Thrifting When You Travel

There are two things that I love to do when I travel.

Go to bookstores.

And go thrift shopping. 

I frequent my local thrift shop at least once a month, but if you’re in a different city that’s an entirely new set of things and possibly a different take on fashion. 

What I mean here is you’ll probably find a slightly different stock between Iowa and say California. 

And sometimes if there’s a particular item you can’t find where you live, there might be multiple of them where you’re visiting.

I remember seeing entire racks of overalls in a shop on Brick Lane in London, and feeling in heaven. 

So, yeah I always enjoying heading into a thrift store or two regardless of where I am. That is, of course, if thrift stores, or vintage shops are a thing there. 

I didn’t find it in a thrift store, but I found my dream bike on Craigslist after months of searching. I wanted a Bianchi, but try as I might I couldn’t find one in Des Moines. I ended up going out on a ledge and looking in the Colorado Springs area because I have an uncle out there. I found a bike I loved, he went and looked at it, and a friend driving through picked it up from him and brought it back to me in Des Moines. 

I think another thing I like about thrifting is that it’s something I do at home, and I always like to do things when I travel as if I lived there. Work from coffeeshops, go to the grocery store, ride a bike, go for a run or hike and go into thrift shops. 

I just got back from San Francisco, and I spent quite a bit of time up on Haight Street going through the different thrift stores and vintage shops. I ended up finding a black denim mini skirt, which I’ve been searching for this for awhile, as well as a nice summery dress, which I’ve also wanted more of. 

I also splurged in a non-thrift way and got myself a pair of vegan Doc Martens, something I’ve wanted for quite some time now. Normally, I stay away from regular stores when I travel, but being from Des Moines, we don’t have the full array of stores here. 

Anyways I highly encourage you to go thrifting when you’re traveling. 

Are there any fun things you always like to do when you find yourself in a different city? 

Inspiration for Gift Giving

I know Christmas is over and we’ve got a long time until it’s time to celebrate again, but I wanted to share some of my favorite presents that I gave and got this year for inspiration. Because there’s going to be plenty of times throughout this year that you want to get someone a gift. 

Presents I Gave

+ bath bombs — if they like baths, they’ll love bath bombs.

+ incense — nag champa incense is my favorite, and anyone that likes smelly goodness will love incense.

+ a journal — I kept a journal starting last Christmas and wrote an entry every day of what we did, and then gave it to Michael this year. It was a big hit. 

+ power bank — for that person whose phone battery is always almost dead. I got this Anker one for Michael. 

+ inflatable lounge — much more of a warm weather gift, but Michael is all about being comfy, and he likes to go out and sit in a hammock in the summer so I thought this would be good to have in the car for when he can’t find trees close enough.

+ string map — a lot of fun to make, and pretty simple too. Just need a board, nails, and some embroidery string. I made a map of Iowa for a friend, but you could make letters or silhouettes. So many options. 

+ packing cubes — for anyone who travels and appreciates organization. I like these. 

+ chocolate — you can’t go wrong here. 

+ gift card — let them choose their gift at their favorite store.

+ suspend game — I was looking for a white elephant gift that would be good for any age. And I found this one, which is kind of like Jenga. 

+ s’more kit — my dad is the s’more king and he likes anything chocolate. But you could do a hot chocolate kit or any number of food kits. 

+ hygge kits — or at least that’s what I called them. I gave one to two friends as well as my mom and sister. They had face masks, warm sock slippers, chocolate, a candle and incense. 

+ regifted things — you might think this is tacky, but I think it’s genius. If you have something cool that just isn’t your style or you don’t use it, give it to someone that will. 

Presents I Got

+ hanging planter — Yes, a friend made me an awesome hanging planter that’s hanging above my desk now. I love it. It looks kind of like this one. 

+ vegan “meats” — Our friend got Michael and I a selection of vegan meat from this shop we visited in Minneapolis.  

+ knitted socks, hat, cardigan — my mom is a knitting goddess and each year I get some amazing knitted goodies. So, if you can knit or crochet make something!

+ wine — you can’t go wrong with wine.

+ converted home movies — my younger brother sent in all our old home videos to this company that converted them into mp4’s that we now all have access to for the rest of time. One of my favorite gifts. 

What are some of your favorite gifts that you gave or received? 

My 2018 Goals

I know, I just bashed on New Years Resolutions last week, but it’s not setting goals that I have a problem with. It’s thinking that you can only do it for New Years and if you slip up once then you should just quit until next year. 

I first made “resolutions” two years ago. Last year I set separate goals for my personal and professional life, and this year I’m going to do the same.

So, without further ado, here are my 2018 goals!

PROFESSIONAL

+ create two new courses — I already know what I want them to be, and have started working on one, but the goal is to complete them and get them online for people to have.

+ create a workshop — I already have the concept of what I want it to be, it’s just a matter of putting my head down to finish creating it. And then (deep breathe) hold the workshop.

+ talk in front of an audience — Is anyone else shy? I’m really good behind a camera and a computer because I can think through and edit what I want to say. But when you’re in front of a crowd there’s no going back. 

+ expand my second channel — I started a second channel in 2017 (that was actually one of my goals), but this year I’m very excited to see it expand from just a vlog channel.

+ release new merch collection — You guys loved my FemmeHead shirts and totes, so I’m going to release more! I want to create a few new designs as well as offer more of the original design. 

+ 100,000 YouTube subscribers — Yup, the big One, Zero, Zero. I’m roughly around 37,000ish away from it. And I think I can do it! (But it’s never about the number of subscribers for me. It’s about who I’m actually able to help. It’s just been a fun little goal to set myself since I started on YouTube).

PERSONAL

+ learn to play a song on the uke — I bought a ukulele over a year ago, and while I’ve gone through phases of practicing I’ve never learned an entire song. 

+ participate in a race — I think this might become a yearly goal for me. I had the same goal last year and I ended up doing my first 5k, triathlon and marathon. Boom!

+ take myself on solo dates — There are places around town (the botanical garden comes to mind) where I’ve always wanted to go but haven’t because I didn’t have someone to go with. So now, I want to take myself on at least one solo date a month. 

+ keep all of my receipts — Yup, boring, but for accounting and tax purposes it would make it a lot easier if I had my paper receipts. (Thankfully a lot of my buying is done online). 

+ pay off my student loans — When I first graduated I made the goal of two years. And I was on track, but then I met a boy and had to rebalance my finances. Well, I’ve kept paying off more than what I owe and I’m down to just above $5,000. Can I pay that off this year? 

+ hang out with a family member and a friend once a week —spending time with those I love has taken more of a priority over this past year, and I’ve done such a great job I want to keep at it!

+ produce less waste/buy less plastic — When I first discovered the zero waste and minimalist lifestyles I did a great job of reducing the amount of waste I created. Well, so many freaking things come in plastic, and I want to make it a goal this year to cut down on plastic overall. 

What are some of your goals that you're most excited for this year? 

Discovering Lagom + How It Fits Into My Life

I first discovered hygge and it wasn’t long after that I stumbled upon lagom.

While there is no direct translation from Swedish, I liked the definition “not too little, not too much, just right.” 

I saw someone refer to it as the “Goldilocks" amount. And another said lagom is closer to “optimal”. Overall, it is a lifestyle of balance, sustainability, and frugality. 

For a minimalist like myself, lagom speaks to me. I think a lot of people think minimalism is about owning nothing, living in a destitute house of white walls, a mattress on the floor and one plate and fork. And it couldn’t be further from that. 

While yes there are those that enjoy minimalism in its extreme the vast majority of us look at it as a way to go about life. A conscious choice to be selective about what we let into our lives. Whether that’s physical things, people, experiences. It’s all about refining it down to just what brings you happiness. 

Why bother with the rest everything if it’s just going to clutter up your space and your mind? 

Unlike hygge, lagom isn’t a moment or an experience, it’s much more of an overarching concept to live by. 

When you get down to it, lagom is about striving for a balanced life that can lead you to live in your most natural state. 

Funny enough most Swedes will go “meh” at the mention of lagom because for them its something that means average and boring to them. But the rest of the world is jumping on the lagom train.  

I’m all for taking these concepts like hygge and lagom and finding the aspects of them that speak to me and infusing that into my life to make it all that much better. 

So, here’s the bits of it that speak to me:

Balanced Eating — I’ve never been too strict with what I eat. And the great thing about being vegan is I can eat as much as I want on a whole foods plant-based diet. But there will always be a place in my heart (and my stomach) for sweet things. If I’m focused on getting enough nutrition through fruits, veggies, nuts seeds, grains, etc. then I can have my cake and eat it too! 

Wasting Less — I’ve made some big changes over the past two years when it comes to this. And for the most part, they’re  simple switches. Getting reusable shopping bags, coffee cups, not overbuying on food. I don’t leave the lights on when they’re not needed, or the water running while I brush my teeth. I walk or ride my bike when possible (and it helps not having my own car). I recycle, I reuse, and the amount of trash I produce has dropped drastically. I’m still far from zero waste but I’d love to get there one day. 

Getting Rid of the Excess — Decluttering is one of the most beautiful things I do for myself. It is addicting first off because you have this amazing feeling of lightness and freedom after going through your belongings. And there’s nothing better than having just what you need, and when all of those belongings have a home. Decisions are easier, cleaning is easier. It’s a win, win!

Being a Conscious Consumer — If I want to buy something new it first gets put on my ‘want list’ and it sits there while I research the best option, cost, where I can get it from, whether I can get it second hand, etc. And often times I find that things will sit on my ‘want list’ and eventually I realize, meh I really don’t want/need that and it gets taken off the list. Decluttering was a great way to jump start how I viewed buying stuff. The same goes for starting a capsule wardrobe. 

Creating a Capsule Wardrobe — Speaking of that, it intimidated me at first but once I finally went for it and curated a capsule for each season my mornings have been so much simpler. Why have all of your clothes all together when you probably can’t even wear half of it? This doesn’t mean I’m stuck with only that capsule for the season. If I realize there’s something I need I’ll add it. And it’s a great way to actually see what you need, and what you don’t wear, and can pass along. 

Having a Mindful Work/Life Balance — This one can be tricky regardless of whether you work for someone or you work for yourself. Personally, work and non-work can blend together. Especially since I work from home. But a few things that have really helped is creating a little home office in the corner of our guest bedroom, knowing that “Right, I’m going to sit down to work from 8 -5 today.” I also find that getting ready for work (getting dressed, etc.) helps get me into the mindset. I also don’t jump straight into work in the morning or work up until bedtime either. I make sure I have time before and after my work day to do things for myself. Whether that’s journaling, yoga, meditation, hanging out with friends or family. You need to make time for yourself outside of work. 

Overall, I think there are so many elements of lagom that are already a part of my life. But I’m all for discovering new concepts and finding inspiration in them. And sharing them with you!

Are you into hygge or lagom, or is there another catchy term you are inspired by? 

Some Of My Favorite YouTube Channels

I’ve been watching YouTube videos since high school, and while my interests have changed over the years I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite people on YouTube. 

In no particular order, here are some people/channels I love:

Sarah Lemkus 

She has an adorable little vegan family, and they live in New Zealand. She shares a lot of What I Eat In A Day videos, as well as her life in New Zealand as well as travel. 

Ellen Fisher 

Possibly my favorite family on YouTube. Ellen has a heart of gold, her husband is a sweetheart and she has two super adorable boys. She talks all things vegan, sustainable living, and her life in Hawaii. 

Raw Alignment 

She talks a lot about self-love and being vegan. She also shares her adventures, her workouts and just general feel good messages. 

Sailing LaVagabonde 

This sweet couple travel the world on their sailboat, and you get to go along on all their adventures. [And it is because of them that I discovered Patreon. It is what makes their adventure possible, and now I have a Patreon for those who want to support FemmeHead.] 

Kathleen Lights 

I’m used to watch a lot of makeup YouTubers, but over the years my interests have changed, but I will always watch Kathleen. And that’s for her personality.

Damon and Jo 

You don’t have to be rich to travel the world, and these two are a complete hoot while doing it. They have vibrant personalities and share practical travel tips. 

Sarah Norse 

She is one of those people who is living the life she wants. She does a lot of traveling, moving countries with her husband. She shares videos all about minimalism, money, travel and lifestyle. 

Alli Cherry 

She has a great esthetic, personality and shares videos on a range of topics. Everything from design, cool flea market finds, sustainable living, natural products and travel and camping videos. 

Ollie Ritchie 

Pure inspiration for beautiful videos. Gives you this nostalgic feeling for memories, places and people in your past. 

Wild Daze 

An eclectic gal sharing her adventures around the world. She’s based in the UK, goes to festivals, shares her wacky style and is unapologetically herself. 

Coolripa 

I always wanted to be the girl in high school who made her own clothes, but I didn’t have the skill or patience to do so. This girl takes her thrift store finds and turns them into adorable outfits that you want to wear. 

Lavendaire 

A calming influence on your life. She talks about minimalism, personal growth, and creating the life you want to live.  

Muchelleb 

She’s all about creating the lifestyle and space you want to live in, covering how to simplify your space, be intentional about your life, goals, minimalism and goodness like this. 

Shameless Maya 

I sometimes struggle when it comes to technology, but anytime I need an answer or some inspiration I head over to her channel. I really enjoy her Tech Talk Tuesdays as well as her just explaining different methods and techniques. 

BuzzFeed Unsolved 

I love watching BuzzFeed, but one of my favorite series currently is BuzzFeed Unsolved. They’re a hilarious duo who travel to haunted places, often staying the night, sharing the history and trying to stir up some ghosts. 

SoSonia on SoulPancake 

She makes me feel good, she makes me think and she inspires me to get creative. 

These aren’t all the channels I like, but I didn’t want to go on forever. Hopefully this will help you discover a new channel or two that you like!

Home Office Update!

Last month I wrote about my journey towards creating the perfect home office space. 

And I’m just about there this month. 

So last time we checked in on this topic I was still out in the main room, using my window desk, but on the search for “my desk”. 

And I found it. 

On Craigslist, for $25. 

It was a clunky old desk, but it had the bones of what I wanted. 

After a morning of cutting it up, rearranging it’s parts and adding some new parts of my own, there it was. My desk.

I took off the cabinet that held up one side, chopped off one of the drawers that made up the other side, bought legs and angled plates to attach them, and my modern desk was born. 

It fits perfectly in that open space that was waiting for it in my back bedroom. 

The very same day I went in search of a chair, not expecting to find it. But then there it was sitting, unmarked at the thrift store. 

How much? I asked. 

Hmm, how about $10 she whispered back. 

Sold! I said. 

I still need to sew up a cover for the cushion (not too big into the pattern), but I’ll get around to that eventually. 

I grabbed my framed print of downtown that was living in my bathroom, along with the candle holder that was with it. 

And the finishing touch? 

An ethernet to thunderbolt adapter for my laptop. 

And we were in business. 

This is my space. 

This is where I go and feel that sense of, “this is where we work, Victoria.” 

And I couldn’t be happier. 

Not to mention I’ve spent less than $70 so far for all of it. 

Zero Waste Update | Where I'm Doing Well + Where I'm Not

I first started learning about the not so great side of plastic around the same time I was getting into minimalism. 

I see both of them as a spectrum that you fall within. 

And while there have been a few big changes I’ve made in regards to the waste I create, there are still a few areas that I can/need to still improve in. 

So, today I wanted to go through how I’ve been excelling at creating less waste, and then cover a few spots I’m not doing so hot at. 

And because I’m a positive person I will start with the changes I’ve made that have helped me create less waste.

+ Using reusable bags instead of plastic bags when shopping

This was one of the first and easiest switches I made. I have a few totes/reusable shopping bags I’ve acquired, as well as a few I made myself from old t-shirts. 

And while I remember to bring them along 98% of the time, there is still the shopping trip every few months where I forget them. Instead of getting plastic bags, or even paper bags I just ask them to put the groceries back in my shopping cart once they’ve rung them up. I then just walk the shopping cart out to my car (which I normally do anyways) and put my groceries straight into there. 

+ Sending my food scraps to my mom’s to compost

If you take a look at what the vast majority of your trash can consists of it is food scraps. 

I played with the idea of creating a in-apartment compost system for a long time, but couldn’t figure out what I would do with the compost once it was done. 

My conclusion was that I needed to find a place where I could send my scraps to get composted. I did a little research to see if there was anything convenient and easy around town, but eventually just settled on asking my mom if she could take it. 

Which, as mom’s do, she gladly accepted. But eventually sent me home with an old kitty litter tub to collect my scraps in so they didn’t leak in her car as she transported them home. 

+ Recycling

I took the time to see what was accepted as recycling here in Des Moines, got a little recycling bin (and eventually a bigger one as a wedding gift), and started recycling. 

It was easy even though I always let it collect in the big bin in my hallway closet a bit too long. 

And I discovered that a local grocery store recycled plastic bags for those few suckers that made it into our house. 

+ Reusing

There are some items that could just be thrown away or recycled. But I try to get as much use out of them as possible before sending them on their way. 

Glass jars, while I have too many of them, in various sizes, I love using them as food storage containers. 

And because I’m not completely zero waste I still create some garbage (a lot less than before, but still some) and repurpose those few plastic bags that still get into my house as garbage bags instead of buying new ones for my bathroom garbage. 

+ Buying second hand

I’ve done this for awhile, mostly because it was just better for my financially, but once I learned more about fast fashion and how wasteful the retail industry is, I have made more of an effort to find what I need second hand first. 

This doesn’t just mean clothing either. I recently made my desk out of one I found on Craigslist and found my desk chair at the thrift store. 

+ Overall being more conscious of what I’m buying

I think this journey as well as minimalism combined has really changed my mindset on buying stuff. 

I put more time and thought into stuff before buying. 

Do I really need it? Will it be something that I can use/wear for years and years to come? 

And one trick that helps me with this is keeping a Want List on my computer, and as things come to mind that I want to buy I put them there instead of impulse purchasing them. This has helped me realize what I really do want/need and gives me time to find the perfect item that I will love forever. 

Ok, now that we’ve got all those done, let’s touch on a few places where I’m not doing so great at this whole zero waste lifestyle and how I can/will improve. 

+ Buying groceries that come packaged

Unfortunately the store I buy in bulk at packages a lot of their items in plastic. When I first started in on this switch I was getting everything from just one store and not buying anything packaged (even bread). 

And I should get back to this, even though it ended up costing more money. 

+ Forgetting my reusable coffee cup

I have a handy little stainless steel coffee cup, but I don’t always remember it. 

I need to get a lid for it, and then just put it in my bag before I head out anywhere. 

The same goes with bringing along a mason jar for those spur of the moment smoothie trips. 

+ Making the switch to bamboo, compostable toothbrushes

This one is an easy one that I literally just have not gotten around to. 

And it also requires me to remember to say no to the little goodie bag they give you at the dentist. 

+ Continuing to switch out packaged beauty products for unpackaged products

I actually have quite a bit of gift card money to Lush that will be perfect for this switch. 

My skin went through a bit of a difficult time this past winter and I caved when I discovered the whole Korean 10-step skincare routine. I didn’t go as far as to get one use masks, but I did get a nice toner and essence, which did wonders for my skin.

But now that my skin is back in order I have been able to simplify my skincare again. 

+ I need to buy bamboo utensils and to-go containers

This is the final area that comes to mind when I think of where I’m failing. 

While I normally just throw in a fork/spoon from my drawer I would much rather have a designated set of bamboo utensils that are easier to travel with then actual silverware. 

And figuring out how to order take-out and use my own containers. I know people might be confused, but I think just asking nicely can get you a lot of things. 

I want some to-go containers that aren’t my glass tupperware I use at home. I’m always worried about this getting broken. 

And there you have it. 

Not all my triumphs and failures, but what I could think of today. 

Where do you excel/flop when it comes to zero waste? And what advice do you have for others wanting to lead a less wasteful lifestyle?