I’m always excited to read new blogs that are inspiring others to live a minimalist life. And I have been thoroughly enjoying some of the new ones popping up.

Each of the following 7 blogs are less than 6 months old. If you haven’t checked them out yet, you may enjoy perusing them this weekend.

1. Simple Rabbit Society – Chloe and her team share articles, advice, hacks, and tips for achieving a beautiful life through minimalism. (Technically they’ve been around 8 months, but I really wanted to include them).
2. Minimalist Woman – Meg Wolfe is an advocate of downsizing and simplicity who also writes at Minimalist Cook.
3. 365 Less Things – Colleen shares her 365-day resolution to declutter every wardrobe, bench, shelf, pantry and garage space in her home by removing one item everyday for the next twelve months.
4. Minimal Student – Jessica takes minimalism to campus offering something unique just for students in a personal, chatty and ‘to-the-point’ format.
5. Momentum Gathering – Katie Tallo inspires joyful life change. It’s about shifting, little by little, towards what matters most and letting go of what doesn’t.
6. Be More With Less – Courtney Carver encourages her readers to create a life with more savings and no debt, more health and less stress, more time and less stuff, and more joy with less obligation.
7. Regards from the Balcony - Tony writes about using simplicity to obtain freedom in life.

i spent an hour in the mall this past weekend.  i was getting some work done on my vehicle and decided to peruse the mall while i waited.  because i didn’t have any shopping goals, i was able to do some people-watching while i wandered.  i found it interesting to see how many other people were present in the mall at the exact same time as me.  and it caused me to wonder, “what else could these people be accomplishing if they weren’t shopping? if i were able to completely cut shopping out of my schedule, how much more productive would i be?”

according to the new york times, the average american spends 23 minutes/ day shopping.  males spend 16 minutes/day and females spend 29 minutes/day.  to get a further breakdown of how americans spend their time, check out this fascinating link: how americans spend their time:

working the math at an average of 23 minutes/day,

• americans spend 2 hours, 40 minutes shopping every week.
• americans spend 11 hours, 30 minutes shopping every month.
• americans spend 139 hours, 55 minutes shopping every year.

obviously, it is impossible to completely remove shopping from our schedules.  at some point, we’ll need groceries, gasoline, or a gift for someone.  but it occurred to me this past weekend that one benefit of becoming minimalist is that it allows me the opportunity to live a more productive life simply by the mere fact that i spend less time shopping now.  and since we only get one chance to live this life, we might as well make it a productive one.

related posts:

• full list: benefits of minimalism
• benefit #5 – freedom

can anyone tell me when “as seen on tv” became a marketing technique?  why exactly would the fact that the product “was seen on tv” be a selling point to convince me to purchase it anyway?

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when you do your taxes this year, don’t forget to deduct the fair market value of your non cash charitable contributions.  they can add up quickly.

here are a few quick tips to get you started:

• clothing and household items donated must generally be in good used condition or better to be deductible.
• if you make any non cash contribution, you must get and keep a receipt from the charitable organization showing: 1) the name of the charitable organization, 2) the date and location of the charitable contribution, and 3) a reasonably detailed description of the property. you are not required to have a receipt where it is impractical to get one (for example, if you leave property at a charity’s unattended drop site).
• to claim a deduction for contributions of cash or property equaling $250 or more you must obtain a written acknowledgment from the qualified organization showing the amount of the cash and a description of any property contributed, and whether the organization provided any goods or services in exchange for the gift.
• if you claim a deduction of more than $500 for all contributed property, you must attach irs form 8283, noncash charitable contributions, to your return.
• taxpayers donating an item or a group of similar items valued at more than $5,000 must also complete section b of form 8283, which requires an appraisal by a qualified appraiser.
• to determine the fair market value of a charitable contribution, there are no fixed formulas or methods. you should claim as the value the price that buyers of used items actually pay in used clothing stores, such as consignment or thrift shops.  the salvation army offers a value guide to get you started. 

if you have questions regarding the process of deducting your non cash charitable contributions, you can find the heavy reading right here or consult a tax professional.

and as 2010 begins and your minimalizing continues, keep these guidelines close so that you can collect and store the appropriate paperwork for next year.

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• april 15 – when things get flipped upside down

today, msn ran a photo essay titled “what the world eats“  using photos from Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by peter menzel and faith d’alusio.  in the essay, families from different countries laid out the food that they consumed in a typical week.  here are some of the excerpts:

united states: the revis family

 china – the dong family

 mexico – the casales family

 ecuador – the ayme family

 mali – the natomo family

 i am interested to hear what was your first reaction to these photos, if any?

related posts:

• top pages and posts at becoming minimalist

earlier this month, the new york times ran a piece on self-storage units in the united states of america.  while reading the story, i was again reminded of how much we love our stuff.  just notice some of these highlights:

• the united states now has 2.3 billion square feet of self-storage space. (the self storage association notes that, with more than seven square feet for every man, woman and child, it’s now “physically possible that every american could stand — all at the same time — under the total canopy of self-storage roofing.”)
• fifty percent of [self-storage] renters are now simply storing what won’t fit in their homes — even though the size of the average american house had almost doubled in the previous 50 years, to 2,300 square feet.
• by 2007, a full 15 percent of customers told the self storage association they were storing items that they “no longer need or want.” it was the third-most-popular use for a unit and was projected to grow to 25 percent of renters the following year.
• between 1970 and 2008, real disposable personal income per capita doubled, and by 2008 we were spending nearly all of it — all but 2.7 percent — each year. meanwhile, the price of much of what we were buying plunged. even by the early ’90s, american families had, on average, twice as many possessions as they did 25 years earlier. by 2005, according to the boston college sociologist juliet b. schor, the average consumer purchased one new piece of clothing every five and a half days.
• “human laziness has always been a big friend of self-storage operators,” derek naylor, president of the consultant group storage marketing solutions, told me. “because once they’re in, nobody likes to spend all day moving their stuff out of storage. as long as they can afford it, and feel psychologically that they can afford it, they’ll leave that stuff in there forever.”

you can read the whole article here: the self-storage self.

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•  trends of consumerism
• america and spending
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consumerism is an economic theory that states an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable (merriam-webster). 

it is most often associated with the western world, but is true of far more economic systems around the world than just the west.  consumerism began its great ascent after the industrial revolution when goods could be manufactured in great quantities, at lower prices, and delivered to the masses.   

consumerism has its advantages:

1. the consumer chooses his/her lifestyle – what goods are necessary and what luxuries can be afforded.
2. the opportunity to enjoy this world (food, drink, entertainment) in various quantities.
3. economic advantages to a large segment of the population (middle- and upper-class).
4. the opportunity and motivation to improve your social standing by working hard.

but consumerism also has its disadvantages:

1. in a capitalistic market aimed at selling, certain trends may emerge. it is in the interest of producers that the consumer’s needs and desires never be completely or permanently fulfilled, so the consumer can repeat the consumption process and purchase more products.  this can be accomplished with made-to-break products, continuously changing the trends of the market (i.e.: fashion), employing class-envy, encouraging individuals to purchase above their means.
2. in a consumeristic society, people begin to seek money/goods as the greatest good rather than influence or helping others.
3. consumerist societies are more prone to damage the environment and use up resources at a higher rate than other societies.
4. in consumeristic societies, the upper- and middle-class typically benefit at the expense of the lower-class or other non-consumeristic societies.

this piece is not written in support or opposition to the theory of consumerism.  it is meant only to provide both sides of the argument in an effort to further understanding of our society.  ideally, it will cause some to rethink their blind support of consumerism and others to rethink their blind disdain for it.

how have you seen our consumeristic society play out any of the advantages of disadvantages above?

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• the story of stuff.

madoff sentenced to 150 years in prison.

in may 2008, i chose to become a minimalist.  since then, i have begun to  ask myself questions like:

• what things in my home should i get rid of?
• how can i declutter this room?
• which articles of clothing in my closet should i give away?
• do i really need to purchase this item?
• how do i live contrary to the current consumer culture?
• how can i teach my children to not waste their money?

i know a young man in reynosa, mexico who is a minimalist not by choice.  he is a minimalist because he has to be.  contrary to my questions above, he asks himself questions like:

• how will i feed my family today?
• will my one-room home be large enough as my children grow?
• where will the money come from to clothe to my family tomorrow?
• how will i make an honest living in this capitalist, consumer-driven economy?
• how will my children be educated to read and write?

alex hopkins is a 17-year old young man who has given his spring and summer to help men and women in reynosa mexico who are minimalist - not because they choose to be, but because they are required to be. 

he has singlehandedly organized a fundraising bike ride named “Change Gears… Change Lives!“  the purpose of the ride is to raise money and awareness for the impoverished community of reynosa, mexico.  his goal is to raise $10,000 to build a feeding kitchen for the purpose of healthy meals, education, and emergency shelter.

i encourage you to find out more and make your tax-deductible donation at “Change Gears… Change Lives!” 

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• the most important gift catalog in the world
• benefits of minimalism #16 – financially support other causes

the pew research center recently conducted a survey of 1,003 americans to determine their opinion on which consumer goods they consider a luxury and which they consider a necessity.  here are their findings:

      ITEM                                    % RESPONDED NECESSITY

1. car                                       88%
2. landline phone                    68%
3. clothes dryer                       66%
4. air conditioner                     55%
5. television                            52%
6. home computer                   50%
7. cell phone                            49%
8. microwave                           47%
9. high-speed internet            31%  
10. cable/satellite tv                  23%
11. dishwasher                          21%
12. flat-screen tv                        08%
13. ipod                                     04%

generally speaking, you will notice in the internals of the data that the percentage who rate items as “necessary” is directly parallel to current macro-economics.  each of the items above peaked as “necessary” in 2006 and have declined since.  interesting how many in your pocket changes your view of possessions… 

of the items above, which do you find interesting?

related posts:

• america and spending
• minimalism – the world and america