I’m Kait. I live in Philadelphia with my husband Shaun, my newborn son Weston, and our mini goldendoodle, Avett. I grew up in Woodstock, NY and went to undergrad in Boston where I lived for another 4 years after graduation. Although I loved Boston, after 8 years I was itching for something new. I grew up one of those people that always said, “I would never want to live in nyc,” but something in me shifted one day and I knew that was my next home. One of my best friends had moved there a year prior and was loving life. That was all I needed to pack up and go. I was newly single at the time and filled with a new energy. I literally decided I would move there and was settled into my new NYC apartment with my roommate that I found on Craigslist within less than 2 weeks.
My roommate was an awesome girl from Portland who was just perfectly weird enough for us to quickly become best friends. I had an incredible roommate my freshman year of college too and I never take for granted how lucky I was in both instances. Having someone that accepts you for who you are when you are in a completely new situation really helps you embrace your new surroundings. Ladies, if you are reading this, thank you for being two of the most confident, awesome, crazy people I have every met, to this day. I only spent a year in NYC, but it was long enough to fall in love. I would have easily stayed a few more years had I not fallen in love again. 11 months into my time in NY, I met my husband, Shaun. Shaun lived in Philadelphia and when it came to choosing between my two loves- there was really no question.
I have now lived in Philly for the last 6 years. I can clearly attribute major aspects of who I am today to each of those towns and cities. Woodstock is where I developed a deep and lasting appreciation for nature. I played in the woods nearly every day. Boston, my college years, I met my soulmates in my three best friends. When we weren’t going out, prepping to go out or recovering from going out, we talked and questioned everything, challenged the status quo, pondered life and death while listening to the Beatles, expanded our minds. You know, college. NYC taught me that you can be 100% yourself, because that it exactly what that city is filled with- people who are authentically themselves. I believe that is what makes the ‘energy’ everyone talks about when they talk about NYC. Philly brought me to Shaun and together we developed this ever-growing sense of responsibility to the earth.
It started small, but continued to grow. There wasn’t any one thing that sparked it. Something about our past experiences combining led us to this place. Over the past 5 years we have slowly transformed our life from one of excess and waste to minimalism and sustainability. While definitely challenging at times, and still a work in progress, I can say with total certainty that my lifestyle overhaul has changed our lives for the better.
Some of the biggest changes we’ve made include seriously reducing our use of plastic (with a goal of completely eliminating it this year), eating organic and making meat a very small portion of our diet. We only purchase secondhand and use all natural and organic products without chemicals. We make our dog food from scratch and we compost. We have reduced our trash to one bag every two months with the goal of getting down to one a year.
I quickly found that ridding our lives of excess, cleared space for more of what matters; reducing the material stuff made room for the real stuff. And I quickly learned that the real stuff keeps you happier a lot longer than anything else. I recognize that our lifestyle is not easy and it is definitely not conventionally “convenient,” but I think that it is important for all of us to be more aware that every action we take and decision we make impacts others, impacts the earth. I think that it is equally important for us to not judge others for the way they live, but to lead by example and share our experiences. That is what I hope to do with LittleFootLiving.
Little Foot Living 