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Our Minimalism Journey So Far

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In a world filled with constant distractions and overwhelming consumerism, it’s no wonder that many people are turning to minimalism as a way to find peace and purpose. Minimalism is not just about owning fewer possessions; it’s a mindset, a deliberate choice to simplify your life and focus on what truly matters. By decluttering physical and mental spaces, minimalism offers a path to greater happiness and fulfillment.

Minimalism is different for everyone. There is no one box fits all. For me, it’s about creating space in our lives for the things that really matter. When I think of minimalism I focus on the following…

  • Creating a stress-free living space
  • Reducing our waste & personal footprint 
  • Freeing ourselves from the shackles of stuff 
  • Having more time for experiences

There have been numerous studies into the connection between too many possession and stress. Today the average person consumes twice as much as they did 50 years ago and 99% of what we buy is thrown away within 6 months! In relation to that our happiness levels have also decreased over those 50 years. Personally, I don’t believe that is a coincidence.

Watch: The Story of Stuff

The way I see it the more you have the more you have to lose! At its core, minimalism is about intentionality. It involves examining your priorities and consciously deciding what is essential in your life. Minimalists strive to remove excess baggage that weighs them down, both literally and metaphorically. By eliminating unnecessary possessions, commitments, and mental clutter, minimalism creates room for what truly brings joy and purpose.

Minimal home

Where did it all go wrong for us?

The point for us when our possessions got out of control was when we moved into a big 4 bedroom detached house in the country. That is when we started to accumulate stuff at a rate of knots. We had all this new space to fill and fill it we did. We bought extra sofas for the playroom. A new double bed and furniture for the spare room. The list went on.

Over 2 years we managed to fill the house. Don’t get me wrong I loved that house. We made some fantastic memories. It was old and beautiful but it was costing us a fortune. In the end, we decided to downsize.

Related Posts: Downsizing! Taking Budgeting to the Extreme

home

We downsized to a brand new 3-bed detached house on the outskirts of town. We managed to get rid of a lot of our stuff before the move but in my opinion, we still had too much. One of the major upsides of that move is that we managed to cut our household bills by over a half.

Related Post: How We Cut Our Household Bills By Over Half 

Since we moved into our new home over 3 years I have been on a mammoth decluttering mission. Every week at least one bag has gone out of the house to either be donated to charity or sold. I kept up this style of decluttering for over 2 years and although I was making progress it was very slow! In desperation, I started to binge read anything I could on home organisation and minimalism. That was until I came across one book that changed it all for me.

Related Post: How I Finally Got My Home in Order Once and For All

It was at that point that I realised I had gone about it all wrong. The idea wasn’t to organise our stuff it was to get rid of the stuff so we didn’t have anything to organise. So that’s what I did. Using the methods in the book I got rid of our stuff in batches. When I say batches I mean carloads full every day. I’d focus on one category until I was completely satisfied with it and then moved onto the next. I’m not finished, it’s certainly an ongoing project but I’m starting to feel like I’m getting to the point of ‘our enough’.

Everyone’s ‘enough’ is different. Your minimalism probably doesn’t look like my minimalism but that’s okay. It’s about finding your happy balance between stuff and space.

Our minimalism Journey so far
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The Benefits of Minimalism in the Home 

Minimalism has had a huge impact on our lives. We now think twice before every purchase. Do we really need this? Will it bring value to our lives? Does this offer us an experience?  If the answer to those questions is no then we don’t get it.

One major impact minimalism has had for us it that it now takes a quarter of the time that it used to clean our home. When everything has a place it’s easy to return those items to their designated area. It’s also easier to clean surfaces as we have fewer items on them.

Embracing minimalism can have numerous positive effects on your life. By simplifying your surroundings and mindset, you gain more time, energy, and resources to invest in meaningful experiences and relationships. Minimalism promotes conscious consumption, reducing waste and environmental impact. It fosters a sense of gratitude, as you learn to appreciate the things that truly matter rather than chasing endless desires. Ultimately, minimalism can lead to a greater sense of contentment, purpose, and overall well-being.

We have become a household that lives for experiences. Rather than wasting our money on things we don’t really need we now spend our cash on doing things like days out, eating in restaurants, meeting friends, sailing, paddle boarding, hiking etc.

One unexpected benefit I’ve found with minimalism is that I  have so much more free time. This is due to spending less time cleaning and organising our home. At the moment I’m struggling a bit with this new found ‘free time’. I should be using it to read, meet up with friends, walking the dog but instead I have just started working more.

I know that isn’t sustainable so I’m going to have to work on that but as I said minimalism for us is a journey, not a destination.

Think minimalism could work for you but not sure where to start? Download my free 5 steps towards minimalism checklist

 

5 Steps towards Minimalism

About Gina Caro

Gina is a content creator and award-winning blogger. Her aim is to help you live a more sustainable & simple life.  Her blog covers zero waste, minimalism, wellbeing & thrift. She currently lives in Cornwall with her partner, two kids and Charles the dog. 

Georgina Caro Gypsy Soul

2 thoughts on “Our Minimalism Journey So Far”

  1. I’ve just started to sort and de litter years worth of stuff. I find it hard as I get sentimental about everything including toys and clothes!

    1. Hi, Lisa, I’m still yet to do the sentimental stuff. I have boxes of it in the garage. A good tip is to take photos of the things you’d like to remember and create a memories album. Apparently, a photo of the item can produce the same memory reactions as the actual thing itself.
      It’s just a case of finding the time to go through it all.

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