What is minimalism?
Becoming a minimalist in simple terms is living with things you only need that are necessary. It’s not living with nothing contrary to popular beliefs. Living with what is only necessary, you will being to notice how many things we don’t need in our life.
Why would becoming a minimalist help me?
I wanted to declutter the things in my life that I didn’t had use for. There are things you can repurpose but we will get into that on a later post. I’ve read about a lot of other people practicing minimalism but I never had the motivation to start. I will say; I’m not on the extreme side of minimalism. That’s where you only have a few things. This is my personal approach to becoming a minimalist. You don’t have to get rid of everything that you think is not useful. You may need some of the thing you threw away. I am aware this is why people hoard a lot of things. I think if you can distinguish hoarding from keeping actual things you need then you can be a minimalist.
Having fewer items in my life felt like a heavy load lifted off my shoulders. Not only are my surrounding environment less cluttered, but my mental clarity benefited as well. When you don’t have much in the way, you have more focus and time to yourself.
Becoming a minimalist have saved me a ton of money. I restrict myself from buying unnecessary items. More money is saved overall and spending is kept at bay. This has also lead to weight loss for me. I did not buy junk food to keep around the kitchen. This reduced my caloric intake.
With the money I have saved by becoming a minimalist, I used it to invest in other things. You can put more money into your 401K or put in a high yield savings account. There’s tons of way to invest your money so consult with a finial expert or research yourself.
As I have mentioned previously, you don’t have to take minimalism to the extreme. Just by starting to get rid of things you don’t need such as extra clothes, boxes, papers etc, you will feel the effect it has.
I always tell others the best way to reset is by decluttering. You can take small steps such as cleaning out your closet or reorganizing your kitchen cupboard.
What about if you have kids or married?
I want to write more about this on a separate post. This situation can be challenging if you have children or a spouse/significant other that don’t practice minimalism.
Talking about the benefit of minimalism to your Family and friends can help. The will understand why you are doing it and how it has helped you.
I was one of those people that questioned why I would want to get rid of stuff and live with less. But doing it now one step at a time has made me realize how much we waste on a regular basis.
Conclusion
I hope this post can help you think about the benefit of decluttering. It has helped me tremendously in growing personally. I definitely wouldn’t go bragging about it or convince others they should do it.
Everyone has something that what works for them so we should respect that. However letting people know you practice minimalism can help bring more awareness to the lifestyle. I believe it’s one of the fastest way you can save money without risk but it shouldn’t be the only reason you do minimalism.