My Transition to Minimalism
Here’s a picture with mostly the same things I’ll be eating this year from Thanksgiving 2020. Somehow I didn’t take a single of any food on Thanksgiving last year?! Yikes! This year I’ll be having that same TJ’s roast, a hopefully less salty recipe of homemade stuffing (it was rough that year), and a vegan version of this same easy mashed potatoes recipe.
It all started with Mario Kondo in her book The Life Changing Art of Tidying Up and the subsequent Netflix show. I borrowed a copy of the book from my mom and was intrigued. Then I found The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker and then went on to read Clutterfree with Kids and The More of Less, two of his other books. These were much more practical books, especially with children and the overall mindset shift required to make this a real lifestyle change.
Here’s the thing, I have always been a saver and am I also a very sentimental person which is a dangerous combination. I had Dove chocolate foil wrappers from a bag my husband (then boyfriend) gave to me in college, papers from elementary school (random worksheets), old jewelry making supplies I’ll never use again, and so many other random things. The mental load of tackling these sentimental objects/bins/piles was too much before reading these books. I felt as though if I only got rid of one or two things then it wouldn’t even make a difference, so what was the point? Now I know that decluttering momentum is such an important part of the journey and starting with the easier spaces where there’s less likely to be sentimental objects helps a ton. Starting in your makeup drawer/bin/cabinet, kitchen, or garage tools are usually safe spots, but that has just been my experience.
Most recently I’ve read Messy Minimalism by Rachelle Crawford and Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White. Messy Minimalism was a fun and easy, super practical read that was inspiring and also peace-giving because it’s so chill in the model Rachelle lays out. No picture perfect houses, just what works for you and your family and allows picking up to be an easy and automatic task. Decluttering at the speed of light was another funny book, that helps keep the motivation high. I have found it is helpful for me to find a new book every couple of months to read to keep up the motivation and honestly to just remember that decluttering and minimizing what I have in my home is important to me.
I started in the kitchen which felt so daunting but that’s where Joshua Becker recommended. I grew up with examples of every kitchen gadget or cool thing being necessary and maybe the one thing that made the kitchen work. Also having duplicates or more of one item was absolutely necessary, I had 2 cheese graters, probably 8 spatulas, way too many cutting boards and the list goes on. I have sold/gifted so many kitchen items and though I have a lot more to go(hello keeping every glass jar) my kitchen feels way better than it used to and I truly notice the difference when I’m cooking. It’s much easier for me to flow in a easy-to-tidy kitchen and somewhere where everything has a home.
Then I moved on to my clothes and my pre-kid clothes and decluttered bags and bags of clothes that I no longer liked or didn’t fit right now. In the years since, I have continued to declutter my current wardrobe and a few pieces from pre-kids that I am keeping. Realizing I just needed to keep what I loved right now and feeling every inch of space as I cleared out more and more clothes was a fantastic feeling. Also this cuts down on the decision fatigue I so often felt with clothes. Buying clothes that last and replacing ones you have with high quality and timeless clothes also helps a minimalist wardrobe. Buying items that will go with basically anything in your closet is the way to go. Honestly I should probably get rid of them but I’m not there yet. Perfection is not the goal here, this is real life and what works for you in this stage of your life is all that matters.
The more I stick to constantly decluttering (it’s not a one time thing), a habit of cleaning (ex:keeping the dishes done and the floors swept), and the knowledge that every one little thing I do truly does make a difference, the more peaceful and on top of my home I feel. I still will pull random things out of a makeup drawer, closet, or kitchen cupboard and think, wow, why do I still have this?! But then I immediately get that item out of my house or into a “quarantine” box in my garage until I donate/give/sell it.
Have you ever tried decluttering? Feel free to comment with any questions, share things that have worked for you in your journey, or places you’ve gotten stuck on your journey.
