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Who Doesn’t Want To Live A Happier And More Fulfilled Lifestyle?
One of my goals this month is to declutter our home. Not only because we are at the point where spring cleaning begins but because I recently adopted a lifestyle of “less clutter, more time”. A minimalist lifestyle and mindset that means our family is able to enjoy life more by owning less. Purposefully deciding to own fewer possessions is an important step in getting your house in order, as well as your finances.
Minimalism or the minimalist lifestyle encompasses a number of different practices to simplify your life. These include self-improvement, productivity, reduction of possessions, and reclaiming time.
Chances are pretty good that your house or apartment isn’t too small – you’ve just put too much stuff inside it. Decluttering your life of anything you do not want = FREEDOM!
Why Should You Rid Your Home Of Clutter?
It’s easy. Every possession you own, has the potential to weigh you down. You have so many items you need to worry about, care for, and maintain. I love letting go of extra crap. We will be decluttering or home and life until we are happy with the changes. It is an on-going process, that has become a part of our daily routine.
If you want your house to be cleaner and more organize, get rid of the stuff you no longer use.
We don’t like to keep paper unless it is absolutely necessary. For the most part, all of our bills are emailed. We do however, keep up with tax documents just out of sheer paranoia but if you file, there is usually a virtual copy of everything you do at tax time.
Here’s the big picture. There are just way too many things we hold on to that we don’t need.
The amount of stuff we our almost two year old, the hubby and I own, you could easily mistake us for a family of five! We decided to make a change, and here we are.
So now back to the issue at hand.
How To Genuinely Enjoy Life More By Owning Less
You need a strategy, a routine, discipline and commitment. Have you noticed that in various places in your home, for example, in drawers, boxes and cupboards in your garage, basement, or even rooms you just keep “junk”?
Boxes of items you don’t need, don’t use, maybe some you do not even remember owning. Why do we do this? We are creatures of possession.
Do you go out shopping and return home with a car load of items – some of which you don’t really need? Different seasons call for gift giving. We receive gifts and as a consequence keep adding to what we possess, without going through the process of eliminating the items we no longer need.
Organizing your home (translate: keeping items neat and tidy ) is only a temporary solution.
An organized home is great. I support that and love it.
Do you know that organizing items you no longer need is a waste of time? Why? It means you will end up coming back to those very items in order to repeat the process.
So here are my suggestions for you on how to free yourself from any future added stress and overwhelm so you can enjoy life more by owning less.
1. Save Yourself Time By Removing Junk From Your Home
Adopting a minimalist lifestyle will save you time in terms of cleaning, tidying up, and reorganizing your home. I am all about ways to save time and boost your productivity.
It is important to allocate time for yourself every day to do something you enjoy.
Give yourself guidelines, like “making a decision that all magazines more than two months old will automatically be thrown out. Any clothes smaller than one size below your current size will be donated to charity.
- Make your me time a priority
2. Save A Lot Of Money When You Get Rid Of Items You No Longer Need
When you make daily conscious efforts and decisions own less stuff, your tendency to purchase unnecessary things will diminish. That’s the truth!
By buying less, you will be spending less. Sceptical? Try it out for at least a month and see how much you money is saved.
Go through your closets, drawers, and cabinets and throw away everything that you aren’t using. As the pile of items increases, add up how much money you spent on all those items. It’s a great reminder when you see how much stuff you’ve bought that you didn’t really need.
- Save the extra cash and spend on something important that will benefit the family.
3. Get Rid Of Duplicate Items
Here in Austria you will almost never find buy one get one free deals. Those are pretty much non-existent here, so the urge to resist grabbing that opportunity when it arises is tough. Even if it is an item we don’t need. Hey, it’s free right? You can really enjoy life more by owning less if you make the effort. It will be worth it in the end.
Have you ever searched your home for something, couldn’t find it so you bought another – or two more? Accumulating duplicates. The best thing to do is to get rid the older of the two.
If you’ve got the time and inclination, sell your extra stuff on eBay or Craigslist.
- Let go of the “just in case” mentality.
4. Less Stress – Less Anxiety
A great way to enjoy life more by owning less is to eliminate daily stress. I love to give stuff away for free, so when I know there is someone in need whom I can give our extra items to, I get a box or bag together and fill it up.
Living a life with less clutter is an amazing step and benefit to the way you start and end your day. You will notice negative life stressors replaced with positive thoughts.
The way you approach your day, as well as your perspectives on life will attract good things.
- The process is both freeing and therapeutic.
5. Leave The Past Where It Belongs
Do you feel emotional attachments to items in your home due to guilt, pain or sadness?
Ever felt the need to hold on to something out of obligation? It is alright to let go.
You may have items you have inherited from a family member who passed away or a gift you received for Christmas that you really don’t like. No fear, someone else might be able to put it to better use.
The power of letting go is knowing that even though that item may hold sentimental value, it is not beneficial to you.
Have you taken in all the benefits of owning less? Make it a point to get rid of at least three items in your house every day. Slowly but surely, notice the change.
The amount of space you create will surprise you. I suggest starting with one room first. Finish that room completely, then move on to the next. Take your time, you don’t need to do this all in one day.
- Here ‘s a link to a post I wrote on How To Declutter Your Kitchen In 5 Minutes!
When you have less, you appreciate and cherish what you do have even more.
Open your eyes and re-discover the true value of the things you’ve taken for granted, only then can you really enjoy life more by owning less.
Now Over To You…
Have you mastered all the steps above? However you decide to approach things, if you want to be successful at getting rid of a lot or most of your junk, you have to be a little ruthless and leave emotion to the side.
Paper, clothes and sentimental objects are top clutter offenders.
What steps have you taken over the past 12 months to simplify and declutter your life?
Have you noticed yourself becoming happier by owning less?
Share your thoughts and experiences with me in the comments section below.
Download the declutter Your Kitchen In 5 Minutes checklist from my free resource library for instant download now!
37 comments
Yet another extremely relatable topic and point!! I want to have less so i have to care less and i realize it does help me have a clear mind!
Aww thanks so much. I am glad you enjoyed the post! When you have a clear mind, you can focus on so much more.
I am always so ruthless when it comes to having a clear out, but my clutter never seems to go down. My family having lived in our house for over 30 years, I bet you can imagine the things we’ve accumulated! I need more of this advice to be put into action.
I am constantly attached to my belongings, and I need to get more ruthless, with getting rid of things. I’m always like what if I need that etc.
I would love to be minimal only problem
Is I love things and my son is young and loves toys so minimal isn’t essy
I had a huge declutter about months ago and it felt absolutely great. The house looks so much better and i have made room to buy more so win win ha
This is a really helpful post, I am such a terrible hoarder though! There’s just too much stuff and not enough space!
I have been slowly decluttering my home but then I find myself with even more items than before, these are truly handy tips I need to implement
My name is Kaz and I am a hoarder. I actually think I need some therapy as I just cannot get rid of any of my clutter! Kaz
I seriously need to declutter. I never thought I would but I’m turning into a bit of a hoarder.
Self-funded moves to two countries in nine years has done wonders for my ability to just throw stuff away. Books and artwork are the only things that I hoard, but even books get thinned out and I read ebooks now, though they don’t give the same satisfaction. A wall of books makes me happy. 🙂 But most stuff, if I haven’t used it in six months/a year and doubt I will any time soon … it goes. I have small items that mean something to me, but overall, especially with loft living, I’m happy to toss unnecessary items. There’s a lovely song called Leave It All Behind, by Age Pryor. I tend to have that on repeat in my head when packing for moves.
Absolutely agree.. the more baggage you have the more stress.. and I need a free and decluttered room to think clearly!
Decluttering is important for every area of our life…take out duplicates, give out what you don’t need, stay away from toxic contacts….you definitely have more time to focus and get things done faster…love this
We have sold plenty of unused items and old books lately. It is nice feeling to have some extra space in closets and of course, I’ve enjoyed getting some pocket money by selling those old things. I know there is still plenty of stuff of which we could get rid of but I don’t have too much time to go through them right now. Maybe on my summer vacation I’ll put some more oldies on sale. 🙂
I don’t like hoarders and I try not to be one haha. I know my mom used to be one. She save every drawing I made, I understand that that has emotional value. Anyways, I think it’s good to have a healthy house with enough stuff, but not over decorated. Minimalism is hot!
Such a great post! You do make some amazing points! I definitely find that letting go of certain things not only makes it easier but also makes room for new things that are necessary.
What a wonderful post! I’ve always been the type of a person who hates owning bunch of stuff. I frequently go through everything I own and sell/give away things I don’t need. I can’t stand having a lot of stuff. Such a funny thing, my husband seems to be a hoarder at the times 😀
Totally agree. Minimalism is the way forward. I actually had a clean up the other week. Now I need to tackle my wardrobe! Ree lovee0
I would love to do a haul in my home. I am minimalist on the surface but behind the closet I hoard things…so much!
I’m moving in a few months and about to begin my purge, so right about now I do wish I had less. Hoping to get rid of some toys without the kids noticing lol
Having less really does make a difference. As we prepare for our move, we’re thinking of all the things we have accumulated over the years and how unnecessary they are. I’ve been able to get rid of some of the items without my husband realizing it. He’s a bit of a hoarder.
I love letting go of stuff too. Every season I go a quick cleanse!
De-cluttering is so good for the mind and for a clean home (obviously). I started going through a huge de-cluttering session to help my anxiety; tidy environment = tidy mind, that’s what my Mum always tells me.
Ellie
I am truly a hoarder at heart so it is sooo hard for me to throw anything out. Last year I purged my closet to make a donation at church and while it felt amazing to let go of that stuff, I still wonder about it. Things like “where did that shirt that I wore to that concert 3 years ago end up”? Crazy i know.
Such a great article! I always have my room cleaned up 🙂
I love these tips! I have noticed that when my environment is cluttered, it makes my mind feel cluttered too. I actually relax by cleaning and tidying up my space 🙂
In the last year or so, since we moved to our new home, I’ve been working hard on cutting down on the clutter. It’s tricky with 2 little children, especially with grandparents who love to give presents. But I think it’s a great lesson for them not to expect gifts, and to be grateful for what they have.
I can completely relate to this Meredith!
I’m definitely happier owning less because my life is simpler and less cluttered. I really enjoy decluttering so I try and do it with every change of season. Plus it feels good to know that items I don’t use are going to charity for someone who may really need them.
I agree. It is so freeing and life is just less overwhelming in general. I love to see all our extra stuff go to someone who really needs it and hope one day they pay it forward too.
I am so on board with minimalism and have recently started to clear out my home! I’ve so far done my whole wardrobe and donated so much to charity and given to friends. It’s actually such a relief and so much easier to decide what to wear now! Next stop… the kitchen!
That is great! I love the fact that you chose to go room to room as well. It makes the process easier. You will be so happy when you have completed the kitchen! The amount of space available is like having an entirely new kitchen. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
I’m a huge fan of minimalism, but I still struggle with buying duplicates of random things!
I would prefer the decluttered minimalist lifestyle, it is a lot less stressful. Less is more.
I can totally relate to what you are saying. Owing less equals freedom for me as well. I am by nature a very minimalistic individual, I feel happier when I have less items of good quality than a bunch of cheap things I do not cherish!
I am right with you on that one. I am learning by doing and seeing the benefits everyday. 🙂
Every spring, I always go through all my stuff and declutter! I feel so much better afterwards. Great post!