My lifestyle is minimalism, what has changed in 5 years

Minimalism doesn't mean having less. This means making room for what really matters.

Minimalism is not just a trend to follow. It can truly change your life.

We can all practice minimalism in different ways.

As a result, we will each have our own advantages, and minimalism will change the lives of each of us in its own way.

How did I start living as a minimalist?

I was first introduced to minimalism by my friend Ben Brist about 7 years ago. We met through an exchange program. Now Ben lives and studies in America, he is a future specialist in foreign economic activity, and, by coincidence, an active volunteer and player of the university team.

We can say that we simultaneously decided to change our lives and educate ourselves as organized and effective people.

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Modern minimalism is not just about getting rid of unnecessary clothes and things, although that’s where I started:

I got rid of old clothes;
Completely freed the apartment space from old, broken or boring things. (My list of what I threw away was more than 200 items);
I trained myself to maintain perfect order in my apartment, on my computer, desktop and bag. By the way, this is much easier to do when you don’t have to clean and rearrange a lot of strange things.

The basic rule of minimalism: if an item does not bring you pleasure and has lost its practical meaning (becomes useless trash), then feel free to get rid of the trash.

If a thing or clothing reminds you of something bad and doesn’t bring you joy, get rid of it.

Yes. It will be hard. For three years I didn’t dare to throw out my school diaries, which, in principle, I didn’t really keep. Seriously, the only interesting thing in the diary is the teacher’s signature that she was late for class.

As a conclusion, the most difficult things to give up are sentimental things: children's toys, clothes, cards and letters.

Steps to a new life

So you've decided to become a minimalist. What should you do first? Psychologists recommend starting the process by going through your wardrobe and at the same time following the following principle: an item that has lain idle for one year definitely goes to another owner. Then you need to get rid of the accumulated textile trash and only then move on to the next stage.

Step-by-step plan on how to become a minimalist:

Get rid of unnecessary papers - old receipts, school notebooks, booklets.
Go through all available books.
Give away or sell uselessly stored toys, unused household appliances, and dishes.
Throw out of the house all accessories and literature for creative work that is no longer relevant for family members (this applies to recent primary school children).
Dispose of all “expired” items, from food to medicines and cosmetics.
Distribute to your friends all the accumulated souvenirs that have no practical use.
Remove excess furniture that clutters up useful space and does not meet its functionality.

This instruction is considered a necessary minimum for all followers of the idea of minimalism, and you can learn further how to become an absolute adherent of the concept.

Clear your living space

As soon as a person gets rid of material excesses - old clothes, broken equipment, etc., he comes to the realization that minimalism in clothing or home organization will not solve problems. Therefore, it is necessary not only to cleanse the house, but also your life.

Living in a minimalist style is not about limiting yourself in purchases, but about realizing the value of life and time.

I came to this stage about a year after graduation, when I realized that life was standing still, sort of like in “Groundhog Day.” Therefore, I decided to radically change the environment, city and specialization. She also refused:

Empty conversations on the phone;
Unnecessary relationships or acquaintances that drag you down and impose a mindset of poverty;
A list of things to do, books, films that you need to watch or read, but never got around to;
Hanging out on social networks and following the lives of celebrities.

I could list more: endless volunteer meetings, many responsibilities of the group leader, which took up time, but did not bring any benefit other than a small increase in the stipend, etc.

My life principle is that everything in your life should have meaning and value, and what is not so should disappear.

There is no need to scatter yourself over trifles or in pursuit of illusory happiness, which in fact is not your story, but a plagiarized story from a movie.

Not just about things

Another rather unexpected area is the presence of life goals. It would seem, what does minimalism have to do with it? But here too there is something to work on. Some people don’t bother with such problems, while others have a carriage and a small cart as their goals. A person chases two (three, ten or more) birds with one stone at once, but as a result achieves nothing. By limiting the number of tasks that you are willing to spend time and energy on solving, you will immediately understand that life is entering the mainstream of order.

In general, the described principles can be applied to any area of our life - to a huge number of unnecessary acquaintances (real and virtual), correspondence and communication with whom is carried out only out of politeness, to many meaningless affairs that bring neither joy nor results. In a word, think about what else you can give up in order to make your life easier and more efficient.

Half of my friends are minimalists

And by the way, a good two-thirds of them are men. I don’t know how it happened, but with the realization of the value of things, your environment begins to change. And if earlier it could have been “socialite” lionesses chasing wealth, now I was surrounded by creative people passionate about their hobby.

Many stories of great people of our time indicate that they chose minimalism as a lifestyle. Remember the most popular and richest Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg , who do not get hung up on trifles.

It was no coincidence that they chose minimalism and simplicity as a lifestyle. Imagine HOW MANY decisions they had to make per day, and how many plans and ideas they had to think about. What would happen if they spent part of their time selecting clothes, long telephone conversations, or searching for the necessary thing in the rubble of home “much needed” junk.

Proper management of your finances

Now let's talk a little about money. When switching to a completely new lifestyle, you will have to cut back on your expenses. In other words, you will need to turn on the economy mode. But here again a contradiction arises. Is limiting one’s own needs what the prevailing minimalism in life and things leads to?

Nothing superfluous - this is the main motto that you should follow. So don't worry, minimalism has nothing to do with saving in the most unpleasant sense of the word. You shouldn’t sacrifice your needs, you just need to stop indulging your own whims. You will be surprised how easy it is to live without monthly wardrobe updates, another smartphone and magazines that go into the trash after reading. The advantage of a minimalistic approach to finance is that very soon a certain amount of money saved will accumulate. It can be used for good purposes: for example, to pay off a debt.

The closet is still crowded, but at least it's organized.

Would you know how often my beloved jokes about the fact that I write a blog about minimalism, but I myself have 5 suitcases of clothes (well, or seven), and then only summer ones.

What can I say in my defense? I am a woman, I have a craving for aesthetics, it is important for me to be beautiful next to my man, to complement him. And the guys’ favorite option “underpants, trousers and a couple of T-shirts” is not for me.

However, I was still able to:

Organize your wardrobe and store seasonal items;
I trained myself to get rid of boring clothes every season;
I learned the principle: quality is better than quantity
. And now I’d rather pay triple the price for something that will last me a long time than buy a huge number of low-quality blouses.
I stopped buying some clothes or cosmetics, fortunately I have Instagram and the opportunity to advertise the products of nearby cosmetics stores :-)

Therefore, I am not afraid to say that I live in a minimalist style. Yes, I can afford to buy a little more clothes, but I know where and how they will be stored. In addition, thanks to the “333 Things” project, I put together a capsule wardrobe and now it takes much less time to select sets.

Make it a rule: when you buy a new thing, get rid of one old one.

Therefore, do not be afraid to give up the irrational purchase of things and clothes, because they will be replaced by new emotions and impressions. Replace the pleasure from purchasing with aesthetic and cultural events, travel, self-development, etc.

And now about the cons

Shoppers will suffer the most - the new principles go against the huge amount of cute little things they buy or the tenth pair of shoes. It’s also hard for travelers - there is no longer room on bookshelves for countless souvenirs.

In general, the transformation of an apartment will require serious material costs. In addition to the costs of repairs, you will have to throw out the old furniture and get new, high-quality, suitable for the new interior and thoughtful in style. You should be concerned about purchasing multifunctional items, transformable items, or making custom-made furniture. Such minimalism in life and in things for men is good because it opens up wide opportunities for creativity.

The complexity also lies in our psychology. Attempts to become a minimalist often fail due to ingrained habits, when after a few months a person again acquires a bunch of things. It's easy to treat. You don’t have to change urgently - in a month. Conscious minimalism in life and in things requires getting used to a new role slowly, with the process stretching out for a year or more. If the level of discomfort goes off scale, and you understand that you probably can’t live like this, well, you’ll have to give up this good idea.

Living in a big house requires more organization

My minimalist life didn't start off on an easy note. When I decided to organize the space around me and organize storage of things, I lived in a tiny apartment with a neighbor. And yes, I could organize them and get rid of the trash, but new things were immediately bought to replace them.

Subsequently, I dealt with this and... I moved to a two-story cottage. And you know what I realized:

The larger the house you live in, the faster it becomes cluttered with various “necessary” junk and the more difficult it is to organize it.

But I’ll tell you about organizing things in the cottage a little later.

Shall we throw everything away?

What minimum furniture and interior items can be considered necessary and sufficient? Everything here is very individual. By sorting out local pockets of disorder in different corners of the room, you will quickly understand what exactly is creating chaos and needs to leave the home.

If, as a result of the work done, the gaze is able to glide through the freed space without clinging to unnecessary details, the task can be considered solved. And your thoughts automatically begin to focus on matters and things that are much more important than the environment and maintaining order in it. In addition, it is much easier and more pleasant to take care of fewer things.

Conscious consumption

If you look at my bookmarks, you will see many clothing and perfume stores, as well as such giants as Amazon, Ebay, Ozon.

One way to save money is to buy things in online stores using discount coupons and cashbacks. For example, I use the LetyShops system.

Basic principles for purchasing things that I have acquired during my minimalist life:

Quality is more important than quantity and cost;
Before you buy a new thing, you need to get rid of the old one;
Buy only what is necessary, and go to stores only with a shopping list;
Purchase clothes, books and other goods in online stores to save time and money;
If clothes, then only from natural materials (excluding fur and leather), and if cosmetics, then try to buy organic - made from natural ingredients;
I will NEVER skimp on my food, rest or health, because these are the most valuable things we have.

Now I combine minimalism, quality and mindfulness into one concept that is not just throwing things away.

Control of income and expenses

One of the main issues of minimalism is finance. I have heard more than once that it is easy to give up unnecessary things and throw away old things if you have money. So guys, I have money because I’m not afraid of losing it, because I know that I can earn it and buy everything I want.

Saving things for a rainy day sets the stage for that day to come.

Explain to me why you need to store various plastic sushi containers, meat trays, etc., which simply clutter the kitchen. They cost pennies in stores, and you don’t have to have 50 containers of all sizes in your household.

Okay, I've gone a little off topic. Once you decide to start a minimalist lifestyle, start by examining your financial situation and monthly expenses. It only takes you 5 minutes to record your daily expenses, but at the end of the month you will be able to answer the question of where the money is going and see all the small expenses that you could have avoided:

Buying fast food, shawarma, etc.;
Coffee and sweets from the machine;
Treats on the run, etc.

In addition, many things are no worse if they are bought second-hand at a lower cost. We are talking about laptops, outerwear, sports equipment and much more.

When there are enough funds...

This leads to a logical question: is it easy for an ordinary woman, our contemporary, to part with the usual variety without reducing her standard of living? The focus on all possible forms of abundance is firmly embedded in our consciousness. Several types of hand creams, three different tubes of mascara, a huge palette of lipstick shades and a dressing table lined with jars and bottles are an unspoken sign of a woman who takes care of herself. This attitude is imposed on us by advertising, glossy magazines and the entire modern way of life.

If you listen to your own feelings, you can understand that all this glamorous excess sometimes puts pressure on the psyche. You have become a hostage to the image of a well-groomed, successful lady. This is where it’s time to start selling, giving away and throwing away the excess. If the cleared space does not depress you, but, on the contrary, gives you peace of mind, you are on the right track. This is especially important when finances allow you more than you currently have.

Having become involved in the process of clearing the rubble, the woman begins to notice how her attitude towards brands and fashion packaging is changing. Having escaped from the clutches of ubiquitous advertising, we little by little begin to realize what is really important to us.

The results of living in a minimalist style

There is time for hobbies, blogging;
I found 3 passive sources of income at once;
Family relationships have improved and strengthened;
I learned to meet deadlines and submit articles on time;
I switched to proper nutrition and found time for daily exercise;
I started spending a lot less :-)
Cleaning the apartment and keeping order is now easier;
I no longer try to compare myself to anyone, my only competitor is the real me. And tomorrow I need to win and overtake myself.

Finally...

I know that most of my readers come to the site to organize their home, so I have put together a small list of tips for those who like minimalism in their apartment:

Remove items from your wardrobe that you have not worn for a year;
Sell unnecessary things on Avito or Yula;
Do not store things in plain sight; the apartment should have as many free surfaces as possible, which will make cleaning easier and make the room visually larger and brighter;
Place dirty clothes in the laundry basket, and return things to their places as soon as you use them;

I have been living in the spirit of minimalism for five years now and everything I wrote is my personal opinion. It may differ from other points of view, but in one thing they are all similar. Intangible values are important - relationships, family, health.

Therefore, do not be afraid to give up various forms of clutter - this way you open the way for new things and achievements.

Could you become a minimalist? What would be more difficult for you to give up?

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Below the poverty line

Some people confuse the concepts of minimalism and asceticism. But these are by no means synonyms. Asceticism in its free interpretation implies the most modest set of life benefits that a person consciously allows himself. Depriving and limiting themselves in almost everything, sometimes such people literally sit on bread and water.

This lifestyle is most often forced due to certain (usually financial) circumstances and leads to quite serious mental discomfort. Unlike asceticism, minimalism in life and in things presupposes the presence of them, albeit in small numbers, but by no means cheap and of quite decent quality.