What does minimal living really mean?
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When asked what minimal living means, most people’s immediate thought would be an empty house with sterile, white surfaces and no belongings. Minimal living doesn’t have to mean that you have no earthly possessions, live off the land and shun any designer label that comes into sight. It means reducing clutter and distraction to give you a calm environment. Decluttering your life allows room, space and time for the things that really matter to you.
I learned this lesson when taking a gap year to backpack around the world. It was my first experience of minimal living and made me realise how little I really need. It took away a lot of my decisions, due to lack of space and money, and life became really simple. Yes I once got stung with having to pay extra for luggage, yes I often found myself looking like a crazy bag lady and yes I often became a walking library because I was hoarding books. But, overall I managed. And you know what…it was liberating!
Whilst having to live intentionally and weigh up what I was spending my time and money on, it became obvious how much I was wasting. I realised that the more stuff you want, the bigger house you need. A bigger house means larger bills and more time spent cleaning. Larger bills requires a better job, which often comes with more hours. More hours spent working and cleaning means less time to do what I want. Can you see how this can become a never-ending downward spiral, if left unchecked. Wanting a bigger house and a better job is fine as long as you’re not having to sacrifice other areas of your life that are of high importance to you. For example, if your job is detracting from spending time with your friends and family, is it worth it? The truth is that real minimalism isn’t about the things that you own, it’s about your mindset. The things are a result of this.
When I came home, I tried in as many ways to hold onto these new values and after moving in with my boyfriend, we decided to have a full house purge! We’re slowly condensing our life as we’re planning on going travelling again and living in a van for a year, so we don’t want it to be a complete shock when we have to downsize our living arrangements!
Once we got started, we realised that there were so many more benefits that the obvious…less stuff to clean and put away - win!!
The many benefits of minimal living:
Declutter your environment
I don’t know about you but I often feel more stressed when there’s more clutter. Do you feel the same? Minimal living is a cathartic process which gives you a sense of relief and feels like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders. Each room in your house has a different ‘feel’ to it. It’s okay to have additions in rooms, such as cushions, candles and throws which add to those vibes as long as they’re kept to a minimum.
Declutter your finances.
In 3 months we have made £750 by selling old items that we had lying around. We have also found a new hobby in buying and selling. You can use sites such as eBay, shock and facebook marketplace to sell your unwanted items. We are being resourceful to achieve our dream.
Increase gratitude.
We are naturally emotional creatures and we tend to attribute sentimental value to physical things. Minimal living allows you to remember that your thoughts, emotions and memories lay within you, which means you carry them with you always. You don’t need a physical item to trigger them. Realising this can bring enormous comfort and gratitude. When you free up your time by living minimally, you also have more time to create these special memories.
Happier
Happiness comes from within. External items will only give us a temporary injection of endorphins but this eventually runs cold. This is why people always look for the next best model or brand and this can be a destructive cycle. It’s easy to wander around the shops and pick up new purchases, just because they're in the sale or maybe even out of boredom. You don’t need to do this. Find a way to find fulfilment internally - it might be joining a sports club or starting a creative hobby.
More time.
Declutter your spare time. Time is our most precious commodity and one which you should value highly. Get real with saying ‘no’. Spend time with the people you want to, don’t feel that you have to go to Karen from work’s leaving do when she ignores your cheery hello every morning. Make time for you and your passions.
Better habits.
Keep a tidy space by washing your pots straight away, putting your clothes away instead of throwing them on the ‘floordrobe’, making your bed every morning, reducing your time with mindless scrolling on social media. The biggest benefit I noticed when travelling was that I didn't spend time on social media or watching the news. My mind wasn’t filled with shock stories full of blame and hatred. Instead I was hearing inspiring stories from fellow travellers and spending my time forming new connections.
Reduce consumerism.
We try in as many ways as possible to reduce consumption and live an eco-friendly and sustainable way. A few things we do are: recycling, upcycling, composting, growing our own plants/herbs, car-sharing, walking where possible, buying second-hand, reducing our plastic usage, buying sustainable and cruelty free products and a largely vegetarian diet. I appreciate that this is a lifestyle choice which won’t suit everyone but, if everyone made one small change, the world would be a much better place.
Helping others.
Buying second hand provides money to charities or people that are selling via auction sites. It creates space in other people’s houses, especially for those who don’t have the means of removing large items such as furniture. Buying local helps small businesses thrive, and someone, somewhere does a happy dance when they make a sale. Be the reason for someone’s happy dance.
Declutter your mind.
We have both found the importance of having a clear mind and reducing overwhelm/negative thoughts. Between us we’ve experienced mental health issues at varying degrees and self-help has become a key part of our lives.
How to go about it:
First of all you need to do some reflection and get clear on your values. What is important to you and what do you stand for? Then figure out which rooms you spend most of your time in and how you want them to feel?
Here are some suggestions of ways in which you can try to start to live minimally. You don’t have to do all of these, especially in one go as it’ll be overwhelming. different things will serve you indifferent ways at different times.
Physical decluttering
Look at your clothes and if you haven’t worn them in 1 year, get rid of them (not including speciality clothing such as ski garments or specific occasional wear).
If you find something that lights you up when you look at it, don’t get rid of it. Either put it back out or store it.
Have a calm space in the house - no TV and no distraction.
If you have 2 of anything and you don’t need 2 - get rid of one.
One in, one out rule. For example, if you upgrade your kitchenware, remove the old one. YOU DON’T NEED 40 MUGS!
#minsgame. This is a challenge whereby on day 1 you get rid of 1 item, day 2 you find 2 items and so on for A WHOLE MONTH! By the end you’ll have lightened your life by 465 items! (this was too hardcore for me and I started counting out paperclips haha!).
Buy smarter - use charity shops, vintage stores or buy second hand.
Mental decluttering
Meditate for a minimum of 5 minutes daily.
Journal to create space in your mind and process emotions.
Set boundaries and non-negotiables.
Free up your schedule and create some ‘me-time’. It’s okay to say no to social gatherings or friendships that no longer serve you.
Digital decluttering
Delete the haters and mood hoovers from social media.
Sort your photos into albums and delete the ones that are clogging up your phone.
Wherever possible, go paperless.
Unsubscribe from emails that no longer give you value.
The challenge…
We change, trends change. It’s an ongoing process. You’ll find each time you declutter you’ll become more ruthless! It’s difficult to get started but it soon becomes addictive, especially when you can see your savings increasing. In fact I’m going to set you a challenge. I want you to look around your house and find 30 things; that you don’t use, you have multiples of or they no longer bring you joy. Take a picture of your items and post on Instagram or in the Facebook group with the hashtag #serenityseekerlifestyle to feature on my story! I then want you to decide whether you’re going to; store it, recycle it, upcycle it or throw it.
Thank you for reading!
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