More on project 333 - dress with less

on November 28th I updated you guys on my Project 333 ...  as you know after several hesitation I joined it last November...  and I thought I had given it a good thought and that my 33 items would remain all the 3 months...  However, I realise that I am still changing.  I know we are always changing but the changes I am going thru are "forcing" me to adapt my wardrobe furthermore.   So on November 28th I had made correction to my initial list... and I still had to make more corrections... (last edits are in red)


Here's my list:

2 black pants - one straight, one flare
2 1 velvet pants - one skinny, one wide legs - skinny ones I wore once in a year... not worth it as it turns out, my husband HATES those pants... always did! he says I look like a granny in it!!!  So I am giving those away!
1 grey corduroy - jean cut - had already been sized down... cannot do it again...
1 red Cotton skinny pants
3 2 jeans - one skinny, one straight leg - bought another pair of jeans...  really LOVE wearing jeans... but they fit me perfectly and are GOOD quality!
1 black skirt
*1 black/electric blue/white skirt do not wear it!!!  It's NOT me!!!!
1 burgundy pencil skirt - loved it but does not suit my lifestyle anymore - someone can get a good use out of this one
1 tunic - wore once with the velvet skinnies... why keep it?
1 black dress with mustard flowy sleeves
2 sleeveless top (grey, mustard)
3 fancy t-shirts (beige, red, grey/navy/mustard)
1 electric blue short sleeve blouse
4 long sleeve t-shirt (2 beige, 1 black, 1 gray)
1 black long sleeve fancy top
1 green long sleeve fancy top
1 white blouse - no longer "white" enough and too short!
1 pink and purple blouse
3 2 jackets (corduroy- beige, brown, black) - just put away for the season, won't be wearing it under a winter coat
2 cardigans (grey, mustard)
1 electric blue turtleneck
1 LBD - a must very simple and very me!!!
1 purple dress (with fuchsia and grey imprints)
1 navy dress (with mustard yellow and beige polka dots)
1 velvet burgundy skirt - b-day gift from husband - more flowy then previous burgundy skirt
1 old pink fancy t-shirt

so basically I am now up to 29 items...  and this is WAY more then enough!  I have a great rotation of items.... 

I also want to add that I had initially decided to leave out the outside clothing because I thought that living in the north country that would already be too many items...  and I had also left out accessories...  If I was to include these I would be way above 33 items... but I have downsized those too.  Look at what I gave or put away because I am not ready to give or depart from:

One winter coat - gave away - tired of seeing it - it has been 8 years!!!
2 pair of not warm enough boots for someone taking the bus - replaces by Sorel boots
Some jewelry that was hand me down form my mom but that I never wear were carefully put away in nice tissue bags and I will see with time what I do with them - at least I am not cluttering my jewelry box anymore
One corduroy hat that was great with my long hair but not so much with short hair

I also have to take a look at my socks, underwear and scarves, mits and hats... this I might do during my Holiday break.

So as you can see this is a "live" project... I never seem to be done with it...  I am glad I am below the 33 items and happy with it...  I also thought that I would do 3 months (just as an experiment) and that would be it but I think I will stay with the idea of this project...  I will most likely keep my initial rules...  but that's OK! It's a reminder not to get my closet cluttered again!  And honestly it would not be difficult because I love clothes... but I can still love them but be wiser about it!  I love candies too but do I buy and eat all of them???

love and peace,
nathalie

Conclusion on going car less

Hey!

this will be my last post that is exclusively on going car less.. after almost 3 months I have a few points I wand to bring up...

We haven't had a car in almost 3 months now...  basically, the following is what really happened between then and now.

At first, I was lost.  I must admit!!  I had a car for roughly 12 years... and at some point we even had 2 cars!  We managed to go down to one 5 years ago and we had plans to be car less by the time my son is out of high school.  Another 5 years. However, life chose otherwise... as is often the case for great changes! We decided not to fight it... but it was not easy!  I was a little lost.. I had to adapt...  my week end were always planned according to going from A to B using a car!  using public transit or my legs (or my bike in decent weather) is NOT as fast!  Obviously, there cannot be as many A to B in a week end! I was panicking.. how will I get to do everything with not enough time?  until I realized, that I did not HAVE to do all those things all the time... and I could work out a better schedule!  I also changed some of my habits!

So slowly but surely my husband and I came up with new week end routines...

Friday nights are most time spent at home instead of wandering around at the mall not buying anything because we are minimalists.

Saturdays are spent either 2 ways... if my son is there, we rent a car to go to his judo lessons and then perhaps they go play paintball... if my son is not there we go downtown to have a Starbucks and walk around... we enjoy being downtown!!! We get back home early enough to prepare a nice supper and drink some kombucha and chat or watch a movie.

Sundays are early rise and grocery shopping (trust me, you buy much less food when you gotta carry it home walking - no extras just for fun - you get what you need for the week and that's it!  This also means that I throw out much less food - only one small size garbage bag a week for all 3 of us - since wasted food is wasted money this is good news!!!).. by 9 am we are back home, unpack groceries and then head of to Starbucks to meet our best friend...  or go to my parents if my son is home...we get back home early as my husband weird work schedule require him to sleep between 4pm and 8pm on Sunday night...  therefore between the time we get home and his sleep time we can relax, do some cleaning and or laundry, organize a few things.. when he goes to bed, I either catch up on my reading, crafts or I spend some quality time with my lovely son...

so these are our week ends now... and the weeks are pretty much work and home... except for Thursday when we all walk to Sushi (rain or shine) and stop do a little grocery shopping of fresh product to bring us to Sunday.  I have learned to enjoy being home...  first of all it is much more relaxing than being anywhere else...it does not cost tons of additional money (I have to pay rent anyway, whether I am there or not)... I eat better... and overall, not having a car has "forced" me to spend more time outside and hence sleep better!

I also had to come up with new lunch routines...

To me lunch is time spent outside... preferably... because I need it!!!  I used to take my car and go to the mall or Chapters... which were 5-10 min away by car.... take a chai latte on my way back and sip it slowly over the afternoon...
Now there is a Starbucks 15 min walk max from my workplace... so I walk there (rain or shine - REALLY!), grab an extra hot chai in a stainless steel mug, walk back with the chai packed away and sip it slowly during the afternoon.... this allows me a shorter lunch time indeed but I get to leave a little earlier and save public transit traffic!!  (Yes there is such a thing...) My 90 minutes ride is more enjoyable in a less crowded bus!

All this to say that after we got used to it, let's say about roughly a month, it has become a much more enjoyable experience... and I definitely won't buy another car...  Here are the plus side of my life as it is:

More time outside (walking instead of driving, downtown instead of the mall)
More walking (good exercise - at least 45 min per day)
More relaxing (driving was stressing me out so much - I didn't even realize it!)
More reading (3h bus ride every week day all by myself - gotta keep busy)
More presence in the moment (meditation, observation)
More home cooking (better food on our plates)
More crafting (YE!  use to not have time for it!)
More quality time with husband and son (at home or in the bus - I do not have to watch the road!)
More doing what I really care about (instead of just doing stuff to keep busy)
More weight loss (all that walking, fresh air and eating better pays off)
More money to put towards my small debt (will be debt free faster!)

and even if I try to, it's hard for me to come up with a negative side other than it's longer to get to places... but is that really a negative side?  especially when it allows me to spend quality time with the ones I love and  read when I am alone...

So all in all, it has been a positive experience! I am glad we gave it a fair chance before rushing to buy another car!  It may seem weird to not own a car for many people but by the number of people I see every day using public transit, we are certainly not alone!!!

So young and yet so wise

Last week I was lucky enough to have a nice talk with a young smart women...  in her early twenties... and she got it all figured out...  well, figured out what I have been working on for the last few years!

If only I would have known that at her age...  she is saving years of her life trying to work things out!!!

The conversation all started because she thought it did not make sense to work 5 days a week and have only 2 days off...  all year round to get a couple weeks of vacation!!! To spend your evening cooking and cleaning, the week end shopping, and the 2 weeks off trying to escape reality on a nice vacation!!! When actually when you come back nothing really changed...  and she thought it was even more insane to work at a job you do not like.... as it made the 5 days seem even longer!!!

I have to admit I totally agree with her....  but this is how we are "conditioned"... I know some of you will not like the word "conditioned" but this is what really does happen in the end...
Since a very young age we are told to go to school, have good grades, work hard...  be excellent in all we do... and if we are not good at something do something else where you'll be good!  All this to get into University, in the best program (read the one leading to the higher paid jobs) you can get... so that you can buy a house (as big as possible), a pool, cars, nice vacations, fancy furniture, the 56 inch plasma TV, too many clothes, to many of everything... so that you can pack your big house full of stuff!!!! And do not forget to build your retirement plan so that hopefully at 55 (if you did not get ill before) you can enjoy retirement...  which includes even more vacations, time spent into you big house full of stuff... until you find the house is too big because your kids left... and since they are busy building their own huge lives, they have no time to visit! Then you sell the house, buy a condo, get rid of a bunch of stuff you had not used in years or even forgot you had it  (because the condo is smaller then the house)...

All this is if all goes well...  very few people can actually retire at 55 because they still have too many bills to pay!  Therefore they have to wait until later on and then by the time they retire, their body is so used up that they get sick.. so enjoying retirement includes several trips to the doctor per year...  on top of  (or in between should I say) the really nice vacations of course!!!

But WHY really???  Why do we DO THAT without even asking ourselves if this is what we want to do?
I am not judging... Most of us do it...  Because this is what people do...  and we learn from example! I was well into that path myself until I was diagnosed with a chronic disease that made me see the other side of the medal... what if the future may not be just as I predicted for everyone?

What if my disease left me unable to use my body as I wish to do the things I wish at retirement?  Shouldn't I do those things before?  Can I give myself more odds to be well by retirement?

What if working in a job you do not like can actually make you sick?
What if you need to make so much money only to spend it all on junk to make you forget how insignificant your life is?
What if you need that vacation down south because you are running away from your life?
What if you only become a _______ to impress someone? (blank can be anything)
What if there is more to life then 9-5 in a closed office?
What if you can actually figure out how to survive with a fraction of your actual income and actually be happier?
What if working a less paid job made you happier?
What if working part time would entitle you to do what you like with less money but more free time?
What if you suck at _____ but have fun doing it?  Can't you just have fun?
What if you had more free time to enjoy life rather then run through it? What would you do then?
What if you are not in the "mold"?  Not everyone has too... 

Now after asking myself all those questions over and over again...  I did opt out in a way...  I did "unmold" myself to remold as I wish...
I made several changes to my life... and there are more to come...

Started practicing yoga... 6 years ago
I sold my house... 5 years ago - not buying another one
I became vegetarian...  5 years ago - aiming for veganism - need to let go of the cheese!
Opted for minimalism...  2 years ago - work in progress
Got rid of my car... 3 months ago - not buying another one
Got rid of most of my clothes...  2 months ago
Wrote a book...  not published yet

as for what is coming I am not telling yet...  you'll be the first to find out...

so for this Holiday period, if you could only give yourself one gift....  Ask yourself one of the question above... or maybe more... who know where it will lead you!

love and peace,
happy Holidays,
nathalie

Follow up on project 333 - simple dressing

I am now 1/3 done with my project 333...  lots has been happening since I started....  I did even more clean up of my wardrobe and changes a few pieces....  because I realized that some items were not "me" anymore...  I would either force myself to wear them or just not wear them...  and in a few occasions, they were not quite a proper fit for myself...  So I have put back my original list of 33 items.... and edited it....  I also listed the added items in a different color for ease of reading!

Here's my list:

2 black pants - one straight, one flare
2 1 velvet pants - one skinny, one wide legs - skinny ones I wore once in a year...  not worth it
1 grey corduroy - jean cut  - had already been sized down... cannot do it again...
1 red Cotton skinny pants
2 jeans - one skinny, one straight leg
1 black skirt
*1 black/electric blue/white skirt
1 burgundy pencil skirt  - loved it but does not suit my lifestyle anymore - someone can get a good use out of this one
1 tunic - wore once with the velvet skinnies... why keep it?
1 black dress with mustard flowy sleeves
2 sleeveless top (grey, mustard)
3 fancy t-shirts (beige, red, grey/navy/mustard)
1 electric blue short sleeve blouse
4 long sleeve t-shirt (2 beige, 1 black, 1 gray)
1 black long sleeve fancy top
1 green long sleeve fancy top
1 white blouse - no longer "white" enough and too short!
1 pink and purple blouse
3 2 jackets (corduroy- beige, brown, black) - just put away for the season, won't be wearing it under a winter coat
2 cardigans (grey, mustard)
1 electric blue turtleneck
so I was down to 27 items... 

* identifies the next item to go... if any... because I really do not wear this skirt so much... plus it needs dry cleaning... and it really only goes well with my electric blue blouse or turtleneck...  which I thinks look to much put together as an outfit... gotta think about this one! but I am still in the rules so I do not need to hurry up on my decision!
If you go to the Tristan website, and hit "au boulot signe Tristan" in the women collection you can find the skirt I am talking about (the girl is wearing it with an electric blue short sleeve blouse)... and on that very same page, the first top with the yellow front is my "black long sleeve fancy top" and the black dress with the mustard yellow sleeve is also there... 

I added 5 more items after getting rid of the above items:

1 LBD - a must very simple and very me!!!
1 purple dress (with fuchsia and grey imprints)
1 navy dress (with mustard yellow and beige polka dots)
1 velvet burgundy dress - b-day gift from husband - more flowy then previous burgundy dress
1 old pink fancy t-shirt

which bring my up to 32 items...  that I actually wear and feel great in....

I thought before starting Project 333 that I could not get to 33 items...  that it was not enough... well now I am down to 32.... and I actually really wear those items....  and sometimes quite frankly I still think this is too much...  I know!  Who would have taught I would say that!!!  The only thing is I really LOVE all my pieces left... and they suit me really well... and go absolutely fantastic with my lifestyle... and they mix and mathc so well!!!

Quite honestly I first thought I would do that for 3 months and that was it... I would then go back to my regular way of having too many items... the thing is, I know when next season comes up, I will keep doing it...  stick to 33 items...  or just around that!!!

Now the thing is, because I am in Montreal and winter here is really long, it is most likely that those 32 items will remain until end of Mars at least...if not April!  not end of January where my actual 3 months end... so I may not be able to follow exactly the 3 months schedule Courtney  follows but I still thing I can do this 33 items thing...

It is much easier then I anticipated...
very satisfying...
saves lots of time in the morning...
saves lots of $ not shopping...

what do you think?  will you be trying it eventually?  downsizing your wardrobe... perhaps with your own rules? 

love and peace,
nath

Thanks to the seagulls

A few weeks ago, right around the time of Sandy, Montreal got a few very very windy days... but nothing to complain about compared to how other people were hit by Sandy...

On my bus ride back home I was looking out the windows has I had just finished my book.  I love to look out the windows on any ride but on that day, it was quite something...  to see people walking in that wind...  some were pushed by it and others had to go against it...  you could see people taking this inclined forward facing position...  holding their hat or scarf so that it does not fly away...  Pretty much everyone was facing down... looking at the sidewalk... as if it could fly away!!! People at that time around public transit or walking outside are usually getting back home in a hurry to make supper or just chill out...  and they walk fast and do not seem very much relaxed but on that day it was even worse...  it seemed like they were running away from something instead of running to something!  It was very weird!

You could see the odd plastic bag or newspaper being pushed away and dance with the wind...

You could see the tree leaves flying off from the branches... this is normally when the leaves fall of the tree here in our northern country anyway...  but instead of a slow fall down on the grass (which is quite graceful), they were pushed away...  and you could see them flying up in the air, even higher then they could be found while attached to the trees.

Everything seemed to be disturbed by that wind... so powerful! The natural order of things seemed deranged... 

Everything but the seagulls!

As I looked up the sky to follow leaves that had escaped from a tree, I came across some seagulls that were letting themselves being carry by the wind...  Their wings were spread out, high in the air and they would just follow the wind...  go where it would carry them...  they looked free!!!
They were not battling against it and trying to go in any one direction...  and it was just wonderful to watch...  it looked as thus they were carried by the wind... and they did not seem to be afraid...

And it just struck me...  how they go with the flow...  they take advantage of the wind to experiment free flying.... they are free...  they have no worries... they have trust and faith.  Whereas we try to battle against everything that comes our way... even wind! How silly is that?  Why can we not be trusty like a seagull?  Why can we not just go with the flow?  And what good does it do that we go against the wind?  It is stronger than us anyway... and we can't control it... it is nature!  Why do most of us have to try and control everything?

Yoga and meditation have learned me to let go years ago...  have faith in life...  like a seagull...  but I do have moments of weaknesses...  it is not always easy...

So on that day, when I got out of the bus, I stopped...  stood still and took a deep breath looking up at the sky to look at the seagulls.... and I let the wind carry me...  it was an amazing feeling... this moment of quietness in all that business and in the middle of strong wind... my moment of peace... my own realization that life is good if you let it happen...

thanks to the seagulls for that important lesson they reminded me on that crazy Sandy day!

love and peace,
nath

Turning 40

I am turning 40 TODAY!

Now last year when I turned 39 I said that it was the last birthday I would celebrate... that no one was to wish me Happy Birthday when I would turn 40!!!  but stuff happened in between...  and honestly I am in a great place in my life.... I am happy to turn 40 now!!!

1) I have a lovely husband. We're been together for 10 years and we're clearly heading in the same direction
2) I have a lovely son! 12 years old is an amazing age... as any other age as a matter of fact... but I find he's growing into a fine young teenager...
3) My health is great - even thus 9 years ago I may have assumed the worse with the diagnosis I was faced with
4) I live the way I wanted to live - a minimalist life... in a small apartment, no car, no cluttering... 
5) I am vegetarian
6) I have great people around me
7) I just submitted my first book to be published.  One of my goal in life was to help people... this book will do just that...

Honestly I do not care so much for big accomplishment... and what other's think... but I needed to do all the changes I made over the last 5 years.... and to write this book.... I needed to do it for ME! It was very therapeutic for me...  It helped me move to another place in my life... helped me realize what is important in my current life and put aside was is not so much anymore.... as well as  be grateful for everything that happened to me... good or bad as this actually made me who I am today!

Every birthday I like to look over my shoulder and see how much further I made it in my life... not just in a matter of time...  after all it is always 365 days...  but in terms of where I stood, where I am... and where I wish to be...  and this year especially is a big step further!!!

I like to set my resolutions or goals at my birthday... not the new year...  this is how I am...

Now last year was writing my book... and I must admit it was not easy.. a roller coaster of emotions...  going over all those years where I was sick brought back much stuff...  but it helped me healed further...  Objective has been reached as I submitted it on November 11th to my publisher!

Now this year is actually launching the book... and selling it.... 

This year will be an amazing one I can feel it!!!
I deserve it!!!
and I will make it happen!!!

Holiday shopping

Hello!

the crazy, spend more than you can afford shopping season is just about to start.... it is believe that people spend roughly 700$ in Holiday shopping each year... 700$ they, most of the time, did not budget for...  700$ to impress people...  700$ more on their credit card....

I would like for us to spend that money, or much much less, on stuff that is worth it... so I have come up with rules over the last 2 Christmas seasons that I wish to share with you...  these are my own rules... you can pick and choose or just ignore them...  it's up to you!

1) Buy stuff that people will consume like food items ( home made jams or cookies for example), gift certificate to a restaurant, show tickets, gift certificate to a SPA...  this way you do not "create" more stuff that will end up in landfills... sometimes sooner than you may think or wish for!

2) Buy stuff that people need...  having something that you really need as a gift and won't have to save money to buy it is a really nice gift...  and for sure it will be used!

3) Buy local... now as I am in Canada, I like to try and buy stuff that is made in Canada... and if I cannot find, I go to the next best choice as proximity for us: made in the USA...  I try and avoid anything made in China...  for reasons I will not go over here... I have found this great website where you can by stuff made in Canada on line if you like to shop online.... http://www.buycanadianfirst.ca/  This way, you give a decent, well made quality gift and your money stays in our country!  Plus you save the environment by not having stuff shipped by airplane all around the world!  If you need an outfit for your parties and dinner, I know that Tristan and Jacob have lots of stuff made in Canada but they also have made in China so read labels...

4) Buy fair trade - often times I try and buy fair trade items....  my 2 best places to do so are Dix milles Village  or L'Heureux Boudha.  You can visit their website for more information but basically, all they sell is made in foreign country in an environmentally conscious manner and people are paid what they deserve...  no exploitation!  In the case of L'Heureux Boudha, the owner actually go to eastern country and select all the items one by one and get them shipped here in Montreal. By buying fair trade you give a gift to your love one, one to the environement and one to the poor people who hand made the item you bought. Plus it weill be unique!  OK another one might ressemble, but not 2 can be identical as they are made by hand!

Now I know those rules are not always easy to follow...  and I must admit that sometimes I don't follow all of them...  I also must admit that finding stuff not made in China is not very easy...  but I am working on it... and trying to find options whenever I can... important thing is not to beat you up over buying somtehing that does not follow your rules....  but work on them!  Improve yourself! Rembember that every little step count!

I also have a hard time following those rules with my son... he's 12 and he knows about fair trade and "China" and how buying locally makes much more senses environmentally...  but he's still 12!!!  He likes to have what his friends or kids his age have... but I am teaching him slowly and every Christmas he gets something fair trade... and he enjoys it... and quite frankly, he sometimes ask me to go to Dix milles villages because he loves the store!!! I also recently started teaching him the value of less... but appreciate what you have...  so over the last 3 Christmas he has been getting less and less  in monetary value and he understands that too...

So for children, it might not be as easy to follow the rules but if you do not wish to suddenly make them unhappy or look like the bad one who does not gives Christmas gifts (kids do compare between themselves), go slowly... introduce them to the idea and the concept...  explain.. they are quite smart and genuinely nice so they will get it eventually...

What are you doing for Christmas presents?  Any idea on how to make it different?