Minimalism, Well Kinda

The image above is the first image that popped up as I typed "minimalism." It's simple, unique, and fits. It is so unlike my life and journey into minimalism. We, my husband and I, are just getting started. We live in a small, two bedroom apartment with a growing toddler and a 90 pound lab. When it was just the two of us, this place was big. We added our pup and it became homey and then as we became parents this place just didn't fit us anymore.

We decided to dive into minimalism after watching Marie Kondo's Sparking Joy and Tidying Up on Netflix. Watching how ordinary people literally just cleaned out and the change in their demeanor had us sold. For years, we have stared at our walls and added decor and bought more furniture and, and, and... You get it. Until now.

After watching our first episode of Tidying Up, we started with our dresser drawers. So many unworn clothes. We cleaned out, removed a dresser from the bedroom, and piled clothes to be donated or sold. I decided I'd read through my extensive pile of books and end book subscriptions until I could get rid of the books I had left to read. Thanks to a friend for taking a huge load of them!

We then made our way to our walls. We took down all of the decor from various stores and left just the simple things that brought joy. Beach pictures, family photos, and our daughter's artwork. It's amazing how disgusting walls can become after living in a place for a few years...

Next was the kitchen and bathroom. We hoed out the cabinets. Got rid of things we've never touched. Got rid of the duplicates we have. Donated old towels to the humane society (because fur babies deserve soft towels too). We organized things into bins so we could see what we had so we didn't buy more.

Lastly, we hit the back room. Our worst nightmare. It still isn't complete over a month later but it's a heck of a lot better. We have cleaned out, sold stuff, and donated so much more. We sold a futon we bought last fall because we haven't had a visitor spend the night in over a year. We decided to just use our pull out couch as our couch and sell the rest--why not?

Less stuff around, less stuff to clean. Now while we still have more to journey and clean out that materialistic we are also cleaning out our social life, our financial life, and so much more.

We started using Truebill and got rid of subscriptions we don't need. We realized we were paying $10 more a month for a phone plan we didn't even touch. I ended my $14 a month book subscription service. I ended my Spotify and found a new joy in the radio and the free service. I take advantage of free trials and try to remember to cancel them ;)

Our journey to minimalism hasn't been the easiest. It's been challenging and scary but in the end it's all been rewarding. Our daughter is growing up in a home where her parents are able to spend time with her versus time cleaning up messes. She's able to run and play without the constant worry she'll get into something (although we all know they always find something). She's found joy in helping to clean. It's been a life lesson for all of us and we're so glad we did it.

If you're feeling burnt out, defeated, anxious, etc and you don't feel at home within your space...check it. It may just be a simple change of pace that brings it all back. Good luck.