Attempting to be a Minimalist
This post snuck up on me. A while ago, I put on my calendar to talk about being a minimalist. I certainly am not where I want to be with this but I wanted to give a few pointers at how I am able to keep things in order and try to live with less. Do I have all areas covered? NOPE! I have major room for improvement. My personal reason for living with less is a to decrease clutter {this screams anxiety for me}, free up space, helps me think more clearly, and focus on the relationships in my life.
The first area I totally decluttered was toys. This was easy as the boys got older and really only played with a few things. When they were younger we had a house full of toys. WAY TOO MANY. It was ridiculous. They never played with them. We had a period in our new house where I really felt like we were doing a great job in the toy department. Then Ella started playing with toys. We now have bins in her closet (you can see my post about that here). And a few bins in the living room. I do rotate them out which keeps her interested.
When you have young kids, it is hard to keep things to a minimum, but they really do not need a ton of toys. Whenever family asks what to get my kids for birthdays/Christmas, I love to tell them to pool money together for a big gift or experiences. Of course, they love getting a few new things to instantly play with as well, but I know the experiences are memories that will stay.
I used to want to decorate, decorate, decorate and fill my home with cute stuff. Now I realize a few things: it took up space. I had to clean around it, it made everything look and feel more cluttered, and it was more difficult to begin to organize/clean. I have minimal decorations {I could do better} and my bathrooms are basically empty. I have a few projects I would like to do in the bathrooms like frame the mirrors to make them feel more home'y'. But I enjoy having little out as it is easy to clean and looks clean!
I have a spot for everything. If I don't have room for something, it needs to go or something in it's place needs to go. This helps cut down table clutter. For example, I had quite a few casserole dishes but just got rid of at least 3 this spring. They were in great condition but I was having trouble getting them all to fit in a cabinet. I did not need that many. The toys also have a spot in our house. Are they always there, of course not. But when I ask the boys to clean up, they know where things go. Similarly, it is important to discard/giveaway duplicates. We don't need 3 monopoly games, 6 sunglasses, 21 balls, or 37 bath toys.
Next to go through on our list...legos! We have a spot for them but I don't think they need this many. Dan and I may disagree about this topic which may be why we still have so many. This is our little Lego area in the basement.
Who hates mail? Mail creates clutter instantly (as does unpacking the backpack). When I get my mail, I go through it all right away and take care of it (mostly trash anyway). We have pockets on our fridge (the ones I have are out of stock but these are similar) for things that need to be filed. All our bills are paid electronically. If I know I won't have time to go through the mail, it stays in the mailbox! Backpack papers are also either filed away, hung up, or trashed.
If you feel overwhelmed and want to try to declutter/live more minimally, these are my recommendations:
1. Think about what value certain objects give you. Do they help you maintain happiness? Do they get in the way of your happiness? Do you spend all day cleaning them up?
2. Start small. Go through one room a week and PURGE. Keep what you use regularly. Have a box and add items throughout the week. I promise you will start to feel good seeing less clutter around the home!
3. At Target (or wherever you shop) think about what value this item will give you. Will it get in the way of making things happier or easier for you in the long run?
4. What do you need to do to spend quality time on relationships? Unplug? Declutter? Do a load of laundry every day? Clean a little every day so it doesn't bog you down on the weekends? Let go of some relationships? Say 'no' to some things?
Have a great Wednesday! Head over to my Instagram to see my photo a day in May!
The first area I totally decluttered was toys. This was easy as the boys got older and really only played with a few things. When they were younger we had a house full of toys. WAY TOO MANY. It was ridiculous. They never played with them. We had a period in our new house where I really felt like we were doing a great job in the toy department. Then Ella started playing with toys. We now have bins in her closet (you can see my post about that here). And a few bins in the living room. I do rotate them out which keeps her interested.
When you have young kids, it is hard to keep things to a minimum, but they really do not need a ton of toys. Whenever family asks what to get my kids for birthdays/Christmas, I love to tell them to pool money together for a big gift or experiences. Of course, they love getting a few new things to instantly play with as well, but I know the experiences are memories that will stay.
I used to want to decorate, decorate, decorate and fill my home with cute stuff. Now I realize a few things: it took up space. I had to clean around it, it made everything look and feel more cluttered, and it was more difficult to begin to organize/clean. I have minimal decorations {I could do better} and my bathrooms are basically empty. I have a few projects I would like to do in the bathrooms like frame the mirrors to make them feel more home'y'. But I enjoy having little out as it is easy to clean and looks clean!
I have a spot for everything. If I don't have room for something, it needs to go or something in it's place needs to go. This helps cut down table clutter. For example, I had quite a few casserole dishes but just got rid of at least 3 this spring. They were in great condition but I was having trouble getting them all to fit in a cabinet. I did not need that many. The toys also have a spot in our house. Are they always there, of course not. But when I ask the boys to clean up, they know where things go. Similarly, it is important to discard/giveaway duplicates. We don't need 3 monopoly games, 6 sunglasses, 21 balls, or 37 bath toys.
Next to go through on our list...legos! We have a spot for them but I don't think they need this many. Dan and I may disagree about this topic which may be why we still have so many. This is our little Lego area in the basement.
Who hates mail? Mail creates clutter instantly (as does unpacking the backpack). When I get my mail, I go through it all right away and take care of it (mostly trash anyway). We have pockets on our fridge (the ones I have are out of stock but these are similar) for things that need to be filed. All our bills are paid electronically. If I know I won't have time to go through the mail, it stays in the mailbox! Backpack papers are also either filed away, hung up, or trashed.
1. Think about what value certain objects give you. Do they help you maintain happiness? Do they get in the way of your happiness? Do you spend all day cleaning them up?
2. Start small. Go through one room a week and PURGE. Keep what you use regularly. Have a box and add items throughout the week. I promise you will start to feel good seeing less clutter around the home!
3. At Target (or wherever you shop) think about what value this item will give you. Will it get in the way of making things happier or easier for you in the long run?
4. What do you need to do to spend quality time on relationships? Unplug? Declutter? Do a load of laundry every day? Clean a little every day so it doesn't bog you down on the weekends? Let go of some relationships? Say 'no' to some things?
Have a great Wednesday! Head over to my Instagram to see my photo a day in May!
Great delivery. Sound arguments. Keep up the amazing spirit.
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