This Christmas, I am thinking more carefully about my festivities and trying to make them less wasteful. I’m not eschewing gift-giving or anything like that, but as far as it’s within my power, I’m trying to enjoy treats and activities that come with less packaging and less unnecessary consumption. So, while I was walking outside Read More…
Zero Waste: Takeout, Eating Out, Out and About
A new habit I am trying to develop is thinking ahead to avoid waste when I’m away from home. So far, my zero waste efforts have been focused on what I do at home, but I want to be more proactive about reducing waste when I’m out. I’ve noticed lately how many disposable products are used in Read More…
Konmari: Photos, and The End
The third part of my sentimental category is photos. These include both physical and digital photos. I started with several 3-ring binders, as well as some other albums that were gifts. Here are the binders, which contained all my photos from birth until just before getting married. What was interesting about these is that I put Read More…
Konmari: Memorabilia and Sentimental Papers
Right after going through my toys, I tackled my collection of various memorabilia: old schoolwork, souvenirs, love letters, etc. This consisted of a file box of mementoes (which was already pared down, as I boasted about earlier) plus various papers and items I had found during the rest of the KonMari process, including some sketchbooks, diplomas, Read More…
Konmari: Old Toys
The time has come for the sentimental category of the KonMari method. I started with my collection of childhood toys. I only recently realised, with clarity, that ‘sentimental items’ is what these actually are. I may tell myself I’m keeping them for my children, but that’s not the real truth. The KonMari method requires identifying Read More…
Konmari: Digital Declutter
Marie Kondo doesn’t talk a lot about digital items. The only aspect she discusses is digital photos (in Spark Joy). However, I want to clear up my digital belongings just like my physical ones, so I decided to go through all my computer files and any sort of ‘online presence’ like email accounts. Essentially, I wanted Read More…
Has Zero Waste Simplified or Complicated Life?
Something I have been wanting to find out since starting my zero waste project back in February is this: has zero waste complicated my life, or simplified it overall? Advocates of the zero waste movement tend to claim that zero waste has simplified their lives. Bea Johnson’s book, Zero Waste Home, is subtitled The ultimate guide to Read More…
Konmari: Kitchen Equipment
The time has come…to declutter the kitchen dishes, pots, pans, utensils, storage containers… Once again, I broke this down into smaller groupings. This was useful not only to create manageable tasks for the time I had, but because it limited things to groups that would fit on my table, so I could work there. First Read More…
Zero Waste Sewing (at The Simple Year)
Today is a special day for me, because it marks my first guest post on another blog: I’m writing about zero waste sewing at The Simple Year. The blog’s current host, Trisha, is sharing her efforts towards a more zero waste home, and I’ve been a follower of her blog for a while now and really enjoyed the Read More…
Konmari: Food
It’s time to sort through the food! I decided to break this into three parts: pantry goods, tea/coffee, and fridge/freezer. Here’s my pantry before I got started. It has fared well since I reorganised it at the start of the year, but since I shop more from the bulk foods now, its contents have changed Read More…