Minimalism Tag

Hey guys,

I'm here today to talk about a little bit about a very broad concept that is minimalism. To start off I would like to stay that to ME minimalism is the gradual reduction of unnecessary, unloved possessions and keeping the things that I love and/or use. I don't believe in the concept of only having an X number of things or only keeping the bare necessities. I think that is ok to keep an old teddy or birthday card as long as you don't keep EVERY.LITTLE.SINGLE piece of crap that comes into your life. 
Now that we got that out of the way, let's get started with the questions.

1. What  drew you to minimalism?

When I was 16 I had an extremely cluttered, typical teenage girl room with a million teddies, posters, pictures, tons of clothes and shoes and basically crap I did not need. As this was the time I started attending college and getting busier, I began to resent my room as it would take up a lot of my time to keep it organised and neat. So I guess what drew me to minimalism was my love for being neat and the lack of time to clean an excessive amount of bits and bobs.

2. How did you start the de-cluttering process?

Like I said when I was 16 I had a very, very cluttered room. But then my mum decided to move a bigger house which ironically meant that I would have a smaller room. 
Before we started packing I had to decide what furniture and theme I would like to have in my new room as the house had to be set up before we moved there. I had a long hard think and I decided that I wanted a sleek looking, grown up room. So there was no more room for a million teddies on my bed.
I went through all my things and threw away all the clothes I didn't wear, all the toys I didn't need etc. I was absolutely ruthless. I think I managed to reduce the amount of crap that I owned by 75% at least. And I don't 
regret it one bit. It made my life a lot more tidy and simple.
Since then I kept up the habit of clearing out my stuff and I do it quarterly. So every 3 months I go through my whole flat and get rid of things that I no longer need and that are taking up vital space.

3. Have you ever counted all your things? If so, how many things do you own?

No, I've never counted ALL the things that I own. I've counted some things in categories of the things that I own for example I have over 40 pairs of shoes. I have a lot of things, thousands most likely.However, I don't think I have an excessive amount since I only keep the things that I have a true use for or hold a deep sentiment.

4. What are your tips for dealing with the desire for more?

I think blogs and youtube have a big influence on the need for wanting more. Constantly looking at hauls makes us buy things. 
I will straight up say that I am a shopaholic. I love shopping. I am guilty of buying things I don't need (read 40 pairs of shoes is not enough). However, being on a budget prevents me from going too crazy.
My biggest tip for dealing for the desire for wanting more is lists. By that I mean wishlists. They can be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly etc. You write down the things you really, really want and before you go shopping try to write down your list from memory. Then compare. You most likely would have forgotten the majority of the things you originally wrote down. That indicates that you don't truly want them, that they're more of a temporary craving that you can skip and save your money for something you really want.


5. How do you deal with the non-minimalists in your life?

Honestly, living with one is sometimes a nightmare and a battle and a half. Unfortunately I can't have everything my way so I compromise. My boyfriend gets rid of things that he doesn't use and have no meaning for him and in return I let him keep his keepsakes, collectables and don't butt in on what he gets to keep. Healthy system all around.

6. Do you have a guilty pleasure where minimalism doesn't apply?

Yes. I don't clothes, shoes and beauty bits count as that because if I don't like it or don't use it I get rid off it. My guilty pleasure are books. I do not get rid off books. I passed on a few books that I grew out of and I've regretted it ever since. So I won't be doing that again.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and that it inspired you to de-clutter your life. I'll see you in my next one.

Mollie 
xx