Returning to My Post

It's back to blogging! I have moved yet again, this time to our treehouse in the west side of Portland. So I am embarking on creating yet another minimalist home. We are painting, remodeling, and landscaping. So, I will have a lot to write about.

I will also be writing about ways to save time and money.

Upon returning to the land of blogging, I went through all of my favorite blogs that I had listed and was shocked to see how many were no more. Some stated that their space was for sale, some were just not found and some were just replaced by ads.

So I have updated my blog favorites and added some more I think you'll like. So I hope you'll follow me on my latest journey. Cheers!

Minimalist Living: Fifteen Ways I Have Saved Energy

1. By turning off the lights! Sounds simple, but when I really became conscious of it, I realized we left lights on all over the place. Outdoor lights left on during the day were a big offender.

2. I connected surge protectors to both our TVs and now turn them off there. This cuts down on standby energy drain. I do keep my DVR cable box plugged into the wall though because I record only what I want to watch and then watch it when I'm in the mood. This has cut down on my TV watching as well.

3. I plugged in my make up mirror, flat iron and blow dryer into a surge protector. This helped me because I turn them all off at once on the surge protector and I never leave one of them on by mistake any more.

4. Every time a light bulb goes, I replace it with a compact fluorescent bulb. I like to get the longest lasting bulbs possible because that means I won't have to deal with it for a long time. Our house has some tall ceilings and stairwells!

5. I installed floor to ceiling thermal curtains in the hottest parts of our home. They keep it cool in summer and warm in winter.

6. In the winter time when it's cold, instead of cranking up the heat, I fire up the stove and do some batch cooking. It warms up the whole house!

7. I placed umbrella tables on my front and back decks in front of large windows to block some of the sun as a tree would. They also provide shade for my cat and dog.

8. I set my Energy Star washer to the quickest setting - 35 minutes. Everything seems to come out just as clean as they do on a longer cycle.

9. I hang up a lot of the wash. I try to have a hang up load and then a dryer load. I don''t have a clothes line,  just a tension shower rod in my laundry room where I hang things on hangers. (It's mostly shirts and my fluffy skirts.)  Socks, towels and jeans always come out better tumbled I think. I also set throw rugs and comforters outside to dry.

10. The refrigerator is supposed to be the most energy thirsty appliance in a home. They run better when full, so I fill the freezer with bags of home made ice, bread and frozen homemade food. My husband does a pretty good job keeping the fridge filled up with beer! I also vacuum the coils regularly and try to have an awareness about not leaving it ajar!

11. We installed a programable thermostat and turn the air or heat off when we leave the house.

12. I alternate between sweeping and vacuuming the hardwood floors.

13. I bought a Voltair Solar Backpack and keep it on our super hot deck and charge our cell phones, iPods, and rechargable battery charger with solar energy.

14. I set our Energy Star dishwasher to the lowest setting - 35 minutes. The dishes still get clean and I don't have to wait around so long to put them away.

15. We moved into the city. This saves us gas because we walk a lot, and a lot of stove time because we hit every happy hour in our neighborhood!

Feeling a bit broke? Start cleaning your house!

If the price of gas has got you down, here are some hidden resources you already have that you can tap into:

1. Get out the vacuum and vacuum your house from top to bottom. Get rid of the spider webs, vacuum our curtains, vacuum under the beds and the mattresses, under the couch cushions and inside your closets. Now open up all the doors and windows to air your house out. You have just improved your air quality greatly without spending a dine except for the electricity. You will undoubtedly find a lot of change along the way. Put that aside for now.

2. Take everything out of your closets and see what's in there. We have a way of not appreciating what we have. I know right now I have clothes in my closet that I bought without trying on but never returned for whatever reason that still have the tags on them! They are perfect for a consignment store. Whenever I go through my closet I always find clothes that I have forgotten about too.

3. Take out and dust all of your books. Are there any you don't really care about? If so, you can sell them back to a used book store or trade them for a new one. Now you have a book to read that didn't cost you a dime!

4. Take out and dust and alphabetize all of your DVDs and CDs. This really gets you in touch with what you have. You can resell these either on line or at a used record store. Or give them away to friends - hey free gifts!

5. Go through your kitchen cupboards and see what's in there. Wipe them all down. Check for expiration dates on cans. Challenge yourself to come up with dishes that you have everything for. Invite a friend to dinner and watch a DVD you haven't seen in awhile. hey- free entertainment!

6. Remove all non essential items from your bedroom, wash all the dirty clothes and sheets and bedding. Make up your bed as if it were in a luxury hotel. Pick some flowers from your garden and put them in a vase on the dresser. Now snuggle up in bed with your new book or favorite snuggler. You get the idea!

7. Here's the best part! go through all of your drawers, coat pockets, and anywhere else that change can be found. Add it to the change you found in step one. Take it to the bank and have them spin it for you. Now you have money in your pocket and are no longer broke!

Why do I have to do all that cleaning? Why can't I just look for change and stuff to sell? you may ask. We live in a time where we are practically ordered to consume more and more. We feel broke if we can't buy something new. It's all too easy to forget about what we already have. If your house is a mess, then you're not taking care of what you have already spent your hard earned money on. Dusting books and alphabetizing DVDs puts us in touch with the disorder that too many posessions cause. And lastly, creating a peaceful, serene environment is the best way to feel rich.

Reducing Plastic Bags: Why it's worth it!

Once again I feel I need to write about garbage. 

I am quite opposed to the use of plastic grocery bags. It looks like there will soon be  a charge for them here in Portland if our wonderful new mayor, Sam Adams has his way. I backed him on this before he was elected and perhaps now we will start living up to our green reputation!

Here's something that happened to me in a local supermarket just yesterday. I was in line and when the checker asked me if plastic was okay, I said, "Oh no, I have my own bag."

The woman in front of me turned as she was leaving and said, " Now I suppose the green police are going to get me."

Taken aback, I replied, " Oh, I just don't like them accumulating in my cupboards."

Ignoring me, she turned back to the checker and said, " No, I really mean it."

So here I am, trying to sell this woman on using her own bags, (which is in my nature,) instead of being insulted by her accusatory remark about me, a perfect stranger. Heaven forbid, she think I am the green police! 

So,  for any of my readers that are into minimalism, but not going green, here are some reasons why reducing your use of plastic bags is worth it.

1. They junk up our cupboards.

2. They can carry bacteria from whatever food, such as produce was in them.

3. They fill up your garbage can, costing you money.

4. They litter our highways (which is ugly), because they don't break down as fast as paper would.

5. They harm wild animals. You're in favor of animals right? Like the Animal Planet, right?

Here is one reason why the "Green Police" would like you to curtail your use of this vile product. It is a quote from Chrissie Hynde,

" It's ruining the Earth so knock it off, you're screwing it up for the rest of us!"

I hope you'll all check out two of my favorite anti-plastic sites by two great authors:

Life Less Plastic and Fake Plastic Fish

Minimalist's Backyard - Taming the Mess!

If you haven't tamed your backyard yet due to bad weather, floods, etc. I's not too late. Here are some tips to get you started.

1. Good Design:

First of all, a good design aimed at low maintenance will really help. Decks are great because they can cover a large area, are great for entertaining and most importantly, let the rain water absorb and the earth breathe. Avoid lawns. They are the highest maintenance item in a yard and waste water. If you have one rip it up and replace it with bark or gravel paths through beautiful perennials.

2. Trees:

The best trees are ones that don't drop leaves. Basically pine trees. We plant Leland Cedar on all of our properties due to their quick growth and low maintenance. They can turn a yard with no privacy to a very private one in about three years. The squirrels, birds and cats love them too! Routing the water from your downspouts to your trees really helps relieve the storm drains and here in Portland, we get a discount on our water bill for doing so.

3. Privacy:

Trees don't always solve every privacy problem. When they don't, you can use trellises with vines. I recommend either potato vines or honeysuckle. Star jasmine is also great but takes longer to grow. Clamatis usually dies out in the winter. There are some non deciduous ones but they grow more slowly.

4. Flowers:

To save money and time I grow perennials. That means if you don't have too bad a winter, they come back each year. If you put a cold frame or plastic to keep the frost off them, they'll have a better chance depending upon where you live. Buying a few showy hanging plants each spring really makes you look like a super gardner too!

5. Vegetables:

My vegetable garden is completely grown in containers. They're just ones that trees came in and misc ones I've picked up. I do this because I hate to weed.

6. Watering:

I have two drip systems with a timers. I created them myself. They cost around $150 to do the front and back yards. and I am sure I have saved much more than that on my water bill and in plants saved. It was fun to put together too. It's just a hose with off shoots of little hoses to each plant that I want to get water instead of watering an entire area which encourages weeds. I even have it routed up to my hanging plants!

7. Compost:

I have a compost bin that is open on the bottom so the worms can come up. I just put my kitchen scraps and yard debris in it so I don't have to take them out to the curb. Less work for me! To read more about composting you can read: Minimalist Composting: Why It's Worth It

8. Weeds:

You're gonna have them. I don't let them get me down. I just go out a couple of mornings a week for about ten minutes in my clogs and halter top with a shovel and get my frustrations out. Then I throw them into the compost bin and reward myself by picking some flowers, herbs and vegetables.

Happy gardening!

The Story of An Artist

Many of my readers don't know that I am also an artist and have an artist notebook site but through this site, I have networked with many other artists on the web. One artist intrigued me because she makes wonderful art out of found items , (which you know I'm going to love because I think we are a wasteful society)! But there are two other reasons: one, she is a self taught artist like I am and two, she gave up all of her material possessions to go where ever life took her and it led her to be an artist.

So, I asked her if I could interview her for my blog about minimalism and what she wrote back was incredible! It's long though, so I'll spread it over a few posts.

The Minimalist: What made you think your life sucked?

The Self Taught Artist:

I was forty years old and had recently been asked to move out of the house I had rented

for twelve years because they were selling it. I had been a massage therapist for seventeen years and was burned out physically. I had moved into an apartment and had a hellish neighbor below me that tormented me with music all night. I had recently ended a 6+ year relationship and I had no clue what to do anymore. I knew the city (Phoenix) inside and out and nothing felt new or interesting. I had no skills or education for gainful employment. I was having horrible panic attacks.

The Minimalist:
How did you find the courage to restructure your life?

The Self Taught Artist:
I had a very wise woman suggest to me I just get rid of everything or put it in storage and leave. Get in my car and go. Go towards life. Keep moving and find my passion. Live somewhere awhile, work, and then move on. Just keep moving. It took everything I had to do but it took less than it would have taken had I stayed in the stagnant pool that I had been wading in. It quite literally felt like do or die. Change or die.

The Minimalist:
What kinds of things did you get rid of?

The Self Taught Artist:

I love this question. About five years prior to this I had a very close friend kill himself. Something in me changed overnight. I started burning all the journals I'd kept for almost twenty years. I got rid of most everything and started over. New furniture, new this, new that... I started collecting things that I thought would help me be more interesting and intellectual. Hundred of books, hundreds of records and CD's, art, and antique furniture. Very shallow, but a necessary thing to go through. Then when I had to move out of that house I rented, I had to downsize. I had already begun a pattern of collecting and ridding myself of things so when I decided I was going to just leave with whatever fit in my car, I was excited to finally just be free of the whole material possession thing.

I got rid of my personal stuff: pictures, high school yearbooks, letters from people, books, papers, clothes, knick knacks, etc. I donated what I couldn't sell to friends: furniture, kitchen accessories, bedding, the whole thing. I kept enough stuff to fill up a 5x10 storage unit. Mostly it was a five foot diameter, round chair I had bought that I didn't want to part with. That was the biggest reason for getting that storage unit, all for a $1500 chair! I pondered this to no end thinking if I kept NOTHING sure enough I would go out there, end up coming back sooner than I thought and be pissed I had to buy everything back to start over. And sure enough, which is what happened, if I kept things in storage I would end up staying away and that monthly rental fee along with having to deal with all that crap stuffed in storage would be the bane of my existence. I paid rent for four years and finally had friends go through it and just chuck it. My 'best' things were in that storage closet and I had them send me some of it this year. know what? I never felt happy getting it. It wasn't 'me' anymore. None of it. I got rid of it.

The Minimalist:
It makes you think doesn't it? I love that she said," It took everything I had to do but it took less than it would have taken had I stayed in the stagnant pool that I had been wading in."

Next part of the interview tomorrow.

How many cars do you have?

OK, how many cars do you have and what's in there? If you have any extra cars or an RV for that matter, that you don't drive that often, why? These are great things to either sell or donate and improve your financial picture. Even if they're just sitting in the driveway they're costing you space and perhaps, money to insure them.

Let's talk about that RV. They cost about 80 grand. Now, how many nights could a person spend in five star hotels for that amount of money (plus interest on the loan to buy it!) And I shutter to think about the cost of gas! They're not worthless though, because people can live in them. Does it ever make you sick to think about all those RVs sitting in people's driveways while millions of people are homeless in this country?

So, let's say you only have one car. What's in it? If it's full of junk, you're making your life harder. Did you know that the more stuff in your car, the worse gas millage you get? For example, my friend keeps six flats of bottled water in the back of his car so he can drink one every morning on his way to work because he knows he'll be dehydrated from the wine he drank the night before. Now, a flat of water weighs a bit so I asked him, " What if you just reused a water bottle every morning by filling it with our snow melted tap water? You'd save yourself the time, trouble, money, and garbage created by buying bottled water and probably get better gas mileage." What was his answer? "Shut up and drink your bottled water!" And if you've read my blog you know I hate bottled water!

Do you eat in your car? If you eat in your car you are breaking all of the dieting rules right off the bat, making yourself have to throw away fast food wrappers, and creating useless garbage. Hopefully, you don't support these establishments because they are ruining our farmlands, waterways, rain forests, and creating needless garbage. So let yourself have the pleasure of eating in a calm manner, not while driving.

Do you have a thousand CDs rattling around your car? I have another friend who crashed his car while changing a CD! An iPod hooked up to your car stereo is a great way to go or invest in a 5 CD changer so you can have variety. Driving to work is stressful enough without listing to the news or public radio. You'll just be angry by the time you get to work! Sit back, relax, play those songs that no one likes but you, and sing along!

Why do we keep stuff?

I am amazed when I see what some other people feel are their "treasures:" Little League baseball trophies, childhood games and toys, tools they never use, broken things they'll never fix, a breadbox? Anyone using a breadbox hasn't read my blog about how valuable counter space is!
I helped a friend move recently and he put as much stuff into the garage as he did the house!

I do have a few good ideas why people keep such things. I think they tie them to someone who gave them to them or someone they were with when they bought them somewhere in their past. Of course, many people hoard out of fear they'll have nothing one day, or they might need that useless thing one day. But the truth is: we need to get over this stuff! There's always more stuff in our future - the Good Will is full of other people's stuff they wasted their time, money, and our planet's resources on. You won't be young again, and your kids don't want your old toys. Oh, and your old girlfriend's not coming back, so make some room for a new one!

Minimalist Travel: Vacation in Your Own Town

Here in Portland, Oregon the weather just isn't giving us a break. Grey Grey Grey! I got onto the internet and started trying to find out how far we'd have to travel to get out from under these clouds and endless drizzle and to my horror it seemed to go on forever! We could drive eight hours to Redding or fly somewhere. Then I checked out the price of flying and it was crazy! $500 to fly to LA? There had to be an alternative. So my sweetie and I spent the weekend playing around in our own town. We ate every meal out, heard live music, went to art museums, Saturday Market, shopped on NW 23rd, (the tourist section of town), took cabs, stayed out late and slept in late and did pretty much what we would have done in any city on vacation. No dishes, no work and you know what happened? On Sunday the sun actually came out! Today alas, it's gone again, but we had loads of fun anyway and didn't have to spend $1000 for two round trip tickets to the sun, and kept our carbon footprint small...."Oh you can pour my next glass of wine into this glass. It saves energy."

The Minimalist’s Issues with Traveling Garbage

I met my sister and niece in Las Vegas to watch her in a cheer leading competition. We had a great time but I was distracted by all the garbage we created! I guess I really am obsessed with garbage because I think I generated more garbage in one week end than I would in a month at home! It was disgusting!

Of course it was all packaging, the thing that is choking our planet. Here’s how it went: on the airplane I was given two snacks in foil packets and a drink in a plastic cup. I couldn’t recycle the newspaper I was reading either. I tried to leave it in the pouch in the seat in front of me and was scolded by the flight attendant. (Remember when they used to be young and cute and always said, “Have a nice Day?”)

Then there were the plastic cups in the hotel room.

We went to see Elton John’s Red Piano Show which was wonderful. Unfortunately, every time we got another glass of wine from the concession stand there was another plastic cup. We asked if we could reuse the same ones and were told no with a condescending look. My sister thought she might reuse the cups at her house in her hot tub since they said Caesar's on them and were kind of cute but the idea of carrying them around all night soon lost it’s appeal.

Back at our hotel room we opted for extra towels and no maid service to save on sheet washing, vacuuming, and human energy. We reused the same plastic cups all weekend too. I even painted watercolors with one. But Las Vegas is having a water issue right now so there were the water bottles we threw away. Again, where were we to recycle them in a hotel? At least we made sure we turned off the lights and unplugged the hair appliances when we weren’t in the room.

Of course, everything we bought came with a plastic bag.

When we went to the Orleans Arena. There were thousands of cheerleaders everywhere and they had strewn litter all over the place. ( Not our team!) That was really sad.

On the way home: more plastic cups, foil wrappers, and a newspaper, (not recycled.)

Although, we had a great time, I came home with a whole list of new concerns about garbage and the tourist industry. So bare with me, I’m going to have to rant about garbage for at least five more posts. At least, my beautiful niece saw all of the small things we adults tried to do to be green and I know she took it all in.

I hate plastic! I found a great blog on the subject. Check it out!
http://lifelessplastic.blogspot.com/
And this....
http://i28.tinypic.com/w8mgs7.jpg

Minimalist Ways to Bank and Pay Bills

Using On Line Banking:

When it comes to making managing your money as easy as possible, on line banking is a huge help. Once it is set up, you can enter all of your bills just once and then pay them with a few clicks as they come in. If you aren’t so great about balancing your statement, don't worry, it deducts the money right away. So, if you only use your on line banking to pay bills, and your debit card for purchases, you’ll always know how much money is in your account. No more checks floating around out there to throw you off!

Some people prefer to have their bills automatically deducted. The only problem with that is that if something changes in your bill or a mistake has been made, the money has already taken out. It’s much easier to negotiate with a company when they’re trying to get you to pay them than after they’ve over billed you! And just in case you think that never happens, we had our mortgage escrow account recalculated with an error of over $6,000.00! Luckily I read the “New Escrow Estimation” letter they sent and refused to pay them a cent until it was resolved. It took a month of phone calls, emails, and threatening to turn it over to my attorney to get them to fix it. Unfortunately, I that mortgage set up to auto deduct so I had to pay the bank a $20.00 fee to cancel it. I’ll never use auto deduct again.

Any checks that you can have processed through direct deposit to your bank , however,will save you time. I had this at my last job and it was always nice to get my statement at work as good reminder of why I was working so hard!

So if you’ve been following my last few posts, soon you’ll have less junk mail to deal with, less bills in your mailbox because some of your bills are being e-mailed to you, and you’ll always know how much money is in your account by using on line banking, bill pay, and a debit card. No more checks! Now you’re in control!

Minimalist Finances and Junk Mail

Let’s face it managing money is a pain. I not only manage our family money but the money for our business as well. And the amount of paper that comes into our house is down right awful! It makes paying bills a cluttered event. The more stuff in our mailbox the more likely we are at risk of missing something important. Why does our government let random people send us stuff? Why is anyone allowed to send to “resident”? Well, we do have some recourse in this matter. I’ll share with you what I’ve been doing to reduce the amount of stuff that comes into my mailbox.

Step One: First of all, I went through my bills and found that our gas, electricity, and cable bills can be delivered via email. That change alone means that I don’t have to open the bill up, recycle the envelope it came in, the return envelope, the newsletter, etc. So at a minimum, that one action saves 72 envelopes a year plus 36 statements, and 36 newsletters. It also saves those companies money which could result in lower costs for the consumer. To manage these bills, I have created a simple email system. I set up two folders: bills, paid bills. These are the only bills I have been able to find that can be handled this way so far. I hope more will show up in the future.

Step Two: My bank lets me choose to have our statements delivered on line. So for us that means, line of credit, business bank account, personal bank account, IRAs, and credit card statements are all sent via email and don’t end up in my mailbox. That’s 5 x 12 = 60 less pieces of mail with their envelope, return envelope, statement, and newsletters. We’re talking 5 X 60 = 300 less pieces of paper that I have to handle per year.

These two steps save 444 pieces of paper a year that I don’t have to handle (i.e. open, shred, recycle.) What if everyone did that? How many trees wouldn’t have to be cut down just for the cost of doing business? And how much time do you think that saves? It’s hard to estimate it.

So as a minimalist, these two steps save time, space, ( in your mailbox) and our environment.