The concept is simple - we buy things we don't need that essentially take away from true happiness.
From the Becoming Minimalist website:
"Six years ago, we decided to embrace minimalist living.
At first, the reasons were simple: we were spending too much time caring for possessions and we were wasting too much money on stuff we didn’t need. These possessions were not bringing joy or lasting happiness. Even worse, they were keeping us from the very things that did.
Possessions had become the Great Distraction in our lives. And the simplest way to recenter ourselves on the things that mattered most was to remove the excess from our home and lives.
We embarked upon a journey to sell, donate, recycle, and remove as many of our nonessential possessions as possible. It was one of the most life-giving decisions we have ever made—the benefits have been practical and soul-enriching. And we would recommend it to anyone.
Owning fewer possessions means less cleaning, less organizing, less repairing, and less financial burden. It brings freedom, clarity, and opportunity. Intentionally owning less frees time, energy, and space—resources that could be spent pursuing our greatest passions.
Our lives and marriages require space to be lived and experienced to the fullest. But in a world of ever-increasing speed, time for reflection and investment in the things that matter becomes more and more difficult to discover.
Our world is built on consumerist pursuits—and rejecting those tendencies requires great intentionality from each of us.
Hans Hofmann, the legendary painter once said it like this, “The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”
Nonessential possessions begin to accumulate and demand our money, energy, and precious time. As a result, we have little left over for the very elements that make our marriages work.
We should be careful to not add extra burden to our marriages by chasing and accumulating material possessions. Our money is only as valuable as what we choose to spend it on. And so are our lives."
Now that you have insight into the concept, let me share my personal journey...
Let me start by saying that my husband is very minimalist. A closet full of golf shirts and t-shirts (most of which have been given to him) is the majority of what he owns. He would be very happy with a bare house as long as he has a TV to watch sports on and a bed to sleep in. He is not big into possessions AT ALL! (Though he does spend wayyy too much money on beer/cigarettes in my opinion - both of which gross me out, but that's another story).
I am the nester/the one who owns possessions and continues to collect more. I've mentioned several times in this blog that I've been doing the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover for several years now. I've made a great deal of progress on paying off my debt, but as you can see (especially lately with all the subscription boxes I've been getting), I tend to get off track easily. I'm a stress shopper and I'm well aware of it! It's a vicious cycle though - the more I buy, the more I have to work. The more I have to work to achieve the income I need to make to pay for my spending habits, the more stressed I get (and the more stress-related shopping I do). My house isn't uber-fancy and my car is paid off. Those aren't my vices. Clothes (and subscription boxes) are though. It's time to "get a grip" (as I tell myself when I'm in the Dave Ramsey zone)!
On the Becoming Minimalist, there's a great post about owning fewer clothes. (For the full post, click here).
From the website:
“Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly.” – Epictetus
Consider for just a moment how your life would look different if you owned fewer clothes:
You would have more disposable income. - TRUE!
You would have more time to live your life. - TRUE!
Mornings would feature less stress. - TRUE! (Less clothing choices to debate over).
Your closets would be well-organized and uncluttered. - TRUE!
Packing for trips/vacations would take less time. - SO TRUE!
Laundry days would be easier (not necessarily less, but definitely easier). - I kind of like being able to drag laundry days out for as long as possible, so this one doesn't affect me as much.
Unfortunately, instead of enjoying the benefits of owning fewer clothes, most of us buy into the lie that more is better. And because we do, we accumulate more and more clothing each season. We are convinced that new clothes will make us more joyful, more fashionable, and more popular. Unfortunately, they just end up getting in the way. - TRUE!
Consider going a different route with your life. Try owning fewer clothes. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy the freedom that it brings.
Whether you are hoping to minimize your wardrobe to the absolute minimum or just trying to pare down some of the excess in your closet, you will find these 10 steps practical and applicable:
1. Admit that you own too much clothing. - Yes, I own too much clothing!
2. Wear fewer colors. Most of us already have a few favorite colors that we wear most often anyway – usually because we like the way we look in them. Choosing to intentionally wear fewer colors means less accessories (shoes, belts, jewelry, handbags, etc.). It also makes too much sense not to try. - Mmmm, I like my colors. My "go to" is a colorful top, paired with black, grey, or white pants/capris depending on the season.
3. Embrace the idea of one. When one can be enough, embrace it – one black dress, one swimsuit, one winter coat, one black belt, one pair of black shoes, one pair of sneakers, one handbag… insert your own based on your occupation, lifestyle, or climate. - This may be the hardest one for me just because I have a lot of really great pieces that I've accumulated over the years (since college to be exact). The concept is right on. For me though, taking it to this extreme is a little more (OK, A LOT MORE), than I'm ready to do right now. I'll have to come up with a happy medium here that I can stick to.
4. Donate, sell, recycle, discard. Depending on the size of one’s existing wardrobe, an initial paring down won’t take long. Make a few piles – donate, sell, or recycle. Start with the clothes that you no longer wear. You’ll be surprised how much you can remove.
5. Donate, sell, discard some more. Removing the clothes you no longer wear is easy. Removing the clothes that you don’t really need can be a tougher choice. Turn around all the hangers in your closet. After the season, remove every article of clothing that wasn’t worn. That should help get you started on a second round of paring down. This is doable for me. The only issue I foresee though is that I have a closet of clothes ranging from Size 8 to Size 18. No joke! I don't want to get rid of clothes that are too small right now b/c when I lose weight again (another cycle in my life), I don't want to have to buy new clothes again. This is where I need to apply the same concept outlined in #3 above though. If it's not a size I wear now, I should only keep 1 of each item (versus 3 of each). I can do that! :)
6. Impose an arbitrary moratorium on shopping. For many, clothes shopping is just a habit – and habit always takes over for inattention. To begin breaking the cycle of purchasing and discarding, set a self-imposed buying freeze. I recommend 90 days. If given enough time, this simple exercise in self-discipline will change your view of your clothing and the stores that produce, market, and sell them. I've done this before and it's worked. I put myself on a Bath & Body works spending freeze about 2 years ago. (It was only supposed to last for a year and I haven't been back to the store since). Instead, I began making that the standing item from my sister for my birthday and Christmas - bottles of Moonlight Path shower gel. I just ordered some items from the Limited last week and some pajamas too, so I don't need anything new right now (not that I needed it then). 90 days from today, right?! (September 26, 2015)
7. Set a monthly spending limit. Pick a low number and stick to it. If I'm not buying anything clothes-wise until September, that gives me plenty of time to figure out a monthly clothing spending limit. I already have a monthly cash spending budget from doing the Total Money Makeover, so now the issue is just sticking to it.
8. Purchase quality over quantity. Only buy clothing that you truly love – even if it costs more. If you stock your closet full of things you love, you will have less desire to add to it. - True!
9. Avoid the sale racks. Sales can (and should) be used to help you get a better price on something you need. Unfortunately, most sale racks are designed to convince us to purchase something we don’t. - So true!!
10. Impress with your character, not your clothes. Lee Mildon once said, “People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a big smile.” True!
Well, now that the goal has been set, it's time for me to head to my bedroom and turn some hangers around. Wish me luck! Anyone else want to try this little clothing experiment with me? I'd love to have a little support group of sorts to do this with. (I'm not posting this on Facebook, so subscribe to my blog to get the posting updates).
XOXO,
Stephanie
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