I’m back with an update on my favorite reusable food storage items. This post was originally published two years ago when I was just beginning to change some of my habits in the kitchen to create less waste, from food storage to food itself. Two years later and I’m still at it, working to keep our trash heap as minimal as possible, composting as much as possible. Because there’s an understood rule of the trail— through the worn path up a mountain and down the driveway on trash night—leave no trace. I know this rule from Kev, who likes to backpack. It’s a rule much easier to follow when you only have a couple things on your back. It’s a rule that looks a little different in a home. Below are my favorite reusable food storage items that make this task more doable. Read more

Maybe you’ve noticed it, too. When your physical world is chaotic, like ours is right now with baby supplies spilling out everywhere (see picture below), so is your mental world. And when your mental world is chaotic, like ours has become with the pandemic (and I’m guessing yours has too), so is your physical world. The two have a way of mirroring each other. And when both are wildly out of sorts, things have a way of feeling uncontrollably out of control. Read more

I’m short. And now I’m short and pregnant. Finding comfortable clothes when I’m not pregnant is difficult. It’s especially difficult in the winter when I have to also consider pant length or find a tailor to lop off the bottom half. (I really should learn how to hem.) Now I’m short and pregnant during the entirety of winter. I was pregnant with Hallie during the summer months, when you can skip pants for flowy, stretchy dresses and stretchy workout shorts with Kev’s big shirts. I only bought a couple of items that pregnancy. When this bump popped (and it popped fast this time around), I had nothing to wear. I proceeded to buy and return a lot of items in an effort to create a Minimal Winter Maternity Wardrobe.  Read more

There’s nothing quite as intimate as opening your pantry doors to a group of strangers on the internet. When I first shared the before of mine a couple of years ago, I would have preferred to open my underwear drawer instead. Today, another brave soul is opening wide her pantry doors to the internet. I’d like to introduce you to Tara and her pantry. It’s a very familiar pantry to me, a whole lot like the one I grew up with and the one I created as an adult. Most of us think the pantry is a problem exclusive to our home. Well, maybe we shouldn’t think too highly of ourselves; it’s a pretty universal problem. Pantry items look great on the shelf at the grocery store and not so great at home. It’s to be expected. It’s also to be expected that the little cardboard flap on the top of the box won’t keep your items as fresh as promised after opening. So we say, “Why bother?” This is a mindset that carries over to the pantry. It’s a beast too crazy to control. Or maybe it’s not? Read more

Do you have Hotel Bathroom Syndrome at your house, too? Symptoms include: toiletries scattered across the bathroom counter all day long. Dangling, tangling cords. Glasses, lotion, and a pile of rubber bands without a home. In fact, nothing has a home, unless you count the bathroom counter. This is Hotel Bathroom Syndrome—living in your bathroom as if you weren’t staying.  Read more

Last week, we took a deep dive into how to shop in bulk. This week, I’m adding in the personal layer of how I shop in bulk, sharing my bulk shopping kit and rhythms. It’s really easy to get excited and start something new, like shopping in bulk. But it’s hard to keep that new thing up without creating long-term rhythms and finding trustworthy tools. User experience is just as important in the bulk aisle as it is when designing a website. And, if your experience is poor, you’ll slowly stop shopping that way. It’s to be expected. Here’s how I’ve made shopping in bulk work. Don’t miss the printable cheat sheet to boost your (my) confidence down the bulk aisle.   Read more

When you hear the word bulk in regards to food shopping, you might immediately think of stores like Costco or Sam’s. But today we’re going to talk about another kind of bulk shopping—how to shop the bulk bins. Unlike Costco or your regular grocery store, you can buy as much or as little of an ingredient from the bulk bins, without any extra packaging. It’s wonderful for so many reasons (like lowering your grocery bill) and intimidating for a couple reasons. Let’s break this really good thing down to doable.  Read more

Like my kitchen, I’ve been slowly paring down my wardrobe since the beginning of adulthood to make the everyday more doable. In the early days, my drawers could barely close and created daily frustration. I kept a lot around because, variety is the spice of life. At least that’s what they say. And yet, I always grabbed for the same pair of jeans, the ones that fit like a glove, and the same t-shirt that washed and wore well. I was wearing a uniform, though it took me awhile to realize it. But once I did, I slowly started getting rid of the excess. From there, I started buying my clothes like I buy pantry staples, in bulk—2 of the same favorite camisole, 2 of the same pair of jeans, 2 of the same favorite t-shirt, and 10 of the same pair (and color) of underwear. Read more