I have flirted with being a minimalist several times over the last decade. And in many cases, have taken significant steps in that direction:
Downsize Our Wardrobes
There was the time I was inspired by our upcoming move and forced us all to get rid of a bunch of clothes. Yes, that didn’t stick at all for the kids, but my wardrobe has stayed very, very simple.
Paperwork Declutter Challenge
About once a year, I sort through any and all paperwork lying around and see if I can scan and trash it, just trash it, or if it’s a must keep in paper form and make sure it’s filed for easy access should the need arise. (It’s been amazing to me how small my filing system is now, most everything gets scanned and then trashed.)
End of the Homeschool Era
I homeschooled my kiddos for over 8 years, and while I held on to the curriculum and art supplies and so on far longer than I should have, it is now all gone. It took several rounds of purging. But I was able to let go of it a little at a time as the kids outgrew it and I gave up my fantasy of us at the kitchen table once again schooling like we did when they were young. It was heartbreaking to me for that era to end, but as the stuff left, the weight lifted.
Purging the Memories
The hardest purge I completed was getting rid of things tied to memories versus being useful. After so many moves over the years, the weight of the boxes as we prepared for another move finally convinced me that it was time. I took pictures of things that were special and then pretty much divulged myself of 100s of pounds of books, yearbooks, antique furniture, clothes, and so much more. I cried and I laughed and I sat in my thoughts. And then I let it go. And you know what, I do not regret it. I have not missed that stuff at all.
In the end, I am definitely not a true minimalist, but I certainly lean that direction. And as I enter this new phase of being an empty-nester (with my youngest planning to move out later this year,) I find myself more and more inclined to do another serious purse.
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Hope is a digital marketing manager and foster/adoptive single mom to five kids. She has run her own consulting company for over 15 years and took a leap of faith returning to the corporate world in 2021 to a job and team she loves! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally mastered the balance between family first and wise financial decisions.
