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, I’m happy to introduce you to Judith, who writes about the wonderful sense of lightness and freedom that decluttering can bring!
Judith writes:
I have always considered myself as very low maintenance, I never liked having A LOT of STUFF, and so even as a kid I regularly would purge my belongings. 2014 was an over the top busy and stressful year for my husband and I. My husband injured himself at work in May and as a carpenter he was not able to work for 3 months. As a business owner he had no income coming in for those months. And in August we ran into a great deal to buy a small house that needed some work. The perfect house and price for us. So we bought it and started the reno. We both work full time and are renovating the house as we can while living in it. It can get interesting. But I started to feel crowded and pressured. Then I ran into some information on minimalism, and it rang so true to me that our happiness does not come from what we have. I wanted our lives to be more than just about work and stuff. So I decided to start a major purge. I am not a good sales person so I donated a lot (over 12 bags of good stuff) and threw out just about as much. For someone who thought we didn’t own much, I was shocked. And I keep being shocked as I usually donate about 1 bag a week still at the moment. I have stopped spending (even though I always thought I was good at not buying stuff) and have adopted the one in one out moto. My husband has been very supportive and has got rid of a lot of his stuff as well. I am amazed at how much stuff gets accumulated. Stuff we don’t even miss when it’s gone.
The feeling of freedom in getting rid of my stuff is indescribable. When I first started purging I was feeling guilty for getting rid of stuff friends and family had bought for us, but as time goes, it all gets very easy. Getting rid of stuff is as addictive as wanting to buy stuff I believe. It feels like my head is much clearer, and cleaning is a breeze, even amongst these renos. As we continue on our renovations, I am planning on keeping the décor very minimal.
We are still a work in progress, getting rid of the superfluous stuff is just the beginning, and my goal is to have a stress-free life, which I can enjoy right now, every day. I want to be able to spend some time every day with the man I love and the people I care about. And I don’t mean just the few minutes after we’re all done work for the day before we go to bed. We are both hard workers and do not mind working, but I do not want our whole life to be only about work. When I get older I want to look back on my life and say that I really enjoyed it and never missed a moment to be happy and live in the moment.
{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.}
Doesn’t it feel great? I find the same thing: I’m constantly amazed by how easy it is to find things to get rid of in our house (and that we don’t really miss them when they’re gone). I’m writing about our simplifying adventures each week here (getting rid of stuff, lightening our schedule, etc.): http://everydaymindfulliving.com/simplify-saturday/
Judith purging things becomes very addicting if I do say so myself. I am constantly evaluating my possessions to see if I can throw it out.
I wish you and your husband peace and happiness and enjoy the renovation of your house.
Purging IS very addictive. I look forward to setting aside time to just do that. Good luck with the renovation!
It’s a constant work in progress, I agree. We’re having a garage sale soon because I cringe at how much we have spent on stuff (and I’m hoping to recover a few dollars in the process). Good luck in your journey!
Best of luck. We keep getting rid of things and passing things on. Clothes are given away unless they are so worn out they are cut up for rags. Paper bags are used 3 or 4 times and then recycled. Cardboard from cereal boxes is used for art projects before being recycled, as are egg cartons. Margarine containers are used to pass on plant cuttings. Old towels are rags unless they are big, then they go to the vet. I’ve made pretty paper into bracelets, old calendars are great for this. A friend fills old socks with dirt and grass seed to make puppets in the summer. Have fun.
Yes, so funny–it is so addicting to get rid of things!! Love your post! Best wishes to you!
I guess I am in the same boat as you. I thought I didn’t have much stuff, but when we moved apartments recently, I realized I wasn’t as much of a minimalist I thought I was. I don’t know whether i will embrace true minimalism in my life, but right now I am happy that I have only the stuff I use regularly.
Congratulations on such a great start to your decluttering journey! Less stuff will mean less stress, but you’ll be surprised at the other changes it will lead to, as you begin to let go of society’s “script” and make choices on your own terms.
Beautiful story! I am realy touched by it. My father did not need much, but he was not the kind of man to take care of stuff. He always was a thinker, flying over reality. He lost stuf al the time. After he had died, we found 14 readingglasses lying al over the house. He lost them and bought a new pair every time. We made fun about it and my dyslectic brother took one pair as his inheritance…. you never know.
Thank you all for your kind words. What a beautiful community.
I love your profile story Judith, it really resonates with me as someone who is looking for ‘doable’ minimalism. I want realistic, simple minimalism that is about freeing up time to spend with my loved ones rather than spending time looking after my stuff. And I agree with everyone else that purging is addictive! It is such a good feeling.
Just gave away another stack of books. Have been going through the DVD’s to see what we can donate to the library. Trying to reduce the tchotchkes in the house. There aren’t many but there should be fewer.
Yes I agree- life should not be about working, and by enjoying our lives we should not feel guilty for preferring to that than to work long hours every day.
I enjoyed reading about your journey Judith!
Many years ago I told a workaholic I know that my husband and I didn’t intend to work very much. We retired at 53 and 55 and our workaholic friend retired at 70. He has no interests or hobbies to keep him busy. There are classes to take, hobbies to do, volunteer work to keep busy and Travelling to do. You don’t need big cars, big Tv’s, or a big house with lots of stuff.
My friend bought 11 pairs of slacks to take on a 6 day cruise. I told her I wear one and take 2. Our friend laughed. My theory is if I can’t carry it I don’t bring it. Another friend brings one suitcase just for shoes. I bring one pair because I’m wearing one pair. And all my jewelry is from garage sales. Colorful, but cheap. I think it’s said to worry about dressing for complete strangers you will never see again.
I just gave my daughter in law some brand new candles I was given. My husband hates it when I burn scented candles and I know my son likes them as much as my daughter in law. I know there are more in the house they would enjoy having.