Mabsut Minimalists

Sisters Advocating Life Improvement

[mabsut-minimalist]

So this whole blog and my purpose in life align pretty closely.

Self improvement, growth, and self care are what this is all about.

I say that to say that I feel like this move has been a huge step of self love. I'm happy. Genuinely happy with this man, this job, this apartment, the life.

It still catches me off at times.. I live in Idaho... 2000 something miles from my family. Completely removed from everything I know and I couldn't be happier. How wild is that?! Lol

I mentioned in a conversation with my sister that I feel like I have everything I wanted when I was a teenager.

I might have enjoyed my teens more if I knew I'd have all this. That's a problem I have. I stay looking at the future and forget to focus on the present. I'm only bad at it when times get rough. I love to live in the moment. I don't let myself do that enough. I need to work on that.

I don't want to make that mistake again. I want to have goals and manifest them but remember that I'm here right now and I could miss out on some amazing things if I don't sit down for a sec. I don't want to hate another entire ten years of my life. I want to be happy and I am.

[mabsut-minimalist]

Zero waste for the winnn!

So a few days ago, Scott and I went to Albertsons and they had package free bar soap. I, of course, got the rose one because I'm obsessed with roses. I'm very happy about that.

We also found a place called natural grocers that (I believe) allows you to bring your own containers and buy groceries package free! I'm extremely excited about that. We already bought groceries and I tried to keep it as low waste as possible but it wasn't as low of waste as I'd like. So I'll have to work on that. ❤❤❤

[mabsut-minimalist]

[mabsut-minimalist]

I recognize I'm only part of the way through this weekend lol

Yesterday Scott and I went to this adorable little boutique in Hyde Park. It's called Hyde and Seek. They sell unique gifts and household goods you wouldn't find anywhere else.

So we went in yesterday because I've been eyeing this gorgeous purse they had hanging on an armoire door. I decided it was time I got a more convenient purse to carry with me.

My old purse is a structured rectangular bag. I was looking for something more loose and crossbody.

I found this gorgeous yellow crossbody bag with flowers on it. Perfect for exploring❤

Something I noticed about that place is that the owner of the store is incredibly kind to her employees. That's something you don't see very often. This lady in front of us in line got snippy with the cashier about a misunderstanding of a transaction. The cashier explained the receipt to the customer and the customer just scoffed and walked away. The owner caught her before she walked out and I'm assuming she resolved the situation. When the owner came back inside she asked the casher if she was ok and asked if she was ok. And I could tell by their conversation that the owner was genuinely concerned even though the situation wasn't too big of a deal. That stood out to me. That's a level of kindness you don't see very often. Especially not where I'm from. I'll definitely be back not only for the fact that they sell beautiful things but because I want to support small businesses like that that genuinely take care of their employees. I don't really care that I may have to spend alittle more money. I hope I turn out to be that good of a boss.

❤❤❤

So anyway, we also went to the library yesterday for some writing classes.

The first one was taught by Margo Kelly. Author of some books I probably won't read because theyre for kids. She spoke about her 12 step process for writing books. Though I don't walk through traditional path artistically, I found some of what she said very useful.

Then the second class was on building strong characters. A panel of authors spoke at this one. They discussed things like avoiding cliches, tips and tricks for picking good names, and operating with in your character's limitations. Things like that. It was fun and interesting to hear other people's perspectives and get some advice on those topics.

Then we stopped by Barnes and noble which was a big thing for me. I recognize that I'm probably making this a bigger deal than it is. Since I was a teenager, I've always wanted one of those leather bound jounals they sell with the wrap closure. I love writing and drawing and brainstorming so having something like that is ideal for me. They had a black one so I grabbed it quick and we headed home.

In conclusion, I just want to say that the things I write about may seem silly or rediculous but I'm noting things that bring me joy. I'm happy and I want to wallow in it.

I hope everyone's having an awesome day ❤❤❤

[mabsut-minimalist]

So last weekend, Scott and I went exploring downtown and decided to check out the state capital and this really cool place called Freak Alley. I think it's so cool that the city let a bunch of people make the city prettier. Super elaborate paintings just chilling in the most unassuming place. I loved every single one. We need more of that in the world. The capital was so nice. They had a sitting area for tourists and field trip kids to come sit down and watch the video they had playing on loop. They also had the Senate and House Chambers (pictured). Crushed velvet seats. Marble pillars. The works. What makes this all so amazing is that I'm able to see all of this with someone I love. It's crazy to think we're making memories in a place I never knew I'd see.❤

[mabsut-minimalist]

Weekends with Scott❤❤

So last weekend we went downtown and explored the Idaho state capital. The whole building was made out of stone and marble. It was intimidatingly beautiful!

They had plaques and statues paying homage to the history of Idaho. Sitting areas and flat screen tvs with videos playing in the backround. It was really nice.

After that, we walked around and ended up at this place called freak alley. It's an alley that's been covered with a striking amount of art. People here are really talented. Ive seen graffiti but never anything like this.

Im eternally grateful to my boyfriend for exploring with me and showing me the amazing parts of the city that mostly get taken for granted. Everything he shows me is breath taking.

[zenwords]

[zenmister]

Zenmister Books

[mabsut-minimalist]

This treehouse is everything I wanted as a child❤❤

[mabsut-minimalist]

Exploring downtown.

So I woke up the day after I got here and my boyfriend wanted to take some time to show me around since we both had the day off.

I can't even begin to pretend that I remember what order this all happened in so I'm going to just raddle off some things he showed me.

First of all we saw this amazing treehouse in someone's yard. It was so cool! The trees here are big and beautiful and sometimes weird shapes. But yeah this treehouse is everything I wanted as a kid.

-We went to this beautiful park near our house. For some reason the color of the leaves and grass stood out to me. It's so green here and the leaves are starting to turn because it's fall. The foothills toward the back of the park are alittle drier and super steep. This one path in particular looks to be a challenge to walk up haha! The one we went up was pretty steep but not as bad as the one I just watched people walk up. The view from the top was breath taking. You could see a large portion of the city from up there. And on the back of the hills there are giant houses spread out along the hills. I imagine those are millions of dollars. They looked super modern.

-We went to this boutique near the park where they sold all these beautiful household goods. Everything looked unique and pretty. My eyes were drawn to the items that had owls on them, the cross body bags, and all the candles.

- He showed me this record store that was basically half records and half stuff. They had alot of handcrafted soaps and t-shirts and cute little house hold things that you wouldn't see at your local big box stores. The soaps and tea related items stood out to me. I'll definitely be going back there.

If I remember anything else from that specific day, I'll edit the post.

The neighborhood we live in is so clean, quiet, and pretty. I love it. I really got lucky in every aspect of this move.

No two houses are the same. Everyone is open and nice. I really love it here ❤❤❤

So I'm going to do one more post about the exploring he and I did on this past Sunday and then I'll work on more minimalist/zerowaste content next week when I get paid and can get some of the items that will help me live more zero waste.

[mabsut-minimalist]

It happened.

I touched on moving to Idaho to be with my boyfriend in my last post.

The day of the flight was so intense.

I was the most nervous I had ever been. Just sitting in Birmingham international with my mother and her boyfriend beside me. Everything became so surreal and terrifying.

"what if I get lost during the layover?" I thought frequently.

That was my biggest fear. I'd get stuck in Houston or something would get in the way of me meeting my boyfriend.

I put so much into this and going back just wasn't an option. So I pushed forward. Through Birmingham international, through take off and landing twice, through Houston's airport, through the fear. It was tough. Probably the most risky thing I've ever done in my life.

I wasn't afraid of what the negative nancys were saying.

"what if he is abusive?"

"what if he doesn't show?"

"what if he's a human trafficer?"

What the fuck ever. I knew who he was. I never once feared him or what he could have been. He's none of those things.

So I landed in the airport in Idaho around 9pm. Once I got off the plane I just wandered forward, no real direction, holding back tears. "My love is somewhere in this airport." And after ten minutes of walking I saw him through the dimly lit glass window. My bahbee❤

I'd never hugged someone and cried before that day. His hug was as big as the sigh of relief I let out. The wait was over. We were together. I swear I cried 6 months worth of tears. I felt at home immediately.

The first couple of nights were stressful. I had hardcore surreal moments where I thought "my god... I really did it.. I live in Idaho!" I still have moments like that and it always makes me smile. Today marks a week and one day since I flew in and I'm so so so so happy.

I feel like I've met my person. ❤❤❤

[mabsut-minimalist]

Step one.

To go along with the little changes we make in life, sometime there are big ones.

Tomorrow morning is going to be one of those big ones for me.

I decided about 8 months ago that the life I was living wasn't the one I wanted to maintain anymore. I wasn't happy, my health was lacking, I didn't really have any direction, I was riddled with anxiety, my relationships always ended (usually on a bad note). So I knew I needed a change and going back to my home town wasn't an option.

Everything was going to have to change if I was going to get better and finally find happiness.

I had originally planned to move to Phoenix, Arizona by myself and go back to school. I figured it'd take another year or so for me to figure out the logistics but the fact that I had this vague plan made me feel motivated to pull myself together.

And in the most perfect of times, I met my boyfriend.

We hit it off almost immediately. Hes so sweet and encouraging. He has some of the same aspirations I do as far as life improvement.

So then eventually, my vague idea of moving to Arizona became solid plan. But now it wasn't going to just be me. As time went by we eventually decided that I would move to him in Idaho. We're going to get settled together and then consider our options as far as making it to Arizona. The first step is flying out tomorrow afternoon!

So that's my big change. The smaller changes, I've already started to work on.

I want to live a more zerowaste/minimalist/healthy lifestyle.

I'm eternally grateful and lucky to have a boyfriend that is incredibly supportive of my goals. He doesn't look at me like I'm a weirdo, which was part of my beef with living in the south. I like to try new things and experiment. That's what gives me life and makes me happy. Figuring out what works for me/us. I'll have room to do that when I get to Idaho with him.

I'm nervous about being at the right place at the right time as far as the flight goes but I'll be there super early so I should be fine.

I literally could not be more excited to get to Idaho and start our life together.

I feel very encouraged and happy about the days ahead. This is a huge deal to me and I'm so excited to step off the plane in Idaho!

I'll post updates on how everything is going and of course talk about the zerowaste minimalist healthy lifestyle stuff I do.

Have a good day ❤❤❤

[mabsut-minimalist]

Food..

So a big issue and one I've avoided is food. And not eating enough of it.

I usually load down on sweet tea and don't eat enough food and SOMEHOW IM STILL ALIVE. I don't understand it.

Nor do I like that that's what my eating habits are.

I've been working on cutting back on the sweet tea but the addiction isn't broken. Even if I did break the addition, I wouldn't have enough food to replace the carbs I'm consuming from sweet tea due to my financial situation.

So. I turned to cronometer. What a beautiful bastard of an app.

I am able to track what I'm eating and how much I should be eating.

It's daunting to look at but I think this is going to help me once I get settled into this new job I'm starting soon.

I'll soon be able to buy as much food as my tiny tummy can handle.

This is really something I want to fix. I don't enjoy being unhealthy and/or deficient in certain areas. I want to fix this. It's just hard being where I am in this moment. But that's going to change soon. So I'll post updates and progress on my journey to gaining a healthy amount of weight and what I'm eating and all that.

I'll also be talking about exercise once I feel like I'm healthy enough to do that regularly.

*sigh

What a process..

[mabsut-minimalist]

Let's Talk Zero Waste

So it's not news that we all have a carbon footprint. America throws away 35 billion plastic bottles a year. The Wall Street Journal also reported that we throw away 100 billion plastic bags a year. That's alot of garbage and alot of oil and it only scratches the surface. Only 6 % of that is recycled. Only certain plastics are accepted. There are tons of different sources of plastic waste too. Plastic cutlery, food packaging, toiletry packaging, and clothing tags are also plastic waste. I could go all day about statistics of how much gets wasted but really my motive here is to explain why I want to live a more zero waste lifestyle and how I plan to do it. My goal is to implement the 5 R's. 1. Reduce 2. Refuse 3. Reuse 4. Recycle And 5. Rot REDUCING the amount of plastic and single use items I use and purchase. REFUSING plastic single use items when offered. This includes plastic cutlery, straws, and Togo containers. REUSING anything that I already have or buying second hand. For me, this means only purchasing sustainably made products I can reuse for the rest of my existence. That means glass, stainless steel, and wood. Always shopping second hand instead of purchasing something new is another great way to reuse. It's also a great way to acquire reusable containers for your shopping and food storage needs. Recycle what you can't implement one of the other methods for. With this lifestyle, I will add that you want to reduce the amount you have to recycle by using the other methods. Recycling is really just the lesser of two evils. There is still the fact that the majority of plastics cannot be reused after they're melted down and they end up in the landfill anyway. And finally ROT any and all food waste. Composting is a great method to implement into a zero waste lifestyle. It's literally used to grow more food so you're coming full circle when you compost. So what does this look like for me on the day to day? -This means I only use my stainless steel waterbottle for all my water drinking needs. No more plastic bottles. -This means when I go out to eat, I bring my own container to put left overs in. -When I go out for drinks, I refuse the little straw they try to give you because I brought my own stainless steel straw. -When I order takeout, I ask them not to put any plastic cutlery in my order because I already have my own travel set of wooden cutlery or I'm at home where I already have those things. - when I go buy groceries, I want to bring my own containers to buy what I need. This requires alittle extra effort on my end with finding a grocery store near me that sells bulk items but it's worth it to me. Alot of natural food stores and places like Whole Foods do this. You just bring your own container, weight the container to get the tare weight, fill the container with what you want, record the weight with the product inside on the note pad in your phone, take it to the register, place it in your reusable bag. Boom zero waste shopping. You can do this with everything from beans and rice to shampoo and conditioner. They sell all kinds of stuff. Just depends on your store. So basically these are the things I want to implement in my life to help the planet and my own life. I watched two TedTalks about how when you throw away those single use items, you're actually throwing your money away. It's true. It makes sense. You paid for that plastic bottle.. and now you're throwing it away lol Anyway, this is what I'm going to be doing and I hope that whoever sees this will try at least some of these methods also❤❤❤ Hope everybody's having a good day❤❤❤

[mabsut-minimalist]

I've really been mindful of what I'm wearing lately.

And I'm absolutely loving it. Before I started the whole minimalist thing I was getting my clothes from fast fashion retailers. (Think Forever21, H&M, Charlotte Russe) The pieces generally only lasted maybe 3-6 months before something broke or ripped. That's because those shops don't make clothing to last. Everything that goes into the pieces are generally lower quality to keep cost down and get it to the masses. After a time of buying "fast fashion" clothing, I became really irritated at how much it was adding up to have to go out and replace something I bought at forever 21 three months ago. Screw that. I've decided what I want my style to be. My current wardrobe is where I want it to be in terms of size and color palette. The only thing I would like to improve on is quality of the pieces themselves. I've been studying what kinds of fabrics are better quality and ways to look more put together. I'm doing a pretty good job. So I've decided that my solution to the "fast fashion" problem is to invest in better quality pieces. They'll look nicer and last much longer. The style I've adapted is very neutral (gray scale and khaki) and timeless and I feel that works for me. It's really important that the pieces last a long time but that they will never go out of style. The goal here is to look very polished and put together without putting alot of effort in. So that's where I've been at mentally in terms of my wardrobe. It's a work in progress but it's coming together. It makes me feel better and perform better when I feel put together. If I were one to follow trends, I'd see it beneficial to have places like forever 21 in my back pocket to purchase those trend items but still have the capsule wardrobe. I, however, am not into trends and would see it as going against the whole idea of being a minimalist. But hey, do what works for you. It's not my place to say what other people should do. This is just what I do. Blahblahblah Anyway, I hope anyone who sees this is having a fannnnnnntastic day ❤❤❤❤

[mabsut-minimalist]

To piggy back off of what Ana said about positive influences...

Mine are as follows: 1. My sister( shout out to booboochild ana😄) 2. My boyfriend (shout out to bahbee😘) 3. Dale partridge and the startup camp program 4. Reading books about Self improvement and business 5. Sustainable gardening 6. Watching YouTube channels about veganism, minimalism, business, and Prince (lol😍) 7. Listening to music 8. Waking up at 5 in the morning 9. Bullet journaling 10. Making plans to move in spring 11. Improving upon and learning German 12. Really taking care of my skin. 13. Decluttering and finding multiple purposes for things (minimalism)

To this, I’d like to start doing YouTube yoga again. Ana just reminded me that that’s a thing. I haven’t done it in forever. I need to start that back up. I’d also like to figure out what this whole meditation thing is about.

[mabsut-minimalist]

Positive influences

I've created a list of positive influences and things in my life that I can/should visit often: 1) fruit on Nutella toast (my #1 go to) 2) Marzia (aka cutiepie, youtuber) 3) Mooches (my bunny) 4) Sword of Truth novels (even though I only own the first six of them 5) several friends and family members (shout out to Erica 🙂) 6) a clean living space (cleaning makes me shiver in a good way) 7) meet up app (to meet new people and do fun stuff) 8) my girlfriend (she's lovely most days) 9) writing fanfiction (even though I'd never let anyone I know read it) 10) stretching/ YouTube yoga 11) clean laundry and clean sheets (I know I said cleaning already but damn these make me smile) 12) my calender (to always keep me on track) 13) my instagram (IGNORE THE EXPLORE TAB, I only like to post good times that have meaning behind them. I started a new Instagram a couple months ago and only post things that make me happy. So now, I can scroll my own Instagram for positivity)

[mabsut-minimalist]

Life Changes

I'm changing therapists. Over the past 12 years, I've struggled with cycles of depression and anxiety. I have only sought help for these problems within the past 3 years. I've seen 4 therapists during that time (college only lets you have 8 appointments per semester so I kept having to change therapists). The thought of changing therapists is exhausting because I can either start seeing one of my previous therapists or I can find a new one. I have problems with both options. If I go back to Bill (my favorite therapist) then I will have to wait a month to see him and I will only have 8 appointments left starting in august. Eventually I will have to find another therapist anyway. If I find a new therapist, I have to tell my whole life story ALL OVER AGAIN. I'm switching therapists for several reasons. First, she has cut several of my appointments short (which is a big deal because I pay a copay on them, and I've only been going to her office for a couple months). Plus, I don't feel like she actually cares about me when my sessions were cut 10-20 minutes short. The second reason, and probably the most important, her services haven't helped me. I feel super anxious before every appointment. I don't feel better after I leave. I don't really feel better after that either. Her therapy style is very general and states the obvious. Ex. If you're having bad thoughts, just don't think about it. She hasn't given me tools to reframe my perspective and that's what I came to her for. The third reason I'm switching therapists is because several times throughout each session, she brings up medication. My psychiatrist appointment isn't until august. What am I supposed to do in the meantime with all of my problems? She tells me something along the lines of "don't think about them so much". So basically, it's time to see someone else. After all, this is the summer that I am using to revamp my spirit. I can't waste it. Soon the semester will start and by then I want to be several steps ahead of where I am now.