5 Tips for a More Minimalist Life
Minimalism is having a major comeback, and for me personally it's been something we've been working on a lot as a family.
This past summer we moved from our comfortable suburban home to a much smaller condo overlooking the ocean. In full disclosure, the end goal is to find a space somewhere in the middle space wise, but we still have seen so much benefit from downsizing that we will be incorporating always.
In general, I'm someone who always dreams and goes big. This applies to everything from big goals and aspirations, to in general having a lot of "things". The fact is, though, I actually USE most of it. I use the two creamers I keep in the fridge, all the eyshadow pallets, and notebooks and planners.
I also love the feeling of having enough, for example tons of snacks in the house, veggies etc...
However, here are ways we as a family lead a more minimalist life and tips that we've found helpful.
1) Not Everything Has to Happen in Your House:
With a bigger space, birthday parties, family get togethers, business operations for both me and my husband (his partially), were always at home.
Now, our kids birthday parties are at fun venues like farms, Driven Day fulfillment is outsourced, and pool parties or get to get togethers at parks are a norm. We still host plenty at home too, but it's not 100% of the time. The huge benefit of this in addition to the obvious is its a lot less to maintain. No house that's dirty from a birthday party if you do it somewhere else, swimming outside means everyone plays there, and business is kept separate from personal.
2) More Trips to the Grocery Store:
In our old space we had two fridge and freezers and an additional freezer. In reality, we totally didn't need that much space. Now, we have a chest freezer and regular fridge/freezer. The only major difference is sometimes that means additional trips or orders (I'm a huge delivery fan), since we can't keep so much extra in our home. This also means however, that I"m more aware of what we have and there's less waste. So many times there was something in the downstairs refrigerator that I had no idea about.
3) Be More on Top of Your Stuff:
We're constantly giving away old clothes, broken toys, or vases we don't use since simply there's not as much space to keep it all. Again, a little more time and thought, but a huge win is that your kids really play with the toys you have, and your wardrobe is super functional.
4) Outdoor Time:
One of the most amazing benefits of moving to Florida is the weather. We love going outdoors, and with that means less is needed indoors. We ride bikes, going to the beach, parks, and swimming. That means less clutter indoors since the world is our playroom!
5) Storage:
Right now we have a storage unit with some of our things, and that is with getting rid of almost 80% of our possessions before we moved. This isn't a tip as much as as an FYI that we chose to do this and are very happy with the decision. The reality is, I have a feeling we'll probably get rid of a lot of it again when we move into our forever home. But, our Chanukah decorations and toys are there, swag we had ordered for our son's Bar Mitzvah way back etc..
We also keep a lot of bikes, scooters, and pool toys in our building's garage, fishing supplies stay in the car for easy access, and recycling gets brought down ASAP.
One last PSA:
I don't think I would have been comfortable doing this if we didn't have time in a larger space. It helped jus appreciate the simpler things.
Have. you downsized? Let us know it went and your tips!