Since starting on my minimalist journey I realised that there were some myths that were holding me back from reaching my full potential with minimalism. It’s time to put these myths to bed – you absolutely can be a minimalist!
You can’t be a minimalist if you have kids – When starting my declutter, the benefits of having less stuff made the home feel brighter, fresher and a more welcoming space to be in. As I continued, I realised that my family were keen to get on board. After watching the process, my son was now keen to participate. You’d be surprised at how much calmer and easy your life can become with less. Your whole family will realise the value of time together.
It’s expensive to be minimal – I think some people believe it is about organising your stuff. Yes and no. It is about simplifying your life by reducing the number of things you own. When you do this, you will find you have less need for storage boxes/dividers etc because you simply own less things that need organising.
It means I won’t own anything – minimalism can mean different things to different people, but my general feeling is that it is about owning less items rather than no items. You still need to be able to function and own things that bring you joy, but the quantity of items needed is less than you think. It’s quality, not quantity. As you declutter your home you will find that you save money by not buying things, so when it comes to making a purchase for your home, you will be able to buy something of quality.
It means only having 5 outfits – many minimalist do create a capsule wardrobe, but that still means more than 5 outfits in total. It is believed that people only use around 20% of their wardrobe. Have a look through your wardrobe – you will be surprised at the number of items you can look at and say “I’ve not worn that in a few years!”. Are there items that have holes in, look worn, or maybe no longer fit? These items can go straight away!
It’s tricky to stick with/get started – It can be overwhelming to think that you need to declutter your whole house. However there is no time limit on completing this. Why not start in one room at a time and make your way slowly around the house. Once you have completed your first declutter you can start the cycle again, because believe me you will realise that you were holding back the first time!
You’ll lose what is valuable to you – This is certainly not the case. As you declutter your home you are looking at which item adds value to your life and these become the items you keep. You will end the journey with a home full of things that are important to you or add value to your life. What a wonderful home it will be!
It’ll take too long to become truly minimalist – like everything, it’s a journey. It can take as long or as quick as you want it to be. Once you get started, you will get the bug and realise how quickly you can declutter items without a second glance. Be strong and take the plunge – you can do this!
Some golden nuggets for becoming minimalist:
- Quality over quantity.
- It save you time and money.
- Each piece bought is considered.
- Reduce temptation by spending less time in stores.
Good luck on your minimalism journey!
Rachel, That 30 Something Life x
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