Never underestimate the importance of removing stuff you don’t need.
Encouragement provides us with motivation to persevere. It invites us to dream dreams of significance for our lives. And it begs us to work diligently with optimism and promise.
Overcoming the pull of consumerism is a difficult challenge regardless of our stage in life. Simplicity requires encouragement. To that end, I hope you will find motivation in these articles below.
Each post was intentionally chosen to inspire simplicity in your life. For maximum effect, find a quiet moment this weekend and enjoy them with a fresh cup of coffee or tea.
How Minimalism With a Family is Possible (& Life-Changing!) | Wellness Mama by Wellness Mama. If minimalism with a family seems impossible, here’s a thought: don’t families with kids need it more than anyone else?
Save Money and Reset Your Financial Life With a Shopping Ban | The New York Times by Susan Shain. A shopping ban is not necessarily a renouncement of worldly possessions or a declaration that buying stuff is bad; it’s a pause that helps you establish your priorities.
Self-storage: How Warehouses For Personal Junk Became a $38 Billion Industry | Curbed by Patrick Sisson. One in 11 Americans pays for space to store the material overflow of the American dream.
Bye-Bye Stuff, Hello Minimalism | The Medium by Ye Chen. I used to think that the more I have, the happier I will be. I bought a lot of unnecessarily expensive things, believing that all those possessions would increase my self-worth and lead to a happier life.
Diane says
I found that getting rid of things was the easy part (I thought it would be harder than it was to part with certain things). The difficult part for me was not going out shopping to replace the items I had just gotten rid of. Or worse yet, go get something to occupy the space the previous item held. Crazy huh.
Sandy says
Nice read. I like the blogs.
Ann Stokman says
Awesome!
MimiR says
I’m so incredibly annoyed by the anti-self-storage coverage by ignorant people. A huge hunk of the self storage falls into very legitimate categories. Business inventory for online businesses are often kept in self-storage. Many small contractors have all their equipment there. And people who live in the walkable neighborhoods with little to no garage space have their boats, ATVs, jet skis, motorcycles, etc., there. Some people store their “project” car that they’re rebuilding in such a place. It’s not wasted money—it’s money given to hubbies. Then there are the growing number of storage-by-the-box for urban families in tiny apartments who can’t keep their entire year’s clothes in their closets, or who like their Christmas decor but realistically have no room for them, and it’s worth the $10/box/month to store those things.
I’ve used storage myself—emptying a garage of its tools for staging before a move, and summer storage at a far-away college, where I paid $90 for 3 months to keep a loft ($500 materials), my winter clothes, and my mini fridge ($150 to repurchase).
Jan says
This was a great read for what is going on in my life these days. I’ve downsized from a 3 bedroom house with full basement and garage to a 1 bedroom condo. Everyday I’m throwing more into boxes for charity as I learn to downsize and let go of these things I once held valuable. It has not been easy since I’m a hobby person, but I’m figuring things out. Learning to let go of what really isn’t important to me. I’ve downsized my Storage already and I will again sometime soon. Great article. Storage is definitely practical though for a lot of people, but…. I’ve recently watched some horders episodes and ? I do think there is a serious dark side to this ‘need’ for all of this storage space.
Vince says
Nah. It’s a waste!