Simple Tip #14

Simple Tip #14: Living Life to the Fullest

“Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.” - Horace, Ancient Roman Poet

My simple tip for you today is to live life to the fullest.

This is very simple. There are many ways to do it, but the most basic things you can do is to live in the moment and enjoy the smallest moments.

Simple Tip #13

Simple Tip #13: Acceptance of Self and Others

"In my ideal world, no child would suffer. Charitable instincts would prevail. There would be global acceptance of all different types of people." - Clay Aiken

I've never been much of a fan of Clay Aiken, but he knows what he's talking about. In light of the news of Dove World Outreach Center's plan to burn the Muslim holy book, the Qur'an in honor of 9/11 and as a girl whose best friend is Muslim, I feel as though it is necessary to have a post on acceptance.

There are many kinds of ways to be accepting, but I wanted to talk about the importance of accepting yourself and others. We live in a society that is not often accepting; we are bombarded with images of intolerance all the time. They can be blatant and they can be subliminal. Such an important part of having a simple life, at the most basic level, is being accepting.

Acceptance is a basic value, a fundamental value to life, society, religion, relationships. I think that to find acceptance in others, you must first accept yourself. How would you do that? I cannot tell you. What I can tell you are suggestions for finding acceptance within yourself.

Accepting Yourself

Spend time with yourself. By this I mean, give yourself a day to be alone. Sometimes its good not to be a social butterfly. Take this time to read a book, listen to music, watch a movie. Just sit by a window and think. Go to the beach and sit on the sand. Hug your dog for thirty minutes. Sleep. I find that when I do these things, I come to some understanding. I try to accept something new about myself everyday. Why, today, for example, is that I'm not going to succeed every time and I just need to keep trying.

Write out everything you like about yourself. If you can define what you love about yourself, then that's great. But defining what you love about yourself makes it easy to see what you don't love. You can look at those things, and then find some good in them. Slowly but surely you can find some acceptance in that.

Accept compliments. This is one of the hardest things for me to do. I just want to analyze and criticize the compliments given to me. I don't always trust them. This is something I'm working on. I think that a person who can accept a compliment with ease and without giving it another thought has the best confidence in the world and is in tune with herself. Strive to take the praise given to you. Chances are you deserve it.

Accepting Others

This one is always a hard one. Everyday we see images on the news of intolerance towards religion, sexuality, ethnicity, sex, political preference, etc. And the ideal would be to accept people on a grand scale. But in reality, no one will be able to accept something as a whole because there will always be something they find wrong, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

Because Islam is such a hot topic in the news lately, let's use it as an example. People aren't going to accept the religion as a whole because there are certain highly questionable factions of Islam that people are going to be at odds with. There are rules in Islamic Law that people aren't going to agree with. These things make it hard to accept Islam as a whole. But, it is possible to take baby steps towards acceptance. It is possible to accept the people. Nearly the entire majority of Muslims aren't part of extremist factions; some follow the sometimes shocking and stringent (to the Western world) Islamic Law, but that doesn't make them bad people. It is possible to accept Islam as a religion of individuals who are good, bad, and beautiful, just like Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.

That is where the path to acceptance starts. It starts at the very basic level. The person. I can't tell you to accept someone because I think you need to. But I hope that I can make it clear that learning to accept a person for who they are as a person will lead to acceptance of where they come from, what they believe, what they do.I hope that I can encourage you to listen to someone and their stories and that they will listen to you. I hope that I can help expand the mindset to be accepting. That is all I can do.

"Tolerance is the eager and glad acceptance of the way along which others seek the truth." - Sir Walter Besant

Simple Tip #12

Simple Tip #12: Being Happy

Being happy is always the most important part in simple living. Here's a link with some suggestions on how to be happy today: Tiny Buddha Happy Tips


Some of my favorites are:

1. Smile. As the quote goes, “I’ve never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.”

6. Create something that helps people. A song, a blog, a support group, a non-profit–anything that inspires.

10. Give someone an uncomfortably long hug when they need it.

14. Notice something simple but beautiful in the world around you.

22. Give yourself the same courtesy–focus on the good you’ve done, not the mistakes you’ve made.

31. Show unbridled enthusiasm for something that excites you. All children are beautiful, and I think their unadulterated joy has a lot to do with it.

34. Honor the values that matter to you. Showing integrity is the first step to feeling good about yourself.

35. Accept and love yourself–or as Ben Folds sings, “Learn to live with what you are.”

Simple Tip #11

Simple Tip #11: Public Transportation

I know, I know. L.A's public transportation has never really had the best reputation. You want to avoid the buses and the subway doesn't run all over like in other cities (I'm looking at you, New York). But really, you shouldn't underestimate it. What happens when you have no way of getting somewhere? What if you don't have a car and your bike has a flat? Well, that's when the bus or subway becomes useful.

First off, the bus. I usually take the Big Blue Bus down into Santa Monica. It's not hard to find the right line and it only costs .50 cents a ride. That's a deal and certainly cheaper than paying 80 dollars a week for gas. The best tip when riding the bus is, of course, knowing your stop and sitting either in the back or the center of the bus. Why do I say this? Well, if you sit in the front, chances are there will be the irritating person in the wheelchair that decides to strap themselves in on the side everyone is sitting on instead of the other empty side of the bus. But if you sit in the back, you have to remember to move when you get to your spot.

The metro bus is also a great option if you really need to get somewhere. They make as few stops as possible, which is great. A bus from the Westside to Downtown only takes about 30 to 40 minutes depending on where you are. The only set back is, because its a lot faster, it costs a little more to ride. It's about 1.25 to ride, so its better to leave riding the metro if you're going somewhere far, not a couple stops over.

The subway system in Los Angeles isn't very extensive. It currently runs to major points starting in Downtown L.A. at Union Station to Long Beach, North Hollywood, East L.A, South Central, and the South Bay. A proposed Westside line is under construction. Fares are 1.50 per ticket to 75 dollars for a monthly pass.

Regardless of what's said about L.A's transportation, it is highly useful when it needs to be. So if you want to avoid a car, try the bus or subway!

Simple Tip #10

Simple Tip #10: Believing in Yourself

To live simply should also be to believe in yourself. Living is hard enough without putting yourself down as well.

What I've done is creating a Jar of Hearts and Advice. It's very easy to make, and has been done before, so chances are you've heard of it.

In the American Girl book Room for You, there is a suggestion to take a Chinese take out box and fill it with fortune cookie fortunes. Well, for my Jar of Hearts and Advice (further referred to as JHA), I did the same thing, just a little differently.

First off, I found a glass jar in our kitchen that was empty. It was small enough to hold strips of paper without looking totally empty. (Note: the bigger the jar, the more space there is. And a lot of strips of paper really don't fill a jar very well).

I took the jar and found a nice piece of ribbon (use which ever type of ribbon inspires you. Mine just happened to be red satin). I tied this around the mouth of the jar to give a nice effect as opposed to just an empty jar.

Next, I went on Microsoft Word and then to shapes under the tool bar, and created some red hearts. These I printed and cut out and threw them into my JHA. (It's always nice to pull out a heart when you need it).>

After that I looked up some inspirational lists of words on Google. From the list, I took each word and transformed it into a positive piece of inspiration and advice. I made two columns on each page (this way you use less paper and the strips aren't as big). I would suggest writing out the advice instead of typing them because it looks more personal and it makes you happier to see something handwritten (well, it makes me happy anyways).

After writing everything out, I cut out the strips and threw them into the JHA. Now, I have a jar filled with positive inspirations to start the day!

Every morning, you can pull out a piece of paper and start the day off on a positive note. It's guaranteed to make you smile (or, remind you too!).

Enjoy!

"Create the world as you want it to be!"

Simple Tip #9

Simple Tip #9: Room Storage

This is one of those things that comes from reading too many IKEA catalogues, and watching too much Queer Eye for the Straight Guy as a kid. I like the idea of organization and putting things in boxes in their proper place so you can find them.

This is always a good tip for if you're currently living in a small apartment (God knows there are MILLIONS of apartment buildings around L.A) or if you just want to put some things in a nice discrete place in your house.

Now, you can go out and buy storage units (boxes and the like) for cheap at places like Target and possibly IKEA (not too sure about that one). But I want to talk about making your own storage.

All you really need is some shoe boxes or a couple bigger boxes, some wrapping paper, and sharpies. First off, I would decide what to store. I really don't have all that much I need to put away, so I've made up boxes for my CDs and birthday/christmas/other cards.

Well, anyways. Decide what you want to store and then take a box that you think will fit your things. Try fitting everything you want to put into the box first so you know if you need to downgrade or upgrade in size.

Next take your pick of wrapping paper. Some bright in colorful is always nice. I recently used some Japanese fan print paper I had left over from a one sheet. Take this and cover the lid of the box with it. Make sure it's nice and flat when you tape it down. Cut it up in pieces and tape it if you have too (I did this, and it was a lot easier to control the bumpiness of the paper).

When you're done with this, you have the option of doing the rest of the box. If its just a plain cardboard box or if its a plain color, it's not really necessary, but you are always welcome to do it. If it has writing all over it, then you'll probably want to cover it.

Once you're done wrapping the boxes, you can cut a piece of the wrapping paper (if you have left the bottom half of the box plain) or a piece of computer paper (if you did not) and write whatever is in the box.

You're done! Voila! You have easy, reusable and recycled storage boxes! Enjoy!

Simple Tip #8

Simple Tip #8: Movie Options

Los Angeles. The movie Mecca. Movies are to L.A. what Broadway is to New York. Famous theatres are not only world renown but cultural landmarks.

The Grauman Chinese. El Capitan. Fox Village Theatre. All of them are apart of the sprawling illustrious history that is the Movie Industry.

Unfortunately, these theatres, as well as every single other theatre in L.A, have jacked up movie prices, jacked up concession prices, and if they could, they would probably make you pay to use the bathroom.

What's an average movie ticket price? Well, it varies from theatre to theatre, but I can definitely tell you how much prices are to the theatres I go to most.

1. AMC Century City: 13.50 (add about 5 bucks for IMAX and a couple more if you're seeing it in 3D).

2. Landmark Theatres: 12.50

3. Fox Village Theatre: 11.00

4. AMC Santa Monica: 11.50 (This I don't understand. Why can't ticket prices be the same for all AMC theatres?)

As you can see, this is just ridiculous. And then you have the 7.50 for popcorn and 3.50 for a box of raisinets.

Well, you have a couple options if you want to see a movie in the theatre (or see a movie a couple times). One would be going for the student discount. You usually end up paying for a child's ticket. However, if you're going to the AMC Century City, you can only get a student discount on Thursdays. Another, would be do what my friend does and order your tickets before or pay at the self purchasing stations. Here you have the advantage of buying children's and senior tickets without anyone guessing your real age.

For a really cheap option, try Culver Plaza Theatres. They show popular movies for five dollars all the time.

And if you don't want to spend money going to the movie theatre...well, you're just going to have to wait till the movie comes out on DVD or BluRay because I wouldn't suggest trying to watch a movie online. Once a movie comes out, you can get a subscription to Netflicks, which is a really really great option because you get unlimited movies for one price and there is also free streaming of certain TV shows and movies on the actual site.

Also, there's the option of sharing movies with your friends. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, share your entertainment. If your friend owns a movie you're dying to watch, ask if you can borrow it for the weekend, and vice versa. If your friend is worried you're going to lose the DVD, then have a movie marathon with him/her.

And that comes to my next thing. Get all the movies you have, pick a few, and have a marathon of it with your friends. Look for a better description of this in future posts.

When it comes to movies, there are always great options of enjoying them at a cheaper price or at no cost at all. Just remember to enjoy the entertainment.

Simple Tip #7

Simple Tip #7: Cutting Out Fast Food

Let's face it, L.A. is one of those cities where you live in the fast lane (unless you're on the 405 at rush hour on a Friday) and you are ALWAYS busy. You run out of the house (like I do every school morning sans breakfast and with extremely wet hair) and forget your lunch (which I've done), a snack for later (which I've done), and therefore depend on vending machines (which I've done plus depended on my school's cafe).

Then you find yourself depending on your workplace/school's cafeteria or if you don't have one, the McDonalds/Starbucks down the street. Well, if this is the case, I would 1. suggest watching Super Size Me (which single-handedly put me off McDonalds for life) and 2. look up how many calories are in a frappuccino (and quite sadly the first suggestion that comes up in google search is "frappuccino happy hour").

There are better options than running out to the nearest Quiznos for lunch. Some involve a little effort and others are just better options all around when choosing to eat out. And hopefully, by writing this I will learn to lead by example.

First, options involving effort.

Grocery shopping. The most basic thing that will get you to eat food that isn't fast. When grocery shopping, make a list of what you need and how much you need of it. Go for healthy options that you will still eat and if you're interested in saving money, go generic. Keep in mind finding healthy items does not mean you have to go to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods or Bristol Farms. Your local Ralphs or Vons will do just fine.

Just remember that the list will keep you on track, and as long as you stick to it, you won't be tempted to buy those cookies that you want but don't really need at the moment, and chances are you will be saving money (also, to save money, compare prices). Once you're good on groceries, you will hopefully have enough to last you through the week (or two).

To ensure that you don't go overboard on fast food, EAT BREAKFAST. You won't get hungry as fast so you won't have to go on a Starbucks run halfway through the morning. And when I say breakfast, I mean eat a yogurt or something, not something you picked up at Randy's Donuts. Also, making yourself a lunch is a great idea. That way you know what you're eating, you can make your own portions, and you can ensure that it hasn't been ill made by the Subway employee.

Now, options that are easy on you. I would still suggest making your own lunch and bringing your own drink, but if you really need fast food, choose a good option or limit yourself to once or twice a month. One of my favorite options for good fast food is Daphne's Greek Food, but even that you have to limit yourself. If you want fast food and you are limiting yourself, go for something like Chipotle or Panera.

The way to live simply this way is you're cutting out what's generally considered bad, replacing it with a way for YOU to control what you eat, and most likely saving money doing it.

Simple Tip #6

Simple Tip #6: Out with Old Design, In with New

If there's one thing I know from shopping for furniture with my mom, looking at prices can sometimes make you want to have a heart attack. Therefore buying new furniture isn't the best idea unless you really really really need to change it.

Sure, new furniture can change a room, but so can rearranging some things. Besides reading American Girl self-help books (Room for You was essentially the design bible to my sister and me as children), I learned a lot about rearranging from my grandmother. She had the right idea.

She had the same furniture for years, but when I was younger, every few months, she would move around all the furniture in her bedroom for a new look. She loved doing and did it all by herself. Imagine an 80 year old woman pushing a king sized bed from one end of the room to another; I respect her for that stubborn ability to do things for herself.

I follow this rule too. I haven't had new furniture in my room since I was maybe...8 or 9 years old. I've had the same bedstead, desk and dresser drawers for years. Having it in the same spot for those many years just gets boring. So, I brought in the bookcase from my sister's room, pushed my desk under the window, bed to another wall. I just didn't change the dresser's place because that thing is too damn heavy. It made all the difference!

So, to save up money, just change things around. It makes a real difference! And plus, after all the cleaning out you may have done, everything will REALLY look different and really great too.

:)

Simple Tip #5

Simple Tip #5: Recycling your Food

This tip isn't so much about living simple by donating what you've used and no longer need, but donating what you really have NEVER used.

I'm sure that everyone has been guilty at least once of filling their pantries with canned food, cake mixes, and other things that last forever. And I'm sure everyone at least once has been guilty of forgetting they had them there and never eat them. I know I have.

Well, sometimes the expiration dates pass because you've had something in there for years, and other times, the expiration date isn't for another couple years. Well, obviously you have to throw out the bad food, because you can never be too sure how good or bad it is, and its better not to experiment on your family or others. However, if you don't intend on eating something or you've bought way to much of something (like salsa or canned fruit), why not donate that?

There are a lot of great food banks and other services around L.A. that would gladly take that food and give it to the needy. So, why not go through your pantry every six months and decide what food you still want to eat (and will hopefully do so soon) and what food can be donated to the needy.

In a way, this is simple living, because contributing to the community always makes you feel simply wonderful.

Simple Tip #4

Simple Tip #4: Donating, Sharing and Enjoying Entertainment

Now, L.A. essentially is one of the largest capitals of entertainment in the world. There are bookstores around every corner, hundreds of movie theatres, and famous music stores (Amoeba Records anyone?).

If you're like me, then you probably love books, movies, music and other entertainment. If you're also like me, you have an emotional attachment to all of them (especially books).

Well, the sad thing is, you can't always keep all your books unless you intend on reading all of them over and over again or you have a giant library (lucky git, but you should still go through it once and a while). Same goes for movies and music.

So, first off donating. Donating your sources of entertainment is a lot like cleaning out clutter and your clothes. Its the same basic steps: what you need, what you can donate/sell, and what you can throw away.

What you need (or hold most precious is another way of putting it) are going to be the sources of entertainment that you love the most. For me, its Harry Potter, Twilight, the Royal Diaries, and Nancy Drew. These are books that I would never give away, but I will go through my others and willingly pick out books I've never read more than once. The same for music and movies. I would give away a mixtape I got at a concert, but never give away my Panic! CDs. I'd give away Stuart Little, which I've never watched more than once, but not The Young Victoria because its one of my favorites.

The key is merely to decide which things are most important. And eventually you should be able to sort out those things that you lost interest in a long time ago. Those would go to donations so someone else can enjoy what you once did, or you can sell them, and hopefully it will be the same outcome.

What you should throw away are books that are mangled to the point that no one would want it (as much as that would hurt to through away), broken CDs and DVDs, and Videotapes that you can't watch anymore because you don't own a VCR (unless of course, you can donate those to a foundation that still uses VCRs, like schools).

Sharing your entertainment is an excellent option compared to going out and buying new items. Swap movies with friends. Make mixtapes or burn whole CDs. Swap books. Although, you should always make sure that you get your things back within a reasonable amount of time. If you don't want to donate something, see if your friends or family members (outside your immediate family preferably) want it.

Enjoying your entertainment is very important. Once all is said and done, researching events where you can enjoy the things you love is always a good thing.

For book lovers, there is always the UCLA Book Festival, Borders and Barnes and Noble always have author appearances (sometimes just to do book signings or otherwise discussions), or creating book clubs, among other options.

For music lovers, finding cheap concerts or even free ones in L.A. isn't very hard. There are many concerts that have tickets for as low as 10 dollars, Santa Monica Beach sometimes hosts free concerts (a recent one was Jack Johnson), and maybe you have a friend whose in a band; attend a garage concert (or real venue if they play in one) of theirs.

For movie lovers, it can get a bit tricky, especially with the skyrocketing prices of movie tickets these days. A good option is to buy AMC movie passes at Costco for about 40 dollars; these are always perfect gifts for movie lovers too. Century City has free movies in the food court playing all through summer. Culver Plaza Theatres has movies for five bucks.

You should never not enjoy what you love, and that's part of living a good, simple life: Enjoying the things that give you pleasure without going overboard. Donating always makes you feel good, and even in L.A. you don't need to spend tons of money to enjoy yourself.

Simple Tip #3

Simple Tip #3: Going Through Old Possessions

Clutter can be a really terrible thing. When someone has way too many possessions, life becomes cluttered. In Los Angeles, there are really two extremes: the far too extravagant and materialistic, and a clean minimalism. Then there is the inbetweens that teeter on clean and cluttered.

Cleaning out the clutter is a lot like cleaning out your clothes. When cleaning, separation is key. It's best to create three piles: Need, Charity/Sell, and Throw Away.

The things you need should be necessary to life or things that are of extreme importance to you (importance meaning, for example, books that have been passed down, and NOT that globe you bought at Pier 1 Imports that you thought gave the house a more worldly feel).

Things that go to charity or that will be sold should be things that other people can use, but that you don't want anymore. These things should be in good condition, not something that is stained, somehow destroyed, or in otherwise questionable condition.

Things that are thrown away is anything that is in bad condition, broken beyond repair or just useless to anyone. These are things that should be routinely thrown away before it starts to gather up in your garage.

Try and avoid storage, because then you're just paying for something you don't know whether you will use or not. I think that storage should be used when you're doing something to your home, moving, or putting things (that are important) away for your kid while they're at college, etc.

When you give to charity the best is to give to the Salvation Army or other charity organizations akin to that. Thrift stores are also excellent places to donate your things to.

Selling things can be done in a few ways. You have online (Ebay, Amazon, Half, etc), garage sales (if you live in an apartment, you should check with your landlord on whether you can do this), or selling to thrift stores.

Once you clean house, everything may feel lighter, bigger, and more livable. Plus, making some money by selling yourself is never bad either. It puts a little extra cash in your pocket or your bank account, and may even start a business for you.

Simple Tip #2

Simple Tip #2: Cutting Down and Buying Essential Clothing

Los Angeles is a beautiful city, but does have a reputation and taste for the superficial and materialistic. People always want the best of everything, even if it means getting everything.

I find that life is easier when you cut down to what you really need. Every three months at least, I go through my clothes and pick out what I never wear anymore and what I wear the most. I through out clothes that are ripped or worn beyond ability to wear. When I'm done, I give the clothes I don't want to the Salvation Army or to the L.A. Mission. That way, I'm left with clothes I like and it leaves room to buy any necessities for the coming months. It's also a great way to help out people that don't have the advantages you do.

Another important thing with clothes is buying according to the season. For example, if summer is almost over, would you really buy another spaghetti strap top or pair of shorts when fall is just around the corner? Granted, when the Santa Ana Winds come rolling in, you're going to want the shorts and tanks because it gets pretty hot, but that's why you have your clothes from summer.

So, if fall or winter is just around the corner, it makes sense to buy clothes for that season instead of another summer dress. When buying for the new season, this is another opportunity to go through your clothes and decide what you don't want anymore.

Thirdly, when buying clothes, you really have to pay attention to fit and quality. This guarantees that you can keep those clothes for a long while and you don't have to buy more clothes.

What should be splurged on are jeans. I've bought jeans from Forever 21 that have faded quickly and ripped easily or had the stitches come undone. Even though these jeans are the cheapest, they aren't the best quality. I also own American Eagle jeans. Sure they cost more, but they last a lot longer and retain their color for a lot longer too. AE jeans also have the advantage of fitting better and there being a wide variety of styles to choose from. The same goes for jean companies like Levi, Lucky, J Brand, 7 For All Mankind, etc. So, if you want to save on jeans, splurge on the best pair. You cut back on how many jeans you buy, so you really save some money.

This ideal of fit and quality (not necessarily splurging) should be the same with dress shirts, dresses (Always check the tag for materials used. If you're buying a formal dress for say, prom, you don't want the 400 dollar polyester dress. You want the silk gown. If you buy polyester, you're cheating yourself out of a quality purchase. Although, even then you can find quality dresses for far far cheaper), and shoes.

If you want to save on underwear, regular shirts or other such things, always look out for 3 plus packs (You can buy a three pack of white Hanes v-necks at Target for 5 dollars), 5 for 25 or 20 sales (such as at Victoria's Secret and again Target), or Semi Annual Sales (Victoria's Secret, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom for the finer things in life (JEANS AND DRESSES!)). For other cheaper items, Forever 21 always sells good shirts and sale sections in places like AE offer good prices (but check for any damage to the clothes, because there is the tendency to hang the damaged goods).

The most important thing would be to have decided what you need and how much you are willing to spend on something. To do this, make a list before you go out, look up items online and approximate the cost of it all, and carry a restricted amount of cash on you (i.e. try and avoid using your credit card if you've allotted yourself a certain amount of cash).

Only ever choose what you need, not what you want.

Simple Tip #1

Simple Tip #1: Putting aside money

Saving money is always a problem, especially when you're a teenager and the minute you get your hands on twenty dollars, you want to go and spend it immediately.

I've found the best way to remedy this is to put away some money when you're paid or receive money in any fashion.

Whenever I receive money for a birthday or holiday, I set aside 100-200 dollars, so that when I run out of money, I have a back-up stash. It also helps regulate how much you spend, because when you don't have all the money you own in your wallet, you are less tempted to buy unnecessary things.

Try it and you may find yourself proud that you have some left over money long after the time you received it.