Live Better With Less

See title

I am NOT talking about like closet basics in a fashion sense.

I quite literally mean, what does a person need to have in their wardrobe to function in day to day life. my wardrobe is a bit understaffed if that makes sense. i don't have what i need all the time.

It gives me so much overwhelm when I walk into a store because there are so many options out there and well, everything is catered to consumerism so you want things you don't need.

Aesthetic notes: I feel a pull towards the hiking gear, functional clothing, uniqlo aesthetic

There's stuff that I NEED (jacket, pants) and there's stuff that would be good to have (another skirt because I wear the same one alllllllllll the time, another pair of pajama pants, oversized tshirts to wear at home)

But what are the most important basics you think? What should I prioritise first??

hello!

i’m currently a university student on my summer break and i’ve been feeling very overwhelmed.

they tell you that this is the time of your life when you have the time to do the most amount of things; get a job, volunteer, internship. i’ve been seeing all my friends get jobs or start activities during the summer to earn money or further their careers by doing more school or getting experience.

i haven’t been doing anything since school ended. i help out at an organization i grew up in but im not doing any professional volunteering or employment. i stay at home most days and go out when my house gets too stuffy. i’ve picked up writing since i lost it during the school year and it has been fun but…

i don’t know if i feel empty or society is telling me i SHOULD be feeling empty. it feels scary being the only person who isn’t busy during this time and a lot of the time, i feel like crying because i feel like im not enough. it’s not that i even want to do the things that they’re doing; actually, im burnt out from school and working and this summer feels like a time of rest. however, it feels as if the rest has gone on for so long that it makes me feel bad for resting when everyone else is out doing things.

i don’t know how to not feel so bad and worthless about this. i believe im a pretty mentally strong person but this situation is really knocking me down. any advice is appreciated.

and if anyone reading this is going through similar situations, i hope we get through it together.

I started living my dream three months ago.

Bought a nice house for me and my husband (and our three pets) in a small village. The back of my property borders the forest and there are so many animals roaming around (tons of birds (even almost extinct ones), deer, squirrels, trash pandas, snakes...).

It's everything I've ever dreamt of and I just love being in our cozy kitchen, making pancakes and listening to the sound of birds, rain or the wind rustling the leaves.

In good weather we can go for hikes using a path starting next to our house and when it's raining I can sit on my patio with a cup of tea enjoying the fresh air. Already excited to build a snowman in my garden lol.

Other people always complain like "omg your house is sooo far away from the city" or "there are so many bugs" or "you're not even thirty and live like a grandma". Honestly, they can fck right off because I fcking love it!

My dream for this year is to fix up the garden (sadly the pre owner didn't care for it for over 20 years) and build my very own green refuge 💚

I have noticed that I feel a little flutter of joy inside every time I start a cycle on a washing machine or a dishwasher. I sort of imagine what it would be like to have to do that work manually. It doesn't happen that often with other appliances like vacuum cleaner or computer but I want to focus on those as well.

Anyone else here who enjoys these moments?

[Image]

After a very wet winter, and inheriting a house with a garden that needed a complete overhaul, it's nice to see some brightness in the mess of life!

I've spent the last few days engrossed in YouTube videos of people buying deserted land in places like mainland Portugal and transforming them, season by season, into off-the-grid homesteads or camps. They grow their own food, produce their own electricity, methodically manage the scarce water from the rainy season, and treat nature with unprecedented kindness and respect. After months of hard work and meticulous efforts on barren land, you can see how the earth rewards them with new trees, crops, and fruits. They work in groups, slowly but steadily turning the wilderness into lush patches of sustainable paradise. I’ve been so fixated on these types of videos, watching unblinkingly for hours, always excited to see what these wonderful people will do next.

Last week, on a nice spring evening, I came home tired from work and put on one of the videos to relax. As my busy brain tried to unwind, a strange feeling crept in through the exhaustion. Deep down, something was bothering me. I couldn't figure it out at first. Under the layers of awe and fascination, another sinister sentiment lurked within. And then it hit me.

I was utterly envious, angrily jealous.

Not of their hard work and skills, but of their happiness. The satisfaction they draw from every swing of the pickaxe and every mudbrick they lay. With their unkempt beards, dreadlocks, and ankle bracelets, squelching barefoot through the mud, caressing newly sprouted saplings, and grinning at the camera in deep, genuine fulfillment. After a hot day of toiling away under the Iberian summer sun, they strip naked and splash around in the lukewarm, murky waters of the nearby lake, gently picking up slugs, frogs, and worms in sheer amazement towards Mother Nature.

Well, you'd say, what's the problem? There are so many such communities available that I could join for the summer and be close to nature. People from all walks of life unite for the common cause of restoring nature. I could also be that person! Of course, you'd be right to say that. There's just one big, big problem.

I would ABSOLUTELY hate it.

I am so entrenched in city living that I could not possibly give any of it up. I could never give up my small, everyday comforts. I am not living lavishly—far from it. Even in the urban environment, I try to keep my consumption to a minimum and refrain from owning too much. My relationship with nature, however, is a tough one, to say the least. I have never camped or picnicked a single day in my life. I admire all living things, but there are several living things I would rather avoid altogether. I have gardened quite a lot, and while the experience was rewarding, I was often left with horrendous itchy skin rashes.

Apart from the contact with nature, joining such a cause would entail giving up many everyday comforts I take for granted: hot showers and fluffy towels, soap-scented clothes drawers, and cloud-soft duvets. My tidy flat, scrubbed to microfiber cloth-level cleanliness. My Marie-Kondoed spice rack and my bug nets and basil oil mosquito repellent. I cannot do that. I cannot stay unwashed for days on end. I cannot walk barefoot in the dirt. Heck, I cannot even walk barefoot in my own flat. I cannot use a bathroom with no running water where I have to compost my business afterward. My back won’t allow me to bend over to tie my shoelaces, let alone hack away at wild brambles with a machete or carry half a truckload of firewood by myself. At night, I need to sleep on a proper mattress. Even dozing off on the couch sends me to the pharmacy for painkillers. At this point and age, it’s too late for me, and there's no going back. I wish I could be like them, so free and so happy, but I can't. Or rather, I won't. It still makes me jealous, and maybe sometimes I wish I could. All I can do now is admit defeat and carry on with my city-dwelling everyday life.

After a long and arduous emotional meltdown, I hesitantly closed YouTube and went to bed, looking out at the light-polluted starry sky and accepting that perhaps my path to fulfillment lies not in the wilderness but in finding a way to embrace the serenity and satisfaction of nature within my urban confines. If someone’s going to save the planet it's definitely not going to be me. And that's OK. Sweet dreams.

Hi there!

I know many of you don't see traveling as a part of simple living and minimalism, and I can understand that to a certain extent.

However, I LOVE traveling, and travel a lot. I mostly travel alone, staying in hostels or affordable AirBnBs, exploring the place where I'm on foot, and doing my best to feel the vibe, history, and culture of the place where I'm, meet and interact with people whenever I can, try to smile a lot and enjoy every moment, go to the local gym, fresh market, etc.

I cook my own food, as I don't want nor have money to spend money in restaurants, but I love visiting coffee shops as I'm kinda obsessed with a good coffee. I also like to visit a classical music concert, they are usually relatively cheap but provide so much joy to me.

Next time, I will try writing a travel journal, just to be sure I don't forget my feelings and experiences; I might publish that somewhere, or just write it down for myself, I'm still not sure.

What do your travels look like? Do you like traveling?

I recently got diagnosed with an autoimmune condition which has put my life on halt and requires me to change my life perspectives on a lot of things. Since I have plenty of time to think right now, one thing I’d like advice on is clothes.

I’d like to adopt a minimalist lifestyle and while cleaning out my wardrobe today, I realised that I still own and wear stuff from 5 years ago. Clothes nowadays are either ridiculous or ridiculously expensive, which doesn’t allow me to let go of what I currently own.

How do I go about this, where I have good clothes and a minimalist approach and live simply?

I know a lot of ya'll find ways to live simply no matter your environment or circumstances, but what simple living dreams do you have that maybe aren't quite attainable at the moment? For me, I'm in the middle of a short-term move overseas to a busy, congested city, and I'm happily dreaming of and planning for when I can move back and have a comfortable, small place near green (I miss trees and sunlight coming through leaves!) and a walking path, and wake up to the sound of birds singing outside my window.

What about you? What simple living dreams keep you excited?

Edit: lol just saw another post from 3 weeks ago asking the same question! Let's do it again!

I love a simple life and am so blessed to be able to live that way but I do feel a bit down because I live with my family that I don’t get along with. My parents and sibling are both very harsh on me, sometimes they can even recognize that the other person is being rude to me but not their own actions. I don’t talk to them much and we all just kinda do our own thing, but I long for the one day I can have my own little family to do simple living with. Family dinners, church, farmers market, travel, etc.

Anyone relate to me in any way?

I am not married, no children, living in Europe and I have no debts. I was never in that situation, so I am curious what others would do. Thanks in advance :)

I have a solid evening routine - long hot bath, brew a cup of chamomile tea, let the dogs out in the yard one more time.

But once I get into bed, I currently have a routine of spending a few hours each night watching ASMR videos and/or scrolling Reddit. I love both of these things, but I want to hear about other ways to wind down (especially screen-free) while staying in bed. I tend to be either anxious or bored in the hours between getting into bed and falling asleep. Reading is definitely on my list but would love to hear more ideas, especially since I already have time carved out to read in the afternoon and sometimes don't feel a need to pick up a book again in the evening. TIA!