Something has been bothering you lately. The life you have been living is just not doing it for you anymore. Something isn’t quite right.
There is too much stuff around your place and too little time and too little money.
The level of stress is going up and up and up.
Maybe you have been asking yourself things like, “What’s it all about?”, or saying things like, “There has to be a better way to live.”
Maybe you and your partner have been arguing about money.
You just know that some changes need to be made.
I am suggesting that living a more minimalist lifestyle may help to alleviate some of the stress.
Minimalist living?? What is that?
In a nutshell, a minimalist lifestyle is one that removes the clutter from your life. Not just your home and belongings. Your life.
You figure out what is absolutely essential and then you eliminate everything else.
The best part is that you get to choose what level of minimalist living works for you. Some people choose to get rid of almost all of their belongings while others living a pretty normal life but consciously choose what new items come through the door.
It is completely up to you.
My minimalist lifestyle is a work in progress. I have more stuff than I need (still), and am constantly trying to evaluate what I should get rid of.
If your house was on fire, what would you really want to save? Sounds extreme perhaps but maybe that is a good starting point to get you started.
Minimalist living is also about realizing that we are constantly being told by the media what our lives should look like. Companies are trying to sell us stuff that we probably do not really need. We need to realize that having more stuff does not really increase our level of happiness. Minimalist living can help keep us grounded in regards to the constant barrage of advertising.
As with any new venture I strongly suggest that you start small. Try not to do everything all at once. If you want to clear some of your clutter, just pick an area or room and spend a few minutes every day going through it. See how it makes you feel.
Are you inspired to keep going and tackle more? Do you feel refreshed, rejuvenated, lighter? These are common benefits of minimalist living.
You may find that you are reevaluating your priorities and values. What is truly important to you and your family?
Is it having too much stuff and not enough time to enjoy each other? Probably not.
Many a study has been done that examines how much stuff we have versus how much we actually use.
I have read that the average family that owns a home has in excess of 100000 individual items! And yet we use only 20% of those items. The rest of it just sits there taking up space.
I dare say that there are some items kicking around that could be purged. This is true for myself as well!
You may want to enlist the help of a friend. It is easy to have some kind of emotional attachment to your stuff which will make it tricky to be impartial when it comes time to let it go. Your friend will be a bit more practical. Phone a friend to help you.
It is worth mentioning that minimalist living is not the goal unto itself. Do not think about what you are giving up or giving away. Think instead of what you are gaining. More time, more freedom, more disposable income. Choose contentment. Pursue gratitude and generosity. Invest in relationships, grow spiritually, discover truth, and find purpose. Your life is far too valuable to waste chasing possessions.
Check out this post for more help on getting started with minimalist living.
Have you considered a minimalist lifestyle? What is holding you back from taking the steps that might get you there? Or what have you done that has worked for you?
“Live Simply”
Change The Code 
I go in spurts and fits. As a baby boomer, I would like to downsize to move into a smaller home. And my husband and I have made some progress. Progress for me by doing “baby steps”. Literally a drawer at a time. But it all comes to a complete stop when it comes to my studio and art supplies stored in various places In the house. I am a prolific painter, it’s part of living and breathing for me. And I haves boxes full of paintings and practice paintings. Recently I’ve been cutting out good portions of practice paintings and making them into cards. And I recently came across a project called Art Abandoned where you leave little pieces of art for someone to discover, so that could help reduce the inventory also. Sometimes I think about giving up painting ( except for commissions which I paint and then they leave the house) as I feel I’m only contributing to more “stuff” in the world, but, frankly life wouldn’t be worth living if I didn’t paint. So the studio and any storage areas are downright painful for me to even think about de cluttering as their is always the “possibility” factor. I really value your blog as a reminder to get back to simple. Thanks. Oh and the “what would you take in a fire” question is literally a great exercise. My husband and I were involved in a fire, and thanks to that discussion, we knew just what we needed to grab (make sure one is your wallet or pocketbook for ID purposes.
Don’t give up your painting! You must, must, must continue to do what you are passionate about. It is all the other stuff that could maybe be sorted through and purged. Baby steps along with consistency is the key to achieving success in any area.
Keep at it and keep at the painting!
This Easter weekend will be stress free form me. I will not be buying anything. No new clothing for church. No chocolate bunnies or candy eggs. Just time spent doing what is really important with family.
Excellent plan!