#AYearOfIntentionalLiving

7 Ways to Reduce Waste

Leave a Comment

I am still working on setting intentions/goals for 2019 but one I know for sure is that I want to reduce our waste. The amount of waste that we make as a family is astonishing and I wonder what am I teaching my children? How can I better prepare them to take care of the world around us, create less of an impact and to really be intentional about how we live. So here are a few things I will be doing to help reduce our waste. 

  1. Make a list of things you throw out every week/regularly. Are there items on this list that you could replace with reusable items or reduce packaging by buying in bulk?
  2. Shop with intention. Create a list and stick to it. When grocery shopping shop produce and the bulk section first. Also bring your reusable grocery, bulk and produce bags. 
  3. Compost. If you live in a city that offers composting take advantage of it. If not consider options for renters or homeowners. 
  4. Take advantage of Buy Nothing Groups. Tip: remember that you don’t need to take everything the intention is to offer up working items to others.
  5. Shop second hand stores and fix things rather than toss. 
  6. Create a reusable travel pack. Include items such as cloth napkins, bamboo cutlery, water bottle, coffee mug and  reusable straw.
  7. Go Paperless. Have receipts emailed to you and sign up for online bills. 

What steps have you taken to reduce your waste? 

This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.

Three Amazon Purchases You Won’t Regret, Ugly Drinks & 30 Days No Online Shopping

Leave a Comment

You may remember back a few months ago when I said I was taking the month off from online shopping. Well spoiler I failed miserably. Like so bad. So tonight after I ordered by case of Ugly seltzer because I apparently just couldn’t help myself (who knows maybe you can’t help yourself either and if that’s the case here is $10 of your first order) I decided that I need to take a break for real this time. Thirty whole days with absolutely no online shopping. Nada. 

Also I thought this might be the perfect time to share with you five things you probably don’t need but that I love and use regularly. Because why not fuel your shopping addiction while I try and reduce mine?

Healthy Human Insulated Tumbler.

I bought this after having Ingrid because when you’re a nursing mama you basically constantly feel thirsty and the bigger the tumbler the better because it means not having to move or wake a sleeping baby. Bonus this thing keeps my water cold for HOURS like so many hours and despite it being 32oz it is small enough on the bottom to fit in a cup holder of my car. Basically this is the magical unicorn of tumblers.

 

Soom Sesame Tahini and Chocolate Sweet Tahini Halva Spread.

Soom Foods Pure Ground Sesame Tahini Paste Two Flavor Sampler: (1) Sesame Tahini 11oz and (1) Chocolate Sesame Tahini 12oz

Basically there was this other tahini brand that I used to subscribe and save on Amazon but then it stopped being on Prime so I had to find an alternative. After trying a bunch of different kinds the Instagram Influencers made me buy Soom and I have to say they were right this stuff is amazing. Also this is women owned business and these women are making an amazing product! 

BuckWHAT! Noshes 

These gluten free, non-GMO, vegan, refined sugar free little noshes are my current go to snack. I love the oatmeal raisin flavor and my runner up is the Simply Sunflower. They are little but are super filling and perfect for my active mom lifestyle, plus my kids are into them as well and with the simple ingredients I can’t help but share (even when I don’t want to.) You can find them on Amazon and if you use code: RWT20 you can for 20% off your BuckWHAT! order.

 

What are three online purchases you have made recently? 

Who else is a tahini addict? 

Have you tried BuckWHAT! Noshes yet? 

 

This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.

Four Apps That Save Me Money | Digit, Ebates, Ibotta, Target

Leave a Comment

Being a mostly one income family has forced us to be a bit more strategic with our spending and how we save. So, I am always looking for easy ways to save/earn my family money with little effort. Now when I first came across these I was skeptical, I did my research and then researched again before finally trying them out. I have now tested these apps out for months and one years before I finally decided to share with you.

Now Ebates  has been around for many years now and I first came across it years ago when a few bloggers I followed were using it. I didn’t sign up for my own account until years later when a friend recommended it to me.

Ebates is a free service that you can use on their website or their mobile app. I simply have the little shortcut on my internet browser bar and it lets me know if the online shop I am browsing has rewards and what the % is for that shop as well as any promo codes. 

Basically it collects data on what you purchase similar to a Target Red Card but tons of shops. Since creating my account a few years ago I have earned hundreds of dollars in cash back that is deposited directly to my paypal account. It’s easy, takes no effort and I get paid to shop. 

Newer to be is Ibotta which is essentially the same idea as Ebates. However, it takes a little extra work on your part because first you need to check out participating stores, add the deals to your profile and then you take a photo of your receipt after you purchase and you can earn cash rewards. You can also link your loyalty rewards to your account and earn that way as well. While it does take a few extra steps to earn it’s an easy way to save yourself a few dollars. Join today and receive $10 bonus.Digit 

Now if you are a Target shopper you probably already know about the Target app but I use it every time I go to target for the coupons and the cartwheel offers. It has been amazing for saving on purchases such as clothes, baby products and food items that we would buy anyways. 

 

The last app I want to tell you about is Digit. So Digit is a bit different than the other three apps in that it doesn’t track your purchases, you don’t have to scan receipts or anything like that it simply an app that can help you save for the things that you want in life or simply your rainy day fund. Basically you connect the app with to your preferred checking account and then Digit will analyze your daily spending and transfers money to your Digit savings each day. You are free to withdraw at anytime and there is no fee to withdraw. Also because it was the first thing my husband asked yes – All funds held within Digit are FDIC insured up to a balance of $250,000.

So you may be wondering why not just add additional savings accounts to your bank? Well for me it was two reasons the first we would have to have a specific amount in our savings at a time and to start off and secondly if it is right there in my regular bank set up I am more app to spend it on things in the moment rather than saving for things that I want in the future. With Digit I am able to set up savings goals for anything such as a vacation we want to take, Christmas fund, clothes fund, new carseats for the kids – basically whatever we want/need to save for. 

The one bonus that you do get with Digit is 1% back every quarter based on how much you saved each quarter. The one thing to take note however is that Digit is NOT free there is a $2.99 cost for this service however if you feel like it is of value to you then IMO it’s worth the fee. For us we have been able to save a significant amount of money since starting with Digit and I am happy with the service so far. You can try it out for 30 Days for free if you think this might be something of value for you. 

What apps/services do you use to save your family money? Please share!

This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.

What I Packed For 9 Days of Travel + What I Came To Learn About My Extreme Minimalist Wardrobe

Leave a Comment

We recently traveled to Seattle and Bellingham for a total of 9 days. When it came to packing I packed up (almost) ALL of my clothes except one dress, a black cropped jumpsuit, my clogs and a few workout clothes items.

This was the first time in the last year that I have worn ‘real’ clothes every day and by day four it was evident that I just don’t have enough clothes. I ended up doing two loads of laundry for my family while at our Airbnb just so that I would have enough clothes to last the entire trip plus I ended up having to purchase one t-shirt so that I would have enough tops to make it through the final day. Now if you don’t have kids one laundry load probably would be enough but the thing is having kids means drops of ice cream, snotty noses and dirty hands are all over my clothes in a matter of minutes.

While I am working towards living a more intentional life, filled with less things my minimalist wardrobe is not one of choice as much as a result of my postpartum weight and struggle to lose the weight, the struggle to define my style, the struggle to find sizes that fit and flatter my body and the struggle to find quality clothes that fit in my tiny wardrobe budget. These are the items I brought with me (aka my entire wardrobe):

  • Black Gap Nursing Dress
  • Black Shorts Romper (didn’t wear)
  • 1 Pair Ankle Jeans
  • 1 Pair Distressed Step-hem Ankle Jeans
  • Grey Tee
  • 2 Black Tee
  • Army Green Tee
  • Black & White Striped Tee
  • Black Blouse Tank
  • Tan Slides
  • Denim Jacket (didn’t wear)
  • 2 Pairs of Cropped Workout Leggings
  • 2 Workout Tees
  • Native Flip Flops
  • Nike Runners

In total I own (shoes + daywear – excludes activewear): 16 items

I’d really like to have more of a capsule wardrobe which generally consists of 30-40 pieces but at this point even that seems like an incredibly expensive and daunting task.

The thing is having 4 of the same t-shirt in different colors (yes they are all exactly the same) to pair with two pairs of pants is boring and slightly depressing. It’s becoming even clearer to me that the way in which I dress and present myself to the world impacts my confidence, my productivity and my overall mood. I am not looking to be some fashionista who sets trends or even someone who completely follows them but rather I want to feel like each day I got dressed with intention and not just to cover my body up.

So share with me how does what you wear impact your day to day life? If you are a plus size women where do you shop?

This post contains affiliate links. Purchases you make through these links will help fund the work I do here at no extra cost to you. Thank you sincerely for your constant support.

Conquering The Junk Drawer | #AYearOfIntentionalLiving

Leave a Comment

…err or in our case boxes. 

Our clutter brings me so much anxiety and frustration that I find myself grabbing an empty tote box and filling it with random clutter around the house. Just as it’s filled I have a meal to prepare or a child to console and the now full tote ends up in the living room with an intention to organize it but life gets busy, kids don’t sleep and I find myself shoving the box in the back of our closet. It stays in the closet until I feel motivated to go through it and this happens over and over again. It’s a ridiculous cycle that I have gotten myself into and a lot it has to do with…

  1. having TOO much
  2. having too little space (5 people + 970sq ft)
  3. having terrible storage 
  4. kids.
  5. lack of sleep and time. 

So this next month I am challenging myself to conquer the junk boxes. 

Goal:

  • Eliminate junk.
  • Donate anything we truly don’t use, don’t have a place for or simply don’t need.
  • Create/organize homes for all items 
  • Empty all of our boxes and retire them to the shed until we move someday. 

In the end I hope that we will be one step closer to living more intentionally, living with less and hoping that this will conquer the mess! 

When is the last time you cleaned out your junk drawer? 

#AYearOfIntentionalLiving | Avoid The Mess and Head To Nature

1 Comment

One of the things that I wont’ to really conquer this year is decluttering, simplifying and just controlling the chaos and mess in our home. We have a small house that is filled with lots of people and lots of stuff. A room can easily go from perfectly clean to disaster in under five minutes with three small children and two overwhelmed adults. The only way have I have found to completely prevent the mess is to not be home to make it so instead we head to the mountains or the sea to explore nature. 

I know this isn’t a long term solution but it sure makes for a nice start to the week. 

This weekend we explored the Columbia River Gorge, both the Oregon and Washington side and it just felt so good to move my body, be in nature and connect with my people. That’s the thing about chaos and mess at home it often gets in the way of connecting with myself, my family and triggers my anxiety. So I spent Friday night getting wild aka cleaning our living room and Saturday we headed to the mountains. When we returned I felt so full of live and love and happiness it was amazing to walk into a house that had (at least one room) clean. 

So while avoiding the mess is a short term resolution it is something that sometimes just needs to happen so that you can feel full, bonded and ready to take on the mess another day. 

May Intentions | #AYearOfIntentionalLiving

Leave a Comment

This month I’m all about setting mindful intentions. I want to focus on things that I have been ignoring the past month such as connecting with nature, dreaming big and working hard to achieve my dreams and practicing more patience with everyone. I spent an hour sitting quietly and really thinking about what I want for the next month and I thought I would share my May intentions with you. 

  1. Shop Slow. As I shared in my previous post this months is about shopping as locally as possible and in person – no online shopping. 
  2. Connect With Nature Everyday. This is as simple as spending 10-15 minutes or more out in nature. Observing the trees, the flowers, listening for the birds, feeling the breeze. 
  3. Move Your Body. I tell you I haven’t been moving this body of mine enough. I however purchased a Groupon for a yoga studio that I need to activate because I spent the money but more because this body needs some regular activity. 
  4. Tell Your Story. I’ll be honest 90% of the time I hold back. I don’t share my story, my truth and I think it’s time. This may be publicly, to close friends, to my husband or simply to myself in a notebook. 
  5. Manifest your dreams.  I have so many dreams and ideas but I am quick to talk myself out of things or tell myself I can’t do it. This month is about saying ‘yes you can’ and actually putting that all into motion. 
  6. Practice Patience.  My patience is thin. Like paper thin and I need to slow my mind down, slow my words down and practice more patience with my family but also with myself and everyone else in my life. 
  7. Breathe deeply. We recently received a new book called My Magic Breath that teaches children the magic of breathing; how focusing on the breath can help to move sadness and frustration and make space for positive and happy thoughts. After reading and practicing this with my children it was a reminder to myself how the beneficial our breath is. 

What are your May intentions? Share them on Instagram with #AYearOfIntentionalLiving