How to Be a Minimalist Vegan

I’ve been a minimalist for the last 15 years.

I moved a lot so it made sense not to accumulate things. When I moved to Colorado from New Hampshire in 2004 everything fit in my car. I may have packed too many boxes of books for a move across the country but many of them were books about the west that inspired me to be a westerner so they had to make the trips. However, many of them didn’t make the trek back to the east coast since eventually I donated them to local libraries. 

When I lived in Steamboat Springs, Colo. I didn’t have a need for much furniture although I did have skis and a bike. I lived in apartments and houses where all I needed was a bed and a desk (always a desk for writing).  When I moved to Granby, Colo. the condo I bought was furnished so I didn’t need to buy a TV, washer/dryer, sofa or dining room table. The condo was later sold with most of its contents. Again, when I moved to Tucson very few things came with me other than books, kitchen stuff and clothes. When I moved back to Colorado even less came with me, and my collection of books could fit in one box.

Part of being a minimalist is reading books and watching DVDs from the library. I just love the Concord, NH Library. They have a huge book and DVD collection. I watch many shows and movies on Netflix. For music I have Napster for songs to run to on my iPhone. Books, CDs and DVD do not fill the spaces in my house like they used to. When people walk into my house they see uncluttered space.

I’ve been vegan for about two months now. And while I know that I will never eat meat again, eating animal by-products such as cheese and desserts that have eggs and butter in them have been the hardest to conquer; they are my cheats. I like being vegan and do it for the animals, and I do it to help reduce my carbon footprint. I’m not sure that eating vegan has made me feel any different, yet. I have lost weight and feel lighter but I don’t feel like I have more energy. 

I joined a Facebook group called Minimalist Zero-waste Vegans because that is what I’m striving for in my life – all three aspects. I know I’m not perfect at it but I work at it. I really like the idea of repurposing clothes and all the different ways to live more simply.

Here are some websites I like:

https://storyofstuff.org/

http://www.becomingminimalist.com/

https://www.goingzerowaste.com/

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