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How to Thrift Sustainably

Secondhand shopping is something I will always advocate for when trying to break shopaholic and fast fashion habits. In most cases, thrifting is an economical and ecologically-friendly alternative to traditional shopping because you can find gently-used clothes and other items for far less than retail price. However, thrift shopping has to be done just right to maximize its positive impact. Aspects of Sustainable Thrifting Thrifting's value does not start and end at your own wallet and closet. Take the following elements into account when you go secondhand shopping to maximize the potential to do good for your community and the planet. Social Sustainability It's important to remember that at the heart of charity-driven thrift stores is the goal to keep everyday items affordable for low-income community members. When individuals with higher incomes over-shop at thrift stores with the intent of flipping items or just overfilling their own closets, thrift stores lose that inventor...

How Minimalism Helps Life with Depression

I have had depression most of my life and have been a minimalist for about six years now. Minimalism helps make my life with depression considerably easier and in this post I'll be detailing how it works. Of course, I'm not a doctor or a therapist, and none of this is to be construed as medical or mental health advice--it's merely a post about my personal experiences. If you suffer from depression like I do, I hope this post helps you and makes you feel less alone. Beneficial Aspects of Minimalism In general, minimalism has a huge laundry list of benefits ranging from lower household expenses to huge improvements in physical and mental health. Here are some of the aspects of minimalism that have made depression easier to live with for me: Organization. While clutter still happens, I find that having fewer things to begin with, and having everything organized well makes it much easier for my depressed brain to handle cleaning and tidying tasks. I organize on the days where ...

No-Spend November: Week 4 & Wrap-Up

No-Spend November is a month of resetting spending habits, reevaluating priorities, and overall just making better decisions. In this post, I've detailed how my last week and change of No-Spend November 2022 went. November 22-30 My goals and resolutions for the month are all about making more mindful use of my time and paying off lingering CC debt from a long summer season of travel. Last week I described how I was feeling stressed by the artificial limitations I put on my money, which ended up being a theme for my last week and change of No-Spend November. Here's the wrap-up! Day 22: (Tuesday) My boss was busy after work so we didn't work out. I left early so that I could spend time on my treadmill at home. I wound down for the night by cooking dinner with my husband, and watching some TV. Day 23: (Wednesday) I had a migraine all day long, and did not do much as a result. I did, however, decide that I wanted to wipe out my remaining CC debt with some money I had i...