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.
Today I’m pleased to feature Betsy, who tells us how her travels inspired her minimalist journey. Please visit her blog to read more about her experiences.
Betsy writes:
Hello friends. My name is Betsy Ramser Jaime and I blog weekly at www.betsyramser.com. In January 2013, I embarked on an 11 month 11 country mission trip around the world. During that year I lived out of a Osprey Ariel 75 backpack and a Patagonia day back. A few years before this trip I had been a business & fashion student living in NYC so everything that I was doing was a complete departure from what I was accustomed to. A huge step outside my comfort zone.
Although difficult at first (and strenuous on my petite 108 pound frame) I came to enjoy the simplicity of the backpacker lifestyle. I found a joy in really appreciating the items I owned but was no longer so attached to my clothes and “stuff” that I couldn’t let go of things.
Prior to 2013, I always really feared losing my luggage. The thought of being without my beloved clothes, shoes, and accessories was horrifying to me. However, once I started living out of a backpack, I came to realize that I valued the experiences so much more than any single possession that I owned.
I wanted the travels and adventure more than anything I had left at home. I remember sitting outside our home in Uganda and thinking that I couldn’t even remember most of what I had left behind.
During my year of travels I actually met and fell in love with the man who is now my husband. We both returned to the U.S. in December 2013 and came to a mutual decision that we wanted to downsize our lifestyles. Although we were both in our mid twenties and didn’t own too much between us, we still wanted to start our marriage living with less.
Through our experiences around the world, we had both adopted a mindset and philosophy of minimalism and simplicity. The next step for us was to replicate that philosophy in each tangible area of our life.
A second, more practical reason for the changes was that my husband had decided to go back to school. We didn’t want to take out student loans to pay for his schooling and came to the decision that we preferred to live simplistically and frugally and put the money that we would save towards paying his tuition each semester.
We went through each room of our home and gathered bag after bag of items for Goodwill. Although it might seem silly, there was so much freedom from decluttering and letting go of our possessions.
During the decluttering process, we let go of things that had not been used in at least a year. We took it one room at a time: wardrobe, closets, kitchen, bedroom, office, etc.
We continuously go around the house and closets each month and find a new bag of things to give away. We are constantly re-evaluating and letting go of more.
While I feel as though I have what I need, I no longer need to spend so much of my free time shopping. In fact, I decided to stop shopping for an entire year from September 2014 until September 2015. So far, I am so happy with each of the changes we’ve made.
Overall, since making these alterations to our lifestyle we have such a sense of peace and joy in our lives. We still have so much to figure out but we don’t find our happiness in comparing ourselves or our lifestyle to those around us but by staying true to ourselves.
{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.}
Betsy, good for you for jumping on the minimalist bandwagon so early in life! I admire your year-long ‘no buy’. I just completed a three-month one and, while it was hard at times, it kept me from many an impulse purchase! In fact, I’m thinking of going on another one again.
Best of luck to you on your minimalist journey!
Hi Alix, thanks so much for sharing. I find that people are sometimes shocked by the thought of not shopping for an extended period of time so I love that you did a three-month no buy of your own. As you mentioned, it’s a great way to force yourself away from making bad impulse purchases. I hope your next one goes just as well! Have a wonderful day.
Fantastic! I love that you went on a year-long buying fast.
Thanks, Kariane!
I am impressed by your shopping break. I seldom shop for clothes unless I see something I need at a rummage sale, garage sale, or end of season clearance. Even then, I usually talk myself out of spending money. I think most fashion is an attempt to convince us we will walk a runway.
Thank you, Tina. I admire your ability to steer clear of buying clothes unless you need something. That is a wonderful skill to have. It seems that the more that you build up a resistance to shopping, the easier it becomes. Thanks again for you comment and I hope you you have a nice day.
Hi Betsy,
I LOVE your blog. A quick question…how does the shopping fast work when you are replacing your skin products etc. ? Replacement products only, but no new ones?
Hi DJ, thank you so much and what a great question! Luckily for me, skin care, makeup, etc. is an area that I’m not usually tempted to over buy. If I run out of something I replace it. For example, I usually have a facial cleanser, scrub, toner, and moisturizer). Most of these products last for about 6 months (at least for me) so I don’t have to do much re-purchasing. Also, I never buy anything without doing some research ahead of time, that way I’m not tempted to pick up things on a whim. Thanks for asking, I may have to turn this into a separate blog post.Have a wonderful day.
What a beautiful story! I think a lot of people become interested in minimalism after spending time traveling and exploring nature. I am glad you were able to bring so much of that learning into your home.
Bethany, what a an excellent point! Travel can be the perfect opportunity to provide a much needed change in perspective. So much of what we learn to appreciate through travel and nature has so little to do with material possessions or ‘things.’ Thanks for sharing and best wishes.
There is always something new to learn on this site. I had put some things together to bring with me when travelling and I had more than I needed. A tiny sample bottle of shampoo has lasted for 3 trips already. Now I don’t pick up free samples any more.
My daughter and I visited my mom at her nursing home and did her nails. A little thing means a lot when you have nothing. She keeps trying to keep all kinds of old magazines, papers, etc. and they throw her stuff out. She was always a hoarder and periodically we would clean out her house, garage, and in later years her condo.