The

Undeniable

Ruth

®

…and the Ruth shall set you free!

  • Minimalism in 90 Days Update – 4 Weeks into this Adventure

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    Ruth Carter

    Minimalism Boxes 11-9-2014
    My Minimalism Boxes – November 9, 2014

    Rosie and I have been in our condo for four weeks so that means we’ve been doing our own version of Ryan Nicodemus’ “packing party” for just over a month. (I closed on the condo on September 29th so the official start of the project was October 1st even though we didn’t move in until October 11th.)

    Ryan’s “party” ended after 21 days. I’m giving myself 90, though I’m starting to wonder how much more I’m really going to unpack. I have yet to go a day without unpacking something and I expect to unpack more wintery things as it gets colder but the low right now is only in the 50s. (Ah the joys of living in the desert.)

    When I got my first apartment, my mom took my shopping for my kitchen basics – dishes, glasses, cooking supplies, etc. When I moved to Phoenix, the house was fully furnished, so my kitchen gear mostly lived in the garage for 10 years except for a few specialty items. Now I’m rediscovering my cooking supplies and seeing what I actually need and use. I suspect I’ll keep a handful of basics that I barely use – like my hand mixer and my casserole dish – just so I won’t have to replace them when a rarely-used recipe requires one of them.

    Here’s what I unpacked in the last week.

    Day 22

    • Rosie’s flea treatment (she gets this once a month) and doggie bags
    • Toaster and plate
    • DVD
    • T-shirt

    Day 23

    • T-shirt
    • Plate
    • DVD
    • Hairbrush (that I’m using this as a microphone to practice for an upcoming speech. I’ve always used a brush for this.)

    Day 24

    • Hat and yoga pants (Yay! It’s finally cold enough for yoga pants!)
    • Two knives

    Day 25

    • Slacks, blouse, and t-shirt
    • Clipboard and notebook
    • Anniversary card (which I bought on sale in July)
    • Knife
    • Glow-in-the-dark ball (for Rosie)

    Day 26

    • T-shirt
    • Cookbook (to help me make my shopping list), knife, and plate
    • Heating pad and 2 Styrofoam cups (to make an ice cup)
    • Lip balm (I have no problem admitting I’m addicted to lip balm.)
    • DVD (because I think you’re obligated to watch V for Vendetta on 11/5)

    Day 27

    • Socks and tank top

    Day 28

    • Hiking boots and socks
    • Caffeine pills

    After the end of Week 4, I took some time to go through and combine several half-empty boxes. I’ve gotten rid of at least 4 boxes since my last video. It makes a big difference in the amount of free space I have and has me thinking about how I want to use it going forward.

    Other updates from the Minimalism in 90 Days project:
    What was Unpacked During Week 1
    What was Unpacked During Week 2
    What was Unpacked During Week 3

  • Minimalism in 90 Days Update – What Got Unpacked During Week 3

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    Ruth Carter

    The Minimalism Pile at the End of Week 3
    The Minimalism Pile at the End of Week 3

    Rosie and I have been in the condo long enough that we’re starting establish day-to-day patterns so most of what we need is already unpacked – and yet there are still 21 banker boxes and other boxes and bags that I haven’t unpacked. Now I know some of these things will be unpacked – like the rest of my dishes. My dish set only came with 8 plates (4 big, 4 medium). Keeping all of these is not excessive. As the weather gets colder I’m going to unpack my warmer sheets, blankets, and my crock pot.

    I have yet to go a day without packing something, but the number of things I unpack each day has dropped significantly.

    I’ve started adding some commentary to this what-I-unpacked-list, not because I need to justify why I kept what I kept, but to share why certain things are valuable.

    Day 15

    Day 16

    • Hair dye shirt (the t-shirt I wear when I dye my hair and do messy projects), hair dye, small bottle for extra developer (as a short-haired person, I get 2 dye jobs out of each box)
    • Towel set (I told myself I can keep both sets of towels I own)
    • T-shirt, shorts, Crocs (makes it easier to work at my standing desk)
    • Vacuum
    • DVD
    • Rosie’s nail clippers
    • Everything That Remains book (love this book and I wanted to remember when Ryan Nicodemus had his first day without unpacking something – Day 10 for him)
    • Family calendar (yes, my family creates a calendar every year with photos from the previous year) and a tack to hang it up
    • Ibuprofen

    Day 17

    • Mixing bowls (I used the small bowl to make tuna salad so the whole set got unpacked)
    • Plunger

    Day 18

    • T-shirt and sweater
    • Lint roller
    • Floss

    Day 19

    • Hair trimming scissors (my bangs were getting too long)
    • Pants, dress socks, dress shirt, neck tie, and boots
    • Law books (I had a TV interview at my home about the law and Airbnb so I put them out to give my office more of a lawyerish look, including copies of my books)
    • Jason Surfrapp’s Creativity for Sale (I got out my extra copy to send to a friend)

    Day 20

    • Dress
    • Fork
    • DVD

    Day 21

    • T-shirt (I could have gone without unpacking anything if it wasn’t Halloween and I didn’t want to wear my Coroner shirt to work)

    I wouldn’t be surprised if I go a day without packing something next week.

    With the number of things I unpacked this week, I was able to decrease the number of boxes in the “minimalism pile” but there’s a lot of stuff left. It makes me wonder if I should make a pass through them and start clearing out some things before the end of the year.

    In this video I make my standard pass through the condo but I gave you preview of what I expect to add in the next six months. Please tell me what you think of my ideas!

    Other updates from the Minimalism in 90 Days project:
    What was Unpacked During Week 1
    What was Unpacked During Week 2

  • Minimalism in 90 Days Update – What I Unpacked During Week 2

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    Ruth Carter

    Minimalism Boxes - October 26, 2014
    Minimalism Boxes – October 26, 2014

    I’m a little over two weeks into my new minimalism project where I only unpack what I need as I need it – inspired by the “packing party” Ryan Nicodemus of The Minimalists did. His process lasted 21 days. I’m giving myself three months for mine.

    I looked up Ryan’s packing party story in Everything That Remains and noted that his first day when he didn’t have to unpack anything was Day 10. I’m still unpacking things every day, but the number of things I need is dropping – still mostly clothes, kitchware, and now that I have a TV, DVDs.

    I realized that before when I needed something, I would look at everything I have and make a decision. Now that most of my stuff is still in boxes, when I need something – like deciding what I’m going to wear that day, I envision how I want to look and feel that day and decide accordingly. I don’t rely on the visual stimulation of looking at my stuff to inspire me but try to tap into what I really want instead.

    One of the challenges I face on a daily basis is paper. No matter how much I minimize my life, I will always have to deal with paper in form of mail, business cards from networking events, receipts, etc. I’m toying with the idea of letting it pile up and deal with it once a week instead of daily.  That might be a more effective use of my time. Given that “freedom” is something I value greatly, conserving my time for things that matter to me is important.

    For those who are interested, here’s what I unpacked during Week 2.

    My T-shirt Drawer - October 26, 2014
    My T-shirt Drawer – October 26, 2014

    Day 8

    • Spoon
    • Sundress and cardigan
    • DVD
    • Highlighter
    • Coupons and store club cards
    • Laundry soap, dust cloth, duster, dryer sheets, and dishwasher soap

    Day 9

    • Contact lenses, contact solution, lotion, and marker
    • Eyeglasses case
    • Bike pump
    • T-shirt and socks
    • Big soup pot, food storage containers, measuring spoons, medium pot, chopper, cooking spoon, colander, and onion goggles
    • 2 DVDs

    Day 10

    • 2 T-shirts, tank top, bra, and cardigan
    • Salad container and measuring cup

    Day 11

    • Tank top
    • Lids for food storage containers and mug
    • Extra razor blades and 2 types of mouthwash
    • Vase I use for spare change

    Day 12

    • Skirt, blouse, and Mary Jane heels
    • Remote mouse aka “clicker”
    • Makeup brushes, eyelash curler, compact, powder, and nose hair trimmer
    • Crochet project

    Day 13

    • Reflective belt for early morning running, t-shirt, underwear, Legal Rebel Converse high tops, and blazer
    • Extra business cards
    • Measuring cups

    Day 14

    • T-shirt
    • Home inspection binder
    • Q-tips and tampons
    • Small pot, wooden spoon, and new knives

    I wouldn’t be surprised if my first day where I don’t unpack anything comes within the next week. I think I’ll need about a month to get through the majority of the activities I do on a regular basis and then it will be easier to start going through my boxes and get rid of things on a more frequent basis.

    In case you missed it: What I Unpacked During Week 1