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My wee flat

by Caitlin, posted in Uncategorized

I absolutely adore my apartment. Allow me to regale you with boring tales of apartments past.  When I got married, we looked for apartments.  I did internet searches and came up with a few, and I think we only went and saw one place, and we just said "Yeah, this will do," and we moved … Continue reading My wee flat

My not-so-minimalist bathroom

by Caitlin, posted in Bathroom, Decluttering, This Has To Stop

Hi, I'm Caitlin, and I am a recovered Just-In-Case-A-Holic. I took the opportunity to remove everything from my bathroom while I was cleaning it, so I could take an honest look at what I had.  My findings astounded me. How about those four brand-new deodorants? The two packs of makeup remover cloths when I hardly … Continue reading My not-so-minimalist bathroom

The paradox of choice

by Caitlin, posted in Current Events, Philosophy, Too much stuff

Psychologist Barry Schwartz has written a book, The Paradox of choice: Why more is less, describing a serious side effect of our culture that offers us so much freedom through infinite choices without limits.  We are given so many options, so many choices, that they paralyze us and we become preoccupied with selecting the right option, making … Continue reading The paradox of choice

Paring down the kitchen

by Caitlin, posted in Decluttering, Kitchen

I recently acquired a new love in my kitchen, the TofuXpress.  If you're vegetarian, vegan, or someone who enjoys tofu (but doesn't enjoy pressing it between two plates and beneath a tower of heavy objects), go check it out. Right now. I'll wait. Per my own minimalist rules... if it doesn't get used regularly (once … Continue reading Paring down the kitchen

Current events: Car free with six kids

by Caitlin, posted in Current Events, Environmentalism

I'm signed up for regular email updates from Care2.com, and this post came with a recent email blast, containing a brief story about Emily Finch, a mother of six who does not own a car and instead transports her family via bicycle. Around the summer of 2009…Emily said, “I started looking at my life… I … Continue reading Current events: Car free with six kids

Book review: Scratch Beginnings

by Caitlin, posted in Book Review

While I was decluttering myself of half my possessions in the depths of my mother's basement, my sister was doing likewise to prepare for our upcoming yardsale.  Ironically, my decluttering and newfound minimalism resulted in me picking up some of the things she was going through, including a couple of books that caught my eye. … Continue reading Book review: Scratch Beginnings

The Minimalism Archive: 2012

by Caitlin, posted in Minimalism Archive

Update: February 27, 2023. This blog/website is no longer about minimalism, decluttering, or taking up less space. It IS still about conscious consumption, prioritizing what brings the most joy, and being true to your needs and desires. I've struggled a lot over the intervening years with what to do with the "old minimalism posts" from … Continue reading The Minimalism Archive: 2012