Minimalism has really become a trend of late, where more people are focusing on what they have in their homes and in their lives. There are some basic principals to having a minimalistic approach to your life and to your home. You only have things in your life that you need and that you love. Everything else is deemed as clutter that is simply affecting your life instead of enhancing it in some way. The issue is, we can end up with too much choice. The clothes we wear, the foods we have in our fridge, down to the amount of accessories we display in our welsh dressers and shelves.
Think about the food you store in the fridge and in the cupboards –
The weekly food shop can be soul destroying, especially when you are venturing into a busy store with two children in tow in the midst of the school holidays. This means that many of us can resort to panic buying or just buying things we don’t necessarily need. This translates into to full cupboards and fridges which can then lead to waste, not just for the food, but also the money you have spent. Minimalism can be extended to all parts of your life, and a great way to reduce the amount of food you buy and subsequently the money you spend is to meal plan.
It’s a very simple practice, that once becomes a habit, can really help you to reduce your food wastage. It takes a little time to plan the meals, write the list, but then you only essentially buy what you need. Helping you to maintain a minimalist approach.
Venture into the attic and basements you have and recycle unwanted items –
We all have those places in our homes that are full of things we may be storing, things we think we might need in the future, or certainly items we no longer want in our homes. Out of sight, means out of mind, but at some point, you need to venture into these rooms and places in your home and declutter for good. However, some of these items need recycling properly to ensure that you do right by the environment. Often, cardboard and glass can be recycled into materials used for other things. Using services from websites like samedayrubbishremoval.com.au could take all the hassle out of it. Getting rid of any waste you no longer need in your home could free up these places to become more usable spaces in your home. An attic could be converted into another room, just like a basement could become the new family snug.
Be thrifty and sell unwanted items online –
Sometimes you many no longer love some of the items in your home, but they are in perfectly good condition. This means that they could be of use to someone else. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, right? This is when utilising websites like eBay.co.uk or Gumtree could prove useful. Even putting things on Facebook selling groups or even advertising on Instagram could ensure you find a great new home for the item while freeing up valuable space in your home.
Focus room by room –
If you are serious about minimalism, then one way to do it is to focus room by room. Take some time in the room you are hoping to minimise, and really look at each item you have in there. As yourself the question, do you love it? Then you need to consider whether you really need it. If you answer yes to either of those questions, then it stays, if you answer no, then you know what you need to do.
Be harsh with your wardrobe –
Us ladies can have a big problem with our wardrobes and hoarding clothes. Does anyone else have that dress that they are hoping to fit back into at some point? Or that jacket you swear will be on trend again in a few years time? The thing is, holding on to these items means our wardrobe becomes cluttered, and we can then not actually see what we have. Meaning we tend to wear the same accessible clothes day in day out. However, being ruthless with your wardrobe and getting rid of items could help you to become more versatile with what you wear and your dress sense. If you haven’t work it in a year, get rid of it. Create your own capsule wardrobe with items that can easily be mixed and matched to create endless outfit opportunities.
Go back to basics in the kitchen –
The kitchen can be a place that we hoard items that we don’t really need, but keep in our cupboards out of necessity or just incase. Why not go back to basics with your kitchen and the items you have in it? Do you need all of those cups? Do you need all of those kitchen gadgets? Sometimes the kitchen items are more of a love than a need, and that is fine. But as long as you only keep what you love or need, then that is fine.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint –
You can’t just choose to become minimalistic and transform your home in a weekend. It doesn’t work like that, unfortunately. You need to take your time to ensure that what you keep in your home is what you love and need, and sometimes those decisions can’t be made instantly. However, there are few tips to help you get started. You could choose to take five minutes each day and try and declutter your home that way. This works well for some smaller items. You could choose to focus on one cupboard or drawer at a time. Alternatively, if you love social media, there are always monthly challenges you can get involved in to help spur you on your decluttering mission. Documenting your progress one picture at a time.
I hope these tips and advice helps you to make your home more minimalistic in the future.
Love,
*This is a collaborative post