Why have I decided to do this? My partner and I have a young family. We both work full time (though I am on maternity leave for another 2 months) and I also study externally/online. I was finding that I am spending more and more time doing housework, trying to find things I have misplaced, trying to find homes for things that have no home, shopping and just generally doing things that I don't want to be doing.
It was time for a change.
After doing some research online I came across websites such as Becoming Minimalist and Zen Habits. Both of these websites are filled with years upon years of blog posts and articles about becoming a minimalist, or living with only the things that you need or love. If you get the chance, I highly recommend both websites, and there are many more out there!
As much as I have wanted to jump in with guns blazing, I have calmed myself down and am moving slowly. My partner G and I have done an initial sweep through the house, identifying all items that we can see easily that we can remove from the house. I have listed all of these items on eBay and Gumtree and slowly I am seeing bits and pieces disappear. Once the majority of these items have made their way out of the house I will start going room by room, donating and selling what I can, and throwing out the rest. I am fully aware that this is going to be ongoing process, and kind of like peeling back layers. I also need to get my consumer addiction under control.
So what are the benefits of simplifying our home and life?
Time
Think about how much time you spend cleaning your house. Lifting up all of the furniture to vacuum or mop underneath, moving small items to dust, picking up toys and putting them away, etc etc. Imagine how much less time you would spend doing that if there wasn't as much stuff in the way. What about time spent looking for something you have lost. That other shoe, the phone bill, your keys. Or time spend organising your items, when really you just need to cull your items. This time could be spent with your family, or doing things that you actually want to do.
Money
It's a sad thing to admit that you have purchased the majority of your things on credit. Store cards, credit cards, car loans, they are all used to purchase things. And if you continue to use them to purchase things, you will fall deeper into debt. I have managed to stop shopping anywhere near as much as I used to (more so through necessity than choice), and I have things clear in my mind that I want to do with the money saved. I am trying to sell what I can from our house and using the money to pay off credit card debt, and I have realised that if we didn't have the credit card debt or 2 car loans, I could afford to quit work, or at least go part time, and focus on my photography. I could afford our wedding sooner than expected. I could donate a lot more of my time to great causes. Saving money is a great pull factor.
Stress
Stuff causes stress. a cluttered room makes me so much more tense than a clean, tidy room. And a cluttered schedule? Makes things even worse.
These are the three biggest benefits in my eyes. There are SO many more, that I am sure I will discover and get into at a later time.
I don't have a Facebook page for this blog, I don't have newsletters or Twitter, or anything else. Please let me know if you would like to follow along on my journey, and how, and I will look into it!
Signing up for Flog yo blog Friday over at With Some Grace.
This sounds FASCINATING and I'll be following for sure! I am a Facebook feed lazy person, so if it pops up there I am likely to read it! Other than that, Instagram is my favourite and I can imagine an images you have of your project will be awesome too!!
ReplyDeleteI agree on the credit cards! We got rid of ours when our first was a babe and paid it off and now, if we don't have the cash, we don't buy it! It can be annoying when there's that thing that you REAAAALLLLLY want, but that's what saving up is for and it makes it all the more sweeter when its finally in your hands!!
Hi! Thanks for popping by and having a read. I have just created a Facebook page and will pop over and say hello. I think from memory you may already be following me on Instagram. My username is chrissieh_. I haven't uploaded any of my progress yet, but plan to as soon as I start making some noticeable progress!
DeleteHi there! Thanks for linking up to FYBF! Look forward to following your blog as anything to make life simpler gets my attention! Good luck x
ReplyDeleteThanks for popping past Grace! I look forward to linking up more often! Thanks,
DeleteChrissie