Marie Kondo Is Wrong: Tidying Up Should Start With The Pantry I love Marie Kondo. Who doesn't, right? For those who may not know of her, she is an organizing consultant and author of the best-selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. Marie Kondo has inspired millions to tidy up, declutter, and live a more … [Read more...] about Marie Kondo Is Wrong: Tidying Up Should Start With The Pantry
minimalism
Weekend Reflections: Resolutions, Luxury, and Deals
Weekend Reflections 1/12/19: Resolutions, Luxury, Deals and More The past few weeks have been quite eventful. Christmas and New Years came and went. It was also my birthday recently. I can confidently say that I am firmly in my mid-30's now. I know, sounds old doesn't it? Especially when it seems like everybody in the FIRE community is trying to retire in their late … [Read more...] about Weekend Reflections: Resolutions, Luxury, and Deals
The Buy Nothing Project And 5 Reasons Why It’s Awesome
The Buy Nothing Project A few days ago in my last post, I mentioned the Buy Nothing Project and how it has helped us get back to a more frugal minimalist lifestyle. So what exactly is it? The Buy Nothing Project is a network of hyper-local gift economies with the founding principle of "Give Where You Live." It began in 2013 with two friends from the state of … [Read more...] about The Buy Nothing Project And 5 Reasons Why It’s Awesome
The Art of Minimalism
The Art of Minimalism Minimalism is an art. It is abstract. And it comes in all different colors, shapes, and sizes with no "one size fits all" definition. What exactly is minimalism? Thoughts of minimalism often conjure up images of someone who sells their possessions, quits their full-time job, and lives in a downsized trailer. Wait a minute. That sort of sounds … [Read more...] about The Art of Minimalism
Buy Nothing Challenge June Update: Summer Sunshine Savings and Frugal Wins
Buy Nothing Challenge At the beginning of the year, I enlisted my wife and I to join other personal finance bloggers in a buy nothing challenge. Fast forward to now and it's already July. I can't believe the year is half way over! Time sure seems to fly when you're either busy or having fun. Luckily, most of the time we're busy having fun :). So how are we doing on … [Read more...] about Buy Nothing Challenge June Update: Summer Sunshine Savings and Frugal Wins
Buy Nothing Update: Come What May
Buy nothing For new readers to the blog, I accepted the challenge to buy nothing for a year back in January. Other bloggers are doing this too, including Happy Philosopher who started (and popularized) it. The best part? My wife is totally on board. There were a few exemptions that we allowed ourselves to buy. This includes: A Tesla Model 3. While expensive, I don't … [Read more...] about Buy Nothing Update: Come What May
Traveling Made Me Who I Am Today
Traveling I have always loved traveling since I was a little kid. In fact, my first international trip occurred when my parents took me to Mexico City as a one year old boy. Do I clearly remember everything about that trip? No. But I do have some vague memories of it based on the stories that my parents would tell me. Every year, my parents made an effort to take me on … [Read more...] about Traveling Made Me Who I Am Today
Buy Nothing Update: April, The Month We Came Close To Buying Nothing
Buy nothing... sounds easy enough That's what I thought back in January when I first heard that other bloggers were doing it. My wife and I are relatively frugal and semi-miimalists. How hard can it be, right? So I accepted the challenge. The first three months (January, February, and March) were not ultra-frugal. We bought big ticket items that we had planned to purchase … [Read more...] about Buy Nothing Update: April, The Month We Came Close To Buying Nothing
Buy Nothing Update: A Minimalist March
I hope everybody had a Happy Easter / Passover / April Fools / National One Cent Day or whatever holiday you chose to celebrate this weekend. :D Spring is in full bloom here in Southern California. And because it's a new month, it's time to fill you in on our "buy nothing challenge" for the month of March. So how did we do? We spent a total of less than $1,500 Yes, … [Read more...] about Buy Nothing Update: A Minimalist March
Buy Nothing Update: A Frugal February Fail! (Spoiler Alert… I Bought A Tesla)
If you recall, I joined a few fellow bloggers in a challenge to buy nothing new this year. January was a relatively frugal month. Other than a semi-expensive, organic non-toxic mattress and bed, we didn't spend much on anything. And then February came along. So how did we do in February? Short answer is: definitely not as frugal. I signed a purchase agreement of $56,000. And … [Read more...] about Buy Nothing Update: A Frugal February Fail! (Spoiler Alert… I Bought A Tesla)