With our fast-paced, fast-food environment, it doesn’t take much to get caught up in all of the stresses and demands of life.  I didn’t realize how much this complicated lifestyle was whipping me out until we moved to Germany – a nation where people work, on average, 400 hours less than Americans every year.  Bicycling is a natural form of transportation – even to the grocery store.  And on Sundays, everything from IKEA to the grocery stores closes, and people take a day to relax.

The list below covers well-liked posts on Making This Home that offer quick ways that you can simplify your home and your life.

If you’re in the mood for a little more browsing, swing over to our Amazon Store for items that have made life simpler and easier at our house (like eco-products, vegetarian cookbooks, appliances, furniture, and accessories). Happy simplifying!

Giving

Donate old contacts & glasses Send handmade cards Make meaningful compliments a habit Craft with old cds Gift a bride-to-be Document your family’s story Make a gift card and envelope – tutorial Send handmade holiday cards – tutorial

Make (free) wrapping paper Make custom baby gifts Recycle old shoes Wrap gifts an eco-savvy way Donate books to local groups Write love letters Give gifts that aren’t stuff

(writing a monthly love letter)

Organizing & Eliminating

Part with sentimental treasures Organize office supplies Simplify your paperwork routine Refresh your closet Organize shoes Create an efficient pantry Use a gadget-free salad spinner Make buying less a habit – 5 steps Organizing a beautiful life Reduce unloved, unneeded STUFF

Downsize without feeling loss Eliminate junk mail Make everything digital Downsize your purse Part with excess stuff Find writing inspiration Rediscover what’s in your closet Declutter the bathroom completely – 11 steps

(using a gadget-free salad spinner)

Stress Reducing

Spend Sunday like a European Ask guests to take off their shoes – a poem Take a breather Embrace your senses of touch and smell Enjoy being imperfect Let yourself get lost in a new place Resolve to do less and live more Avoid the temptation to buy new clothes Cherish more simple moments

Create German cell phone habits Gain patience Appreciate your imperfect home Try Vegetarian cooking Do less.  Live more. Make lemonade from scratch Go on walks Ignore to-do lists for simple moments Love a simpler life more – 7 ways

(pausing for joyful silence)

Creating & Decorating

Care for fresh flowers like Europeans Create a no-shoes-indoors household Decorate with love letters Help the environment (& your house!) – 10 steps Discover why you’re cranky at home Decorate with paper airplanes Decorate a small home in 9 steps Make custom dish towels – tutorial

Avoid a smelly washing machine Declutter in 10 realistic steps Create your own mini retreat at home Create a habit of paper decluttering Decorate with Mother Nature’s help Create handmade Decorate for November

Personal Growing

Make natural face scrub with 3 ingredients Drink more water Create a recycling system Save pennies around the house Explore your neighborhood with new eyes Listen to music inspired by simplicity Try cleaning the kitchen every night for a month

Pamper yourself at home Avoid chemical flavor enhancers in food Begin a natural beauty routine Put the breaks on bad moods Record your story Buy less clothes happily Create simple beauty just for YOU 10 steps to a happier life

(recording my story)

Cleaning

Pick greener laundry soap Simplify dish duty in one step Dust without chemical spray

Detox your house like Europeans Remove water stains naturally Try soap nuts instead of laundry soap Give the freezer a spring clean out any time of year

(cleaning water stains naturally)

Tasting

Serve a nerd’s dinner Alter oven mits to fit Make simple hot apple cider Bake homemade graham crackers Create homemade marshmallows Bake fresh breadsticks Cook rice Enjoy homemade ice cream Find vanilla in Germany Eat seasonally Create a food mantra Make homemade cranberry sauce Bake Lebkuchen – German gingerbread cookies

Find eco-friendly birthday cake decorations Embrace a homemade food life Make refrigerator iced tea Hear the real deal on “German” chocolate cake Bake German Christmas cookies Bake American chocolate chip cookies anywhere Bake roasted applesauce Avoid chemical flavor enhancers Cook from our favorite vegetarian cookbooks Taste Eastern European food Read our decision to go vegetarian

(serving a nerd’s dinner)

Holiday Celebrating

Get gifts in your shoes from St. Nick Celebrate St. Martin’s Day with paper lanterns Eat traditional Czech Christmas food Dye eco-friendly eggs Create collage valentines DIY some classy gift tags Decorate less at Christmas; embrace more Roast pumpkin *and squash!* seeds Sew handmade ornaments

Document the season Incorporate local food into special meals Decorate your Thanksgiving table Make stars & flowers from toilet paper rolls Capture the season’s moments at home Read “A Christmas Carol” (better than the movie!) Serve a vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner Bake German Christmas cookies Decorate for autumn with thrift shop finds

(waiting for St. Nicholas with shoes at the door)

Money Saving

Darn your own socks Save pennies around the house Eat a meat-less meal with loved ones Pinch pennies & reduce waste – 5 tricks Rework the wardrobe you already have – 5 tricks Go without new clothes shopping

Lower utility bills Go 30 Days without buying new clothes Resist fast food Eat seasonally Give a gift that isn’t “stuff” Take the No New Clothes Challenge

(taking a No New Clothes challenge)

Documenting

Learn something new each day Snap a picture of everyday life for 30 days Take risks

Keep a holiday journal Write a daily journal for one month