This is what a Minimalist Saturday looks like for a blogger living in Tarlac City, trying to be a minimalist. One Saturday, I challenged myself to be as minimalist as possible for the day. I brought less stuff, and I was intentional throughout the day.
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How I started my minimalism journey?
I first started my minimalism about 5 years ago. It was a trend. I know it is a lifestyle, but in all honesty, I discovered it because it became a trend. And I’m one of those who got influenced.
For years, I was so strict on how I want to do it. But I realized that being a minimalist doesn’t have a rule. It doesn’t have a color. As a minimalist in the Philippines, I am more intentional than
And as someone who grew up in a household that is prone to hoarding, minimalism was freeing but hard. Maybe because growing up I saw people around me save things for the ‘rainy days’. Yes, things. We didn’t have spare money to save for the rainy days, so we saved things that we could use for a ‘just in case’ situation.
That shirt from a relative from abroad that is three sizes too big? Keep it. We’ll grow bigger, and it will fit. Some fur boots from a relative abroad that almost look like winter boots? Definitely keeping it. We might have events where we can wear them, even though the Philippines is hot and humid year-round.
I remember being excited when relatives sent balikbayan box padala, and when neighbours gave out old items they no longer used, like academic books, novels, clothes, and dictionaries. We gathered around our living room and checked the items as if it was Christmas Day.
The books and shoes are the ones I get most excited about. I started reading at an early age, and as someone who grew up in an era where Google and the internet weren’t easily available, books are the holy grail for studying and doing homework.
When they say hoarding could be an outcome of being in the lower middle class, I kinda agree. I heard my parents and grandmother say plenty of times how we should save items that we can use in the future because we didn’t have the budget to buy new ones. Not being able to buy stuff when you need it can really make you be a hoarder.
I still remember my Lola washing and trying to save McFlurry cups and trying to keep them because they were sturdy and just needed washing. And even the spoon, she said it was a teaspoon alternative.
I admit, I was a bit of a hoarder, but not the kind of hoarder my Lola was. I was more of a ‘just in case’ hoarder for everyday events. I need to be prepared, so whenever I go out, I carry too much stuff.
And up until now, I carry the mindset and my bag and shoulder suffers from carrying lots of items when I go out.
So for the Minimalist Saturday challenge, the goal is to carry as little as possible. No, additional pens, no extra coin purse with heavy coins, and no ‘nice to have’ things.
Minimalist Saturday: What’s in my minimalist bag?
So I used my Secosana sling bag for my Minimalist Saturday in Tarlac City, which is the smallest among my waterproof mesh Secosana bags, but is very spacious. I love and swear by Secosana’s durability; it is very durable and carries heavy things.
1. Sony A6400 Camera
Because I planned to blog and check out Art Luzon 2026, I decided to bring my camera for my Minimalist Saturday. Honestly, one of the reasons why I also wanted to bring less stuff is because I don’t want to damage my camera since I still haven’t gotten it a camera bag or protective gear.
I just bought this camera recently; it was an investment and a reward for pushing through blogging.
2. iPad 8th Gen
I planned to make Minimalist Saturday in Tarlac City an intentional and productive weekend for me. But I don’t want to answer emails, update my blog design, or do other things that feel like work. So instead of bringing my laptop as usual, I brought my iPad.
I said that I will only work on content and mostly write. Good thing I was able to put together a Notion Teamspace, and I was able to work across my devices.
My iPad is actually old and pretty slow, but it still works, so I will use it until I can no longer create with it. In a way, that’s a minimalist mindset: not fixing what’s not broken. People look for ways to make life better whenever they get inconvenienced, but sometimes we only find fault with things when we feel the urge to get something for a quick adrenaline rush. A quick satisfaction of unboxing new gadgets. And I am aware that a new iPad is not yet what I need.
Though I kinda hate the fact that it needs to be charged more frequently these days, if I upgrade, I will make sure that the battery lasts more than a day, but that is still a faraway future.
3. Wet wipes
I don’t think I need to stress or elaborate on this, but this is something I carry with me every time I go out, so for the Minimalist Saturday, this is a necessity. Before I go out without it, hoping there are tissues in the places I will go, but this is something I don’t want to take chances with. Let’s face it, not all establishments have great comfort rooms.
So wet wipes would be a necessity. But a compromise I made was to only carry the almost empty one.
4. Sony WI-C100 earphones
Since my earphones are just light and take up little space, I decided to bring them. I usually use them during the commute or if I want to focus while in a cafe and it’s loud.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to use it throughout the Minimalist Saturday.
5. Outdoor Tumbler
I do have two tumblers, one is a Tyeso that is less than 1L that I use when I am out and a bigger one that is around 1.5L that I use at home. So for the Minimalist Saturday in Tarlac City, I brought the brown Tyeso tumbler.
It might seem like having two tumblers is unminimalistic, but hear me out first.
Carrying a tumbler that has a capacity of 1 litre or more is not sustainable for me. It is heavy, and I will just end up buying bottled water outside instead.
And the opening of my tumblers is intentional; I chose the wide-mouth opening because it is easier to clean and easier to fit ice. If cube ice runs out, I can just use regular bulky ice and dump it inside my tumbler without cracking it. And honestly, that is very intentional for me.
I use the bigger tumbler at home, so I’ll drink plenty of water. And I bring the smaller one outside for a more portable source of water.
6. Portable Mini Fan
This is a lifesaver when going out and when I need to commute. I got this portable fan from last year’s Monito Monita and it has been one of the most useful gifts I’ve ever received.
Pour Over Cafe: Minimalist Saturday
I think there is no better way to start Minimalist Saturday in Tarlac City than to visit Pour Over Cafe. It is a minimalist cafe in Tarlac City, located at the heart of Tarlac City. The location is perfect, a few meters from San Sebastian Cathedral, and it opens really early in the morning. As a morning person, this is a good thing.
They also serve all-day breakfast and Horchata. I don’t drink coffee, so the usual drinks I get are matcha/green tea, and if a cafe has Horchata, I get impressed because Horchata use rice milk that is usually not store-bought.
Art Luzon: Minimalist Saturday
Art Luzon is an annual event where artists from all over Luzon get together to celebrate and create art. And since I am already doing my Minimalist Saturday in Tarlac City, I also planned to visit Art Luzon.
I am not an artist. But I appreciate art very much. The intricacy, the message, and the story behind each piece of artwork are what pull me to it.
The finalists for the Tarlac Arts Competition were displayed, and you can see their skills and how they convey their messages through their artworks.
There is a live art performance by Manuel Mesina III from thumbnailgalleryph, which is very interesting. The audience was encouraged to be part of making the art, and for someone who can’t make art to save their life, it was very inclusive.
Thrifting in Tarlac City: Minimalist Saturday
As a minimalist in Tarlac City, it is easy to be intentional and reject fast fashion if you are open to the idea of thrift shopping.
For my Minimalist Saturday in Tarlac City challenge, I went to Citywalk for my first thrifting itinerary. There are three Ukay-ukay stores in Citywalk Tarlac, a perfect location.
Citywalk is at the heart of Tarlac City and is surrounded by Tarlac West Central Elementary School, Tarlac National High School, and Tarlac State University. It is near government offices, and back when I was working in government, I sometimes spent my lunch break or killed time to avoid rush-hour traffic after work looking through some clothes.
There are a lot of thrift stores or Ukay-ukay in Tarlac City! I created a detailed guide where you can find the best Ukay-ukay in Tarlac City if you want to visit and hunt for vintage clothes.
Meeting a blog reader: Minimalist Saturday
One of the highlights of my Minimalist Saturday in Tarlac City is meeting a blog reader. She doesn’t know me and she’s not familiar with how I look because I don’t use many photos on my blog. She knew my blog from my Dear Vita series.
Shane works in the cafe and I asked if it’s okay to take some images and videos. She said yes and asked if I was a vlogger. I said no, and the content is for my website. I said video vlogging is too much work, and I cannot commit to that kind of content creation, especially with the demands of my work.
She said she knows a website and mumbled some words close to She Said Go For It, but not quite correct.
‘She Said Go For It?’ I said. And she beamed and said yes that’s the blog.
I was shocked. My blog was under maintenance and down for almost two months, and even before that, I was on a writing hiatus. So how on earth is that possible? Apparently, she read it a year ago.
Who would have thought that a post from a blog series I wrote years ago would connect me with other people? Actually, I almost didn’t want to republish the posts again.
