unsolicited advice on minimalism, financial independence, and living an intentional life
Last week, I wrote about how packing a carry-on can make your vacation more enjoyable. But how exactly do you go about packing less stuff?
Below I’ve compiled my favorite tips for flying with a carry-on. Whether you’re going on a month-long trip overseas or just taking a weekend getaway, these tips will get you — and your stuff — from Point A to Point B, hassle-free.
Continue reading “a beginner’s guide: packing a carry-on for any vacation”
Years ago, when I was probably 8 or 9, my mom and I were packing for the yearly Girl Scout mother/daughter camp-out held at the campgrounds a few miles outside of town. My mom entered my room to supervise my packing and found me surrounded by about a dozen stuffed animals of varying sizes, all of which I planned to take with me on our trip.
“No,” Mom said. “You can’t take them all. Choose one; that’s it.”
What Mom didn’t understand was that the stuffed animals I left behind would be devastated and deeply offended by my lack of loyalty (I was a child growing up in the Toy Story era, mind you). I ended up smuggling all of my stuffed animals to camp in the bottom of my rolled-up sleeping bag. That night I ate marshmallows around the campfire with my fellow Girl Scouts, impressed by my powers of deception — until it was time for bed.
Continue reading “how packing a carry-on can enrich your vacation”
The other day, my boyfriend said something that has changed the way I will look at sentimental items forever.
We were talking about the accumulation of stuff that inevitably occurs as we age, and then he turned to me and dropped this truth bomb:
“You know, it seems to me like most nostalgia is rooted in sadness.”
*Amanda clambers out from beneath the rock she’s been living under for 2.5 weeks*
Today, for the first time in months, I purchased something for myself. A real, actual, tangible, physical thing.
Continue reading “i bought something for myself (and the world didn’t end)”
burst of intention 