During the last few weeks at the site, the slab was insulated and welded wire mesh was installed. We had a weekend of snow, which thankfully melted quickly and did not cause any delays. This week was very exciting as the concrete floor was poured on Monday and framing started on Tuesday! We have really enjoyed going to the site everyday (or multiple times a day) to check on the progress. Framing is the best part of construction and it is so fascinating to watch our design come to life!
One aspect of having a simple home is to keep it free from clutter. Below are five questions to ask yourself as you assess the items in your home. Items you purge can be sold, donated, recycled or given to family and friends.
1: Would I buy it today for full price? Focus on whether or not you would purchase the item right now. If the item no longer fits your taste, purge it. You don’t need to buy everything at full price, but you should love your stuff enough to be willing to pay full price for it. Freebies and sales are perks to buying something, not the reason you should buy something.
2: Would I keep it if I moved? Would this item be worth packing up, moving and unpacking in a new space? If you would want your next house to be clutter free, your current house can be clutter free, too.
3: Have I used it in the past six months or will I use it in the next six months? Be sure to use the word “will” and not the word “might” for this question. If you do not see yourself using it, it’s time to let it go so someone else can use it.
4: Do I already own an item that serves the same purpose? If you own many versions of an item or similar items, keep the best and purge the rest.
5: Do I feel obligated to keep it? Once something is given to you, it is yours. It is your home and your space, therefore it is your choice whether or not to keep an item. If you don’t love it or use it, but want to remember it, take a photo before purging it.
Happy decluttering!
Christmas is only two weeks from today. For anyone trying to minimize, the holiday season can be overwhelming due to an excess of presents. Below are a few clutter free gift suggestions.
1: Memberships (examples: museum, aquarium)
2: Events (examples: concert, play)
3: Activities (examples: golfing, bowling)
4: Lessons (examples: photography, pottery)
5: Donations (examples: charity, school)
The best gift you can give someone is time. Memories last much longer than things. After all, the holiday season is about spirit and joy, not piles of boxes to unwrap. Prioritize presence over presents. A less materialist Christmas can lead to annual traditions and lasting memories (and less time spent looking for parking and waiting in line at the shopping mall).
This week we finalized our siding and metal roof colors for the exterior of the house. Our home has a monochrome color palette. Materials and selections are all black, white or gray, but deciding which color to put where has been a bit tricky. Our first choice for the exterior color of the house was black, but since we are located within a historic district, we are restricted from having that color. We also wanted to be energy conscious and black isn’t the best color for that. Therefore we selected a light gray color for the front portion of the house and white for the back portion. Our doors and windows are black on the exterior, which creates a contrast with the lighter color selections.
During the next few weeks, we are finalizing our plumbing and appliance selections, as well as working on the kitchen layout. At the site, the prep will continue for the pouring of the concrete slab. We are really excited about our concrete floor and we can’t wait for this part of construction!
Christmas is six weeks from today. Today also marks six months that we have been in our apartment. Adding holiday “stuff” into our small space, and then having to move all of that stuff into our new home in six months, does not sound like fun. This year we are having a minimalist Christmas. Our season will be focused on enjoying the holiday spirit rather than accumulating holiday stuff. Corey and I discussed eliminating all gifts, decorations and cards, but instead, we have decided to allow one of each: one gift (for Willa), one decoration (a Christmas tree) and one card (for Willa’s great grandmother).
Gifts. Gifts are the easiest thing to accumulate over the holidays. But gifts don’t just make a mess once the wrapping paper is all over the floor. They also make a mess months later when they are cluttering the closet, the living room, the dining room… you get the idea. Part of the philosophy of minimalism is that we don’t need a lot of things to be happy. Willa is almost two, and we want her to grow up valuing experiences over material possessions. Of course she will have a few favorite toys, but memories last much longer than things. Shopping for gifts requires a lot of time and money. That time and money can be much better spent simply enjoying family and friends rather than shopping for them.
Decorations. Decorations quickly add clutter to a home. The time and money spent buying, decorating and then storing all those items adds up as well. Decorating can also cause holiday stress. Imagine a Saturday morning in December watching a family Christmas movie rather than untangling lights. Sounds relaxing, right? With only one decoration we are saving our sanity, time and money. Less is more and less to store!
Cards. Cards are fun to receive, however, ordering and mailing cards uses precious time and money. Also, with social media and smartphones, our family and friends already know what we’ve been up to the past twelve months. The majority of holiday cards wind up in the trash. By opting out of sending cards we are saving time, money and the environment. This year we are going to use that $100 (stamps are expensive!) to make a donation instead.
Minimalism isn’t about getting rid of all your belongings and all your commitments. It’s about eliminating belongings and commitments that do not bring you joy, and getting rid of what’s not important (stuff) to help us focus on what is important (family and friends). This year we are slowing down and letting ourselves enjoy a minimalist holiday.
The weather has delayed us a bit, but things are still progressing at the site. The foundation walls were poured this week. It is pretty exciting to see the outline of the house. In addition to finalizing the exterior selections (metal and siding colors), we are also finalizing our plumbing selections. During the next few weeks, the foundation will be finished and then the prep will begin for the pouring of the concrete slab.
Things are progressing slowly at the site, but things are progressing! Foundation prep continues as the foundation walls were formed this week. Regarding selections, we are working on finalizing metal and siding colors. Like many other areas in the house, we are deciding between black, white or gray.
It’s ground breaking week! After months of working through plans, budgets, contracts and permits, construction has begun on our new house! The house is a second baby for us as ground breaking day was October 17, nine months after acquiring the lot. We live three blocks from the site, so it’s been exciting to pop by every day to check out the progress. Foundation prep has been in full swing. This week they are digging the footings and next week they will be pouring the footings. We have finalized and ordered our doors (black) and our windows (black trim on the exterior and white trim on the interior). More final selections coming soon!
Neither my husband nor I grew up in the city, but since moving here over six years ago, we’ve never had the desire to leave. We love the city life. The city is inspiring and thriving with restaurants, coffee shops, parks and playgrounds. There is so much to do and so much to learn in an urban environment full of art, entertainment, food, culture, landmarks, sports, history and more. These aspects of living in the city have influenced our house design. Because we are close to many amenities, there is no need for a large house or a large backyard. The city is our backyard. The location of our new house is within a historic district. Therefore the height, width, materials and proportions of the house had to match that of the neighbors. These requirements influenced the house exterior. We wanted the space to be big enough to fit our needs, but with as little excess as possible. With more space comes more possessions and with more possessions comes more shopping, more cleaning and more maintaining. Less time spent doing these things equals more time spent getting out and exploring the city we love!
Our house was about 1600 square feet and our apartment is about 800 square feet, so we needed to fit all our stuff in half the space. We were determined to not have a storage unit. Aside from storing the contents of our shed with my in-laws, we were able to fit everything into our new space. In order to make sure this would be possible, I started purging months ago. I made a list (I love lists) of every room and every closet in our home and one by one took everything out of an area and sorted it item by item. When I finished a space I checked it off my list and continued on. It took some time, but it was worth it. Some things were thrown out, some were sold, but most were donated. Every bag donated was one less bag to pack. When it was time to move, packing was simple. Everything easily fit into the new space. So far apartment living has been great, especially with a toddler. One floor, one bathroom to clean. It’s great!