Tips for living minimally
A few years ago I watched a documentary on Netflix called The Minimalists. Something about it clicked for me, and it instantly changed my life and way of thinking about stuff.
Photography Coastpark Creative
Moving every couple of years kind of forces you to become a minimalist. Each time we move, I tend to go through a purge of my personal belongings, thinking about what I actually need and what can be sold, donated or thrown out. When you move, you don’t want to be moving lots of stuff that you never use, wear etc, so doing this regular purge is so essential.
When I watched The Minimalists documentary, it was like an a-ha moment! I think the very next day I started to go around the house, looking for things that I didn’t need and got rid of them. I find getting rid of things very liberating and freeing. So many of us are bogged down by our stuff, so to have fewer possessions that have more meaning or more purpose, can only be a good thing. I swear it does positively impact on your life – living with less stuff. Also for the past 20 years I’ve always lived in small-ish homes. I’ve lived in one bedroom apartments, and small three bedroom houses (to me a three bedroom house isn’t small compared to a one bedroom unit, but for many it may seem small).
In this blog post I’m going to discuss the ways in which minimalism has helped with living in a compact home and the spaces I like to regularly de-clutter.
WARDROBE
We have the ‘Pax’ wardrobe system from IKEA and it’s so good! I love that it’s fully customisable and you can create a wardrobe that suits your needs. I chose a mix of storage solutions internally so everything that I own has a place. When it comes to clothes, I’m definitely a minimalist. I don’t own much, nor do I feel the need to own lots of excess clothes. You’ll find, most the clothes in your wardrobe you never actually wear anyways. Keep the clothes/shoes/accessories that you wear often - and the rest - sell or donate. If you’re not sure, after you’ve washed your clothes hang them back with the hanger facing opposite direction to the rest of the clothes in your wardrobe. After 3-6 months you’ll be able to clearly identify the clothes you rarely wear, and ask yourself, does it still fit me, do I still like it, why am I not wearing it very often? This will help you to make your decision in whether to keep or get rid of.
BATHROOM
Bathrooms tend to be spaces that clutter easily. Obviously having ample storage is part of the solution here, but it also comes down to doing regular clean outs of your vanity and mirrored cabinets (if you have them). I did a cull recently, going through every drawer. I took every single item out, and checked if anything was out of date (old medication for example), and threw it out. I also got rid of any product I don’t regularly use. This typically is product I’ve been gifted that I didn’t want or need in the first place. Afterwards I was surprised how tidy my drawers looked. It’s a good opportunity to also wipe the drawers when they’re empty before putting everything back in. I’d recommend doing this process of de-cluttering every 3-6 months to keep on top of it.
KITCHEN/LAUNDRY
Our kitchen and laundry are combined in the one space so it’s pretty essential that everything has a place. Naturally it’s important that these spaces have regular clean outs. Pantries and fridges are the two places excess food can accumulate. I like to do a big cleanout every 2-3 months going through both and throwing out anything that might be off/out of date etc. It also gives me an opportunity to tidy up these spaces so that things are easier to locate.
Another thing that can add clutter - is too many double-ups of items (like too many mugs, glasses, spatulas etc). Go through what you own, sorting like items together and removing things that you own too many double-ups of. If you open your drawers and they are overflowing with things, I recommend doing this process!
Our linen cupboard is very compact, and whilst it’s enough space for what I currently own, I’m conscious of not buying too many new items as we won’t be able to fit them. If something does need to be replaced it means it needs to be thrown out/donated to make space for the new item. I also own 3 sets of replacement sheets for my bed (although if I’m being honest I feel like it should just be 2 as that’s enough). Being intentional about how much linen you need will help free up some space in your linen cupboard.
I’m certainly not perfect - just always striving to cut the clutter out of my life and keep on top of not accumulating too many things. My top tip for anyone about to start their own journey of minimalism is to simply cut shopping down to a minimum and only shop for what you need - not mindlessly shopping and buying anything on a whim. My next tip would be to focus on de-cluttering one room at a time (otherwise it can be too overwhelming). Go through each drawer, cupboard, shelf etc and one by one eliminate things that no longer have purpose. Items that are in good working order can be sold or donated, anything else can be thrown out. Be ruthless, and trust me, your efforts will be rewarded!