Mindful Living

Certain life milestones signal the inauguration of adult life. Among them: filing taxes, buying a home… and of course, finally figuring out how to read your electric meter. It’s a skill you should know, along with these 9 other household tech fixes and troubleshoots.There’s no need to call an overpriced computer expert when you need to backup your computer.

On the spectrum of keeper or purger I fall clearly in the camp of purger. There are, of course, a few exceptions to this rule. Here are five questions I ask myself to decide what to keep or purge during each clean out.We purge our home of clutter quarterly because even though we are mindful about what we bring into the apartment, stuff piles up over time. Here are five questions I ask myself to help decide what to keep and what to purge. When was the last time I actually used it?

Budgeting is one my least favorite subjects. One, because I am one of those right brained people who avoids math and numbers at all costs and two, because I was never taught how to make a proper and realistic budget. But, whether or not it’s in our comfort zone, we inevitably hunker down and try to crunch numbers and make a plan.

The other night I became a total apartment-living cliché. It was 5am and my upstairs neighbor had been hitting snooze (yet again) on her siren-pitched alarm clock for close to an hour. I finally stormed out of bed, stomped to the broom closet, and gave my ceiling several vigorous whacks. Not my best moment, or morning.To keep you from meeting the same pre-dawn fate (and well, looking like a lunatic), I thought I’d research more neighborly etiquette.

Some of my favorite Re-Nest posts are the ones that share clever solutions to everyday issues (you know, the kind that make you think “huh, how did I not know about this?”). From removing pesky stains to keeping pests at bay and everything in between, here’s a roundup of our favorites from 2011!TOP ROW• 1 Use Citrus Peels To Start Your Seedlings• 2 Hot Tip: Wrinkles? Forget the Iron. Use a Spray Bottle.

The season is here for cozying up to crackling fires. For those of you who are burning wood, check out these useful tips on how to get a clean and efficient burn from your firewood. As a wise innkeeper in rural Pennsylvania once said to me, while stoking a fire like she was mad at it, “Romances should smolder – firewood should burn.” Word.I recently came across a great in-depth article in Mother Earth News on using cleaner, more efficient firewood.

Name: Penelope, Nathan and Bell MillerLocation: Portland, OregonYears lived in: 2 Penelope and Nathan turned a broken down house in North East Portland into a handmade palace full of personality and joy — the perfect spot to raise their 20 month old daughter, Bell, and even have leftover room for guests and grandparents. When Penelope needed a bit of peace and contemplation, they built an outdoor lounge room completely from reclaimed, tossed–aside materials.

We’ve talked time and time again about all the little things you can do to make a house feel like a home. You can have warm enveloping lighting, plants for fresh air and fun additions of color, collections and artwork, but that’s not what this post is about. This post is about how to make your home feel like a refuge; it doesn’t have a single thing to do with your decor or the design of your space and nothing costs a dime – it’s all totally, 100% free… 1.

Making your home, or even one room, function for the purpose you’ve identified isn’t about spending tons of money to overhaul your space; it’s more about being thoughtful about how you envision your space to function. Yes, you might need to purchase a sleeper sofa if you want your office to double as a guest room, but generally you can work with what you have.

Entryways are one of the most used areas of a home, yet there’s rarely a dedicated space for the various functional and storage needs that our daily lives command. This guide breaks down why these spaces are so important in the slow home, their components, and how you can create your own (even if you live in an apartment!).Entryways have both practical and psychological qualities.

With winter well behind us in most parts, it is once again time to stow away all those bulky blankets. Here is a dead simple tip on how to save loads of space with nothing but a vacuum, a garbage bag, and a rubber band!Bulky blankets, pillows, linens, clothing, you name it!Vacuum with a hoseGarbage bagRubber band 1.Fold the blanket, winter coat or whathaveyou. Stack several on top of each other if desired.2.Place the folded material into the garbage bag.3.

I know, I know, moving your furniture around in a space a few times a year sounds like an enormous amount of work but it’s worth it. After the jump find 5 reasons that moving your furniture can help you live more simply and efficiently.1. Save your flooring. By moving your furniture around periodically it saves your flooring from wear and traffic patterns therefore extending its life.2. Take advantage of changing light conditions.

image:a1b9dbac900965d6029baa712df3edb5cf15ddf4 w:540 s:"fit" class_name:"mt-image-center" show_pin_button:"true" show_image_credits:"true" There’s no need for a dryer with these creative and space-saving drying racks! Hang them inside or outside, over the tub or over the backyard, lower them from the ceiling or mount them on the wall. There are options sure to fit any space.

I found a page from an old book all about creating vegetable dyes! The author and source are unknown, but the dyes are absolutely gorgeous! These are not just beet juice dyes, they are made to last and come from plants you might find in your own backyard or out on a nature walk. Let’s start with dyeing wool, since according to this vegetable dye elder, that is the easiest material to work with, before graduating to silk, linens, and cottons.

For over a year Walk Score has been a super internet tool useful for finding out how walkable your current or prospective neighborhood is. Knowing that walking isn’t the only eco-friendly form of transportation, the website has added a new calculator, Transit Score, to determine how well a location is served by public transportation.After you type in your address to get your Walk Score, the website also gives you your Transit Score, which is measured on a scale from 0 to 100.

Back in January Emily wrote a great post on buckwheat hull pillows which inspired me to make my own. It has been true love ever since. I’ve enjoyed the many benefits of buckwheat hull pillows including excellent support for the neck and head, good air circulation to keep the pillow cool while also absorbing moisture and sweat, and I was able to make my pillow for about $25.After reading on several occasions that buckwheat pillows were recommended to help prevent migraines.

As we close out our Small Spaces & Simple Living month here on Re-Nest, we’re rounding up a list of tips and ideas provided by YOU via this post. Everyone has a bit of a different take on coping with small spaces: it’s all about purging your stuff. No, it’s all about organizing your stuff. Wait, it’s all about storing your stuff!

How many times have you been shopping, seen something beautiful, or cool or cute or on sale, snatched it up, and then later realized you didn’t really love or need it? Learning to shop conscientiously, or not at all, is liberating, better for the environment, and essential if you live in a small space. Here are some of the things we’ve learned on our own journey. Shop with a goal.

While the weather turns a bit colder (only 80 today!) our thoughts turn to the Fall. We’re looking forward to more time spent indoors hosting and hanging out. BUt there are some things we’d like to get to to make our home feel that much more comfortable. Jump below for 20 ways to love your home (so it loves you back):1. Choose 10 things. And donate them, throw them away or repurpose them.