How I Built A Minimalist Desk

My office

For my entire writing career, I have been typing away at my kitchen table, enduring the constant distractions that come with the location.  I am perpetually moving my laptop and books off the table in order to use the table for it's intended purpose.

Solution:  I built a $48 minimalist desk.

Legs: $14 from Ikea
Top: 17.00 Pine wood from Home Depot
Paint: $15 for spray paint plus top coat
Screws: $2
Total: $48

I also purchased a power drill ($10), a tape measure ($1.50), and sandpaper ($3.00).

That super cool 70's chair I picked up at a used store for $3.

I wanted a space that would be clutter and distraction free, where I feel inspired to be creative and productive.

I'm typing this post with a lovely view of the pine trees out my bedroom window.  It may not yet be a tiny house in the woods, but that dream is getting closer every day.

I found a paint that makes it look like hammered metal

I can't help but think of generations past who built incredible structures with nothing but hand tools.  They had no power saws and Home Depots.  Making a table wasn't a late night, after work event, but rather, a backbreaking, wood chopping, lengthy endeavor.

Growing up in a world of convenience and cheap parlor tricks, I have an intensely deep desire to live a simple life, to work with my hands, and to be self-reliant.

There is something magnificently satisfying in seeing the outcome of one's labor; to use creativity and ingenuity to its fullest extent.  There is also a security that comes with it.  If the economy falls, or the lights don't turn on tomorrow, no worries.
I'll strike a match and build myself a bonfire.  


 

Save Money on Your Grocery Bill

I have spent my entire adult life trying to figure out how to feed myself healthy food without breaking the budget.  The rising cost of food, and the abundant quantity of processed, convenient, and packaged foods, make it difficult to eat natural, clean foods.  Here are some tips I've learned along the way.

Flickr: ilovebutter.  CC-BY-2.0

1. Buy ingredients you can use in almost any dish. 

Especially if you have only one mouth to feed, using up produce before it goes bad can be difficult.  For instance, will one person really eat an entire bunch of green onions in one meal?  Most stores sell them in bunches, so if you need a few morsels for a soup recipe, you will have 3/4 of it left over.  Adding the onions to salads and baked potatoes will make your produce investment worthwhile. 

Tomatoes are my favorite item to use in a wide range of dishes including soups, pasta, tacos, sandwiches, and bruschetta.  Potatoes, bell peppers, corn, and zucchini are all vegetables I use in my favorite dishes and have no trouble finding uses for the leftovers. 

2. Find inexpensive meals you can enjoy often. 

Getting into a buying, cooking, eating routine will help you save money and help you avoid spending unnecessary money on specialty items.  Almost every time I go to the store I buy the same items.  That may sound boring, but using the above tip, those items can be turned into dozens of recipes.  Here is my some of my favorite cheap and healthy dish:

 Veggtable soup: 

1 can chicken broth  $1 

1 potato:  $.40 

2 roma Tomatoes $.40 

1/4 bunch green onions $.25

2 suasage links $.50 

Garlic/spices:  $.05

Meals:2 

Total: $2.70

Cost per meal: $1.35 

3. Don't do all of your shopping at the same place

This can vary from chain to chain and location to location, so what is cost effective for me, might be different for you.  It might make sense to shop for produce at your local farmer's market and buy your breads and pastas at a chain store.  I have found that one grocery store near me had incredible low meat and produce, while their packaged items like crackers, frozen items, and soups are almost double the price at competing stores.  Buying the few packaged items you eat at a place like Costco, Safeway, or Walmart will get you the best prices.   

~*~*~*~

Spending money on food is like spending money on gasoline.  It is a consumable item that leaves you with nothing tangible.  Your mortgage, car payment, and clothing money are all expenses that will hold some value after being purchased.  I can buy a $20,000 car, drive it for 5 years, and sell it for $14,000.  However, when I buy a $20 pizza, it is money that is forever gone. Hard earned money, never to be seen again!  

In order to build towards the minimalist goal of financial independence, it is imperative to get monthly expenses down, especially consumable ones.  The grocery bill should be your first battlefield.