Real Life Minimalists: Amy

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 Amy, who tells us how a series of moves opened her eyes to the joy and freedom of living with less.

Amy writes:

I realised I was interested in the concept of minimalism a couple of years ago, whilst living in a flat in Paris which was full to the brim with things. On leaving England to move to France, although I had sold and given away a lot of my belongings, I moved a lot over to France with the help of a friend who was willing to make the journey via the Eurotunnel in his car. Kitchen crockery, cutlery, CDs, books, clothes and shoes, basically everything from my UK flat except the furniture. After a while I moved to a smaller studio flat in Paris. I began to give things away again; anything I hadn’t worn in the last few months; clothes, shoes, accessories. I needed to move myself and to do it with minimal fuss, which meant minimal stuff. I realised that I am not particularly sentimental over possessions, except for some very important items (like my childhood teddy bear!). I don’t really wear jewellery and don’t have hundreds of bags and shoes. Books are my weakness though, I find it difficult to pare these down, particularly ones that were given to me as presents.

Once settled into the new studio flat, it felt good to have a fresh start and to have less stuff around me. It was also a period of difficulty for me, I was suffering with anxiety, but I found living in a smaller space with fewer things helped me to feel that I was taking control of at least one aspect of my life.

When I moved back to England last September, I stepped off the Eurostar with only one large and one small suitcase to my name. I left a lot more belongings behind in France, as I could only take with me what I could literally carry onto the train (although I admit I did send two boxes of books back by post!).

Now, I continually try to keep my belongings to a minimum, regularly donating to charities and selling clothes on ebay – de-cluttering is therapeutic. I still live in a small space and am attracted to the idea of living a more simple life. I’ve become more conscious of the effect of consumerism on the environment and try to cut down on the amount I buy – I love products for the home which have multiple uses. I believe that material things will not make you truly happy and reject the concept that success is defined by what you own. I place more value on experiences than possessions. For me, success is to enjoy life and be happy, simple as that!

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