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Becoming a Minimalist.

When we first took a long hard look at our life together and tried to figure out what we were going to do to fix things, there was a Netflix documentary called The Minimalists that we watched and it literally changed how I view everything. I’m a collector.

A collector of crap, basically.

I have a very faddy nature and like to “dabble”. One year I collected coins. The following year it was designer (Choo, Cole, etc) shoes. Another time I opened a Grad dress store in my basement and then there was the First Edition books. I’ve tried scrap booking, Etsy shops, Cricut vinyl Mugs, making soap, making bath salts…. shall I continue?

The problem is, I have the attention span of an amoeba and all of these “hobbies” had real costs attached to them.

I instantly became so enamored by the idea of becoming minimalist in everything we do that once again, I took it too far.

Minimalism is not getting rid of everything – STOP!

Rule #1 “Buy in” is Key. If your family starts to complain you’ve probably gone too far and you should really listen. Plus – if you no longer have a dining table because you sold it online to make money and “clear the space” then how is that helping really?

Becoming minimalist doesn’t mean you have to persecute everyone you live with. My teenage kids were The Worst consumers on the planet and we, the over indulgent parents, made up for a lack of presence with and abundance of presents.

If the idea of getting rid of all of your stuff scares you – Relax, you are normal 🙂

We have been led by the nose for over three generations now to buy, to consume, to have more. Advertising is everywhere you look and you are a failure if you don’t have…. (insert your own particular addiction here). OK – don’t get me started.

How to get rid of Stuff.

Go Big or Go Home. Start with the big things. We had a fully loaded, almost brand new, out of the showroom Dodge Truck and the monthly payments were more than the mortgage.

Yes – you heard me: MORE THAN THE MORTGAGE. We also had a second vehicle for running around town or dropping the kids off at school.

We didn’t need two vehicles but we wanted them. Separating Want from Need is the biggest Revelation or A Ha! moment you can have.

Once you survive the initial “What do you mean I have to get rid of the truck?” conversation everything else is child’s play.

Take a look in the garage – is it a mecca for Boys Toys? Get them sold. Take a look at your art, your collectibles, your crap. It really is just that you know – crap. We have a saying back home (I’m originally from England) “One mans trash is another mans treasure” and whilst that might be so for some of the stuff you have accumulated, if it doesn’t sell at the first yard (garage, car booty) sale or after a week online, DONATE IT. Try not to throw things away – I have a major heartburn when I think of the landfills and what we are doing to the planet.

Rule #2 Use it or Lose it. If you haven’t used it, worn it, (in the kids areas) played with it or played on it for 12 months then out it goes. Try the ancient Japanese method of holding items close to your chest – Do you love it? Does it make you feel something more than nostalgia? Does it nourish your soul? Hmm – I thought not. Out with it.

Take Control

When we took stock of what we had accumulated in 20 years of marriage it was shocking to see how out of control we were. We had an IPad, an IPod, a docking station for the IPad and IPod, 3 smart phones, a lap top each, a desktop computer, a scanner, printer, fax machine, a TV in every room and a PVR in each bedroom plus the lounge. There was a DVD player in each room plus a Blu-ray player in the lounge. The lounge housed an Apple TV set box, a Wii, an X box and we had hand held Nintendos for the car, not to mention an in car DVD player, 3 digital cameras, a digital camcorder and that’s just what I can think of right now.

We had built a walk in closet off the Master to house my clothes and shoes and purses and accessories – just like Carrie from Sex in the City had. I could be best friends with Imelda Marcos with the amount of shoes I owned. My poor hubby had to make do with the regular closet in our room to house his three pairs of shoes and two T-shirts. Seriously – his closet was the easiest thing to declutter! 

We are still struggling today (two years later) with our teenage daughter, who likes to use her floor as her overflow from the closet area, which takes up an entire wall and is mainly super hero Tees. Thankfully my son takes after his Dad and doesn’t really see the need for clothes of any description.

I was holding onto the jacket I wore for the screening of the one episode of House Doctor that I made it to (back in 2004). I had my sons christening shirt. He’s almost 15. I had clothes that were too big; Clothes that were too small; Clothes I was keeping for that Retro / vintage vibe that might just happen again.

Allow me to let you in on a little secret – whatever you have, if it comes into fashion again, it won’t be in the same way or with those particular colours or cut. If it were that easy the stores wouldn’t sell any clothes ever again and how good did you actually look in those Bell Bottom pants the first time around?

Refocus on Quality not Quantity.

Once the mist clears and you have accomplished the mission of Becoming Minimalist it is then time to retrain your brain when it comes to your shopping habits. No longer did we replace our furniture with cheap stuff from Big Box stores. We saved and purchased quality. These items are usually built well and from better materials and last much longer than the mass imports we have shoved down our throats each day. Win win. The locally made artisan furniture is a talking point and an investment, both in your ongoing wealth and the wealth of your community.

I learned to shop smart. When it came time to replace appliances in the kitchen I waited and I waited…. and I waited. Seriously – at one stage we were operating with a beer cooler, a two ring burner and a toaster over AND it was Christmas! Eventually though my patience paid off and two weeks ago I purchased a $3000 refrigerator; a $2500 Stove and a $2000 dishwasher from a beautiful old couple who live in one of my town’s more affluent areas and I paid… $350 for the lot. All three pieces are high end and absolutely perfect.

The only area where we did not stick to this rule was our vehicles. Hubby picked up a pick up (lol) truck from a mechanic friend of a friend for $2500 and we used this lone vehicle for a while. We have since picked up a minivan (or loser cruiser as my darling children affectionately call it) for longer journeys, or journeys were you really don’t want to be holding your boobage down… no suspension!

My latest lap top is a reconditioned little number from our local My Tech Guys and it’s awesome.

Can you really spend less and have more?

Absolutely. I’m living proof.

Take a look at this Simple Living Manifesto and let me know what you think.

https://zenhabits.net/simple-living-manifesto-72-ideas-to-simplify-your-life/

XO

Anna