I think it’s surprising how many positive e-mails I receive that begin like this, “You probably hear this a lot, but I just wanted to say thank you…” I always reply with the exact same response, “I haven’t received so many that I don’t appreciate yours…” And I truly mean it.
Jessica Hall looked up my e-mail address and sent me this heart-warming and inspirational story. It was so good I asked if I could share it with you. She said, “Yes.” So, here it is:
I just wanted to let you know that my husband and I really enjoy your blog. I would have never been interested in the world of minimalism had I not seen your blog. It’s unreal how it has changed our lives and way of thinking.
We started a purge of our home 6 months ago, the first time we did it, we were not really good, it was hard to let go of things and we really made no impact. However as we dug deeper into your blog and other blogs, we began having conversations about the life we want to live, about what is truly important to us, how we want to raise our daughter and so on….then we went back at it.
We were amazed at how much easier it was to unload things and boy, did we get rid of tons… and we are not even pack rats, we are usually clean and organized. We spent months doing this, it was such a long process and stressful at times, but only because of the mess we created in our home. We were tired of maintaining things, it was taking away from our time together, I didn’t want my down time to be spent doing laundry or cleaning, I wanted to hang with my husband and daughter…or go out and so on.
We went through our clothes, books, dvds, paperwork, photos, everything. We got rid of extra dishes and silverware. We also took this opportunity to turn our home into a green home as much as possible. We even got rid of our microwave, we needed the counter space and really nothing good comes of the microwave except heating up food, which we can do on the stove. We got rid of all our laundry baskets but 1, the rule is, when it’s full we do laundry right away, less laundry builds up….we got rid of one of our computers, we tried to get rid of cable, but due to needing Internet and the phone the deal made sense to keep it. But we did get rid of the DVR (which was a big move). We also decided to no longer buy crap items just because they are inexpensive, we wait and save a bit more and buy an item that is of better quality – it gets old tossing Ikea furniture because it craps out on you in a few years. Our bedroom is now down to our bed and a dresser, we took out the TV and other items. It’s so nice to wake up to such an open and clean room. We got rid of the amount of towels we had as well as sheets. You name it we did it (sorry I am rambling)….
I could go on and on, I hope this made sense. We tell our friends our story and they often look at us like we are crazy. But then they see how the change has made our life less stressful and more balanced and they ask us what they should do….
Thanks for doing what you do and sharing your story! It has made a difference for me and my family!!
Peace~ Jessica
If you ask me, you can never receive that e-mail too many times…
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I did want to take a personal moment just to thank each of you for being a reader of Becoming Minimalist. This week, we passed 7,000 subscribers! That reality continues to amaze me given the fact that this blog was started late on a Saturday night as just a means to keep my extended family updated on our minimalist journey. I never dreamt it would be read by others or become what it is today. Thanks for making the ride so enjoyable.
Joshua & Ryan | The Minimalists says
Jessica,
Congrats! Starting the journey is the harding part. We found that out at the beginning of our journey into minimalism. Thanks for allowing Joshua B. to share your story.
Take care,
Joshua & Ryan
theminimalists.com
Christa says
I love this story because it reminds me so much of my own process. We started “simplifying” 4 yrs ago, and now we are at the point of “minimizing” Sometimes it does take time to slowly shed the weight of stuff.
Now I am trying to minimize my weight! haha You can’t be a fat minimalist.
Heidi says
I love her story. We are in a similar process and so happy with how our life is changing. I’m excited to bring up her kids without them being surrounded by stuff and the confusion that muddled our minds.
Clothes is a big struggle for me but I can manage the holding on pattern now and be more practical.
We want to homeschool and gear our kids towards the competition they will face in the “flat” world. Minimalism supports this so much!
Heidi
coco says
great story! we are also a family who started out pretty organized and are just letting more and more go layer by layer. also for me stopping the incoming was crucial. for years i shopped for fun then got rid of things because they bugged me. i was always giving stuff away and i realized i had really changed when my mom or sis would say recently “do you have a _____ i can have?” usually i would, but not anymore because i stopped buying!!!!!
Galvalume sheets says
We live in a world in which our fuel resources are shrinking rapidly, growing constantly more expensive and are prone to frequent disruptions in power supply.
Lorraine says
My desire to minimize stems from my dream to relocate to a warmer climate where I can spend more time outdoors (preferable the beach) instead of inside looking at (or cleaning) all my stuff (like I am now because it’s 16 degrees out). Hubby and I don’t want to move all this stuff so we’ve been letting go of things for about 3 years now. We are at the final layer where the choice to keep it or not gets much harder. There are no basements where we want to go and it took a while for hubby to get on board, but now he is unstoppable and the basement is getting bigger every week. He says the last thing to go will be his tools. Our 16 year old is having the hardest time parting with anything. Out of 100 beanie babies, she let go of about 7 and we just had to buy another bookcase for her books. We have 3 more years until she graduates high school and that’s when we plan on moving, so there’s time.
joshua becker says
I have noticed with my children that it does seem to come easier to some people than others. Value your next three years. And don’t let “stuff” come in between your relationship. It’s not worth it.
Tiffany Wilson says
So glad whenever you post a story like this because it continues to encourage me! We are just starting out on our minimalistic journey…and we have 3 small sons so it has been quite the adventure even just starting! BUT like this woman pointed out we know by “losing” our stuff we are gaining so much more: more time, less stress….in fact tonight during a black out caused by a storm I thought of something you could add to your “benefits list” “No walking into crap on the floor when the power goes out”. We’ve slowly been purging and not that there’s not an occasional lego on the floor or an army men, the floor space has been decluttered so much I didn’t have to worry about walking into stuff that didn’t have a place lying around. :)
joshua becker says
Nice addition to the list. Actually, I haven’t contributed to that list for quite some time now that you mention it…
Mike Grayton says
Hey Joshua,
Thanks for sharing these real life experiences. As someone who has only just discovered the concepts of minimalism, and who has family who are unsure of the concept, it’s good to see how people get started and the impact it has!
Mike
joshua becker says
Different styles of writing seem to speak to different people in different ways. Reading stories of others has always been motivational to me and one of the reasons we continue to post them (though less frequently than we used to).
Eric says
Damn Joshua, doesn’t it make what you do worth it, to have the ability to touch peoples lives to their core.
I know your writing has an effect on me- so keep doing what your doin’ I love it!
Much respect,
Eric
joshua becker says
Yeah, it’s interesting. At first, the writing was worth it just to keep my extended informed. Then, it was worth it just to keep a record of our journey. But these days, yeah, the opportunity to inspire is what makes it worth it.
Sustainable PF says
Wonderful story that was shared with you!
You guys do influence others, and in such a positive way. We too are very glad to have found this site. We have a lot of work to do, but given how we approach other parts of our lives, we feel that taking more of a minimalist approach is not only in order, and healthy – but it aligns with how we want to live.
Thanks,
SPF
joshua becker says
Fantastic. I am also glad that you found this site.
credit begets says
That’s a skillful answer to a difficult question