In this episode, I do my best to answer some of your questions. I hope you enjoy and that they’re helpful!
I absolutely loved answering these questions. It made me consider carefully and allowed me to see how far I’ve come. I hope you’ll take a moment to see how far you’ve come, too.
Here are the questions and my answers:
1. What do you do with photographs? Personally, because we so heavily invest in experiences and travel, I love having photo albums. We don’t have a ton, but my kids love them, it’s a bonding experience to look at them together, and it’s preserving our family history. In the future, I’d like to replace the albums we have with one that’s made of wood or something that will go beautifully with our home—a feature instead of an excuse of a place that holds our memories.
If you don’t want a photo album, go digital. Ask family members if they want the originals of the old black and white photographs and consider uploading them to a genealogy site where many can enjoy them.
In my opinion, it’s not so much a problem that we keep photos of memories, but that we take SO MANY on our smart phones and never go through to clean them out. This is a project I’ve been working on a bit and want to dive into more, but even more importantly, I’m trying harder to not remove myself from the moment unless it’s truly worth the photo to disturb it. Taking less pictures will most certainly help with this question!
2. Do you have any tips for going plant-based? Absolutely I do! Here are the things I wish I would have learned ten years ago: Eat the best produce you can afford and more of it in general, and make simple meals that have complex flavors.
I wish I would have been eating as much produce as possible all these years because it has drastically improved my health to get lots of greens, veggies, and potatoes and rice into my body. They’ve healed so much of what was messed up. Also, most of the time, big box store produce is awful and I’m not surprised when I hear that people dislike salads or veggies. I don’t like salads or veggies from big box stores, either! As often as I can, I try to purchase produce at farmers markets, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Sprouts, or other places like that. It’s far superior and worth the extra cost (if there is any—I often find savings).
Keeping the meals simple by creating new dishes with basic ingredients saves so much time and effort! I season and cook things differently, which prevents boredom and actually makes cooking interesting.
Eating plant-based takes effort and has forced a lot of change in my pantry, but it’s been one of the best things I’ve ever done. I feel amazing and so much happier.
3. Bullet Journals—how do you use one to achieve your goals? This question honestly needs a video, so watch out for that in the future. Basically, though, I use my bullet journal to plan out and achieve my goals, keeping a few lists of completed tasks in the pages.
1. Keep a write-out-your-goals page—don’t include how-to steps, here.
2. Keep a monthly spread page that has tasks you’ll complete within the month to be able to achieve your goals. Put check boxes next to the tasks because that’s just a nice feeling and also allows you to see success as well as areas you can improve.
3. After each monthly spread page, create basic weekly pages much like you’d find in a planner. Here you’ll turn your monthly tasks into micro tasks to check off each day.
Because I’ve focused on goals for my bullet journal (these dotted grid blank journals can be used for anything!), it’s very centered on that and doesn’t include things other than my goals. I’ve gotten so much done using this form of organizing! I might get one for home schooling next year because I love the way they work so well.
4. What made me decide to practice minimalism? There were two key moments that convinced me that a firm commitment to minimalism would greatly enhance my life. These stories are a lot longer than I try to keep these posts, so you’ll have to listen to the podcast episode on the player above in order to hear the full scoop, but basically, I had two moments a couple of years apart that massively contrasted each other and that’s when everything began to change.
First, when we were traveling a decade ago, I realized that everything that was truly important and necessary to me was in the car and tent trailer we towed. It made me feel vulnerable for a moment before a feeling of focus and love for my family washed over me. It made me committed to keeping what was enhancing my life and ditching the rest.
Secondly, when we were settled into a home we were renting a year or so later, I found myself overwhelmed by the mess and dredges from letting too much stuff into our home and lives. I’d felt betrayed by minimalist expectations and had walked away from minimalism, but this was an even greater betrayal—stuff really doesn’t make you happy if it’s excessive, unnecessary, and unused.
I’m so grateful for those two experiences—my mental shift never would have happened without them.
5. Where can I find your recipes? First off, you can find most of them by scrolling through the blog right here. Also, you can find them on my YouTube channel—How to be a Minimalist—or at all the links I’ve conveniently placed below. There are a few special recipes that I give to Patrons. If you’d like to become a patron of my work, you can do so by clicking HERE. Thanks for your support!
Hope this Q&A helps and I’ll see you next time. Remember, it’s all about the experiences, not the stuff.
How to be a Minimalist YouTube Videos—52 videos in 2020 Goal:
20. Minimalist Tips for Beginners
19. 5 Chores that Keep Your House Tidy
18. Vegan Sour Cream and Salsa Dip
17. Meals for Maximum Weight Loss
16. Minimalist Nightly Routine
15. Goddess Dressing Recipe + Minimalist Weekly Food Prep
14. Vegetable Orzo Pasta Recipe
13. VLOG: Beacon Rock State Park—RV Minimalists Edition
12. 5 Things I Don’t Buy Anymore as a Minimalist
11. Homemade Hummus Recipe
10. Five Daily Habits that can Improve Your Life
9. Creamy Butternut Squash Soup (Plant-Based/Dairy-Free)
8. Soft and Fluffy Dinner Rolls (Plant-Based, Oil-Free, Dairy-Free)
7. Chocolate Cream Pie (Plant-Based with Oil-Free Crust)
6. Simple Crunchy Granola Recipe
5. Vegan Cheesy Fry Sauce
4. How to Make Cashew Yogurt
3. Sushi Bowl Salad
2. Cashew Milk Recipe
1. WeColor Silicone Straw Review
The Darwin Awards Podcast — My husband and his brothers’ podcast
Something Interesting: Embrace Intentions YouTube Channel & Instagram
You can now purchase my book, How to be a Minimalist — A Beginner’s Guide! Click HERE to see the details.
Your support of the show is so very appreciated! Ratings, reviews, and Patreon patronage all sustain this show. Don’t forget that Patrons now get bonus episodes! Thanks so much!
Want to leave a tip in my virtual tip jar? You can Venmo me @HowtobeaMinimalist Thank you so much for your support!