I cannot keep myself out of the library this month. Ever since I started checking out stacks of cookbooks, I keep coming home with more and more books. It looks like I’m running a library out of my room, and I’m starting to get concerned the librarians are getting suspicious (they aren’t).

It’s impossible to keep up with the books I’m bringing in. Each time I pick up a book from the shelf I tell myself that I’m only here for the ones that I requested, and I still manage to bring them all home anyways.

In other words, expect quite a few books in the next couple of months. I enjoyed my May reads, even if they were a random mix.

What I Read This Month

My Life on the Road
Like most young women, I am very familiar with her name, but I have not read much of Gloria Steinem’s work. I picked up this book based on the suggestion of Emma Watson’s book club, Our Shared Shelf. Her stories are incredible. From nearly constant travel for decades to being around present to some of the most monumental moments in recent history, Steinem’s book was eye-opening in a way I didn’t expect. I loved reading about one extraordinary woman’s life, and I especially took comfort in the fact that she didn’t really know what she wanted or what she was doing for years either. She just kept going and figuring it out on the road. Fascinating book.

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up
I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up while in Spain last year, and I couldn’t help myself from checking out the follow-up. I thought it was a heavily illustrated guide, and to be honest I really only wanted to check it out for her clothes-folding techniques. Overall it was alright, but nothing amazing. While this one does give more detailed instructions, if you haven’t read Life-Changing Magic it’s going to be much less helpful and will often leave you wondering. The first book is likely all you need.

The Happiness Project
This one is not really a new book, but it didn’t change its impact on me. I loved reading about Gretchen Rubin’s self-experiments and the things she thought would make her happier. It definitely helped that our personalities and temperaments are quite similar, but there is definitely something for everyone in this book. If you only read one book out of this list, this might be it.

Why Grizzly Bears Should Wear Underpants
My brother brought this home from a trip to Portland, and it went through our roommates and friends like wildfire. While I didn’t think it was as good as The Oatmeal’s The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances, the males in my life loved it. I could tell when they were reading it by the giggling or full out laughter that would bounce through the house.

Modern Romance
This one far exceeded my expectations. I have complicated feelings toward Aziz Ansari. I loved him in Parks and Recreation and thought he was sexist in a standup I saw. He earned some points back with this one. Get ready for real data and some hilarious quips. I particularly enjoyed some of the blurbs they included from their focus groups/subreddit. It also made me incredibly thankful to not have delved into the complexity of online dating. I got stressed out just reading about it. We have an overwhelming amount of choices. Good luck, my friends. Good luck.

Like No Other
In case you can’t tell from all of the books above, I’m in a bit of a nonfiction groove right now. This was my only fiction this month, and it just didn’t do it for me. To be fair, it’s a young adult book, but for some reason I was holding it to higher standards. It just wasn’t for me.

What should I read next? Any fiction or nonfiction books you love?

More Books: You can see all of my recommendations here.

I used to have a lot of stuff. When I went to college my mom and I went through the process of getting me everything I needed off of the crazy list my college recommended. We spent what felt like the entire summer getting duplicates of everything I had at home plus all of the “essentials” I was told I needed.

While I have always loved decluttering and organizing, I still had a lot of stuff. And this stuff only grew over the years, especially while I was in college. By the time I was in my junior year, my closet collapsed under the sheer weight of all of my stuff. TWICE.

When my five roommates and I moved out at the end of that year, we made a pact to get rid of some stuff. And my did we get rid of a lot. My interest in minimalism grew throughout my college years, and when my best friends and I moved out our senior year, we decided enough was enough. We spent the last month of our senior year trying to savor every last minute we had together and digging through all of our accumulated stuff.

Meagan had clothes from high school shoved under her bed that made us laugh so hard we all cried. I had notes from freshmen year classes, like I was really going to read through them again.

We purged, and oh it felt sooo good. We turned our apartment inside out and started “adult” life with so much less stuff to lug around.

Most of this got donated

I still left college with too much stuff! This was only part of my room.

And I never stopped. Every move (or pretend move) I got rid of more things. When I moved into my current place, I fit all of my things in/on two vehicles, including my tiny Prius C. It was freeing.

Tidy drawers and extra space!

Through the Minsgame I really got down to where I feel good about the amount of things I own. I finally got rid of the last few things that I had been lugging around that weren’t serving a purpose anymore.

These days I put a lot of thought into the things I buy. Whether it’s the environmental impact of the item or the role it will play in my life, I really deliberate about purchases. I add them to my list and let them sit there for a while. Do I overthink the things I purchase? For sure! I don’t know anyone else who researches t-shirts for more than 10 hours only to give up and not buy any.

Do I have the least amount of things I possibly could? No. Have I hit my balance point? I think I’m close.

Life is messy. I am messy. My roommates are really messy. Needless to say this homemade stain remover gets used frequently. From removing the tomato sauce I exploded on my favorite light purple sweatshirt while cooking to pure mud from hiking to the chocolate my roommates ground into the cloth napkins, I have had my fair share of tough stains.

This homemade stain remover is powerful without all of the nasty chemicals. It also won’t bleach or discolor your clothes.

Homemade Stain Remover Ingredients

2-5 teaspoons liquid castile soap
1-2 cups of water

I love simplicity, and the two ingredients in this stain remover certainly fit the bill. Castile soap is heavily concentrated. When diluted with water, the soap is easy to apply without overdoing it. I also love that I can buy it in bulk. Our local Whole Foods and a few smaller grocery stores in the area let you refill your bottle. I make my homemade stain remover in a small spray bottle so its always on hand and easy to use.

To be fair, I don’t usually measure my ingredients when I make this castile soap stain remover. Typically I squirt some of the soap into the spray bottle and add water. If it’s too much soap (I base it off the color of the stain remover and how sudsy it comes out) I add more water once there’s room. Not working as hoped? I add a little more soap. It doesn’t take much to create a powerful stain remover, so err on the side of less soap to begin with.

Best Uses for Homemade Stain remover

I have some pet peeves and some constantly-dirty items. Here’s my list of all of the things that get a thorough spray before hitting the wash:

1. Not so white socks (AKA the reminder to mop more often)
2. Grimy sleeves – sweatshirts are my worst offenders. I blame the gym.
3. Sunscreen marks
4. Armpits and collars of white shirts
5. Food stains
6. Dirt, grass, life stains
7. Blood stains
8. Light colored sports bras (they get a general all over spritz to keep them looking bright and clean)
9. My workout shirts – where I wipe my sweaty face and anywhere that spent time on the floor (sit ups anyone?) to get out the extra oils and dirt
10. Makeup marks (not common for me, but the stain spray has taken it out in the past!)

Currently reading Clean Eating: The 21-Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body. While I won’t be doing a “clean eating diet” or a “detox diet,” I am certainly going to incorporate more anti-inflammatory foods in my diet and steer clear some of the big inflammation (and upset stomach) instigators. Hopefully my ankle responds well and heals faster.

Why do we wait for perfect? Let’s encourage all progress toward sustainability.

I want to eat these dark chocolate pots de creme every day. With only 11 grams of sugar from honey per serving, they are my current favorite substitute that my sweet tooth hasn’t noticed isn’t actually full of sugar.

Why are we so unsatisfied with the limits of our bodies?

The LA Times story on Oxycotin was shocking.

But not as shocking as the wage gap for NBA players and WNBA players. Women athletes still don’t make what their counterparts do. Let’s do something about it already.

Let’s keep doing more of this. And remembering to treat what we have well and buy used first.

Things I wrote:

Best Habits of Yoga Teachers

7 Crazy Things Eucalyptus Oil Can Do For You

7 Things You Didn’t Know Pepper Could Do

The Best Gluten Free Ice Cream Brands (I consider myself an expert on this one)

Snacks are my biggest barrier to being zero waste. I stopped buying chips and crackers to try to reduce how much processed, packaged food I eat, but I rarely make it from one meal to the next without a snack and my lack of snacks was becoming a huge problem. No snacks is a really bad thing. In an effort to stop scaring people while eating healthier and reducing my waste, I made myself delicious, hearty trail mix.

Zero waste trail mix is so easy! I brought empty jars with me to the grocery store and came home with a killer snack. The bulk bins were full of fun ingredients, and it was great to be able to just get as much as I wanted instead of trying to shove pumpkin seeds into everything I eat before they go rancid. I also got ideas for things I wouldn’t normally put in my trail mix.

Nut-Free Zero Waste Trail Mix

Raw Sunflower Seeds
Pumpkin Seeds
Dried Cherries (unsweetened and unsulfured)
Unsweetened Coconut Chips
Chocolate Chips

All of my ingredients were organic and local if possible. You can leave out the chocolate chips to cut the sugar, but I fell prey to peer pressure and I can’t say I regret having them in there.

Once I brought home my bounty I just poured it into a quart-size jar and shook it up. Done.

Now instead of constantly cramming my face full of (delicious) chips, I am eating nutritious seeds that are full of protein and magnesium. While you won’t find me on a cool trail anytime soon, this is my new go-to snack.

I pop it in a small, reusable container to take it on the go or straight into my hand for convenient snacking sans dishes around the house.

These healthy cookbooks were a breath of fresh air and a fun way to try new recipes. I am on a major crusade to add more vegetables and nutritious foods of all kinds to my daily diet. To get inspiration, I have been checking out loads of cookbooks from the library after reading Skin Cleanse  – I had 10 at home at one point. From a couple of my old standbys to new goodies, I highly recommend them all.

6 Healthy Cookbooks

1. The Oh She Glows Cookbook
I loved this book. Every recipe is stuffed with vegetables and whole foods. I made the miso orange bowl that was ah-maz-ing. More please!

2. Thug Kitchen
I can’t get enough of this cookbook. It makes me laugh every time I flip through it or make a recipe out of it. Thug’s blasé approach to cooking is refreshing and makes my time in the kitchen so much less stressful. No other cookbook has ever encouraged me to take a break and check my Tumblr while I waited for something to cook. My mom gave this to me a couple Christmases ago (you heard me), and I’m still discovering new recipes out of it. I can’t recommend it enough.

3. My New Roots
The pictures in this book are stunning. It felt full of light and the seasonal recipes were a fun way to remember that nature takes care of variety for us. Some of the recipes had a few more ingredients than I usually use, but for the most part they are straight forward. I saved quite a few recipes to whip up sometime soon.

4. Superfood Smoothies
I wanted to love this book. I really did. But I just couldn’t. It was a great introduction to a lot of new ingredients and it definitely encouraged me to open my mind at least a tiny bit about what I can put in my smoothies. But a lot of the recipes just didn’t suit my taste. Totally worth a perusal regardless of how you feel about vegetables in a smoothie.

5. The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon
I do wish these recipes had fewer ingredients and overall less sugar, but I do love me some bowls. I really enjoyed seeing so many different takes on one of my staples. Bonus, the photos are gorgeous.

6. The Homemade Pantry
Sometimes you just need to step up your snack game and kick the packaged stuff to the curb. I’ve written about this one before, but I think it’s worth mentioning again. If you want to get a little more in tune with what you are eating and you love snacks, this one is for you. It’s also great if you are hoping to be zero waste (or just have fewer chip bags in your trash).

Is anyone else hungry now?

More Books: You can see all of my recommendations here.

I have been making my own body butter for years, and my skin has never been happier. This shea butter and coconut oil body butter recipe only has two ingredients, and it’s so versatile! I put it on after I shower on my whole body, my hands and feet before bed, and on my the back of my hands throughout the day. It soaks in fast, and it leaves my skin feeling moisturized all day.

Body Butter Ingredients

1/2 cup fair trade shea butter
1/2 cup organic, unrefined (also called virgin) coconut oil

I tend to do a straight 1:1 ratio on my body butter, but you can use more coconut oil for a lighter, faster absorbing oil or more shea butter for a richer, more moisturizing oil. In the winter I add a touch more shea butter.

You can also add a couple drops of essential oils for a nice scent. I don’t typically do this, mostly because I like the simplicity of the body butter as it is. Without essential oils, the body butter has no scent once it is rubbed in and absorbed.

How to Make It

Melt the shea butter and coconut oil together in a microwave safe container. Typically one to three minutes is plenty to get them completely melted. Stir the oil together to make sure they are mixed well. Pour it into a container and let harden on your counter or in the fridge.

How to Use and Store Your Body Butter

Scoop out the body butter and apply like you would lotion. A little goes a long way, so be sure to start with less than you think you might need. I typically apply it when I get out of the shower, and by the time I’m done drying the shower it is soaked in enough for me to get dressed.

If you feel like it’s not soaking in fast enough, you can try using less or reheat it and add a bit more coconut oil. I also highly recommend slathering your feet and putting on a pair of junky socks for 10 minutes or so if you plan on putting it on before bed. This protects your sheets and makes sure your feet get all the goodies.

In the summer or warm temperatures, the butter will melt a bit. You can absolutely use it like this, or store it somewhere cooler. I don’t recommend the fridge, however, or you will be trying to cut it like cold butter before giving yourself a bit of a cold-lotion-torture-treatment. If it separates a bit, simply give it a stir.

Since you are dipping your fingers in and out of the jar, be sure to wash your hands first. If you don’t use it frequently I would recommend making a smaller batch so you don’t have to worry about it going bad. However, the coconut oil, a natural antibacterial, should keep the butter pretty stable and safe for a while. I make myself a new batch when I run out every couple of months.

Want it to be more of a lotion? This whipped body butter works great and can be pumped out of an old lotion bottle.

Nothing makes me feel more in control of my life and the way I’m living than my budget. Call me crazy, but I love knowing where my money is going and I get a thrill from socking away money like a squirrel.

I was taught from a young age to save. When my brother and I got money as birthday gifts, at least part of it went into our savings accounts. Our meticulous savings bought us things here and there, but for the most part once money went in, it stayed there.

I started working the summer I turned sixteen and I hoarded money like nobody’s business. I worked as a lifeguard making very little money for the amount of hours I worked and the effort I put in (especially given the fact that I was trusted with so many lives). The thought of movie tickets or lunch out only reminded me that it took me a couple hours of work to make that money back. While my coworkers bought iPhones and went on trips, I spent half of my first and last paychecks and saved the rest.

This habit has stuck with me. I am slow to spend money and quick to save. I made myself budgets before I realized that was what I was doing. I have never once regretted saving my money. It has bought me so much more by staying in my savings account.

Freedom.

Nearly half of Americans cannot come up with $400 in an emergency. I couldn’t believe it. American’s used to save as aggressively as I do. What happened?

Why You Should Have a Budget

Have you ever heard of a F**k Off Fund? You need one. To make one, you have to save.

Do you know where your money is going? I can bet there is at least one or two expenses in your life you could cut and put that money in your savings or toward paying off your debt. A quick look at last month’s statements or a money tracking app can open your eyes and help you cut back (and cry about spending $400 at Whole Foods each month).

Peace of mind! You won’t have to worry about paying the bills or having enough money for that extra thing. Once you get in the habit of only spending your allotted amount you don’t have to think about it anymore. Money and saving it becomes so much less stressful.

A budget allows you to set aside money for the future. Whether it’s for Coachella tickets that you buy with birthday money six months from now or big financial goals like buying a house, a savings account buys you so much more than money in your wallet.

You Won’t Regret It. Ever.

Not once have I thought “why do I bother tracking my spending or saving so much?” I have gone through periods where I was saving nearly 80 percent of the money I was making (to be fair, I was living at home and working towards buying my car).

Yes, you will have to say “no” to some things. Concerts, drinks or dinner out, trips. But that doesn’t mean it’s always “no” or that you can’t have fun. And trust me, everyone will understand and respect you for it. Not once have my friends been upset when I said I couldn’t do something because it just wasn’t in my budget.

For the most part, I have been able to do all of those things because of my budget. I have savings and extra money each month to spend however I want. Some months I put my spending money in savings knowing that I have a trip coming up or a night out with friends that I’d rather spend it on.

Start a Budget

Save your money, please, I’m begging you. So is your savings account and the voice in your mind that can’t stop stressing about money.

Ready to start saving? Start here:

Try a short-term (or hell, year-long!) shopping ban.

Instead of buying something immediately, put it on the list and wait for two weeks or 30 days.

Make a plan to become debt free.

Start your budget! Even if you only do a week at a time. Apps or this guide can help you get started.

Figure out your steps to financial freedom.

Shop online? Block your favorite site for a week or two just to see how you feel. Turn off one-click shopping to reduce impulse or lazy buys (hello toilet paper on Amazon).