Our Journey in Minimalist Living

Q: Why be a minimalist?

A: It’s a way to escape the excesses of the world around us — the excesses of consumerism, material possessions, clutter, having too much to do, too much debt, too many distractions, too much noise. But too little meaning. Minimalism is a way of eschewing the non-essential in order to focus on what’s truly important, what gives our lives meaning, what gives us joy and value.

Minimalism is something that I posted about here a few weeks ago.  It is a lifestyle that Cody and I became very interested in, specifically after moving to Alaska.  We had WAY too many things in our lives and not enough adventure.  As all things in life though, it is a work in progress.

We are still in the process of de-cluttering our lives and it has been difficult at times. There are books, furniture, movies, and frankly just lots of stuff that we have accumulated. Personally, getting rid of clothes has been a difficulty.  I gave away three entire trash-bags of summer clothes when we moved to Alaska (seriously).  This was super difficult for me because I have always loved clothes and enjoyed an interest in fashion.  Even after giving away those bags I still had an incredible amount of clothing to take with on our move...and what I would consider a bit of a shopping habit.  So, quitting the shopping and cutting back to the basics has been tough.  I am doing fairly well (and haven't bought ANY clothes lately) but it is still a struggle every time I see someone with a new pair of Tom's or a new shirt from UO. But….

There are still LOTS of clothes to go through! 

Guess what?? It feels so good once you finally do it! I struggled to give away certain items (books, clothes, etc) but none of them were items that held any sentimental value! Anything that is "special" I have kept and held onto dearly.  But, a shirt I bought three years ago at the mall (and have worn maybe 10x) is NOT important.  This has been difficult to grasp but I honestly don't feel like I am missing out one bit.  I feel more free and less dependent on my things every day.

Enjoying the "little things" in life. 

Cody and I want to focus more on human experiences.  We want to find more things that we enjoy doing together as a couple.  This weekend we are doing yoga together for the first time and we hope to find many more activities to do together that we love.  It is still something that we are striving for and occasionally struggling to enforce in our daily lives, but when we follow-through with it we feel so accomplished! It is so important just to focus on our experiences and our lives without stuff.

Waking up to see the sunrise, a beautiful experience. 

I hope to focus more on this topic in the future and expand as we expand it into our lifestyles more and more. If this is a lifestyle you are interested in pursuing check out the links in my original post (listed above) or feel free to ask me any questions about our own personal journey!

Questions: 
Would you ever consider a minimalist lifestyle?
What are three things you could easily give up?