Tag Archives: clutter

Embracing Minimalism

credit: freedigitalphotos.net by SundayMorning

credit: freedigitalphotos.net by SundayMorning

This past week, my wife and I were busy with packing, moving and unpacking. As most who have moved know…moving can be a PAIN. I haven’t really had to move much in my life. Going off to college doesn’t count. And moving out of my parent’s house doesn’t really count for me either as I still have random stuff in their basement. Also, it wasn’t like we had a lease and I had to move EVERYTHING in a short amount of time.

So back to the packing part. We only had a one-bedroom so in my mind, it shouldn’t have been that bad. Although if you’ve been to our one-bedroom apartment, you can tell that it can get messy cluttered. Nevertheless, I figured we’d just buy a bunch of boxes and throw the stuff in there. We hired movers as it’s not a move that you can get done with a van and a couple of friends. We also made two trips to a thrift shop with a couple of bags of stuff to help de-clutter. We stopped buying anything for our kitchen pantry weeks in advance and vowed to finished everything in it and our refrigerator before our move. We were not successful (which makes me think we should clear out the pantry and fridge more often before buying more stuff). The evening before the movers were to come, we were still frantically trying to pack things up into boxes and bags. Granted it is a lot harder to move when your 14 month old likes to take stuff out of those boxes, and put himself into them! (I also learned that there isn’t much need to buy more toys when he’s content playing with boxes!)
LC in a Box

In the earlier stages of packing, we were a little hesitant to throw things away. Some seemed to have sentimental value (however slight) and some seemed to have functional value, so we decided to keep it. But once we were into the wee hours of the night, still packing, we didn’t care anymore. We just told each other, “Don’t ask, just throw it out!” Yes, there were VHS tapes and cassette tapes in our junk. (You youngings may have to google those terms.) What am I gonna do with VHS tapes without a VCR? Surprisingly I do have a radio that plays cassette tapes though.

After the move, my wife and I made a pact to embrace minimalism and to stop buying things that we don’t need and to also get rid of stuff we don’t use. Many assume that minimalism is only for the frugal types who embrace minimalism to prevent any sort of spending. True, by embracing minimalism, you do spend less by buying less. But frugal types are not necessarily minimalists. Frugality can lead to clutter as well. I’m a frugal person and I tend to keep things since it still works, never mind the fact that I haven’t used it in ages. I’ve also bought things in bulk or on sale because it was a good deal which sometimes adds unnecessary items to my already cramped apartment.

Embracing minimalism doesn’t have to mean you have nothing but the clothes on your back and a few life essentials. To better explain this lifestyle, let me quote from the guys at The Minimalists who have a very interesting blog that I recommend.

Minimalism is a lifestyle that helps people question what things add value to their lives. By clearing the clutter from life’s path, we can all make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution

One of the problems I have with getting rid of stuff is that I would think: you, know I just might need this, let me keep it…JUST IN CASE. The Minimalists have a great method to get out of this mindset and to get rid of things that you might hypothetically use in the future, but probably won’t. They call it the 20/20 theory. Basically, if it costs less than $20 and you can get the item within 20 minutes, then get rid of it. Chances are that the JUST IN CASE moment will never come.

Things with sentimental value are also tough to get rid of for many people. I still have stuff from when I was in grade school! The Minimalists also have a great post about letting go of sentimental items. After the death of the mother of one of the bloggers, he wanted to put everything she had in storage but then decided to give it all away. Here’s what he said:

That was a giant leap for me, but I felt as though it needed to be done to remove the weight—the emotional gravitas—of the situation from my shoulders.

You see, I don’t need Mom’s stuff to remind me of her. There are traces of her everywhere. In the way I act, in the way I treat others, even in my smile. She’s still there, and she was never part of her stuff.

I’m sure it’s going to be a tough transition, but I really think it will be freeing to get rid of a lot of the clutter. My wife agrees, though I’m not sure how far she’ll go in getting rid of things. =) We do already have a bag of stuff to donate to the thrift shop and a few things that we’ll try to sell on Amazon.

Are you a packrat and have a lot of clutter? Are you trying to get rid of it?