Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.
This week, Jonathan Chapman tells us about his journey into minimalism. I’m sure I’m not the only one who can relate to his eBay experience!
Jonathan writes:
I am a 27 year old male and I live in the UK. This is the story of how I became a minimalist.
I moved into a city centre apartment in November 2008. As I shifted all my stuff, I noticed floor space was quickly disappearing behind box after box.
Two months after I had moved into my apartment I was made redundant from my job in sales. The UK was heading into recession and finding another job wasn’t easy. For the first time in my life I found myself spending most of my time at home, surveying all that I owned. I felt like I was living in a museum of consumerism.
After a couple of weeks I decided to take some serious action. I had an apartment full of stuff that I didn’t want or need. I needed money to pay the bills, so I turned to eBay for assistance.
Selling on eBay became a full time occupation. I was forever photographing items, writing descriptions and harassing family and friends for cardboard boxes. I sold hundreds of items a month.
After six months I had managed to get rid of 60-70% of my possessions. For the first time my apartment was tidy and clutter free.
I found the whole experience very liberating and I no longer felt defined by the stuff I owned. I was no longer a slave to the consumer lifestyle. I had given it up for a simpler way of life.
Fast forward to June 2011, I have just put my last eleven items on eBay. Once these items have sold I will close my account and in doing so, I will close a chapter of my life.
From this point on I will live the life of a minimalist.
{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
I adore that he states ‘…when those sell I will close my (ebay) account’. AMEN to that!!!
An awesome story!
Wow… Short and sweet story. All the best.. May you never have to open ebay or any such account in future. :)
‘Once these items have sold I will close my account and in doing so, I will close a chapter of my life.’
Indeed. Well done Johnathon. Best wishes for your journey.
Regardless of how people find their way to a minimalist lifestyle (through choice or though necessity) they become happier. Glad you found your way to less.
There is one purchase I’d suggest you make…. a bottle of champagne to toast the closing of your ebay account. :-)
this i liked-even your story was minimalist!
very inspirational and inspires me to complete my last few items to sell on craigslist. I’m amazed at how once you start ridding yourself of possessions, the easier it becomes to keep going!
Clutter free…it feels so good!
This was one of the most well written guest posts in my opinion! Bravo!
I enjoyed the comment about living in a “museum of consumerism,” because it really got me thinking.
Jonathan, I hope you’ve found a new job?
Very inspiring story.
Amazed you managed to sell your stuff, I find that what with the recession it’s very difficult to sell – am really having to lower prices, practically giving things away.
“I felt like I was living in a museum of consumerism.” << Love that!
I went through something similar. One day I just looked around and realized, "Whoah. I've got so much… crap!" I started getting rid of at least one thing a day, which included selling a lot on eBay and giving a lot to the local thrift store.
Congrats!
Thanks for sharing your story Jonathan, I needed to read this!
I want to follow your example; I live in a tiny studio flat, so becoming minimalist makes perfect sense.
Like you, I’ve eBayed (and Amazoned) but I’m still surrounded by stuff, think I need to get brutal.
I love how succinct this post is. Very good!!
Kudos on working so hard to sell everything on eBay! I took the easy way out and donated a lot to thrift stores. I didn’t make any money on it, but I didn’t want to bother with eBay.
Did you find getting rid of stuff to be addicting? That’s what happened in my case. I loved getting rid of things I no longer needed.
Wonderful, inspiring story! Jonathan, I love that even your writing reflects your minimalist philosophy :)
This quote is so great: ‘I felt like I was living in a museum of consumerism.’ I know EXACTLY what you mean.
I have not used my ebay account in years, but I think it is time to open it back up. I ma feeling a bit cramped by some of my stuff. I reduced quite a bit over this last year, but then came to a halt, a plateau, and now it is time to start again!
Bernice
Using routines to become more productive
Excellent post. I find the more time I spend at home, the less “stuff” I want. My desire to pare down didn’t start until I started working at home full time and the kids were in school. Being alone with all the belongings made the constant visual chatter unbearable!
I hope Jonathan finds peace (and a job) with his new lighter life!
Too cool, Jonathon! You’ve even influenced us to give short and sweet responses!
Etsy is also a good way to sell stuff. You can sell antique/vintage stuff as well as handmade stuff. It’s not auction style — you set a price — but the listing stays on for like three months and the fees are way cheaper than ebay. Just fyi.
Great story, Jonathan! You made eBay your career for three years and managed to sell it all. Must have been lots of work, but obviously worth it. I hope you have found (or will soon find) a way to replace that income now that your rBaying days are coming to an end.
Made me think back to my own first days of paring down. This was pre-Ebay and car boot sales were the in-thing. After I had done a few of these I felt that the thought of ever having to do one of these ever again would be one of the biggest things to stop me accumulating yet more stuff! Now I just donate the odd thing and try to never, never let things build up. Good work Jonathan. I do hope you have found a permanent job now?
I usually didn’t have the patience for ebay, but I certainly would have if I was unemployed. I love it when something bad (being laid off) turns out to be immeasurably good (finding minimalism).
Another inspiring writer, thanks for sharing, I enjoyed your post.
I like this. Short, sweet, and to the point. Just like minimalism.
This is the first time I’ve commented although I’ve been reading Miss Minimalist for quite some time. I think this is my favorite profile I’ve read so far. Like so many people have already said, the point was well spoken and with very few words. Well done!!
Good for you, Jonathan. Loved your story. Inspired me to get going with eBay. Thanks.
I also like how succinct Jonathan is, but I especially like how he plans to close the ebay account. I’m very proud of my 100% rating, so I would have trouble taking that step. However, it would nip any thoughts of buying things just to sell them in the bud. :)
Loved your story. Very succinct. I cannot say anything in 500 words or less, but will try:) I have donated a lot of items to the local Salvation Army thrift shop and continue to sell things on ebay & etsy sometimes. Its difficult for me to find the time to do ebay, and I would list more if I had the time. Congratulations on your new clarity and clutter-free space. A lot of us are working toward that goal every day:)
Good post! I never wanted to get involved with eBay – always seemed too much of a faff and I got stressed just thinking about all that photographing and mailing. I give everything away and this I find truly liberating.
I keep giving things away and finding empty spaces. I am down to 2 small bins of craft supplies. My car has things for a Goodwill trip. I love giving things away and paring down.
We just went for a big shop because we had prescriptions to pickup. 6 rolls of toilet paper lasts a month. 4 boxes of cereal. We still have a box of Kleenex, plenty of soap and dish and laundry detergent. I have samples of toothpaste so I never buy any. I still have 2 old towels to cut into rags and a few old socks. We recycled a big bag of plastic bags. There are more books to get rid of. My husband teases me about how much I give away.
I am going to buy paper party goods for the first time in 2 years. I don’t own anything red and that’s my Mom’s favorite color. In fact, I will use real silverware so I don’t have to use plastic. I am making her a birthday party, she will be 89.
I have made 2 more big parties since my Mom’s birthday. I borrowed chairs and a big table. I have a lot of empty space in my home, so it works out well. I have been giving away the toys I kept here when my grandsons were younger. There is still a box of children’s books and coloring and craft materials.
I keep crayons to give the younger kids and dental floss and toothbrushes for the older kids. All the visitors get something. The library has a program where the kids send cards to people in the hospital so they get my art supplies.
I filled a bag with art supplies for the Y day camp. Then I filled a bag with books to give away. Then I filled a bag with greeting cards for my friend who volunteers at a nursing home. There is always more that I can eliminate. I found some fabric I was given when I was quilting and now I see a box for fabric donations– my next bag to fill.
Two more big bags are ready for Goodwill. My daughter got a bag of clothes from a friend, picked out a few things and then I picked out 2 things and the rest are leaving. I also have some dishes to give away.
I have been helping my 41 year old daughter
get rid of things so she can move to a cheaper place. She has sold at least 8 big bags of books and CDs. She has given away at least 6 garbage bags full of clothes she doesn’t wear. And still there is more.The sad thing is that there are people who have much more stuff than she has.