Minimalist to an Extent

I found a blog called The Surprising Truth About the Stars and I picked out the main thing that got to me. Here an excerpt:

A number of factors contribute to permanent workplace servitude among them:

• Expensive car payment and insurance

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5. Move to a city where you can live without a car.

Cars are the second most expensive purchase you will make in your adult lives. Did you know you can live without them? Well, you can. There are a number of cities in America where cars aren’t the norm, move to one of them and suddenly you’ll have huge hunks of cash that you forgot you had. Go car-free and the possibilities start to open up.

It’s a myth that living in a city is more expensive. It’s not, because you don’t need a car. Check out Portland, OR for amazing quality of life. Brooklyn, NY for amazing opportunities. Both of these cities are walkable, bike-able, and awesome.

More at SuburbanShift: How Cars Rob Americans of their Retirement.

Ok I get it. I got a car that is my ball and chain to work. No, I don’t have some  Suburu wrx STI or a Mercedes or a Lexus, I have a Civic… SI.

I like that little car. It’s fun to drive. But let’s get real, it’s no crazy ass rocket it’s no Suburu (one of my dream cars) and I’m not about to do some little Fast & Furiousness in the streets of S-vale. But insurance is still a pain because it’s a “sport” car.

It would have been a smart choice to get a lower end civic, with four doors because really, a Honda will last until I have kids probably. But when I knew I should get a new car, all I could think about “F— being smart, this is my life to live. I like driving (to my desired destinations). I like how it’s small and fun.” Also, I don’t plan on having kids for another few years so I figure, I shall  live my youth until the little brats come along! However, that fun has a shadow looming nearby called “payments.”

The post said move to a city where you don’t have to use cars. Yes, I totally agree with public transportation. When I was in NYC, that was the coolest discovery! I wondered why we don’t have a better set up like that here. However, I ‘m not a city girl and the city is just as expensive. But I guess if you’re living like that guy above, you can live in a closet in the city and be happy with that. I don’t know, but I need windows, light, trees, grass… I need nature to pull me out of depression every once and a while. Concrete does not make me happy, Pocahontas moments is what I like to escape to.

I understand that living a minimalist life is probably better and stress free, but to a certain extent. I believe it is best for people who cannot limit themselves. That’s not me. I know my limits with somethings such as spending money and I know when to say when. I’m not looking for debts by splurging on crazy things all the time. I’m just looking to have what I need, but that the things that I need also be good quality, lasting, fun, cute, pretty, and nice. Especially if I’m only going to be buying ONE. I just gotta find being a minimalist in a different way.

Post-It Labels

One of the first things I think about when organizing is labeling, but I’m not a big fan of permanence. Once you stick that label sometimes, it’s stuck. Try to remove it and you have ugly paper left over. I need the freedom to change my mind without wasting money or time. So at work since we can’t afford labels anyway and somehow manage to have a stack of post-its, I label file folders with a Post-It. They fit perfectly on the tab of a file. Voila! The file is labeled and if I change my mind about it, I can easily remove it. Plus, I you can color code it if you’re fancy and can afford the multi-colored blocks.

Of course, Post-It came up with the tab idea:

But the Post-It labeling doesn’t stop there. Now, Post-it created larger labels that will label anything and have a good overall stickiness in the back.  Here’s the commercial:

Pretty nifty. Removable stickiness everywhere, plus with some scissors, you have DIY resizing.

-P