throw away, don’t buy things that I don’t need, and don’t throw too much garbage out. I like to make things I need instead of buying too many impulse items, and I look for used items before new things, if the case permits. I digress.

So, I got an email from Polyvore, a clothing and design website where you can easily create a board with clothing items, or home design items, to get your creative juices flowing with a simple drop and drag method, and you can also shop from the site with the items you see. It’s pretty fun. They are having a contest for earth day, with contestants creating an outfit for for the occassion. I chose all organic items for my outfit. Organic cottons, beeswax lip balms, organic tea, and stones. No leathers, weird unnatural plastics, or polyesters. I know it’s easy to just choose green colored items, but I wanted take it a step further to choose actual earth friendly items. Which has me thinking about my real clothes. How earth friendly am I?

I’m pretty earth friendly, actually, and here’s how I know:

• I buy from thrift stores at least 50% of the time. (Some things, you shouldn’t buy used…)
• I buy from places like TJ Max, where they buy overstock items and keep them from being wasted. (I got Teva’s for $40 instead of $135!)
• I don’t by what I don’t need. I don’t “go shopping” for the sake of doing so. If I’m bored, I watch TV, read a book, clean the apartment, or go for a walk.
• I buy things that are comfortable, usually made from cotton. I should take the time to check labels of clothing more often, but I’m such a picky shopper, if I actually find something I love, I will buy it. It’s a rare occasion.
• I’m not an impulse shopper. I’ve never had the urge to spend money for no reason. I’m too practical for that.
• I recycle my old clothes, unless they are in terrible shape. Then I try to make something out of the old fabric.
• I shop for what I need in person, instead of buying online, cutting back on shipping. I know, I know, clothes are “shipped” to a store in the first place. But let me have this one.

So here’ s my outfit I put together:

Organic Earth Day Outfit by roxanne-hembd featuring slim straight leg jeans

My fun outfit! It’s got layers for any weather. Of course the umbrella is nesessary. You never know when it’s going to rain in April, or in Wisconsin in general. There’s another fun site, www.practicallygreen.com where you can take a little test to see how “Green” you are, and find out what you can do in almost every situation to become a little more earth friendly. I recommend it to everyone. Especially home owners.

Happy Earth day!

Little Ways to Reduce your Carbon Footprint

I’m always trying to think of how to lessen my carbon footprint on this planet. I was once asked about ways to reduce your carbon footprint and jokingly replied “Have little feet!” I mean I want to make my mark in the world, but not in the way of big carbon footprints. Here’s some things I do to help out, and some things you can do too.

My eco-friendly purchase of the day. Tag reads “Dishwasher safe. Because nobody likes to clean” Ha ha. 

Turn off the lights. I know this is a simple one, but turning off the lights when you leave a room, the house, etc is a good energy saver. Don’t forget that little one above the stove.

Don’t worry too much about night lights. Try to get one with an LED light, which costs about 7 cents a year to run, where an older style bulbed one costs about $2 a year.

Take your own bags to the store. If you can remember, take your own bags to the grocery store, convenient store, or pharmacy. If you are a girl and have a big purse, this helps too. Then you don’t end up with a stockpile of plastic bags. Sure you can recycle them if you have too many, but why start that collection? We use them for little trash cans and whatnot so they can come in handy. And some grocery stores give you a discount for bringing your own bags.

Save toilet water. Did you know that by putting a 1 liter (full) bottle of rocks (for weight) and water in your toilet tank actually reduces the amount of water your toilet uses with each flush, and doesn’t affect the performance of the toilet? Give it a try.

Get an LED TV instead of a LCD. The Light Emitting Diodes are actually more energy efficient than Liquid Crystals.

Re-useable water bottles and coffee cups. I noticed that when I drink something out of a straw, I tend to drink more. (This explains a lot when I go to bars and get a cocktail vs beer…) But it’s good when I’m at work, I drink more water. You save the planet a little plastic, and save money every time you use your own cup at Starbucks. Most coffee shops will even give you a discount when you bring your own cup. Just ask.

Use a dishwasher, when you can. I know washing the dishes by hand can be cathartic, but using a dishwasher saves you more water (37% on average) than when you wash a load by hand, leaving the water running. And try to run the dishwasher when it’s full, not half full.

Look for a dishwasher with the energy star logo, and one with a built in garbage disposal. Less rinsing before hand.

Take a short shower. When I can, I like to take a shower to music, and get out before the third song is done. This way, I save water, and don’t stand there contemplating the universe for 30 minutes, wasting time and money. A 4 minute shower uses 20-40 gallons of water.

Use a paper bag for paper recyclables. We line a can with a plastic bag for bottles and cans, because they can be messy. But we use a paper bag for cardboard and paper recyclables. Hey, you’re recycling the bag with the cardboard, and using one less plastic bag. Remember NOT to recycle pizza boxes with cheese in them though, the cheese jams machines used to break down cardboard.

Un-Plug electronics not in use. Did you know most chargers keep pulling energy from the wall even if nothing is plugged into them? Be sure to unplug phone, computer, and other electronic chargers when not in use. Better yet, keep them on a surge protector, and shut the whole thing off.

Buy Soy Candles. Soy candles not only smell cleaner and burn cleaner, they also burn longer. Soy wax doesn’t emit parrafin (black smokey stuff) into the air like regular candles. Hey, cleaner walls! They may cost a little more, but they last way longer, so it’s a win in the long run.

Soy candles usually come in neat decorative jars. I love the Wood Wick candles, they crackle like a fireplace when they burn.

Daily Shopping Common Sense. Try to buy items made in the United states, because that item most likely used less energy to produce, with less distance to ship. Look for items with less/ and or recycled packaging. Look for items where you can recycle the packaging. Think about impulse items long before you buy them. If you don’t need them, (3 for the price of 2!), save the money, and the waste of packaging by not buying them. Look for items like cleaners and paint that are “organic” or “good for the planet” because they will emit less Volatile Organic Compounds into the air, and into your lungs.

Be a vegetarian! That’s right. I’m saving the animals, AND saving the planet. The meat production industry leads the nation in polution. I don’t want to contribute to that. Plus, I don’t like eating animals.

Walk, don’t drive. We purposly moved into a downtown area so we could walk to restaurants, the gas station for quick items, and the local Shopko for stuff like cat food and dish soap. We are close to a budget theater, mexican restaurant that we frequent, and a few bars for late night entertainment. Walking is good for the body, and good for the planet.

I took this while apartment hunting a year ago. I knew right then I wanted to live in this little downtown neighborhood. This pic is of a historical Hotel that has a restaurant and bar.

Learn to craft & cook. I love to sew, paint, cook, and craft in general. If you can adapt these skills, you can make blankets out of fabric scraps, stitch socks with little holes so you don’t have to throw them out and get new ones, paint a piece of art for the wall, alter a shirt that’s too big, fix the lining of your pocket that has come undone, cook a meal with ingredients from the farmer’s market, and fix broken items with your awesome super glue skills.

Shop at the Thrift store. I shop at thrift stores for clothes, books, home accessories, and furniture. It’s stuff that’s already been loved and around for a while, and keeps me from buying brand new when I don’t have to. I love to treasure hunt at Goodwill and find an awesome new coat or broken in jeans. Plus, that money goes to a good cause.

See! There are SO many things you can do to help the planet. Most of you are probably already doing them, and don’t even realize it! Pat yourself on the back for being a green machine. I don’t know about you, but I want to leave this earth in better shape for my (future) children and teach them about the importance of being earth friendly.

What do you do to help the planet?

Happy tiny footprint leaving!

Stylin’ Glasses for Low Dough

I was in need of some new glasses recently, only due to the fact that i’ve stylishly outgrown mine. So it was more of a want than a need, per say. But I’m in between insurance carriers right now (the way one is between jobs) and a new pair at a store can cost me anywhere between $300 and $500 and beyond for an exam, frames, lenses… so I opted for asking around, and shopping online. I popped into the old eye doctor, and had them write down my prescription for me so I could order online. (NOT telling them that was my intention. I hate to bruise egos.) I found a few really cool sites that you can  choose frames, punch in your prescription, and within weeks, have new frames sent to your door for as little as $15!

Zenni Optical boasts ridiculously low prices ranging from $6.95 and up for frames and lenses. You can add anti-glare coating and clip on sunglasses for as little as $4. You can even get yourself some prescription sunglasses.

There’s a wide selection of awesome and colorful frames.

Here’s a snap of me in my $20 specs.

Warby Parker is another site that offers glasses for $95, and that includes shipping, frames, lenses, and free return shipping in case something goes awry. They also provide a pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair they sell. How awesome is that?

They have a neat selection of vintage inspired frames. And by creating them themselves they can afford to keep costs low and save you money.

They are also a Carbon Neutral company. “We actively work to reduce our environmental impact. In fact, we’re one of the only carbon-neutral eyewear brands in the world. We’ve mapped out all of our greenhouse gas emissions from frame production to shipping to warehousing to office work and have purchased carbon offsets accordingly.” PLUS- hold up. They have monocles. What?! I know. Pretty nifty.

There’s also BonLook, an eye ware company that has prescription frames + lenses and sunglasses for just $99. And like Warby Parker, they have free Carbon Neutral Shipping.

They boast of a “Pay It Forward” where BonLook has joined in on the great work of the nonprofit organization Helen Keller International (HKI) by donating 1% of its sales to HKI’s ChildSight® program in New York, which seeks to improve the vision and academic potential of low-income children who have limited access to basic vision care.

Here’s just a few of their stylish looks. Happy glasses hunting! I know you’ll look stunning!