Make Do and Mend: Key Lanyard

Make Do and Mend- Key LanyardLately I’ve been making a conscious effort to buy less and do the best I can with what I have. I’m sure I don’t buy as much as the average person and I do consider myself quite the minimalist, but it’s still really easy for me to think I don’t have any groceries, when I have plenty of cans in my cabinet or think I have no clothes to wear when I really just need to do the laundry. In an effort to keep up my accomplishments, I want to start a new series on the blog cleverly titled: Make Do and Mend. (Inspired by the ever inspiring series, With What You Have.)

Made Do and Mend- lanyardI recently started a new job at work. I’ll no longer be working the night shift and it’s much closer to my house. (Horray!) I’ve only been at this new position for a few weeks, but I’ve noticed that I use keys much more than I had previously. Hence, the need for a lanyard. I wanted something I could wear around my neck for convenience, but I ask wanted something fashionable– as fashionable as a lanyard could be. My first instinct told me to start looking around on Amazon. I was instantly met with 5,000 lanyard options. But I don’t need all those options. All I need is an old necklace and a forgotten key ring. Make do and mend.

How are you making do and mending? I love to hear from you.

love,
melanie

Lessons I’ve Learned From Living Tiny

Lessons I've learned from living tinyFor over 2 years my husband, my dog and I have lived tiny. We went from living in a beautiful (and big-to-me) 1,200 square foot loft to a 188 square foot Airstream Sovereign. I’ve learned so many lessons during that time. Some of those lessons were expected and some of those lessons were totally unforeseen. Some of the lessons have been easy and some of them have been hard. But more than anything I’m thankful that I’ve learned them. Living tiny has made me a better person. So today I’m going to share just a few of the lessons I’ve learned by living tiny. I’m sure there are so many more lessons in store. Continue reading →

Airstream Livin’ Update: 2.5 years!

Airstream at SunsetWe’ve been living in the Airstream for almost two and a half years. Years, people! Some days it seems like so much time has passed and other days it feels like no time has passed at all. One thing is for certain: we’ve adapted well to living in just 188 square feet. We know how to declutter. We know when problems arise, we can solve them. And I know it seems strange to outsiders, but the Airstream truly feels like home.

In terms of upkeep, the trailer has held up pretty well. We’ve had some bumps along the way. (See: our leaky hot water heater.) We need to repaint when it warms up a bit. (See how our paint has held up.) But overall, the Airstream has allowed us to save money to travel and to build up an emergency fund. We’ve been to Austin, took a roadtrip to Florida, Charleston, Memphis, Portland and most recently we went to Iceland! And most importantly, we’ve built up an emergency savings and another savings account. And I know it sounds cryptic, but we’re trying to decide what to do with our other savings account. What a wonderful problem to have!

Let me explain a bit: at this point we’re getting the itch again. The itch to do something different. The itch to be brave. And if we’re being honest, we don’t know if we want to live in the Airstream forever. It’s wonderful and our home, but is it our forever home? We don’t know. We’d love to have some land of our own one day. (I want animals! And a big place to grow our own food!) We’re also really interested in other alternative dwellings, like tiny houses, cordwood cabins and shipping container homes. And we love to travel! So much so that we bought a van to convert into a super tiny home. We aren’t moving out of the Airstream yet, but maybe. One day. Sometime.

Are we indecisive and insane? Maybe. I truly don’t know what the future will bring, but I am excited to find out.

love,
melanie

2016: One Little Word

“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” ― Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

It’s taken me weeks to write this post. I was hoping that by taking a break from the blog and from my “regular” job, I’d be able to answer some questions I’ve been asking myself for an entire year. 2015 was a big ol’ year of questions for me. I asked myself “why” more than I’ve ever asked myself “why” in my entire life. But even after a break, I don’t have any answers. And I suppose it was naive to think that I’d be able to answer life’s questions in a couple of weeks.

Here’s what I do know: I know that for me, 2016 needs to be the year of being brave. I’m not setting any goals or making any resolutions. What I am going to do is focus on one little word: Brave. (Idea shamelessly stolen from the inspiring Ali Edwards.)

I’m going to be 30 this year. (Dear Lord.) And I need to start doing what is right for me instead of what is expected of me. I need to live in the moment and not focus so intently on the future. I need to do the things I’ve dreamed about. I need to be brave.

Here’s hoping 2016 will be a year of answers for me.
Love always,
Melanie

Holiday Decor Ideas for Small Spaces

Holiday Decor Ideas For Small Spaces

When you live in a small space, holiday decor can be a challenge. I want to be festive, but I also don’t want to have stuff to put into storage for 11 months out of the year. Over the years I’ve come up with and come across lots of easy and cheap holiday decor ideas for small spaces. Let’s get our decorating on! Continue reading →

How To Practice Minimalism During the Holidays

how to practice minimalism during the holidays | asmalllife.com

Haul out the holly! Yup, you heard it here first, it’s the holiday season. The holiday season should be one of love, thankfulness and joy, but it can quickly turn into a season of stress, urgency and irritability. Much of my holiday stress comes from the cost of the holidays and simply trying to do too much. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we have to totally dismiss all gift giving and holiday traditions, but we need to keep our expectations in check and practice minimalism during this joyous season. Here how I practice minimalism during the holidays. Continue reading →

How Seth and Maggie are Preparing for Tiny House Living

How to prepare for tiny house living | asmalllife.comToday I’m excited to feature my new friends, Seth and Maggie. Seth and Maggie are currently preparing for tiny house living. One of the questions I often get asked is how we downsized. I’ve talked a bit about downsizing before, but it’s good to get the perspective of others who have done the same. Since we didn’t work with a contractor, I’m also really interested in the process of planning and building a tiny home. Take it away, Seth and Maggie!

Continue reading →

The Products We Used to Remodel Our Airstream

Products used to Remodel Airstream | asmalllife.com

Ok ya’ll. Today is a doozy of a post. I get a lot of questions about the specific products we used to remodel our 1978 Airstream Sovereign. I’ve tried to link to the exact products we used, but we also borrowed when we could, repurposed and recycled. We were on a tight budget and a tight timeline. We spent about 4 months remodeling the Airstream and we spent about $1,500 to fix her up. I’m also writing this post two years in the future, so I’m remembering as best I can. If you want to read more about our remodel, check out this post. Alright, on to the good stuff! Continue reading →

Small Travels: The Mountains of North Carolina

Linville Falls, NCLife’s been crazy lately. I’ve had too much work to do and not enough time to do it all. That’s why a couple of weeks ago, we took a much needed break to celebrate the birthday of a good friend. We traveled up to the mountains of my home state, stayed in a hundred-year-old cabin and took in all the colors of fall. Continue reading →

No-Spend November: A 30-Day Money Saving Challenge

No-Spend November: a 30-day money saving challenge

George and I are taking our first overseas trip in December and we all know what December means… present-buying season. In years past I’ve done a handmade holiday challenge and a $100 holiday challenge. This year, before the holidays begin, I’m going to challenge myself to spend no money in the month of November. I’m calling it “No-Spend November.” Clever, eh? Of course, I can’t literally spend no money at all. I have bills to pay and food to eat, but I will be spending no money on non-essentials in November. We paid for our plane tickets and our hotel on our credit card, so the money that I save in November will go to paying that off. I also plan to buy Christmas presents when I am overseas, so I don’t have to plan holiday gifts far in advance this year. It’s win-win all around. Anyway… here’s the rules.

No Spend November Rules

The rules may vary from person-to-person depending on your life situation, but rule #1 is the same for everyone:

  • Only spend money on essentials! This is by far the most important rule. Throughout the month I’ll be asking myself: is this essential?
    • Essentials include doctor’s appointments, prescriptions, gas for car, bills. Not much else!
  • Shop for groceries before the month begins.
    • For items that expire quickly (milk, fresh produce, etc.) I am using CSA share that comes once a week and costs $25 per week.
  • Leave credit and debit cards at home. This will help me avoid temptation.
  • On November 1st I’ll pull $100 out of an ATM for gas money and gas money only.
  • Bring lunch to work every day.
  • No online shopping!
    • Delete saved passwords and credit card info to make online shopping harder.

That’s it. Those are the rules. It’s easier said than done, but I’m excited to get one step closer to our first overseas excursion.

How are you saving for the holidays? Will you join me for the No Spend November challenge? Talk to me in the comments!

love,
melanie