My desire with each Weekend Reads is to provide you with articles and posts that encourage simplicity and minimalist living. Below, you will find links to blog posts and news stories that I hand-picked over the last couple weeks. I hope you find inspiration and practical help inside them.
But also, if you get a chance, share these posts with others via social media. With our efforts united, not only will each of us be inspired to own less and live more, but the life-giving message of minimalism will spread further and quicker, deeper and with greater effectiveness.
And that is my goal on Becoming Minimalist: to intentionally promote simplicity in a world that needs to hear it.
Don’t Wait to Downsize | No Sidebar by Karen Trefzger. Many of us live in homes that hold far too much, and we might find it hard to declutter unless and until something forces us to do so. But downsizing in distress, because of illness, financial difficulty, natural disaster, or death, is even more difficult.
How to Practice | The New Yorker by Ann Patchett. I wanted to get rid of my possessions, because possessions stood between me and death. (May require subscription).
Living A Minimalist Lifestyle To Improve Your Finances | Clever Girl Finance by Bola Sokunbi. A minimalist lifestyle can have a huge positive impact on your finances. Practicing it can help you get out of debt, save money and build wealth.
What is a Capsule Wardrobe? Easy DIY Instructions | LaFlore Paris by Natacha Seroussi. If you can never find anything to wear even though your closet is bursting at the seams, you’re not alone.
Stop Chasing Success. Seek Significance | Becoming Minimalist on YouTube
I know a young couple who just purchased a very large, older home that has 1 acre of land. It is beautiful! I think about the upkeep, and wonder how difficult it would be. Super large homes come with super large price tags. Mortgage, property taxes, utilities, upkeep, etc. I am sure they are enjoying their new house immensely—-
For some though, it has to be rough. It would take a lot of income to keep a home like that up and running. The work days would get longer as they’d jump on the chance of any overtime. Just to furnish and decorate, yet alone clean the house would be a monumental task.
That Ann Patchett article — WOW. Thanks for the link!
Have been following you on FB and although I have a sincere desire to minimize my surroundings, I’m finding it difficult to do-even overwhelmed at times when I think of where to start.
Hi, @Alishia!
Start anywhere you want, it doesn’t matter, so long as you start small. Pick a single drawer, a shelf, a corner to work on, and maybe set a timer at first so you don’t spend too much time decluttering. Try to focus just on what you want to declutter that day; if you look at your entire room or living space, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. But it’s not a race, so there’s no need to rush. Hope these tips help you start your minimalism journey!
I especially loved the article “How to Practice” by Ann Patchett. I got choked up when I knew she was about to decide to give away her beloved typewriter. So impactful!
You were right about Ann Patchett’s article “How to Practice”…
What a great story and lesson.
You give me no other choice now than to go read the others you recommended!
Thanks! I’ll share so many others can enjoy! ♥
Thank you Joshua for intentionally promoting simplicity in a world that needs to hear it.
Thank you for the Ann Patchett article. It is so good I’m still smiling – smiling while sending the link to friends, smiling while reading excerpts to my husband, smiling while beginning to internalize the point of the story. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I so look forward to your weekend reads.
Such a great story by Ann Patchett.
Thank you!
Do you have recommendations to consider having a yard sales for items
worth a specific value? Thank you.