Personal Essays
Stretching my limbs after a long creative slumber, I spend sometime reflecting on the ups and downs of half a year without shopping. Deciding to take the ban into my own hands, I reflect on myself and my experiences, and I bend the ban to my will to make it fit me.
Read MoreAnnouncing my new Discord server focusing on LESS! With channels curated for sharing insights, navigating shopping ban rules, and discovering strategies for resisting temptations, I hope this will increase accountability for me, and inspire others to engage and connect as they pursue their own exploration of LESS. I’ll be posting photos of items I resisted purchasing, and tracking purchases in detail. I hope this can become a supportive community setting. Join the conversation on Discord!
Read MoreWhile writing about Minimalism I have come across its various definitions and associations. In this lightly researched post, I highlight Minimalism’s roots in white supremacy with founder Adolf Loos. I question the adoption of the term "Minimalism" by contemporary figures like The Minimalists, drawing parallels with other controversial terms like Asperger's Syndrome, and wondering aloud whether burning it down is the answer to a fraught past.
Read MoreAs I delve deeper into the world of minimalism and financial freedom through my continued commitment to a year-long shopping ban, I'm reducing shopping temptations and devising a plan to make progress visible. Taking cues from author Cait Flanders, I'm reimagining her advice to unsubscribe from sales emails and establish a ban-specific savings account, crafting a strategy more personal to my situation as I face my debt and aim to embrace conscious consumption.
Read MoreContinuing with my shopping ban, inspired by The Year of Less, this post outlines three crucial lists: essentials (like groceries), nonessentials (books, games), and approved purchases (specific one-off needs). Striving for transparency and accountability, I continue to share personal insights and strategies for adhering to the ban, like searching for alternative ways to make necessary purchases which feel aligned with my values.
Read MoreContinuing with my commitment to LESS, and the year-long shopping ban I’ve undertaken, I did the absolutely unhinged behavior of counting every single individual item I own. Also? You can peruse them on a Google Sheet linked in this post. Everything I own is an open book this year as I engage with Minimalism and anti-capitalist mindsets to declutter my life and get out of debt.
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As a nonbinary trans person, I understand the urgency of visibility activism. Shockingly, a recent poll revealed that over two-thirds of Americans have never met someone like me. Meeting a trans person allows cis people to see us as human, fosters understanding and compassion, and can help tip the scale towards acceptance. Supporting the trans liberation movement means advocating for equality, challenging discrimination, and amplifying voices. It starts with as many people as possible knowing just one trans person.
In this reflective post, I explore my values, and how they align with and inspire a year-long shopping ban, driven by my desire to tackle consumer debt. Emphasizing the importance of understanding values, I share my core values – Love, Inner-Harmony, and Home – and their impact on decision-making. Finally, I invite readers to explore their own values through the value sort activity, highlighting its role in navigating challenges and living intentionally.
Read MoreExploring shifts in financial responsibility, I’m adopting a transformative shopping ban to address my significant consumer debt. Rooted in simplicity and self-acceptance, the ban symbolizes intentional living and a quest for a slower, more purposeful life. Struggling with burnout and debt from essential expenses, I’m seeking a path to financial resilience and alignment with my personal values.
Read MoreChronicling my transformative journey of embracing 'LESS' through Minimalism. Exploring how four guiding words - ROOTS, INTUITION, PERSIST, and LESS - shape my trajectory. Revealing the power of embracing less and its impacts, from college challenges to a nomadic lifestyle, offering insights into finding purpose amidst unexpected turns.
Read MoreThirteen years and 22 moves later, I am beginning to be able to taste “home” for the first time. And even after years of reducing, I find myself wanting still LESS. This year in particular, I am committed to less movement, less time away from home, to putting down ROOTS as I live for the first time in a home all my own.
Read MoreA winding journey through exploration from many angles about the meaning of Love.
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