Resolutions are beyond me!

I hate resolutions! For me, it's just overly ambitious goals that make us fall into the performance trap… In the past few years, I have therefore abandoned the concept of resolutions and I choose instead to adopt a new way of life. What is the difference? A way of life is built over the long term, in pleasure, compared to the resolutions that we end up forgetting by the end of January.

Pleasure is the most important factor in my eyes to achieve the goals we have set ourselves. The notion of play makes everything more dynamic and motivating. Here are three challenges we can do that will motivate us to adopt a new way of life.

1. Empty-Fridge Challenge

With the skyrocketing cost of living, and ever-worsening climate change, the Empty-Fridge Challenge will help you assess your consumption, organize your kitchen and invent recipes based on the ingredients you have. on hand. The idea is to create a zero waste recipe per day, for a whole month, to liquidate the surplus food accumulated over the past few months. The goal is to cook them as a priority, before going to the grocery store. Because yes, you will go to the grocery store, but to buy only the essentials, that is to say, very little! (Perhaps a few fresh foods like lettuce, eggs or bananas… but no more!) For the rest, open the fridge, the pantry and the freezer to find everything you need.

So no question of depriving yourself here. Just the desire to be creative and save money! My little trick to avoid putting too much pressure on you? Cooking your favorite recipes, but trying to replace some ingredients with those you've been watching for too long. I bet you will be pleasantly surprised by the results obtained with a minimum of ingredients!

2. Nothing New Challenge

It's the idea of ​​only buying what you really need, and ideally second-hand. I tried this challenge last year and I cut my consumption by more than half! Imagine the savings I made! It seems simple like that, but when you have a need to consume, you realize that it's so easy to buy new…

This challenge completely transformed me. No kidding! Making the effort to find items on swap sites, in thrift stores, or on second-hand sites like Marketplace often made me realize that I didn't really need them…

Buying everything second-hand remains an illusion… When you have a specific need, it's wrong to believe that you can find everything. And don't be afraid to set your limits (underwear, shoes, glasses, mattress, etc.). The important thing is not to have 100%, but simply to rethink our impulsive (over)consumption.

3. Decluttering Challenge (Minsgame)

Do you know the Minimalists, these two American friends, who became lecturers, who live from their testimonies about their minimalist way of life? They are the ones who popularized the “Minsgame” or the “Minimalism Game”. The goal is to get rid of one item on day one, then two on day two, then three items on day three, and so on. Yep, you'll get rid of 30 items on day 30! Clothing, furniture, electronics, tools, decorations, etc. You can do it alone or in a group. I have often seen people create a FB group to exchange and share good tips. Does the challenge seem ambitious to you? Think again, it is rather very liberating and you will probably want to start again sooner than you imagine!

Here! Here are 3 small challenges that you can take up in 2023. And you don't have to do them all at the same time. Be kind to yourself and remember to have fun.