Skip to main content

Natural Awakenings Milwaukee Magazine

Living Lighter Checklist: Some Ways to Up Our Game in Simpler Living

Sep 30, 2021 08:30AM ● By Ronica O’Hara
Glass jars of various dry foods sitting on counter

indievibe/tAdobeStock.com

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

max3d007AdobeStockcom

Less Stuff, More Joy: Ways to Live Simpler and Lighter on Mother Earth

How to turn to simpler, sustainable, conscious ways of living molded by our personal values through minimalist lifestyles. Read More »