Living Lighter Checklist: Some Ways to Up Our Game in Simpler Living
Minimalist Simplicity
- Buy only what we truly need
- Prune clothes and books
- Declutter, category by category
- Repair, don’t replace
- Purchase for quality, not quantity
- With each new purchase, give away something old
- Choose paperless receipts
- Digitalize books and movies
- Use a budgeting app to lower expenses
- Reduce food waste
- Go slow: slow food, slow fashion
- Consider moving into a smaller space
- Unsubscribe from catalogs and retail emails
- Give away clothes not worn for a year
- Re-examine social commitments
- Use reusable tote bags for shopping
- Eliminate duplicates
- Drive less and walk, bike and ride mass transit more
Ecological Simplicity
- Eat more plants, less meat
- Grow our own food
- Compost food scraps
- Go plastic-free in the house
- Conduct a home energy audit
- Install solar for home energy
- Use green cleaning supplies
- Save water with toilet and shower eco-devices
- Air-dry clothes
- Switch to an electric or hybrid vehicle
- Buy quality clothes in natural fabrics
- Recycle whenever possible
- Buy pre-used items
- Use reusable bags and food containers
- Make DIY beauty products and cleaners
- Volunteer for local eco-activities
- Boycott products that endanger wildlife
- Campaign for environmental policies and candidates
Conscious Simplicity
- Spend on experiences, not stuff
- Minimize shopping online and offline
- Detox social media accounts
- Scale back TV and cable
- Savor nature with a daily walk
- Plant trees locally
- Volunteer often
- Commit to a cause
- Use holistic medicine practitioners
- Take a personal growth course
- Meditate or pray daily
- Explore yoga, tai chi or a martial art
- Take up a creative pursuit
- Explore the local area
- Sign petitions or organize drives
- Get involved in a worthy cause
- Invest to delegitimize fossil fuels and deforestation
- Donate to worthy environmental or social causes
Related Posts
Rising to the Calling: Earning Wisdom as We Age →
Patricia Silverstein Making a Difference in the Diabetes Fight →
Blissful Bowls: Celebrating With Soup →
