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I just said goodbye to my iPhone 5. Early this year, I decided to finally go touch screen (late bloomer, I know) and after thinking long and hard about which phone to get, I went for an iPhone 5. It was love at first swipe. (Love at first sight, actually, since there’s no denying how beautiful-looking the iPhone 5 is.) I don’t even know where to begin! The longer and larger screen, its sexy and just-right size, the awesome photos the camera takes – everything about it, basically. Don’t even get me started on all the apps you can get from the App Store! But then I got a Samsung S4. That was when things got complicated. Before I knew it, I was already addicted to both phones that no matter how much I wanted to be a minimalist and simplify my life, the selfish and materialistic part of me kept on justifying why I should keep both phones. And then my office phone, an iPhone 5, arrived. I decided to switch phones with my assistant, who got a Samsung S4, because ...

Nope, Real Simple magazine is not folding. This is just me saying bye to my collection. It’s not an outstanding one. I don’t have their first issue, or anything like that; in fact, the oldest copy I have is just from 2001. As you can see, I don’t have shelves and shelves of copies — I have just a little over 40. And it’s not as if I’ve shelled out hundreds of thousands for it. I totalled how much I’ve spent for my Real Simple collection, and it’s just P3,110. But I really, really love Real Simple. The photography and styling are beautiful, the stories helpful, the features touching. I don’t even know how many times the magazine has helped me when it comes to the house or my finances. Or how many times I felt inspired to be a better person and live life to the fullest. Real Simple is a bible to me so it’s very hard for me to let go of the copies I have. I’ve let go of other magazines, but not my copies of Real Simple. Until now. Minimalism wins, finally! I guess it helps ho...

I look up to Francine Jay of Miss Minimalist a lot. Her website is one of my favorites (although I haven't really read all of her posts yet). While I love each and every entry she posts (I am a fan of her clear yet still engaging writing style), I find myself drawn to the Real Life Minimalists series the most, even if these stories are written by the readers themselves and not by Francine. Almost always, the readers have very interesting stories to share about how much of a maximalist they used to be, what made them convert to minimalism, and how much minimalism has changed their life for the better. One day, I hope Francine will feature my own story. When I finally get to write and send it, that is. Miss Minimalist has another series called One Less Thing, where she talks about things she CAN live without. Some of them are material things (like the TV set or perfume), while some of them are intangible (like fashion trends or drama). I just checked all the posts under...