Living Minimally

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When I first moved into my home with my husband, nothing had a place...my clothes were in bags my school stuff was everywhere and it just felt like chaos. One morning while getting ready for work I had a meltdown, I had plenty to wear I just couldn't find anything. It wasn't one of those "I have nothing to wear" when I'm staring at a closet full of clothes, I literally could not find my clothes because everything was all over the place. This was the beginning of my "revelation". I decided I was going to get a dresser for our bedroom ASAP to have a place for our clothes, developing an organization system in each room, and getting rid of "junk" that we didn't need or didn't use. Moving into a new place really brings to life the amount of "stuff" that accumulates over the years. I was tired of the clutter and confusion that filled my home and in turn my mind.

I had heard of "minimalism" before and liked the idea of it but I always thought it was so extreme and that I could never live that way. I started watching more videos and reading some articles about de-cluttering, getting rid of "stuff", and minimalism. I was instantly inspired by everything I was seeing and hearing. I was amazed at the simplicity of the lifestyle and realized even more how much excess we had. Now, some of these people get really extreme...like, they can put all their belongings in one suitcase extreme. That's not what I envisioned for our life but I definitely wanted to move more in that direction than the direction we were heading in, which was more like hoarding!

We have started with our clothes. This was not something we did in one day or one weekend. Rather, de-cluttering our wardrobe has been an ongoing process. To date, we have gotten rid of 5 big trash bags full of clothes and shoes! It's embarrassing on one hand that we had this much while others have so little. On the other hand I feel really proud that we did it and were able to willingly get rid of that amount!

For Aaron, this has been much more difficult. He's just not there yet, where I want to get rid of everything! I still have some more spaces I want to tackle but it will definitely be something that goes on for months and maybe even years! I've heard some people say that de-cluttering and minimizing is something that just kind of takes over your life and once you start you don't really stop, I can understand that now!


Here are some reasons I want to live a more minimal, simple lifestyle:

1. Declutter

2. Reduce waste and excess

3. More clarity and focus

4. Save money 

5. Focusing on what we have/need vs. want

I certainly feel a lot better about myself and my home just after sorting through our clothes! I feel like I can think better and enjoy my home so much better. I have a better idea now of what I have and I know where things are. I can't wait to de-clutter and minimize some more!






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