Be more with less.
Minimalist is a way of Life but whoever want to be one , it is easily achievable with some guidance.
I’m a advocate of the movement, it is not only a question of becoming a minimalist but to understand it properly prior to take any action in that regards. You don’t want to start something and after a minute had to stop because the information was not clear to begin with.
Will try my best to give you as much information as possible on how to start in a simple way to be a minimalist.
Minimalist
Before we begin,i should address the definition of Minimalist (Minimalism) so we understand the meaning and it will be clear after to continue with the steps that i will lay down below.
Source Wikipedia Copyright:
“Simple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one’s lifestyle. These may include, for example, reducing one’s possessions, generally referred to as minimalism, or increasing self-sufficiency. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they have rather than want.”
There could be so many definition but i think it, the the simplier the better ,so we know what we are talking about. It is so easy to say anything and everything, i don’t pretend to know it all, that’s why i take the time to do my research so i know the information is accurate as much as possible:)
Categories vs Peoples.
When considering becoming a Minimalist or at least trying to be one, there is 3 categories of peoples around this topic.
- Peoples that are really radical about the movement and will attack it with their eyes close . Will jump with both feets in the water without having a plan in the first place but build it along the way.
- We have the genre that will say , “there not much stuff in my house au contraire i don’t have enough space to store all of my items in the house”. Considering that most of the items, materials are not been used at 60%, if it’s not more.
- Three time the charm, is everybody that is ready to try something new but need direction , guidance to know step by step what need to be done so it could be a successful project.
Where to begin
At first i was lost myself, there so much to say about becoming a minimalist or to practice it in a way that you don’t even notice but i think it is the way that we implement things in our life that will make the difference.
Whoever is around you , have to understand why your taking the steps to have a simple life. (Of course if you decide to become a minimalist by choice, by trying it or taking the hamer to pinning that nail to the wood).
- To be debt free
- Have more time for yourself
- Less stress
- Clear mind when you hit home
- More focus on what you want to do and achieve in the futur (Notice this point, it is really important because when you have tooooo much around you, you don’t know if you should turn left or right).
Write Down your plan
You should have a list or should write down the reasons on why you want to have the simple life in the first place. Is there to much stress involve in your life, having to deal with debt all the time, tired of your 9 to 5 job, barely have time for the family.
Write everything that you may think of, want to downsize the house, get a new job, fire your boss, have better vacations,more time with your family,be more happy, stop beeing stress all the time.Are you doing it only for you or doing it for your family, what is your why,what is the true intention behind the process.
You will need this list along the way to remind you, why you started because it is not a easy path to take but so rewarding once you start seeing all the changes that will happen in your life.
Declutter your space
What is the meaning of decluttering your surrounding and why it is important to do it “asap”. Entering your car, your house or looking in your bag… If we see too many things in there, our brain will not function properly! It is design in a way, that it is so organise that once your brain is use to function in a certain way ,it will be all over the place (lost).
- It will reflect in all aspects of your life, so the simple solution to remediate is to clear up the space around us.
- Start by cleaning up the house or the appartment or your bedroom get rid of the stuff that is not useful to you.
- Of course it could be store in a box if you think you will need it in the futur but again it will take space so let’s not forget this. Minimalist is not to be rigid but by taking the appropriate steps to start the process and get going.
Try this exercise, once you have the chance to start… Declutter the house from head to toe, it will take time but once done, you will feel much better. Try to have the family involve, have a serious conversation on why everybody should participate and what could be the end result.
Transport
This is a big chunk of our budget, taking the car, the train or the bus .It is the same thing happening to all of us ,only at different level.
Car (Counting the repairs, the gas, monthly payment if you don’t own the car,insurance), it count for a lot.
- Should we have a smaller car maybe?
- Sell it and take the bus or the train maybe?
- Walk, run , take a bike, maybe?
Train-Bus ( Time could be a problem,depend on public transport,tickets expensive)
- Buy a car = Will cost more but save time
- Stress level could be less in bus-train
- Read more and relax (your brain have time to concentrate instead of beeing on the road and stress)
This is a interesting topic because it will force us to evaluate our current situation to know, if we really need to have 2 cars, should we take the bus,be more active and walk or run on our way to work. It is easy to own a car but what comes with ownership sometime is a big chunk of problem, even if you own a brand new car.
Evaluate, understand clearly what you need and not what you want and go for the solution that you feel is right for you and your family.
Dress- Clothings
All of us need to have some clothes, this is a fundamental element of life. Even if you leave in a country where the temperature rise above the melting point, it is advisible at night to be dress even lightly.
- What should we do about it?
- The question is more, why am i buying certain type of clothings compare to others.
- Should i purchase less clothings and recyle more
- Buying off season
Trading parties ( Someone from your group will organise a trading partiy night: consist of bringing most of your clothes, to be traded with one another until you guys have about the same amount of clothings that you came with).It is a fun thing to do, didn’t try it yet, never know in the futur. For now i just buy most of the time, off season , this is one of the best way for me to save.
Eat-Food
Not simple at all for this one. We all need to eat but there is a big price tag attach around this topic.
- Purchase with coupon
- Meat is expensive
- Vegetables could be costly but look for special
- Process food is what most of us buy
- Purchase Bio products ( Not the same price Tag)
Working hard, no time to cook healthy food no more. Taking the easy route and purchase the quickest dinner possible to have the family around the kitchen table in no time! Time is one of the main issue that we are facing and thats why we go with process food to help save time in the kitchen. Price wise, junk food is a lot cheaper compare to healthy food.
It is changing today but will take some time. Why not have the breafast at home before going out of the house and for lunch, try to have something simple to eat. Salad , sandwich, a soup maybe… Thinking about dinner, try a pasta recipe with only vegetables and see how it will work. Experiment with all type of food, until you have a perfect formula for yourself and after work on how to save money and eat healthier.
Save
All of us should have some savings somewhere that we have access to in case of a emergency. I do have a article about this, not to be left behind the frige : How to have a Emergency fund.
See my article here…
I did mention a solution in the article : if your working, ask your boss for a force saving plan to a 401k or a investment account until you have 1000$. Once you have reach the magic number you could concentrate your effort, to pay down your debt.
Numbers of peoples don’t have a emergency fund in place but counting on the credit card or the credit line to get out of trouble but one morning it will hit home, if we are not careful. I did learn the hard way, one day my car broke down and i reach for my credit card, i had no money available on it. Since that day, always had a plan B to protect myself and my family.
Learn
Try the concept for a moment, learn about the movement, search online, to understand why peoples decide to become Minimalist. By watching a lot of videos , reading books and looking online prior for myself and my family decided to embrace the minimalist movement.
It took a lot of effort to make a difference in our modern habits. Money wise it did a lot for us!
There is so much to do before becoming a real minimalist and it start with us, in the first place. Understand the why, the purpose, the goals and if we think this option will help us become the person that we always wanted to be.Embrace it and go for it.
Until next time.
Stanley
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