A growing list of simple living inspiring reads.
July 2014
The idea of risk-taking creating confidence has been on my mind a lot lately - particularly in regards to rebelling against cultural expectations that don't make simple living easy. There's so much that is perceived as being "normal" that is in fact "extreme" (e.g. consumerism). So this post by Sasha on Getting Confident Can Get Uncomfortable over at Love Minimalist really resonates with me at the moment.
"Start taking risks - practice makes it easier.
Go against the grain - a little bit at a time.
Trust your instincts - they are usually right.
Don’t worry about judgement - those who really care about you will support whatever makes you happy.
Everyday, inch your way a little closer to your ideal life - to the life you’ve secretly dreamed of.
Actions speak louder than words - line up your everyday behavior with your personal values."
A heartfelt post from Cityhippyfarmgirl on choosing a simple life.
"I hope it’s not like drinking out of glass jars with handles, blending kale and spinach green smoothies or winding yourself up in washi tape. I don’t want it to be a hipster fad, that’s highly talked of, coming and inevitably going. I really hope it’s not. My genuine hope is that this is more than a trend. Something that becomes bigger and bigger, until this quest for simplicity, this need for stepping off the increasingly fast spinning mouse wheel of life gives people a little pause and clarity of ideas. A quest of simple wants, needs and values. All things that so many of us do seem to be seeking."
Katie over at House of Humble has started a new feature "My Simple Life". This week she's featuring Sash Milne.
"I have never been a great collector of things. Experiences, yes, but not things. Yet still, when I look around my home at our full closets and our comfortable rooms I know that we have more than enough. So for one year I’m going to see if I can make it stretch, by not buying anything new."
This heading say's it all "Surrounded By Digital Distractions, We Can't Even Stop To Think".
Some literally "shocking" results from a recent study.
Tsh from The Art of Simple wrote about resisting the digital and embracing the analog.
"I just… didn’t want to. I was enjoying the real world too much."
Renee from The Sapling House shares a lesson in mindfulness from her daughter – on remembering how to be present.
""Sometimes it is best just to be truly present. Sometimes perfection does not need capturing. Sometimes it is enough just to be. When I am old and you have long since left and this memory has long since faded, it will have been enough."
And another inspiring read from Renee: Simple living with kids - is it even possible.
"The heart and soul of simple living, for me, is about honoring time."
Kids Veggies on the Verge (that I featured a while ago) continues of build community and inspire. Graeme provides an update: A garden sleepover.
"Our living room was invaded by 9 girls this week for a sleepover with kids from Kids’ Vegies on the Verge. It was noisy, chaotic and fun. It was also all about building community. The girls, ranging in age from 7 to 13, go to five different schools and most of them didn’t know each other 12 months ago....Through the garden they have become good friends and were very excited by the thought of a mega-sleepover."
Each and every post from the artist as family about their year on bikes continues to inspire me. Most recently they wrote about Our medicine is free and found in both our food and physicality.
"Building knowledge on the life forms around us that provide food fit for human consumption free of monetary interference and ecological damage is another path we're simultaneously following."
June 2014
Possum Living, Milkwood
Carrot Top Pesto -ELC #5, Cityhippyfarmgirl
The path, Foxs Lane
Judging others and how to stop, Maxabella loves
The zen of single-tasking, Slow Your Home
The Dirt: Nick Ritar, The PLantHunter
A school excursion to an Apple Store! Is that OK?, Sustaining community engagement
Blooming where we're planted :: Tiny house thinking, Owlet
The beauty of heirlooms, Good life permaculture
May 2014
Judging others and how to stop, Maxabella loves
Small is beautiful, a tiny house documentary
Top 10 Collaborative Consumption sites, Cityhippyfarmgirl
Living with a minimal wardrobe (and loving it), Keeper of the home
Pathological consumption has become so normalised that we scarcely notice it, Whole Larder Love
In defense of boredom: It Can Lead to Imaginative Play, Creativity and the Great Outdoors, The New Nature Movement
In the urban green revolution, small is big, David Suzuki Foundation
The Art of Protest :: From Jabiluka to Bentley, Seeker of the lost arts
April 2014
Slowing down, Free Range in Suburbia
Doing Nothing is Doing Something, Slow Your Home
How to End the Endless Game of Catching Up, Be more with less
Four things that will make your life better, Frugal and thriving
Roasted Tomato Concentrate, is it Worth It?, Picklebums
How I quit the supermarket, treading my own path
The truly Sublime benefits of not breaking the rules, Pearl and Elspeth
Mindshots, Maxabella loves
March 2014
the wardrobe cleanse, This brown wren
The big C, Pearl and Elspeth
Simple Living Our Own Way, House of Humble
Approach to living, Whole Larder Love
The bucket and the basket, The Witches Kitchen
The roads more dangerously travelled: biking the change we want to see in the world, Artist as family
How to eat a superfood diet without the super expense, Frugal and thriving
8 Lessons from Small Space Living, Be more with less
Create A Family Mural, Kirsten Rickert
The Beauty and Frustration of Choice, Slow Your Home
February 2014
Asking hard questions (Having less can give you more) & Treat Yourself to the Luxury of Simplicity, The Minimalist Mom
14 Types of Play to Stimulate a Child’s Creativity (Instead of Dumbing it Down), Keeper of the home
Hide and Seek, Slow your home
Choosing What Matters When Life Overwhelms, Hands Free Mamma
January 2014:
A Labor of Love, Chiot's Run
how we save: practices on saving money in the kitchen, Natalie Creates
November 2013:
Thanks, chickens, Pearl & Elspeth
October 2013:
Free foood for a year, a radio interview with Meg of Artist as family about their upcoming inspiring journey.
Things I learned camping, Free range in suburbia
The secret to slowing down, Slow Your Home
fourteen | Practicing simplicity, Che and Fidel
Just do it, Whole Larder Love (make sure to watch the video)
honey bunch!, Foxs Lane
September 2013:
Our family cow, Ivy Nest
Everyday crossroads, Clean
Learning the way of the Sausage, Milkwood
On Breaks. Or Brakes., Slow your home
Why I broke up with the supermarket, Down to earth mother
August 2013
This is my ride, Down to earth mother
Spinning, Innerpickle
July 2013
How now shared cow, Local Is Lovely
The Day I StoppedSaying ‘Hurry Up’, Hands Free Mamma
How Stuff Robs Us of Those We Love the Most, Becoming Minimalist
Pigs to pork, Provenance growers
Good Things Come to Kids Who Wait, Outside Mom
Ways to Connect with your Community, She: Self. Help. Environment
12 Essential Rules to Live More Like a Zen Monk, Zen Habits
May 2013
Fermented, Ivy Nest
Why parents should leave their kids alone, And extract from the book 'Kith: The riddle of the childscape' by Jay Griffiths
34 Proven Ways to Keep Your Home Clutter-Free, Slow Your Home
Naturally unnatural, Whole Larder Love
The Life-Giving Pursuit of Minimalism (watch), Joshua Becker
March 2013
A simple party, Slow Heart Sing
Our food roots - a family challenging themselves 'to eat local, sustainable and delicious food with roots we can trace, on an average household budget'.
The Richness of Life, The witches kitchen
February 2013
A Cluttered Life: Middle-Class Abundance (video)
Sun dried nectarines, It's al-wright being us.
Hard at work, Living simple, Whole Larder Love
Thrift Shop – An Anthem for New Frugality?, Northwest edible life
Entwined, This Brown Wren
January 2013
Some old things are worth saving, Whole Larder Love
The big one, pearl & elspeth
Stackable Cardboard Dressers for Kids, The cardboard collective
Let Go of the Ego of Ownership, Slow Your Home
Raising kids for free: why I won't be spending money on my son in 2013, SMH
Neighbourhood watch: how to go green and influence people, The Conversation
How to eat meat sustainably, Econest
My simple things, Sarah Wilson
Graham Hill: Less stuff, more happiness, TED talk
The truth about simplicuty, Be more with less
August 2012
Bush kinder, Foxs Lane
A blue wheelbarrow (lessons in household economics), Permapoensis
July 2012
We The Tiny House People (Documentary)
Tiny house build - we're nearly there, Milkwood
Kitchen garden - tick, Foxs Lane
I’m Not Busy (And I’m Proud of It), The Minimalist Mom
Live with Less. Pursue Your Passions. Finally., Becoming minimalist
A figgy co-op, Slow Heart Sing (and then this great follow-up post: food that sings)
How could you not...., hugo & elsa
If I Had My Life To Live Over, Feelgooder
The simple living guru (part 2), Simple Lives (an interview with Samuel Alexander of The Simplicity Collective)
Seeking a simple life, The Age
Mud and blood*, pearl & elspeth (& the follow up post)
June 2012
Garden evolution, Soule Mama
How to forage for wild edibles with kid, Simple Homeschool
Stuff…..and the downfall of the first world, Whole Larder Love
Stepping back, Childhood 101
Sunday dinner, Itty Bitty Impact
Letting them run wild, Simple Mom
Urine, Peak Phosphorous and on-farm Nutrient Cycling, Milkwood
The pee and poo show, Peak Moment
Old stuff is the new....well new, Cityhippyfarmgirl
10 Super Easy Ways to Start Living More Sustainably Today, Upcycled love
May 2012
Now is everything, clean
A whole street of vege gardens, Milkwood Permaculture
Real raw food, hugo & elsa
Planting community fruit tree groves, Happy Earth
Picking Olives, This Cosy Corner
A Soup Swap, eat at dixibelles
A Small Scale Integrated Livestock Farmer, Cooking uo a story
On Organic Farming, Foxs lane
It’s All Too Much, Simple. Organized. Life.
The Great Mudbrick Weekend, Myrtle & Eunice
The Big UnPlug, Be more with less
Agrarian Grocery Shopping, Nourishing Days
April 2012
10 Ways Meditation is Green, Frugal, Healthy and Sustainable, One Green Generation
Common Problems Solved by Owning Less, Becoming Minimalist
Talking tiny houses with the Telegraph, Milkwood
Five ways to incorporate bush tucker into your diet, Frugal and thriving.
You can do this, Innerpickle
Self reliance and the yoghurt jar, Down-to-earth
March 2012
The Supermarket Challenge....oh dear, I fell off the wagon , but I am still holding onto the tailgate with one arm, The Little Black Cow Blog
okay simple…..so you got me. whatev’s, Whole Larder Love
Cutting out the crap: the dreaded BPA , Your Local Markets
Shopping with a frugavore (audio), interview with Arrabella Forge on Radio National
From Cloth Pads to Crocheted Tampons: DIY Menstrual Supplies, Crafting a green world
Bottling Summer & Passata Day Pictorial, Whole Larder Love
Four Big Reasons Smartphones Aren’t Making Us Smarter, The New Pursuit
Exiting the rat race, The Simple Green Frugal Co-op (by Gavin of Greening of Gavin)
February 2012
Thrifting for Quality Clothes, Small Notebook
From Our Garden to Yours: 6 “Mistakes” We Made That You Can Avoid, The New Pursuit
outdoor play is not a waste of time, Let the children play
Make your own potato crisps, econest
The dilemma of balance, planning with kids
January 2012
Why are we doing this?, Apron Stringz
5UP {free food in my area}, Isismade
I love this idea: the plentitude economy, Sarah Wilson
Skipping the supermarket, Yay for home
A farmers hand, Cityhippyfarmgirl
'It's all worth it', a short documentary about Amber of Unstuffed.
Thinking About Food – Cooking From Scratch, Picklebums
December 2011
7 Ways to Sample Living With Less, Becoming Minimalist
The Poetry of Poverty, Jackie French at Earth Garden
Kids Who Are Gift-less are Gifted, ZenHabits
Are You One Of Those "Organic" People?, Northwest Edible
Practical Michael gets out of the city to WWOOF, ACF GreenHome
November 2011
Tammy and Logan’s Tiny House Tour, Tiny House Blog
tools for a tiny kitchen, Rowdy Kittens
treat meat as a treat, Whole Larder Love
12 eco friendly Christmas gift ideas, Cityhippyfarmgirl
Organic v. Budget. Check out these nifty organic food programs, econest
10 ways to grow food in a tiny backyard, Yay for home
The Occupy protests and what they mean for environmentalists, Go Greener Australia
October 2011
20 Simple Ways to Save Serious Money by Becoming a Minimalist Family, Minimalist at home
The Ups and Downs of Eating Local (And What You Can Do About It), The New Pursuit
EARLY PLAY AUSTRALIA, an early childhood news blog community.
Tully speaking about the world he wants to grow up in, News story on Earth Relay, Newcastle.
My happiness recipe, Foxs Lane
Day Five of Our 125-Mile Local Food Challenge, The New Pursuit
It Is So Much Easier to Simplify Than Organize, Small notebook.
Nature Therapy, G online.
The vegetarian family and the challenge of getting our Omega-3s, ecoMILF.
At Home with Richard Heinberg (video), unstuffed
September 2011
Car sharing is to care, Sarah Wilson
Why cook from scratch?, inner pickle
From the Story of Stuff to the Story of Sharing (Video), Shareable (via)
No more stuff till christmas, eat at dixiebelle's
3 dead easy ways to live more sustainably right now... and how to pursuade others to do the same, econest
Building Smalltopia: A Look Inside our Loft, Rowdy Kittens
Consume less, smile more, eco nest.
The sustainability habit, eco nest.
Twinkies aren't real food... and other ways to eat more sustainably, eco nest
Ethical Swimwear / Swimmers / Bathers, isismade
The branded child, Learnings of an earth mama
Simple pleasures, Caro and Co
The batch cooking group: cooking large for family and friends: Rhythm of the home
July 2011
Back on the bike, Clutterpunk.
Food For Your Soul: Be a Little More Pro Today, Crunchy Betty
City Chicken Project, Video by Just Food (via)
I get around, Apron Stringz
Wearing nothing new, a TED video by Jessi Arrington (via)
Shine: Car-free and Loving It, a Guest Post By Abby Quillen, Jacquelin Cangro
No sustainable population without sustainable consumption, The Conversation
If You’re Not Happy Here, You Won’t Be Happy There, Insirations for entrepreneurs & passionistas (family style) (via)
Buy nothing new - more resolve than ever?, And then there were four
Your top ten fruit trees for urban spaces?, Happy Earth
One small step, Down to earth
Homemade rainbows-imaginative play sets, Irresistible Ideas for Play-based learning.
June 2011
A family of 3 in 320 square feet, Unclutterer (via)
Mending, Inner Pickle
The mending mentality, Clutterpunk
Sharing a special teacup or two, Go Greener Oz
What is Minimalism?, Becoming Minimalist
Simple Homemade Toys, The Contrary Farmer
Best Sources for Summer Produce, Get Rich Slowly (guest post by Sierra of ChildWild)
Ideas for adding natural elements to your outdoor play space - Part 3, (& Parts 1 and 2, and 4), Let the Children Play
Rooftop SIP Garden in LA, Root Simple
How do we expose children to the natural world?, Let the Children Play
How to strike op-shop gold, Maxabella Loves (guest post by Megan of The Byron Life)
Book Review(s): Pocket Neighborhoods, and Creating Cohousing, Progressive Pioneer
Complete Streets: It’s About More Than Bike Lanes (video), Street Films.org (via)
The best toxin-free cosmetics: a listicle (Part II) (& part 1), Sarah Wilson
April 2011
Being ecotarian: the complexity of food (radio), Life Matters, ABC National
March 2011
7 Principles to Simplify Your Family Life, Simple Mom
Urban Conservation: The Rules Are Different Here, The conservation blog of the Nature Conservancy
February 2011
Her urban garden (video), Unstuffed (this sweet inspiring video from the early 1980's is a must-see).
Urban foods, backyard agriculture (video), Cooking up a story (another inspiring urban food growing story).
The Minimalist Wardrobe (aka The 10-Item Wardrobe), miss minimalist
Twelve steps to lower environmental mumbling: step one. Too many things in my head.
Introducing: Your green hour survival guide, Go Explore Nature
Loosen the Grip of “More Stuff”, Small Notebook
Foraging for fruit (free food), Isis-made
Teach your children — by example — how to be healthy, David Suzuki Foundation
6 Ways to Love Your Community, New Urban Habitat
Calendula officinalis, Unstuffed
You don't need more time, Seth Godin's blog (via)
Diversity in a vegan diet, Bonzai Aphrodite
How Downsizing Upsized Our Lives, Angela Barton
January 2011
Rules of Foraging, and Why I Feel Foraging Is Moral and Healthy, Penniless Parenting
Slow down and really live, Down-to-earth.
Oregon couple downsizes, lives ultrasimple life, USA Today (via)
Little Co-Activists, The Green Phone Booth
Foraging in the City, Penniless Parenting
Zero waste home, Sunset (via)
Do Soapnuts work? An experiment comparing Fair Trade soapnuts to regular detergent, Playing Fair
16 simple ways to practice mindful consumption in a hyper consumer world, The new pursuit
2011 ~ Back to basics, Nikki-Shell
Real life minimalists, Katy, Miss Minimalist
10 tips for a mindful home, Huffington Post (via)
On biking and beeking, Simply Bike
Making peace with the natural world, The New Pursuit
High 5-ing the World, Land of Meg
Carless in the country, Permapoesis
The Living Kitchen, This Tiny House
December 2010
How Minimalism Can Change the World, Miss Minimalist
Fire Alarms, The Big Picture
5 Clutter-Free Gifts to Give This Christmas, Simple Organic
A tv-free childhood update and an inspiring read, EcoMILF
Simple Living Bootcamp, New Urban Habitat.
November 2010
Minimalists Don’t Have Less. We Have More, Becomming minimalist
5 Simple Living Bloggers Show Downsizing Can be Smart-sizing, BlogHer
Small actions, Kale for Sale.
The Case Against Buying Christmas Presents, Zen habitats
Within Reach Movie Trailer. Pledge here to ensure this inspiring film, about one couples search for a sustainable community, is made. As a reward for pledging $25 i'll be receiving a digital copy of the film for free. Win win!
Boost Your Mental Wellness With Outdoors Nature Activities, FeelGooder.
Could You Create an Entire Wardrobe of Six Pieces? Jill Danyelle Tries It!, Eco-Chick
Urban reforestation, (an inspiring video) on Green TV
4 reasons to enjoy buying nothing, Mother Nature Network
Before Buying Children's Books as Gifts, Read This, The Daily Green
Confessions from the car-free life, by New Urban Habitat
The power of a smile, by Rowdy Kittens
check this sh*t out: the scary reason I have to move out of my apartment, by Sarah Wilson
A personal manifesto for a day in the life of my "preschooler", by Like A Bird
Toys for Children: Less is More, MariaMontesori.com
A Short Guide to Consumer Disobedience, Miss minimalist.
What Simplicity And Minimalism Isn’t About, Simple. Organised. Life
Life is 15 per cent better on a bike, ABC Environment
Why I won't be cooking for a week, The Progressive Pioneer
Why public transportation is good for kids, The Grist
Make Home a Haven Using Personal Filters , Small Notebook for a Simple Home
Microbat nesting boxes, Permaculture Pathways
Lets make a harvest garland, The Magic Onion