Minimalist Valentine's Day ideas

Valentine’s Day is, in my opinion, one of the most commercialized holidays. It’s painful for people who are single. And even if you have a partner, you’re bombarded with ads saying you need to show your love with diamonds or a pre-printed card. Yuck.

But for many people, there’s the expectation that gifts should be exchanged, and there are ways to show your love without creating a lot of unnecessary waste (or breaking the bank).

Consumables are a great Valentine’s Day gift. If you’re giving candy, look for bars wrapped in recyclable foil and paper, not plastic. Skip the boxes of sampler candies that look nice but create a lot of trash (and who likes all those flavors?). Or you can bake a dessert, such as cookies or brownies, to share.

Flowers are a classic gift for a partner. Choose simple, thoughtful arrangements from a local florist, and ask if you can skip the plastic and have them wrapped in paper instead. If you can, compost the flowers once they’ve wilted.

If you’re giving jewelry, opt for vintage. It’s much more affordable than new pieces, and you can find really classic looks that aren’t available new. Etsy is a great place to look for vintage jewelry.

Finally, a handwritten card or letter is meaningful and personal, and it’s more likely to be saved and treasured than a pre-printed card.

Photo by Mira Bozhko on Unsplash

Zero waste shops

Updated 2/6/18

During my declutter/minimalist journey, I started to rethink all of my purchases. Were my clothes sustainable? What about my personal care or cleaning supplies?

There aren't a lot of eco-friendly shops near me, so I started looking for really good online shops. The stores on this list have sustainable products and minimal or zero waste packaging. Many also have good shipping or return policies. I haven’t tried all of them yet (I really am trying to be a minimalist), but I will add more information as I go along. I listed them alphabetically.

I left off Etsy shops because many of the ones I follow are in “vacation” mode. However, Etsy is a great place to find handmade or vintage items (and support small businesses!).

Aquarian Bath 
http://www.aquarianbath.com
Personal care items, including soap and shampoo.

Lush
https://www.lushusa.com - in USA (has sites for other countries)
Lush sells cosmetics and is dedicated to reducing their packaging. I love their Charity Pot lotion.

Meow Meow Tweet
https://meowmeowtweet.com
They specialize in personal care items, from lip balm to deodorant.

Package Free Shop 
https://packagefreeshop.com 
Carries a wide variety of zero waste products. One caveat is that they don’t accept returns.

PAREdown
http://www.paredownhome.com/store
This shop has a lot of essentials, and cool items like art supplies. It’s more minimalist than zero waste (some items have packaging).

thredUP
https://www.thredup.com
This is my go-to source for secondhand clothing. They often run 15% off discounts, too.

Tiny Yellow Bungalow
https://www.tinyyellowbungalow.com
This shop has a little of everything, from biodegradable cotton swabs and toothbrushes to vintage items.

Wild Minimalist
https://wildminimalist.com
They carry a lot of essentials, including woven bags, beeswax wraps, and silk floss.

Zero Waste Home
https://zerowastehome.com/shop
Bea literally wrote the book on zero waste. Her shop features items that help you shop and clean, as well as sustainable office or travel supplies.

Decluttering: a process

Awhile back, I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo. Ever since, I've been trying to declutter my life.

Kondo divides the tidying process into categories, and I've been stuck on the "Paper" category for a few months now. Cleaning my cubicle at work was a snap, probably because it's about three square feet, but my home is still ongoing. I even pulled a piece of paper out of a vent (put there by a previous owner), so paper has literally been hidden in the walls! I had records going back to the year 2000, so I will just take it a little bit at a time.

As I go along, I toss items I don't need into a donation box and arrange for pickup every few weeks. A local charity will accept clothes, books, and household goods, and I think I've been keeping them in business for the last year or so. I didn't think I had that much clutter to begin with, but it doesn't seem to end.

For example, I'm still quietly "rehoming" some Christmas gifts (don't tell my extended family members). My birthday is coming up soon, and I'm thinking of asking for people to donate to a charity instead of giving me a gift.

However, my closets are now organized, and I can open the doors and see everything at a glance. I don't need to move anything to get stuff out, which is nice. I also scrutinize every purchase before an item comes into my home, and so far I haven't bought anything that I regret. As I go along, I'm also taking notes for a book I'm writing on decluttering.

With any luck, one day my home will be spotless and I'll have a book to share.

Five hobbies for minimalists

A lot of hobbies require stuff. Stuff costs money. Stuff has to be stored and organized.

But there are plenty of activities that don't require all that.

Writing
You don't need fancy software to start writing. A pen and paper, or a computer and Google Docs will suffice. Resources on how to write are available for free online and in libraries.

Reading
Many people don’t take advantage of libraries, but they offer free books (and other media, like DVDs). Check out Goodreads and Twitter for book recommendations.

Running
All you really need to start running is a safe location and a good pair of shoes. Search for online running forums for tips. Many cities have running groups that welcome beginners (check your local free newspapers). Some health insurance plans will reimburse race registration fees, too.

Volunteering
You can volunteer at animal shelter or soup kitchen, serve as a companion at a local senior center or nursing home, read to children at schools, volunteer at a museum docent ... the possibilities are really endless. I attended a dinner recently in which a woman told me she volunteered as an usher at a local community theater, and was able to see shows and concerts for free.

Baking
This is a personal favorite of mine. All you need are a few pantry staples (flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, etc.) and a few pans (check out thrift stores for great deals, although you may already have a lot of what you need) and you can start baking bread, cakes, cookies, and pies. Allrecipes.com is a great place to start finding recipes. Bringing home-baked desserts to a party is a great way to save money, too.

Five unusual items you can recycle

Everyone knows that they should recycle. Paper, plastic containers, glass ... but what about items that you can't put into your curbside recycling?

It takes a little more effort to recycle these items, but if you're trying for a zero waste lifestyle (or you get charged per bag of trash you throw out), it can make a difference. As I noted in some sections, it especially makes a difference if you can get your school, workplace or a local business to participate. But even if you can't, you probably have these five items lying around your home, and can help the environment or a charity by giving them a second life.

Eyeglasses
The Lions Club collects old eyeglasses to give away. You can either ship eyeglasses directly, or put them in a drop-off location (many banks and retail stores have boxes by the doors).

Batteries
Batteries are one item that people often toss, but definitely shouldn't. Batteries have harmful chemicals and should be disposed of properly. I haven't been able to find one large organization that collects them, but check to see if there is a local electronics recycling company near you--they often take batteries.

I have a jar of all the old batteries I find rattling in drawers, or dead batteries from flashlights and remotes. Once it's full, I plan to take it to a local recycling company. From now on, I plan on using rechargeable batteries, too.

Keys
Keys for Hope collects keys for recycling, and uses the money to fight hunger. I know I have plenty of old keys around my home that I can send in. You can read more about the charity here.

Plastic bags
Plastic grocery bags, some shipping materials, and a lot of plastic wrapping can be recycled. Before you toss plastic, flip it over and check for a recycling symbol. If it's there, bring it to a local store for recycling (hint: there's probably a collection box in the same area where aluminum cans are collected). Most curbside recycling programs aren't equipped to handle it, but the stores are.

Plastic Film Recycling has more information on what's recyclable. It's important to keep plastic bags out of trash, because they can easily blow away and harm wildlife.

Toothbrushes and oral care items
TerraCycle partnered with Colgate to create a recycling program for plastic toothbrushes, floss containers, and empty toothpaste tubes. This is more of a project for a whole school or workplace to collect and ship them in, to make the recycling program worthwhile. I've heard of dentist offices setting up collection bins, which is a great idea.


If you have any more information about recycling, or an experience to share, please leave a comment!

Photo credit: Tim Mossholder, Unsplash

How long can you go without shopping?

The New York Times recently ran a piece called “My Year of No Shopping.” The author, Ann Patchett, explained that she went a year without buying many nonessential items, and she didn’t miss them. 

As far as New Year’s resolutions go, not shopping is a little more unusual. However, this is the time when people often receive significant credit card bills and are shocked by the balances. Many people certainly want to shop less, to save money and space. Minimalists and people practicing a zero waste lifestyle in particular are already focused on limiting their shopping. 

But my first thought was, how can someone not go shopping for a year? My clothes aren’t so high quality that they will last decades. Chances are that I’m going to wear out shoes and sweaters and T-shirts in that time, or my clothing needs will change.

For example, in December I thought my capsule wardrobe of clothing was all set. That is, until the temperature dropped to -9 F (-22 C) and I started looking for seriously warm winter gear.  

I haven’t bought any clothing so far this year, but I eventually will. I plan to start shopping more locally, looking at thrift shops first and prioritizing natural or recyclable fibers - and, of course, bringing a reusable bag.

Photo by Soragrit Wongsa on Unsplash