From my experience and probably from every other parent out there, children go through clothing quickly so spending a lot of money on clothes that rarely get worn is not worth it. Think about the COST PER WEAR/USE when buying an item. How much use will you get out of it for the price that you pay? The past few months I’ve learned where to find the best secondhand baby clothes and I’ve listed them below. Buying secondhand is a great way to save money and save resources in the end.

While my immediate family and I stopped exchanging gifts a few years ago, I'm not opposed to presents completely.  I still like the occasional gift, but as someone who has ventured into the world of minimalism and zero waste, I offer some suggestions on what to give folks on this journey.  Consequently, these gifts are also good for someone who has everything already. Gift giving is rooted in tradition, in showing love, in showing appreciation so keep these in mind that large gifts don't necessarily mean big love. Small things, small actions can mean big love.

I’ve never really been a makeup person. It’s just not my thing and I am OK with that. So I was happy to come across this brand called Iris & Romeo. The company offers two products: Best Skin Days - a 5-in-1 serum, moisturizer, sheer coverage, sunscreen, and blue light/pollution protector and Power Peptide Lip Balm - a 3-in-1 lip balm that hydrates, plumps and adds color. Both products are in glass so a big plus for my sustainable packaging criteria. Vegan, cruelty-free, made in the USA and free from all of the -ates.

“Checking your “likes” is the new smoking.”

I couldn’t help the feeling that technology was taking over my life and it wasn’t for the best. Even after implementing a few digital minimalism strategies, I still coudn’t help the feeling that I wasn’t doing enough. I still felt distracted and not as focused. This past week, I finally picked up Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport and found so many interesting strategies in there to help find focus amidst the chaos of the digital attention economy.

I am trying to do my best to make this process as sustainable as possible. Since this is my first child, I’m still navigating what’s really necessary from the mesh of baby must-haves and lists available on the web. I attended a Just Between Friends Sale to find some good, quality secondhand items for baby to use. Here’s what I got:

When my parents left to retire for a few months to the Philippines, they left a few things behind. In one of the boxes, I found a box of Hi8 tapes that my dad had kept. Labeled: Cat’s 8th Graduation, H.S. Graduation, Anna’s Confirmation, Elaine’s 5th Birthday, New Year 99 and so on. I honestly wasn’t sure if the images were still intact and if I wanted to see them, but of course curiosity got the best of me so I started researching how to digitize the tapes. If I remember correctly, Hi8 was popular in the 90’s and very early 2000s. My dad had a camcorder that he would take everywhere and would also setup in front of our living room to capture the action.

If you are still unsure about how minimalism can help you, here are 17 ways minimalism can help you save money and save the planet as well.

Getting back to basics is the simplest way to find calm in the chaos.

My family has lived in the same house for 23 years. As of yesterday, my parents just accepted an offer for this house. Before we got to this point, it took months to declutter 23 years of stuff and I want to share with you what I've learned throughout this process.

I've been struggling lately to find that balance with being active in an online community, but also pulling back and taking time for myself or to connect in real-life. The struggle is real especially when majority of my days is in front of a computer, writing, interacting, emailing and connecting with others. I'm in the process of taking a more proactive approach of how I am using technology these days with the goal of being in the moment more. Here's what I'm currently doing. Time will tell how many of these I will stick to because I've had my shares of full on going offline and full on being constantly online.

Buying a home is a serious, important and personal decision and I think it's critical that when it comes to making this decision that you really keep in mind your needs, not your wants and not the influence of others. Societal conventions will push you to get more, but more doesn't also mean better. There are many advantages to having a smaller home. Along with the cost, the second is the environmental footprint.

From my experience and probably from every other parent out there, children go through clothing quickly so spending a lot of money on clothes that rarely get worn is not worth it. Think about the COST PER WEAR/USE when buying an item. How much use will you get out of it for the price that you pay? The past few months I’ve learned where to find the best secondhand baby clothes and I’ve listed them below. Buying secondhand is a great way to save money and save resources in the end.

“Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future.” - Maria Montessori

With our little girl turning 1, I thought I would share with you some of the book that helped us in the first year. There is no shortage of books out there for new parents so this isn’t the most comprehensive list. It’s funny how many of us become parents without formal guidance or education. Many think that parental instincts kick in when the baby is home, but sometimes that’s far from the truth. It helps to be prepared by reading a book or two from people you’ve been there and done that.

I’ve never really been a makeup person. It’s just not my thing and I am OK with that. So I was happy to come across this brand called Iris & Romeo. The company offers two products: Best Skin Days - a 5-in-1 serum, moisturizer, sheer coverage, sunscreen, and blue light/pollution protector and Power Peptide Lip Balm - a 3-in-1 lip balm that hydrates, plumps and adds color. Both products are in glass so a big plus for my sustainable packaging criteria. Vegan, cruelty-free, made in the USA and free from all of the -ates.

I am trying to do my best to make this process as sustainable as possible. Since this is my first child, I’m still navigating what’s really necessary from the mesh of baby must-haves and lists available on the web. I attended a Just Between Friends Sale to find some good, quality secondhand items for baby to use. Here’s what I got:

As I am now in my 20th week of pregnancy, I thought I would track how I am dressing my growing belly. My goal with this pregnancy, my first one which is exciting is to keep it as low cost and low waste as possible. Of course, I am not sacrificing my overall health or the baby’s health, but I am being mindful with how and where we spend money. It’s so easy to get caught up buying the latest maternity wear and being on trend, but it’s not necessarily the most sustainable on the wallet or the planet. After all, pregnancy really only lasts a few months and some items will get as much as a few weeks to a few months wear so putting in loads of money and buying all new stuff doesn’t seem like a good sustainable practice. New stuff also always means excess packaging and exposure to chemicals due to the manufacture of the clothing so the less exposure the better. So with some research and some out-of-the-box thinking, here’s how I’ve been managing my maternity wear. Of course, I will update this as my belly grows and my body changes to see what other resources I am tapping into.

I was in love with New York. I do not mean ‘love’ in any colloquial way, I mean that I was in love with the city, the way you love the first person who ever touches you and never love anyone quite that way again.

I fell in love with New York City at the age of 21. My roommate and I attended a New Year's party at Webster Hall and we had one of those random, New York nights weaving in and out of different crowds and neighborhoods. It was an unusually warm New Year so New York in the early morning felt special. As a girl growing up in New Jersey, New York was a 40 minute train ride away. At 22, I interned at the Met Life building on top of Grand Central commuting by bus. Each time the bus curves towards and away from the New York City skyline, I also smile. Post college, I accepted a job in New Jersey and would take a day or two to explore the city every few months. I eventually ended up working in New York City, but the grind of the daily commute, the constant push of tourists when all you wanted to do was get to your office got to me and I fell out of love with New York. I admired New York from afar, enjoying the skyline and the quietness that came with it. Add another year or two and I'm now back into falling in love with New York, but now with new eyes. What follows are tips on how to enjoy New York city without generating too much waste. I call this being a conscious traveler. My ask is to fall in love with New York, but don't leave it broken-hearted with waste and trash.

My favorite time of the year is upon us: Fall.

I was recently looking at the Fall Foliage maps and saw that in parts of the US, there are people that DO NOT experience changing leaves and therefore do not experience FALL, at all! This made me sad, but I encourage all of you to visit your nearby state or city that experiences Fall and revel in the beauty of this season's. I was also on Pinterest getting targeted with "Things to Do for Fall" and didn't really find one geared for zero waste or at least geared with reducing waste while enjoying this wonderful season. So without further ado, the 100 things you can this fall that's not very wasteful.

Find tips on how to indulge in Las Vegas while still reducing waste and plastic usage.

Keep Iceland beautiful, reduce your waste!

One of the things I loved about Iceland was how raw it is. With only 300K inhabitants, it has a lot of untouched land. Lots of open spaces also means lack of stores and restaurants. One has to be prepared especially when driving around the Ring Road. Sometimes, the only source of supplies can be a rest stop which is full of single-use disposable items. While I was not 100% successful in traveling zero waste while in Iceland, I am proud to admit that I survived 6 days travelling around the Ring Road without purchasing a single water bottle. A huge win for me. I also noticed so many opportunities to reduce waste the next time I go there which I am already marking as a future plan.

Portland embodies sustainable travel. Lots of great things happening to reduce waste, use what's local and reuse what's available.

Simple tips to reduce waste while traveling by car or plane.

Tips and recommendations on how to reduce waste and plastic use on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru.