Erin Boyle, the writer as well as professional photographer behind Reading My Tea Leaves, a blog devoted to assisting others live just as well as purposefully, knows a thing or two about living in close quarters. After all, her 500-square-foot apartment in Brooklyn Heights is house to her other half as well as one-year-old daughter, Faye, too. Erin’s new book Simple Matters is just as practical as the smart tips she serves up on her blog, with chapters on topics like Decluttering, Decorating, as well as even getting Dressed. If you’ve ever wondered exactly how to wrangle life’s so-called essentials, checked out on for Erin’s space-spacing tips.
A little picture box homes a collection of original photographs, Erin’s wedding event invitation as well as some special letters. Erin suggests likewise keeping a little data box for essential documents as well as tossing out and/or digitizing other paperwork you no longer need.
Keep pile:
Birth certificate
Marriage license
Passport
Social security card
Digitize or toss pile:
Bank statements
Old bills
Medical records
Receipts
Tax returns
Expired warranties
Instruction manuals for things you no longer own (or for things you already understand exactly how to use)
Pay stubs (from over a year ago)
“There is a almost limitless listing of things that people will tell you that you requirement when you have a baby,” states Erin. When her child Faye was born, Erin opted for a lambskin-lined Moses blanket rather than a big bassinet as well as selected to convert a dresser her parents bought in the ’80s into a altering table. right here are some other daily products you can utilize for baby:
Use a throw pillow instead of one designed to assist with breastfeeding
Wear your kid in a provider or sling inside the home instead of buying a big infant bouncer
Practice stomach time on a soft blanket instead of a mat particularly designed for the purpose
If you’re renting, custom sized-to-fit storage solutions aren’t worth the investment. “So instead of looking for a storage ‘solution’, I’ve opted for reducing my storage needs altogether,” she says. right here a cot acts as a bench, however can quickly be collapsed if requirement be, as well as tall legs leave space for simple wooden crates tucked underneath.
Rather than committing to costly frames, Erin hangs what’s inspiring her with low-cost metal clips. She believes embellishing slowly enables for serendipity. “When you leaf with a catalog as well as cherry-pick the whole of an apartment’s furnishings in one sitting, a few of the magic gets lost. more importantly, a few of you gets lost,” she says.
One simple method to cut down on the visual clutter in your bathroom is to decant. suddenly the clutter of labels is gone as well as things feel purposeful, not to mention pretty. “The small pink glass was discovered in my parents’ backyard as well as the jam jar where I keep cotton rounds is a flea market find,” she says.
A three-drawer dresser as well as little shared wardrobe hold Erin’s pared-down wardrobe. right here are her tips for curating your closet:
Create ‘Stay’, ‘Go’ as well as ‘Ponder’ piles
Decide on a color combination for your clothes and stay with it. This results in easier mixing as well as matching
Take care of your clothes as well as gravitate towards well-made pieces
Factor in fabrics. Cotton as well as linen are gentler on the earth as well as comfortable so you’ll reach for those pieces time as well as time again.
Avoid fads as well as accept hand-me-downs
Picking up fresh herbs like parsley as you requirement them means you don’t have to store countless containers of dried varieties. If you do want to store a few dried spices, instead of buying larger containers that take take months or even years to get through, purchase a little amount from a bulk food store as well as store them in 4-ounce mason jars.
Savory tarts are Erin’s go-to for weekend gatherings. “The process is simple, the result is filling as well as warming, as well as there are almost endless variations, all similarly delicious,” states Erin. If you’re truly tight on storage, serving wine in juice glasses has a bistro feel as well as means you won’t have to store extra wine glasses. as well as if you understand a good friend who has the perfect large bowl, just ask to borrow it on event when you’re entertaining for a larger crowd, instead of having to store your own.
Limiting all your cleaning supplies to what fits in one little cable basket assists cut back on unnecessary products. Erin puts her meal soap in an old whiskey bottle topped with a pour spout, which looks nice by the kitchen area sink as well as is handier than reaching beneath to grab an unsightly bottle.