A RELIABLE WORK SPOT (AND A PLAN B)

While I like to think that I'm a spontaneous person, I'm an incredibly picky worker. I cannot focus at a rickety table, when surrounding conversation reaches a certain decibel, or while sitting on a swirly bar stool. (When your height is on the lower side of average, bar stools can be cruel). My favorite spot is at our dining table, looking out towards the living room windows.

But every number of days, thanks to a certain benevolent grandmother, I'm able to leave the house for a handful of hours. On these days, I frequent a local cafe that usually has my favorite booth free in the back corner. The coffee is quality, the atmosphere inspires, and on week days there are only a few other focused workers with fingers puttering away at keyboards. Conversations are muffled and the music is soft, so I can focus well and be productive.

The other day my usual haunt failed to provide me a spot within close proximity to an outlet (in its later years, my lap top has been hanging on for dear life). An hour later and four cafes down, I tossed my things onto a Starbucks' table, and then I saw this:

So next time the neighborhood cafe fails me, I'll skip the search and settle immediately into a desk at a certain library. It's not my preferred atmosphere to work in, but it's fool proof. And when you have strict time constraints, fool proof takes precedent over journeys across town in search of lattes and inspiration.


Check out the qualities I look for in a reliable work spot here. 

SEASONAL SHOPPING

It's that magical word, "September", that has given me permission to reminisce about the crunch of leaves, crackling fires, and pumpkins. And so even though it's still 90 plus degrees in Raleigh this week, I have begun to consider the contents of my closet. Again.

Last fall, I was pregnant, so it's been a couple of years since I've sorted through my autumn wardrobe, and many of the items in it were purchased a couple of years before that. Trying to uphold my commitment to a basic wardrobe, I've consolidated clothing down to what I plan to keep and what I plan to consign, donate or turn into utility rags for a new house project.

I'm trying something new this season - I'm going to write down exactly what I need to to buy in order to fill in the gaps in my current wardrobe. Until spring (seriously), my goal is to avoid buying anything not on that list. Planning your shopping is important if the budget allotment is tinier than you'd like and you don't want to blow half of it on that nonessential sweater just because you were enchanted by that first brisk day.

Here's my fall buying plan (still in the works), and here's hoping I can stick to it!

ON LIVING SMALLER

When Joseph and I first were married, we moved right into a little dream house. The rooms were not particularly large, but there were three bedrooms with three moderately sized closets. Each closet was stuffed to the point of overflowing, and the two extra rooms were completely furnished. We had the ideal space to meet our needs and fit our things.

When I was pregnant our priorities changed, and we moved from there to a one bedroom garage apartment to save more money. Storage was limited, and we had to sell furniture and donate 50% of our things just to make the space livable, and to make room for a baby.

And guess what? I can't even recall most of the things we gave up.

We learned our lesson, and when searching for our current apartment we opted for less square footage than we thought we would need. This forced us once again to downsize our clothing to fit an even smaller closet, and our kitchen items to fit a kitchen half the size of the last, and we sold almost all our furniture, swapping only some of it for small scale items that we loved. Once again, we got rid of about half of the things we owned.

I don't miss those things either.

Waste not, want not - it's true. But that also applies to wasted space. Don't spend money buying or renting real estate for your unnecessary and unloved things. Instead make money off those items, or give them away so that someone who needs them can love them. A smaller space will prevent you from buying new things as well. Your wallets will be fatter, your home will be neater, and you won't look back.

more on downsizing:
surprising benefits of smaller living
could you live in 100 sq ft?
10 of the smallest homes in the world

photo found here.

BUILD A BASIC WARDROBE

I typically buy one pair of sandals that I wear every day through a few springs and summers, until they are scuffed or ripped to the point of no repair. I'm reluctant to replace them, as they represent a season of my life.

This year I have set out to do the same with the rest of my clothing. With the money made from consigning 90% of my closet, I've purchased some simpler pieces. Quality basics to withstand many, many strolls through the neighborhood, coffee drips, and baby snuggles. 

I know that a minimalist wardrobe doesn't appeal to many, and that it could hinder creative expression for those that have an artistic passion for clothing. But for me, someone who needs simplicity and organization to enjoy life and find motivation, the acceptance of a stylish, simple wardrobe has been a gift.


more on clothes:
tips for building a simple wardrobe
a new way of retail
male entrepreneurs writing the fashion code?
eco-friendly online fashion list
a short history of the little black dress