Lifestyle

How I Live a Minimalist Lifestyle (and why I choose to live with less)

How I Live a Minimalist Lifestyle (and why I choose to live with less)

I embraced a minimalist lifestyle a couple years ago and it has changed my life drastically. To some it seems extreme or as the latest fad, but is it really? Before we bought more cars than we could drive or built houses we could never fill, human beings lived with very little.

Stuff just does not make me happy and if I think back far enough, it never did. The novelty wears off pretty quickly and then we’re on to the next best thing. Whatever it may be.

What I enjoy more of is good friends, good health, close family. Take those things away, no matter how big the house is or designer the outfit, life would be pretty empty.

i love talking about being a minimalist. I love sharing how living a minimalist lifestyle has made me a more realistic and rational thinker, how much it has saved my bank account and how much it has enhanced my gratitude for everything I have been blessed with.

Not just that. Think about what it does for the environment and how it qualms hyper-consumerism. Man, I could talk for miles on this, but today, I thought I’d share just a few areas where my minimalist lifestyle shines through. The areas I think anyone can refine and adapt to.

Food

Good food is essential in my household. We’ve committed to purchasing food we will more than likely cook instead of food we think looks nice in the fridge and makes and appearance just before it expires. This helps us to manage spending on food and also lessens the chance of over indulging. We keep healthy food that doesn’t call for or come with lots of packaging as well. I’ve come a long way. Trust me.

It’s still a work in progress as snacks seem to always be in good stock at our house and as you can probably guess, they come in tons and tons of plastic. Yes we recycle but not all the waste we produce can or is recycled. Hence the reason our landfills are bursting at the seams. To help with cutting our consumption of snacks and other unhealthy foods that we love and spend a shit ton on, we’ve condemned them to only making an appearance on weekends. Thats when we eat the pizzas and ice creams and M&Ms. Good food + better health + less waste = winning!

Wardrobe

I’m yet to post on my wardrobe but I work with a capsule wardrobe. Sean has an extensive one that we need to work on but on my end, we have it in tact. The 80/20 rule is perfect for wardrobes as we really do only wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. And so, I choose to own only the 20%. If you need sequin dresses and 5 inch stilettos, my house is not the place to be.  I don’t follow trends or clothing line seasons. I buy clothes I like, that are classic and are of good quality. This ensures longevity, a decrease in funding fast fashion and less draining my wallet on shoes that sees the light of day all but once. And I’m quite proud to say, I own no clothes with the tag still on.

Skincare and Beauty

You’d see on my Instagram often my musings of my skincare and beauty regimens and you’d notice that I make a conscientious effort to use everything I buy until it’s done. I scour throngs of research before I make purchases because we know the beauty industry is not about us looking good for cheap. Beauty items are expensive and very easy to go into waste. It is also very easy to get carried away. All the blogs and stories and YouTube videos is sure to send you into a buying manic if you’re not paying attention. Minimalism here has saved me a lot of money.

Like my wardrobe, I buy good quality items that I can use for a long time. I save for new purchases and buy only what I can realistically use. My skincare regime has dwindled to the same four products at both day and night and I have no complaints to share.

House Stuff

Same concept here. Less is more. I love a clean, airy space and that’s what I aim for. I have minimal furniture, little to no knicks and knacks and only wall art and other decor pieces that I can look at and smile everyday. You won’t find three TVs or furniture that people are not allowed to sit on or glasses only guests are allowed to drink in. Everything has a purpose and everything brings us some sort of joy.

In the end, minimalism is very personal. Everyone has their own concept of the minimalist lifestyle and that’s exactly how it should be. I’m not here to preach on a high horse on right and wrong ways of living. I’m sharing simply what works for me and how it can probably work for you, if that’s the direction you see yourself heading.

I strive to live a life where I’m not surrounded by things that don’t matter. We have no control over so many other aspects of our lives, but not this one. So come on over to this camp! Lol.

So how’s my sales pitch? Are you living a minimalist lifestyle? Do you think this can ever be the lifestyle for you?

…….thanks for stopping by!

 

PS ~ Minimalism – How I Found Joy Living With Less and Beauty Products: When to Splurge, When to Save.

 




  Comments: 37

37 responses to “How I Live a Minimalist Lifestyle (and why I choose to live with less)”

  1. I’m gradually purging and eliminating the non-necessities and things I don’t 100% love. It feels great! I hadn’t thought about food–you’re right, you can so easily buy food that you’re not going to eat. I love the idea of making a conscious decision to only buy what you’re going to eat that week.

  2. Hala says:

    Love the sales pitch 😉 I might need to convert!!

  3. I tried so hard to clean out all the things we don’t need or use. 3 Kids and a husband who was not on board; I didn’t make it too far.
    Kudo’s!

  4. Enjoyed this article. It’s always good to take a look and get rid of all the
    “Clutter” in our lives.

  5. Corina says:

    I absolutely love your artical. I am right with you on talking for hours about minimalism. If you need someone to talk to I would love to connect some more. I am always down for some great conversation ?

  6. Tawnya says:

    I definitely agree that it’s better to value relationships and other concepts than material possessions. On my blog, we call it frugalism, but it’s similar concept. We like to focus more on value and getting the most use out of things as opposed to always having the newest and best. Thanks for sharing.

  7. Brittany says:

    This is great! I am looking to live out of my suitcase for a year traveling the world, and I am working on purging things I don’t need. Thank you for sharing this.

  8. Kendra B says:

    Perfect Sales pitch! I’d buy!! 🙂 I love living the minimalist lifestyle. I love walking into a room and it feeling clean. I’d rather not have to dust around any sort of knick-knacks! I loved the article!

    Kendra B
    http://www.helga-marie.com

  9. Oh, living minimalist lifestyle is my goal, my closet is already minimalist, also for furniture and home decor. But I am working on kids play room, it seems impossible if we keep giving them toys, they always blessed with gift from all family members on their birthday or holiday season.

  10. Katie says:

    I loved hearing your personal perspective on minimalism and how it has affected multiple areas of your life! I’ve thought about doing the 30 day minimalist challenge but don’t know if I could be devoted enough to!

  11. Bryan Carey says:

    To me, the movement to minimalism begins with the home. So many people I know are consumed with the ‘keep up with the Joneses’ mentality and the start by buying the largest, most expensive house the bank will approve the loan for. Then, they constantly seek out the largest, best, most expensive possessions to fill the home, in order to “one- up” their friends. So many people are caught up in this vicious cycle- they devote their life to getting ahead through materialism but very few are happy with the results.

  12. Less is often more! I totally agree – there’s no point in surrounding ourselves with things that don’t matter. That doesn’t bring us joy. If anything it brings us down. Thank you for inspiring us to really think about how we live and what we choose to surround ourselves with ♡.

  13. Annaliese says:

    So inspiring to read about your lifestyle! I’m definitely not a minimalist… haha. But since finishing school and having expenses to pay for, I definitely shop less than I did in college!

    xoxo A
    http://www.southernbelleintraining.com

  14. I can really relate to the food minimalism perspective at the moment.. it’s amazing how much food you can accrue in your pantry or fridge when you don’t have a menu planned out from the week. I try to take stock of the items I have before shopping now and keep less on hand. It’s working great so far!

  15. Kaitlyn says:

    Yes. Yes. Yes. I can’t stand clutter and will actively look for new ways to reduce unnecessary things in my life. Thanks for sharing.

  16. I’d like to embrace the minimalist lifestyle and here’s why: I think for me, it would be liberating and give me a lot of freedom. My former neighbor couldn’t decide where she wanted to live, so she put all her stuff in storage in her hometown and traveled around leasing fully furnished places until she could decide. She works for herself, so that was easy for her. When she finally did find a place she felt like she fit in, she sold everything she had but the minimal stuff in storage that she needs like a bed and a dining table and left. It was so cool to watch her drive away to her new home with everything she owned in the back of her small convertible! I, too, don’t know where I fit yet, and the biggest reason why I haven’t moved is that it’s very expensive to relocate everything. Thanks for your post. Insightful and inspiring!

  17. Nicole says:

    While I know that I don’t have what it takes to be a true minimalist, I can appreciate it. One of my cousins lives as a minimalist and I’m always in aw of not only how clean her home always is but how much more time she seems to have. Less stuff is less upkeep, in every sense of the word!

  18. I need to overhaul my beauty spending mindset, maybe someday!

  19. Kesha says:

    Wow this seems great but idk if I could do this myself without a mentor 24 hours a day!

  20. Sheila Price says:

    I too am a minimalist, and I’ve found that minimalism positively affects every area of my life! Thank you for sharing why you choose to live with less and how it affects your life. We don’t always think about food or buying quality products in general, but’s a huge part of it!

  21. Erin Haugerud says:

    Good for you!! I’ve always been a purger and can’t stand clutter! Maybe my next step is this!

  22. Nnedi says:

    Your sales pitch was impressive haha! I definitely do this with my skincare/beauty, but I really need to do this properly with me clothes. Really great post xo

    Nnedi | iamncxo.blogspot.com

  23. Kristen says:

    I find minimalism so interesting and would like to try it one day! I think what I need to do is try it in one aspect of my life at a time and reading this post gave me the motivation to do so 🙂 I’m glad that you are embracing it and are continuing to find your groove with minimalism in different aspects of your life….you go girl!

  24. Alessa says:

    I love this post I wish to have a lifestyle like this!

    Alessa Bernal

  25. Christine says:

    I’m really good at keeping my apartment minimal but I need to work on my clothing. I really enjoyed reading your tips ?

  26. Heather says:

    I would love to try this, even if it’s just small things here and there, but it’s so hard!! Loved reading your experience though, it gives me inspiration!

  27. Cristina says:

    I think a lot of people see it as an extreme lifestyle, since there are some minimalists that seem to be extremists.
    I’m trying to switch to a more minimalist lifestyle, but I’m taking easy. I don’t want to throw half of my stuff and get depressive because I miss them, haha.

  28. Nicole says:

    Sometimes I get in these moods where I just want to throw everything out and live this way, because it does seem so much easier and healthier! However, a lot of times I get worried I would really miss some of my stuff! Do you struggle with that at all?

  29. Alexis says:

    I’ve been trying to live a more minimalistic lifestyle by having monthly purges. I’ve also been trying to limit the things I buy and determining if I really need them.

  30. Leah says:

    I love the thought of a minimalist lifestyle, however my kids not so much lol Future goals

  31. Molly says:

    This is SO inspiring to me! My husband is a major minimalist, and I was raised by a mom who holds onto EVERYTHING. I’m still working on having less, because sometimes I feel like it’s just too much!

    Molly // Miss Molly Moon

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