A Guide to Living the Minimalist Lifestyle
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in your home? Is it becoming difficult to maintain a neat, organized space? Becoming a minimalist could be the perfect solution. Minimalism is an easy-to-follow lifestyle that encourages people to live with less and focus on experiences over material possessions. Here’s how to become a minimalist in your own home.
Start Small by Decluttering Your Home
The first step of becoming a minimalist is decluttering your home. Start small by going through certain areas or items, such as clothes, books, or paperwork. Get rid of anything you don’t use or need by donating or throwing it away. As you go through each item, ask yourself whether it brings any value to your life before deciding if it should stay or go.
Once you have decluttered all parts of your home, organize what’s left and create designated spaces for each item. Investing in containers and dividers can help keep things organized and make it easier for you to find things when needed. It is also important to designate specific areas for incoming mail and store any excess items in the attic or basement, so they are out of sight and out of mind but still within reach if needed.
Reduce Your Shopping Habits
Shedding unnecessary items from your home is only part of the equation—you must also reduce any new incoming items as well. To do this effectively, re-evaluate your shopping habits and ask yourself why you purchase something before making any decisions. This will help prevent impulse buys and limit clutter from entering your home in the first place.
Additionally, consider subscribing to services (what’s an example of this?) instead of buying products whenever possible. This way, you can save money while simultaneously reducing physical items in your home.
Embrace Experiences Over Things
Living with less doesn’t mean living without joy! Instead of buying physical items with money saved from decluttering, put those funds towards experiences instead. Enjoying experiences rather than buying stuff can help reduce stress since there won’t be more “stuff” piling up around the house. Additionally, taking time off to enjoy those experiences can improve mental well-being. Whether attending a concert or taking a weekend trip somewhere new, investing in experiences rather than things can provide lasting memories far better than any material possession.
Do a Digital Detox
What does a digital detox have to do with minimalism? Everything! There is a saying, cluttered mind, cluttered home. However, we often associate this saying with a cluttered home leading to a cluttered mind. It works in reverse too. When your mind is full of clickbait, ads for tons of cheap and disposable stuff, worries about looking like Instagram influencers, angst about loud political opinions, FOMO from Facebook, and frustrations over spam emails, this mental clutter spills into other aspects of your life. Your digital space should be as minimal as your living space. Unsubscribe to spam, put call control on your phone, limit social media, and curate your Reddit feed.
Clean Your Budget
Budgeting and minimalism also go hand in hand. Why? Because when you know how much you have to spend, you make better choices. Junk food, novelty home items, tickets to events that make you go “meh” – these are not as important when you know exactly what is in your bank account.
Set up a budget, then trim off things that lead to waste. Love coffee? Don’t give it up; find a cheaper coffee shop or make your own. Love streaming services? Find the ones that add value and discard the ones you are not using. Consider dropping down a tier on things like Netflix. Enjoy unique events? Your local library and community have plenty of free or low-cost events, so you never have to miss out. By taking care of your budget, you’ll consume and buy less, and what you do buy will add more value to your life.
Digitize Your Memories and Use the Cloud
Memorabilia is great but can take up a lot of space. Scan old photos and take pictures of your saved items. Then, let them go. A digital album backed up on cloud storage is a minimalist way to relive your favorite memories again and again.
Grow a (Tiny) Garden
You only need a little counter space or a balcony to start a thriving container garden. Not only does this add beneficial greenery to your life, but you can also have lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, and more – fresh from the soil. This helps with a minimal lifestyle because you eat better and save room for meat and dairy in your fridge. The better you feel, the more you’ll embrace healthy minimalist habits. Developing a green thumb is a great way to enhance your minimalist journey.
Reinvent Your Wardrobe
One of the best ways to enjoy minimalism is to make over your wardrobe. Invest in high-quality basics that are easy to mix and match, then fill in the gaps with items that showcase your style. Using this method, you’ll own less and have a clean and tidy closet, but always look put together. Foundational pieces save you time and money.
For example, instead of many pairs of trendy jeans that go out of style, a couple of good pairs that fit well and are topped with much less expensive trending shirts or jewelry stretch the wardrobe while allowing for personal expression.
Embrace Minimalism!
It’s more than cleaning out the closet. Minimalism is an important lifestyle choice that applies to your physical, mental, and financial spaces. Choosing minimalism opens the door to cleaner spaces, calmer minds, less debt, and healthier bodies. Embark on minimalism today. It is a journey you can take one step at a time, but a journey that leads to very rewarding places.
Worried about what to do with your extra stuff?
Guardian Storage has the perfect solution. We have a wide variety of storage units in different sizes so that you can find the perfect one for your needs. We offer climate-controlled units and on-site security to protect your belongings.
You’ll have peace of mind knowing your belongings are safe and sound at Guardian Storage. Our gated entry, digital video recording, and on-site managers will ensure your items are well cared for. Plus, our properties are always clean and well-lit. Contact us to learn more.
