Everything I invited into my life in February
February was such a wonderful month. Despite it being the coldest month here in Denmark, I usually love February because days are noticeably longer, the first signs of spring begin to manifest, my birthday is in February, and Valentine's Day too (which I like and celebrate!). February was the first full month of me feeling rather well after suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum. I could go for long walks again, look after my home, eat better, and be better at my sustainability practices. I felt more energetic, inspired, creative. I began to feel my yet unborn baby's movements, which is such a magical experience.
Some time ago, I promised to document what I invite into my life every month. I'm doing it in a somewhat playful way. Perhaps this kind of sharing doesn't have any educational value and can't serve as inspiration, because what I personally need might be very different to what another person might need. Having said that, I do believe that stories are powerful. I wanted to go beyond saying what my practice entails generally, what principles underpin it, and to show how it unfolds in reality in a less fragmented way.
I've been doing "low buy" for the past 15 years or so without ever calling it "low buy". Perhaps it is indeed "low" in comparison to what is normal here in Denmark, but my goal is not to live with as few items as possible. Rather, it is to live with what is enough for me.
My rule for inviting new (i.e., new to me) items into my life is to be authentic and to get only what I truly, genuinely need or want. Not what someone else considers essential/must-have/beautiful. Not what some company wants to sell to me this season. Not what would make me, according to someone, look younger/prettier/slimmer and so on.
I will not be focusing on our usual outgoings which include rent, bills, food, public transport, and medicine. I will only say something about such things if there is something unusual.
Last month, I included some personal care items into my list. But then I decided not to document personal care and cleaning items every month because there is no change. Recently, I took a picture of everything we have in our bathroom (here). We simply repurchase these or very similar products when they run out, though certainly not every month. Some of these items we have had for a very long time (e.g., scissors, clippers, comb), so we don't repurchase them. We repurchase the face wash and the cream very rarely because my partner is the only person who uses them, and he only uses these products when he shaves. We also repurchase baking soda and soap very rarely, because we have our own refill system at home. Something that we buy regularly are toothbrushes, though one of them only needs new heads. We buy toothpaste primarily when it's on sale, several tubes (or jars) at a time. The one we are currently using is made from natural ingredients in Sweden.
In February, the following items came into my life.
Some essential baby items were given to me by my stepmother-in-law. None of them are new, some of them have been in the family since the 60s! I've written more about these items here. Apart from these items, I still haven't bought anything for the baby or anything pregnancy-specific. I'm just over 22 weeks pregnant.
My partner and I went to a local café in February. Our new year's resolution is to avoid going out, but we are not extremely strict when it comes to implementing it. My birthday is in February, and it felt right and good to get coffee and a pastry from a café. I don't regret it at all.
I received a linen shirt from my partner as a birthday gift. Some months ago, I said goodbye to an almost identical shirt and have lived with only one shirt ever since. The shirt I said goodbye to wore out after some years of constant wear. He got the same one for me, though with shorter sleeves and one size bigger. Usually I donate clothing items that I receive as gifts (which doesn't even happen anymore these days after I had conversations about it with my fellow humans). But I decided to keep this shirt. It will be useful in the final 4 months of my pregnancy, and I certainly intend to wear it afterwards too.
I bought two basic and identical white underwear tops in my usual size. They are made in Europe from organic cotton. I don't wear such tops as underwear only. In summer I wear them as normal tops, and in winter under shirts. I thought that in pregnancy I will be wearing my partner's t-shirts more often. They are loose and comfortable. But I've noticed that, while I prefer to wear them at home, I chose to wear my own tops due to their closer fit. My body changed during pregnancy, and these tops provide more support.
As always, I don't have a wish list.
Here is everything I invited into my life in January.