Embrace the Detour Tee (HERE)
I have too much “stuff” and I’ve made the decision to go on a journey of moderate minimalism. Before you say that isn’t a thing, it is because Google said so.
In all seriousness, the older I get the more I crave a simpler life with less stuff. By no means am I am a hoarder, but seven months ago my husband moved (for the second time in 10 years), and we were shocked by how much stuff we had accumulated. The packing and purging process was slow and tedious (partly because I wasn’t in the best of health) but afterwards, we both decided that we wanted to simplify things even more.
For us living a life of moderate minimalism just means getting rid of things that we don’t need and minimizing clutter in all areas of our lives. I HATE clutter and I find myself unable to think properly or be productive if there’s too much stuff around.
During our move, we donated and threw away what seemed like a “ton” of stuff. As we unpacked I found myself creating even more donation boxes for things I thought I wanted to keep but didn’t really need.
We don’t plan to move into a tiny house or give away all our possessions or anything like that (not that there’s anything wrong with that), we just plan to make a conscious effort to reduce, donate and replace when we can.
I’m very aware of the Marie Kondo/KonMarie method when it comes to decluttering and I plan to employ some of her techniques, but overall the plan is to do what best suits our lifestyle.
Here are some things I’ve been doing:
1) Since we recently moved my closet is much lighter, but I still go through it every three months and remove items that I haven’t worn in the last 6 months. I was notorious for keeping things because “I might want to wear that sometime”. If I haven’t worn it in at least 6 months to a year, it’s got to go.
2) I do a “do I need this” check before I buy anything new. If I do decide to get something, I add something I currently own to my donation box.
3) As a blogger, I tend to get a ton of PR packages. While it’s a great perk to receive these items, they can add up quickly and can take up a ton of space. Prior to my move I literally had boxes and boxes of hair and other beauty products. Now I decide (quickly/quicker) whether I’m keeping, gifting or donating the item all in an effort to reduce clutter.
So that’s it. I call this a journey to moderate minimalism because that’s exactly what it is, a journey that takes time and intentional effort but I’m committed to it.
