Becoming Minimalist » becoming minimalist

sheila’s story

becoming minimalist — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 11:41:32 +0000

here at becoming minimalist, we love sharing the stories of regular people choosing to live a minimalist life. today, we’re posting sheila’s story who shared it with us through our share your story page.

Like many others, I have always admired minimalist spaces but saw minimalism as something that only a few select individuals could do – something that was not practical for the majority of people. I knew no minimalists personally, so I had not ever seen such a space in person and had no one to ask for practical advice or help.

For years, I have been reading decluttering books, including Clear your Clutter with Feng Shui to better understand why I keep things and learn how to let go. But I had not been able to make much headway until very recently.

I saw a review of a new book (Throw Away 50 Things) where the author suggested the best place to start is by throwing out or giving away fifty things and writing each one down on a list as you go. I tried it and made it to fifty items! It was as if I had reached a tipping point of some sort, and suddenly letting go of things became so much easier.

My husband and I are now preparing for a move, and it’s amazing how many things have moved with me several times in the past but have never been used. This time, it’s different. I have donated so many things, and after I’ve dropped them at the charity shop, I don’t miss any of the items.

I am hoping that my example will encourage my husband to shed much of his stuff, too. But I will be very understanding if he cannot do this to the extent that I have, because I know how many years it took me to get to this point.

I smile when I think of our eventual cross-continent move, which will cost so much less since we will have fewer possessions.

sheila went on to say, “I hope it will inspire others to try, even if they are like I was: wanting to get rid of clutter but having no idea where to start.”

we hope it encourages them too, sheila. thank you for sharing your story. and good luck on your upcoming move.

benefit #16 – financially support other causes

becoming minimalist — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:54:55 +0000

during the process of becoming minimalist, i have found it helpful to write about some of the benefits of minimalism that i have seen and/or experienced. it has helped to keep me focused in a world that champions the benefits of owning things. it has also helped to encourage others to further consider the lifestyle of minimalism. the benefits of minimalism page is the most viewed page on this blog.

today, i’d like to offer another benefit of minimalism: living a minimalist life allows the opportunity to financially support other causes. this is, of course, related to the benefit of simple dollars and sense but it goes beyond that.

minimalism provides an opportunity to not just save money for the sake of keeping it for myself, but for using it to further causes that i believe in. after all, if i have become content with my belongings and have been rescued from the race of accumulating possessions, i have no need to hoard money. i am free to support those causes that i hold most dear, whether they be political, environmental, relief-based, religious, or personal.

i met a man recently who has just put his house on the market to sell so that he can donate some money to a charity that he believes in strongly. let me adjust that… he has put one of his houses on the market. he has recently decided that there are more important things in life than owning houses in every imaginable climate.

now, i may not be tempted to sell my house (i only have one). but i am seeing the value of not purchasing another coat this winter, another piece of art for my wall, or another “new and improved” cleaning solution. because living a minimalist life allows me the opportunity to use my finances to further the causes i believe in.

Pantone Fashion Color Report for Fall 2008

becoming minimalist — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:45:16 +0000

“Top 10 Colors Define a Season of Change” is the headline. Without further suspense, here are the top ten fashion colors for 2008: Pantone Fashion Report.

I think that if I was running the fashion industry, it would be important for me to change the “latest” colors often so that people would have to buy new clothes. It would keep money flowing into my industry. i think four times every year would be enough to keep people coming to my store. now, I’m not implying that the fashion industry strategically and intentionally changes the colors and styles to get our money… oh wait, that’s exactly what i’m implying.

the tiddy bear

becoming minimalist — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 03:14:28 +0000

i suppose that when we decided to become minimalist, it meant that we’ll never own of these.

7 things – the junk drawer

becoming minimalist — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:15:11 +0000

a quick project for you to tackle today, you’ll be glad you did. here are 7 things that can be minimalized from your junk drawer in one hour or less:

pens/pencils
old batteries (you know you’re never going to use them)
keys (if you don’t know what they open, they don’t open anything)
scissors/tape/paper clips/rubber bands (does that count as one item?)
tools/hardware (keep one philips screwdriver, that’s it – put the rest away)
coins/receipts
phone books (i hope i’m not the only one with more than one phonebook in my drawer…)

is there anything you would like to add to this list that should be minimalized from your junk drawer?

receiving gifts from others

becoming minimalist — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:23:39 +0000

an interesting conversation occurred with my wife last night when she informed that a good family friend of ours had offered to give our 2-year old daughter a large box of hand-me-down toys that her daughter had outgrown. included in the collection is a large-wooden dollhouse. my wife was interested to see how i would respond based on our decision to become minimalist.

as i began to think through what it would mean to bring in a large number of toys, i had a number of questions for my wife.

are the toys something that our daughter will enjoy playing? easy answer – yes. she absolutely loves dolls! that’s her thing – playing with dolls. i can picture the joy on her face already of having a dollhouse to put them in. shame on me if my quest to become minimalist would rob her of that joy.
are the toys something that the other family wants to use to bless our family or just get out of their own house? we all know the family that graciously offers to give you their old treadmill or foosball table - not for the sake of blessing, but for the sake of removing the clutter from their own house. my wife assured me that they were genuinely hoping to bless our family - even to the point that the daughter ran up to her excitedly to tell about the toys that she had picked out for us.
do we have toys that we can remove from our daughter’s current collection to make room for the new ones? absolutely! there are many toys in the toy room that my little girl has outgrown or no longer has an interest in. we will sort out some of those toys and remove them to make room for the new ones.

i can’t wait to see the joy on my daughter’s face when the new dollhouse appears in our toyroom! and i am very grateful for the wonderful family whose generosity will bring her that joy. thank you.

cheap toys for young children

becoming minimalist — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:55:40 +0000

simple mom reminds us all that the newest, flashiest, and most expensive toys on the market are not necessarily the best. in a recent post, she offered 11 cheap (and free!) toys for young children. including:

egg cartons
chalk
empty food containers
crayons and paper

i found this post significantly timely as i just put away some of my son’s birthday presents that he hasn’t opened yet. his birthday was in august. even though he received a number of flashy toys with colorful (and expensive) packaging, he seems to be most content with a baseball bat and ball. when will we parents ever learn?

the quickest sale on ebay – books

becoming minimalist — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:38:46 +0000

i love selling books on ebay. first, it gets them out of my house. second, i like turning my old stuff into money. and third, it’s so easy!

if you have never sold a book on ebay, i highly recommend it. ebay (as a minimalizing technique) can be very time-consuming. taking pictures, writing descriptions, and shipping packages tend to be a hassle for only a $4 profit. but ebay eliminates nearly all the time-consuming hassle when it comes to books.

when selling books, all you need to enter is the isbn number located on the back of most books. ebay automatically registers all the information about the book (title, author, description, etc.) leaving you to enter just a one sentence description and your shipping cost. not to mention, shipping books is easy (one manila envelope, please) and cheap (usps parcel post).

i hopped on ebay today to list some books that i found in my basement. i was surprised to see that ebay is offering a special 5cent listing fee on books until the end of the year. got a shelf full of books (or a box in the basement)? go grab a few popular titles and turn them into cash today (or at least in 5 days…)

sane minimalism

becoming minimalist — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:30:07 +0000

sane minimalism is not a term i would have picked, but i appreciate the thought.

minimalizing and serving others…

becoming minimalist — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:42:54 +0000

i once taught a seminar on ”the personal benefits of serving others.” actually, i called it “the joy is in the serving” which is not all that more catchy now that i see them side-by-side. regardless of the boring title, it was good information and a good seminar. i especially enjoyed teaching it because i really do believe that there is personal joy associated with serving others.

this weekend, we received an opportunity to continue our minimalizing and mix in the personal satisfaction that comes from serving others – both at the same time.

at my son’s bus stop (of all places), my wife struck up a conversation with a lady who volunteers with Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program. they help refugees and immigrants gain personal independence and economic self-sufficiency. the volunteer mentioned the desperate need the organization was having for donated towels, linens, and cookware. knowing that our household (along with most of America) has more towels, linens, and cookware than we need, we offered to help and quickly compiled several boxes of the desired items to be donated.

of all the minimalizing projects that we have done around the house, there seemed to be a special joy associated with this one. the special joy of knowing that our stuff would be going directly to people who need it. there is a satisfaction and sense of purpose that comes from serving others… almost like we’re not truly living unless we’re living for others. look up your local chapter of the USCRI and see what needs your local chapter is experiencing. you just may enjoy minimalizing more than you ever have before.

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