Functionality Above All Else

January 27, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / Leave a comment

01.27.2016

0730

So I was tired of watching my mom cook on the dim lit stove. I wanted to buy an under cabinet light, but as I scrolled through the cabinet light section of local hardware and appliance stores, I realized that although they are very nice lights, they all require a specific mounting system as well as specific light bulbs- which I would also have to purchase. I didn’t want her to have to go out and buy a new light bulbs for her under cabinet light each time it burned out. It’s a hassle and they always come in packages of ten bulbs.

Now mind you, I am the type who likes to keep my “supplies” to a minimum. (ie. I prefer to need a AAA than any other battery, and I own 4 items that need batteries) I also prefer CFL light bulbs, and I mean the kind of light bulbs that fit into every kind of socket (which also means all of my lamps need to require the same type of light bulb). I don’t want to have to go out and buy a different kind of light bulb for every single kind of lamp that I own.

So this design problem lead me to come up with this solution. I have an extra clamp light that I don’t use anymore. I like clamp lights because they’re quite versatile and they’re gravity friendly.

The solution I came up with was to use the clamp lamp and clamp it to one of the cabinets. I wrapped some extra white athletic tape wrapped around the neck so it doesn’t stand out as much. I then used screws to pin the cord under the cabinet to hide it a bit. I used a piece of extra shoelace and tied a loop so that the cord can be hung up and out of the way when not in use. I also wanted to make this loop because I knew she wouldn’t be able to reach the lamp switch easily, so I wanted her to be able to control the light from the cord plug instead.

This was the solution I came up with:

This is what my mom’s stove looked like without the new lamp plugged in (basically with the current lighting set up):

And this is what the stove looks like with the new lamp plugged in with the new light brightness:

I know this may look strange, but my requirements for what comes into the home is very specific. Although buying a new under cabinet light would have been the ideal solution, in the long run, there would still have to be a surplus of different kinds of light bulbs for all of the lamps in the home. If I’m able to keep that number to a minimum (as in only 1 kind of light bulb), I’m going to. By purchasing a new under cabinet lamp, it would have solved the lighting issue, but would have brought on another issue of keeping that light bulb in stock. From that problem, also brings up the issue of recycling the lamps and how often that needs to be done (ie. if the light bulbs from the under cabinet light burn out quicker than regular CFL light bulbs)

So I didn’t have to buy a new lamp, which would include packaging that would end up in the landfill, new light bulbs to accommodate it and I used an item I already owned. With this solution, all of the lamps in the house can use the exact same type of light bulb. Invest in clamp lights, they’re very useful 🙂

Healthy Life

January 24, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / 2 Comments

01.24.2016

0900

To live a healthy life means you must make healthy decisions, take healthy actions and utilizing those decisions each day. This means, leaving toxic relationships behind, accepting what you cannot change and what you can change, and really figuring out what makes you happy. There’s a lot of “noise” in this world that can get in the way of happiness. Sometimes it flies under the radar, from negative comments you may receive or negative friends or just being unhappy in the current state.

I like plans and lists. Yep, I’m THAT type. Whenever I need to create a better situation for myself- I break it out into a list. From the list of items I need to do, and the next steps of utilizing those actions, I usually find my way out of the situation. I also like to cross items off of my checklist, there’s a level of satisfaction that moment brings. My priorities and obligations come first on my lists, so I never stray away from those. There’s also a line between what I want verses what I need, and the time it takes for those items to come to fruition. For those who are impatient, we like/want that immediate gratification, but that rarely happens. We hang our happiness level on that gratification as well- which can make us suspended in limbo for awhile, that uncomfortable limbo.

Be happy and comfortable with the unknown, it makes life easier to deal with. Life is an adventure. I am the type who is more comfortable to know what lies ahead, but in the past 6 years, I’ve accepted that knowledge of the future is best left unknown. I control what I can, and leave the rest up to time and destiny. Mentally, this puts me at ease. I can control how healthy I decide I want to be, who I want to interact with in my life and where I want my life to go. This life includes everything I do under my roof and outside in the existing world. My definition of a healthy life is just that.

Everyone’s’ definition of “Healthy life” will be different, and I think that’s great. Healthy is relative to a certain degree. As long as you are happy, nothing else else really matters- except your priorities. So limit the noise, accept what you can change and let go of what you cannot, take time to examine yourself and who you want to be in this life- and then just do it.

A Zero Waste Closet- Part I

January 23, 2016September 22, 2019 / Yen-Van Tran / Leave a comment

01.23.2016

0800

So my closet isn’t a quite a minimalist closet, but it isn’t elaborate either. However, it does have enough pieces of clothing to satisfy me. To give you an over all perspective of what I have in my closet, the list looks something like this:

Intimates:

2 bras
2 robes (one for winter, one for summer)
4 pairs of socks
Undergarments
1 sleep shirt

Tops:

1 dressy coat
2 dressy blouses
2 hoodie sweaters
2 light jackets
2 tank tops
3 short sleeve shirts
4 blouses
3 long sleeve shirts
2 long sleeve sweaters
1 business suite
2 team short sleeve shirts

Bottoms & Dresses:

2 short dresses
3 long formal gowns
2 pairs of jeans
1 pair of yoga pants
1 pair of denim shorts
2 skirts

Footwear:

2 pairs of boots
1 pair of flats
2 pairs of heels
1 pair of sandals
1 pair of house slippers
2 pairs of running shoes
1 pair of work boots

Jewelry:

Three Jewelry Sets (1 set = 1 necklace, 1 ring, 1 bracelet, 1 set of earrings)
1 purse
1 pair of sunglasses

Running Gear:

2 pairs of running pants
2 pairs of shorts
2 short sleeve shirts
1 running tank top
1 running pullover
2 sports bras
2 long sleeve thermal shirts
1 long sleeve shirt
1 snow set = (gloves/hat/fleece neck gator)

So that is an overall view of what I have in my closet as well as what I own as of now. I use 1 set of hangers and hang up 17 pieces of clothing (I actually have 4 hangers that are not in use). I may donate more items from this list, but I haven’t decided yet. (That’s why I titled this post “A Zero Waste Closet- Part I”)

When I started to write down my clothing inventory, I was amazed at how many pieces of clothing I didn’t even wear anymore. They were just taking up space when someone else could have been wearing it, long before I stopped looking at it. I was embarrassed to see how much I had after I documented everything. Now I’m not saying this is a standard everyone should minimize their clothing inventory to, but I know that I am happy with my inventory. I still think I have too many pieces of clothes, but I will decide later if I should donate anything else. (keep an eye out for “A Zero Waste Closet- Part II”)

Have you found anything in your closet that you may not need anymore?

Clarity In Our Thoughts

January 22, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / Leave a comment

01.22.2016

0800

Clarity in our thoughts and feelings can bring peace of mind.

Sometimes, getting through the grey areas in life are the most difficult struggles. It brings a level of uncertainty. With black and white situations, you know if you’re going to loose or win. The grey areas create indecisiveness. But if you take a moment, take a deep breath, and stop moving… sometimes you realize the situation was always black or white.

Don’t let the grey areas take over your emotions/health, keep you from attaining your goals, or bring you down. Make a decision, is it going to be black or white? If you really want it, you’ll always see white.

Less Is More

January 21, 2016August 15, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / 2 Comments

01.21.2016

0700

I bought this shirt in 2000. The shirt is from Consolidated Skateboards, a great company. I bought it because the quote sparked my interest and I’ve never been able to let it go. It’s a simple red long sleeved shirt, with only the front print that you see, and nothing on the back. I never knew how much of an impact those words would be.

When people say that I’m simplifying my life, I jokingly call my system “Being Strategically Lazy”.

When I decided to start living a zero waste life and because I was eliminating so much from my life, I was also eliminating the amount of storage area I actually needed. So here are a few things I decided to get rid of:

Dresser: I use one shelf now and I hang up the rest of the items
End Tables: I use two ottomans that have lids which I can flip over and use as mini portable coffee tables
TV stand: My TV currently sits on a book shelf. I’m planning to use a projector that will be mounted to my wall to watch movies/TV (but that’s for the future)
Filing cabinet: I digitized all of my documents and keep a small folder of the legal documents.
Nightstand: I use my drafting table stool as my stand and I made a shelf to sit at the bottom of it, so I could at least place items down. I also created a pocket so that I could have a location to place my phone when it was attached to the charger as well.
Bookshelf: I donated of one of my two bookshelves because I had digitized almost all of my books so I didn’t need the piece of furniture anymore.
Futon: I donated my futon and replaced it with a couch 🙂 So it’s technically a replacement piece

I have:

1 four level bookshelf
1 couch with two ottomans
1 bed
1 drafting table, which I use as my desk
1 hope chest, which I use as my seat at my desk
1 “nightstand” (I use the chair from my drafting table set as my nightstand)
1 dining table with 6 wood fold up chairs
1 IKEA Poang Chair

I think getting rid of the dresser made the biggest impact because it wasn’t just the frame of the dresser or the drawers themselves, but it was also the amount of the contents stored within each drawer. There’s another article I read which might be of interest for those who want to read more about this: 15 Pieces of Furniture You May Not Really Need

It certainly helped me look at the use of furniture differently. Here’s my little nightstand contraption. I made the pocket from an old pair of jeans and I used pink shoelaces as ties for hanging the pocket. I used an old picture frame as a flat surface on this nightstand and attached it with some sticky velcro dots that were left over from another furniture set. I found a bag of pink shoelaces at my aunt’s house, she was going to throw it out, so I took it home. I keep all of my velcro straps because velcro is amazingly versatile and I keep extra metal rings and shoelaces for projects like these.

Goals For 2016

January 20, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / 2 Comments

01.20.2016

0900

My goals for 2016 are… (let me get back to this)

I could sit here and write that I want to better myself in a specific way, but it would be meaningless. My life as it is right now… is pretty great. It’s weird to admit that at times because it sounds arrogant, but I have to admit that life is genuinely good and I’m happy. However, it also took years of analyzing and nit picking and changing routines to get to this point.

My first step in getting to my happy life was simplifying it, which meant trying to live a zero waste lifestyle. After that, the rest was laid out pretty easily. Running errands is easier, sleeping is easier, and waking up is easier. I don’t buy packaged foods anymore so I know I’m not putting certain chemicals into my body anymore. (I know that there is a chance that the bulk foods will also have chemicals, but not the same ones for sure.)

I tend to eat a lot of greens and I stopped eating meat five years ago. I just run around the bulk foods section, grab some vegetables and fruit and I’m done. Even buying soap, laundry detergent, lotion and my other bath and body care are a quick stop at the grocery store- and it’s just one store I go to too.

I think this year is a year of just pushing my blog to further investigate who I am and what I want to report/talk about. I’m a very private person so this is all very new to me. I started living a zero waste life almost 6 years ago and many people had asked me to document it or vlog it on my YouTube channel, only now am I comfortable enough to do so.

The word ‘goals’ sounds too standard. It sounds like you’re going to achieve the goal and then it’s over, it’s done, nada mas. So maybe they should just be changes, changes that will echo even after you reach a certain point. Changes that just become a part of you- they become you.

So my changes for 2016, is to push my blog, vlog more, continue to be healthy and happy but overall- continue to be a better version of ME. The ME version consists of being a sister, daughter, friend, designer, citizen… just BE BETTER.

What are your changes you plan to make this year?

Top 37 Things You’ll Regret When You’re Old

January 19, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / 2 Comments

01.19.2016

0900

So I found this article of “Those Top 37 Things You’ll Regret When You’re Old”, (here’s the link Top 37 Things You’ll Regret When You’re Old) and I thought I would audit the list. I separated the items I haven’t done from the items that I have done.

Items that DO NOT apply to me : (because I’ve already done it or I’m currently taking care of the issue)

2. Not learning another language

You’ll kick yourself when you realize you took three years of language in high school and remember none of it. ===> I speak 3

3. Staying in a bad relationship.

No one who ever gets out of a bad relationship looks back without wishing they made the move sooner. ===> Get out when the first red flag goes up

4. Forgoing sunscreen.

Wrinkles, moles, and skin cancer can largely be avoided if you protect yourself. ===> Wear it everyday

5. Missing the chance to see your favorite musicians.

“Nah, dude, I’ll catch Nirvana next time they come through town.” ==> So far so good

8. Letting yourself be defined by gender roles.

Few things are as sad as an old person saying, “Well, it just wasn’t done back then.” ===> Grew up a tomboy but now I love being a woman

9. Not quitting a terrible job.

Look, you gotta pay the bills. But if you don’t make a plan to improve your situation, you might wake up one day having spent 40 years in hell. ===> Get out while you can- or you’ll hate yourself later

10. Not trying harder in school.

It’s not just that your grades play a role in determining where you end up in life. Eventually you’ll realize how neat it was to get to spend all day learning, and wish you’d paid more attention. ===> I’ve achieved my education goals I set out

11. Not realizing how beautiful you were.

Too many of us spend our youth unhappy with the way we look, but the reality is, that’s when we’re our most beautiful. ===> I think I’m alright

12. Being afraid to say “I love you.”

When you’re old, you won’t care if your love wasn’t returned — only that you made it known how you felt. ===> Yep I’ve said this too

13. Not listening to your parents’ advice.

You don’t want to hear it when you’re young, but the infuriating truth is that most of what your parents say about life is true. ===> I still go to them for advice

14. Spending your youth self-absorbed.

You’ll be embarrassed about it, frankly. ===> I always saw myself as the “funny” friend

15. Caring too much about what other people think.

In 20 years you won’t give a darn about any of those people you once worried so much about. ===> Never cared much of what people thought

16. Supporting others’ dreams over your own.

Supporting others is a beautiful thing, but not when it means you never get to shine. ===> I think everyone deserves a fan

17. Not moving on fast enough.

Old people look back at the long periods spent picking themselves off the ground as nothing but wasted time. ===> My personality bodes to constantly be working on projects

18. Holding grudges, especially with those you love.

What’s the point of re-living the anger over and over? ===> You just have to accept people as they are, or you don’t deal with them at all.

19. Not standing up for yourself.

Old people don’t take sh*t from anyone. Neither should you. ===> I’m solid on this one

22. Missing the chance to ask your grandparents questions before they die.

Most of us realize too late what an awesome resource grandparents are. They can explain everything you’ll ever wonder about where you came from, but only if you ask them in time. ===> They died before I was born so this was defaulted

23. Working too much.

No one looks back from their deathbed and wishes they spent more time at the office, but they do wish they spent more time with family, friends, and hobbies. ===> I’m too young to say that

25. Not stopping enough to appreciate the moment.

Young people are constantly on the go, but stopping to take it all in now and again is a good thing. ===> Do this every morning when I have my coffee

26. Failing to finish what you start.

Failing to finish what you start.“I had big dreams of becoming a nurse. I even signed up for the classes, but then…” ===> I’ve finished everything I set out to do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have more future projects in mind

27. Never mastering one awesome party trick.

You will go to hundreds, if not thousands, of parties in your life. Wouldn’t it be cool to be the life of them all? ===> I can make a shot disappear

28. Letting yourself be defined by cultural expectations.

Letting yourself be defined by cultural expectations.Don’t let them tell you, “We don’t do that.” ===> I never have

29. Refusing to let friendships run their course.

People grow apart. Clinging to what was, instead of acknowledging that things have changed, can be a source of ongoing agitation and sadness. ===> People grow up, they change and evolve

31. Never taking a big risk (especially in love).

Knowing that you took a leap of faith at least once — even if you fell flat on your face — will be a great comfort when you’re old. ===> If you’ve had your heart broken, you can check this off

32. Not taking the time to develop contacts and network.

Networking may seem like a bunch of crap when you’re young, but later on it becomes clear that it’s how so many jobs are won. ===> I have a great network

33. Worrying too much.

As Tom Petty sang, “Most things I worry about never happen anyway.” ===> I let go of what I cannot control

34. Getting caught up in needless drama.

Who needs it? ===> I’m too old for this one, and it’s a waste of time

36. Never performing in front of others.

This isn’t a regret for everyone, but many elderly people wish they knew — just once — what it was like to stand in front of a crowd and show off their talents. ===> Performed in choir from 10 years old to 18 years old

37. Not being grateful sooner.

It can be hard to see in the beginning, but eventually it becomes clear that every moment on this earth — from the mundane to the amazing — is a gift that we’re all so incredibly lucky to share. ===> I thankful that I’m able to wake up each day

Here is the list of Items that I HAVEN’T DONE and that I AM regretting> and I plan to change :

1. Not traveling when you had the chance.

Traveling becomes infinitely harder the older you get, especially if you have a family and need to pay the way for three-plus people instead of just yourself. ===> Need to do this more

6. Being scared to do things.

Looking back you’ll think, What was I so afraid of? ===> Taking steps right now to do so

7. Failing to make physical fitness a priority.

Too many of us spend the physical peak of our lives on the couch. When you hit 40, 50, 60, and beyond, you’ll dream of what you could have done. ===> Doing this now

20. Not volunteering enough.

OK, so you probably won’t regret not volunteering Hunger Games style, but nearing the end of one’s life without having helped to make the world a better place is a great source of sadness for many. ===> Need to volunteer more with the organizations I support

21. Neglecting your teeth.

Neglecting your teeth.Brush. Floss. Get regular checkups. It will all seem so maddeningly easy when you have dentures. ===> Need to go to the dentist too

24. Not learning how to cook one awesome meal.

Knowing one drool-worthy meal will make all those dinner parties and celebrations that much more special. ===> I want to make more than a few awesome meals

30. Not playing with your kids enough.

When you’re old, you’ll realize your kid went from wanting to play with you to wanting you out of their room in the blink of an eye. ===> Don’t have any… yet

35. Not spending enough time with loved ones.

Not spending enough time with loved ones.Our time with our loved ones is finite. Make it count. ===> Time with family/friends can never be enough

So I left some answers as to what I plan to accomplish soon. They’re basic answers, nothing written in stone or planned out clearly. These items are nothing new to my TO DO list and I plan to do them. The underlined items will be done sooner than later. The rest of the items will be done eventually 😉 Ok, ttyl!

A Week Is 168 Hours

January 18, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / Leave a comment

01.18.2016

1536

We have 168 hours in a week, so I decided to outline my hours during the day- here’s what I found: (SEE CHART BELOW) Interesting right? My assumptions for my work week was pretty accurate- I always feel like I never have time during the week but I have TOO much time during the weekend. Now it’s time to really use those hours to my advantage! It really is amazing what you see once you write it down on paper. I never realized that I had 4 hours of free time per day during my weekdays and 12.5 hours of free time during my weekends- it’s kinda nuts! although I know I have to crunch my time during my week, but then again… I can always use my down time during the week to have nice conversations with my mom or (eventually) hang out with my family and friends 🙂

MONDAY – FRIDAY
2130 = 8.00 Hr ==> Sleep
0530
—- = 1.00 Hr ==> FREE
0630 = 1.00 Hr ==> Run
0730 = 0.50 Hr ==> Breakfast
0800
—- = 0.75 Hr ==> FREE
0840 = 9.00 Hr ==> Work
1740
—- = 1.25 Hr ==> FREE
1900 = 1.00 Hr ==> Workout
2000 = 0.50 Hr ==> Dinner
2030
—- = 1.00 Hr ==> FREE
————————————————————————–
= 4.0 Hours ==> Free/24 Hour WEEKDAY DAY

SATURDAY – SUNDAY
2130 = 8.00 Hr ==> Sleep
0530
—- = 1.00 Hr ==> FREE
0630 = 1.00 Hr ==> Run
0730 = 0.50 Hr ==> Breakfast
0800
—- = 5.00 Hr ==> FREE
1300= 0.50 Hr ==> Lunch
1330
—- = 5.50 Hr ==> FREE
1900 = 1.00 Hr ==> Workout
2000 = 0.50 Hr ==> Dinner
2030
—- = 1.00 Hr ==> FREE
————————————————————————–
12.5 Hours ==> Free/24 Hour WEEKEND DAY

If you outlined your week, what would it look like?

A Zero Waste Lifestyle

January 17, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / 4 Comments

01.17.2016

0646

Before I went zero waste, I used to buy anything bottled, use sponges in the sink, bought spices packaged in plastic bags and also in glass jars, and the worst culprit of all was that I bought packaged foods.

Kitchen Now:

Whole Foods Market: Bulk balsamic vinegar, Bragg’s Liquid Amnios, raw honey, candy, oats, black beans, whole wheat flour, cane sugar, cranberries, spices and coffee.
Philz Coffee: Loose leaf green tea and chamomile tea (and coffee if I want Philz coffee each morning)
Kitchen Items: 3 pots & pans, 1 grill, 1 set of basic flatware, 1 set of basic kitchen utensils, 1 hand held mixer, 2 silicone bakeware pans, 1 dinnerware set, 1 set of mixing bowls, 1 set of Pyrex storage containers
Dining: Cloth napkins and kitchen towels, Tea infusers, re-useable wine corks, wind-up flash light and I now compost everything
Recyclable products: Soups, baking soda, and occasionally wine

Living Room Now:

Giant/small towels as floor mats and door mats, I hate that the rubber backing on standard door mats falls apart after exposure to weathering.
I buy digital books or I check out books from the library (Fortunately I bought an iPad when I started grad school so it came in handy)
I use an indoor air filtering plant to liven up the space as well as making it functional as well.
I limit the amount of batteries I need/use. I replaced my flashlight with a wind up flashlight and in total I have 3 items that uses batteries. In addition to that, I limit the size of batteries to AAA or AA (it’s really not necessary to have a library of them and it makes attaining them harder when traveling).
Christmas bag: Flour sack towels (28″x 29″) and bandannas for wrapping gifts. If you wrap gifts using basic box wrapping techniques and then tuck the ends within the folds, you can always secure the wrapping. Or check out Furoshiki and check out the techniques they list and their products they have available.
1. Here are some examples from the website:

Office Now:

I use refillable ball point pens and lead and replace them in my pen/pencil unit
Due to my profession, moving away from rendering materials is quite difficult so I do use colored pencils and a lead holder as well as a Faber-Castell kneaded eraser. (The kneaded eraser doesn’t slough off eraser bits)
I used to keep my work saved on re-writable CDs but now I have a 1 TB external hard drive. I also utilize my emails and use my clouds to store data.
I use a stapleless stapler so now I don’t buy staples for refilling and it’s very efficient
I’ve opted out of junk mail as much as I can but some mail still gets through, when it does, I use the back of the one sided pages as scratch paper (I can’t remember when the last time I bought paper).
Recyclable products: Envelopes, stamps and Christmas cards… There are still items I value and I can’t seem to stray from and hand writing is one of them. I value a hand written letter, the ink/lead on paper denotes a moment in time- a moment in time when the writer touched the document as well as the receiver.

This is an over all view of what my life inventory looks like now. It makes life a lot easier when I have less to worry about. Majority of my time, I think I’d prefer eating food or going on an adventure. Once I got rid of a lot of my items, I noticed that I sleep better now, my stress level seems to lessen because there’s less upkeep with my life. It’s strange how when I used to think of hanging out with my friends meant that we would go shopping (and not window shopping), and now that shopping really isn’t a part of my life- I had to search to find what to replace it with. Even if I had the choice to document my life in photographs, I think there’s still a pressure to do so- sometimes, the memories are enough to take away from that experience.

A Zero Waste Bathroom

January 16, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / 4 Comments

01.16.2016

1650

So I filled out the “About” section of my website yesterday and I know I wrote that I’m trying to live a zero waste lifestyle. I use the word trying because the system isn’t perfect. As we all change and get older, our needs change, whether it be mental needs, health needs or the needs of our loved ones. So this is the trash I’ve accumulated so far in 2016:

I started trying to live a zero waste lifestyle in 2010 and over the years my system became more refined. I found better alternatives for current products I use and even had to opt out of certain products. To give you a better perspective of what I gave up, I made a list: (of what I could remember)

Bathroom In The Past:

Tampons (Tampax)
Scented bedroom spray (Bed Bath & Beyond)
Bug spray for your body (OFF)
Face wash (Clearsil)
Deodorant (Secret Invisible solid)
Toothpaste (Colgate)
Toothbrushes (made of plastic that would end up in the landfill)
Candles (Bed Bath & Beyond)
Band aids (BAND-AID)
Antibiotic ointment (Neosporin)
Nail polish (from wherever)
Nail polish remover (store brand)
Shampoo bottles (Garnier)
Conditioner bottles (Garnier)
Harmful bathroom cleaning sprays (Scrub/409)
Toilet cleaner (Scrubbing Bubbles)
Jewlery cleaning liquid (La Sonic Jewelery Cleaner Concentrate)
Cotton balls (store brand)
Cotton swabs to clean my ears (Q-tips)
Candles (to make the bathrom smell nice)
Fancy body lotions from (Victoria’s Secret)
Face lotion (Neutrogena)
Rubbing alcohol (store brand)
Toilet Paper (Store brand- packaged in plastic)
Make-up (chap stick/lipstick/eye shadow/eyeliner/mascara)
Disposable razors (Gillette)
Dental Floss (Oral-B SuperFloss Dental Floss)

Bathroom During the Present: (Product details can be found under: Store> Store Link)

Vinegar
Toilet paper (wrapped in paper)
Dr. Bronner’s soap bars (which I use for 6 different household cleaning tasks)
Deodorant crystal
Baking Soda
Stainless steel seasoning container (to contain my baking soda)
Compostable toothbrushes
Citrus essential oil
Keeper Moon Cup
Dental floss (ECO-dent)
Bulk lotion
Gauze and paper tape
ALBA Sunblock
Pumice Stone & Wash rag
Sage leaves (I burn sage to release the aroma and use it as a cleansing method )

I think that’s pretty much the entire list. If I’ve left out anything I’ll come back to edit it. This is what my bathroom looks like now:

From the list of items I used to buy, the one criteria I needed each product to pass was the plastic packaging issue. Now I buy items packaged in glass or stainless steel OR paper (and not the glossy kind of paper- just raw paper). I have seen bulk soap sold in stores, but they always have a sticker price tag attached to them, which is not recyclable. I use my Dr. Bronner’s soap for cleaning my bathroom, as a body wash, as a face wash, pet shampoo, laundry detergent, and dish washing soap. With the amount of use I get from one bar of soap, I think this investment pays for itself. I now only use candles in my emergency kit in case of a power outage. My list also was tested with the help of another blog called “The Zero Waste Home” with Bea Johnson and her family. I followed a majority of what she suggested but there were a few that I did not agree with. If you want to check them out, here is the link The Zero Waste Home

There are a few hang ups with this system that still doesn’t make it completely 100% zero waste, such as sunblock and make up. However I did discover a company called TerraCycle who will let you mail them certain trash to be reused into other items as long as you join one of their brigades. Check them out here TerraCycle- Outsmart Waste Currently I’m on their wait list for their Personal Care and Beauty Brigade.

First Post

January 15, 2016August 12, 2018 / Yen-Van Tran / 2 Comments

01.15.2016

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So this is my first post… I haven’t even finished setting up my website but I thought I’d write something anyway. It took a lot of contemplating to come to the conclusion of starting this blog but I think it will be a great investment. Today is Friday and I’m hoping to get a lot done before the week starts up again on Monday. Sometimes I hate being in that mindset because I feel like I’m just bum rushing through my weekend instead of enjoying it. Let’s see what happens in the next 48 hours… you never know 🙂