Journey to Minimalism – 8 Months
We have been becoming minimalist for 8 months now! See what has changed.
One thing that has really surprised me after decluttering for 8 months, is how far we are from being minimalist. Where is the minimal house?
This process really takes a lot of time.
I declutter an area and live with it for a while, then as time passes I usually realize there is a lot more that can go.
When I find items I haven’t used in 8 months I go through them again and get rid of them.
Journey to Minimalism 8 Months
I know everyone does this process in different ways, but for me slow has been the best way.
I have a fear that I will not have enough of something (like towels) and then I will have to shop again for items.
So going slow has been the key for me. At this point, there has never been one moment of regret for anything I have donated or thrown out.
There have been so many changes since starting this process:
- Living more intentionally = I am now thinking about the purchases I make and how that will impact my house; adding clutter, wasting money, the impact on the environment…
I am also intentionally thinking about how my time is spent and what I can accomplish if I use my time wisely. Not watching TV, I use to watch so much TV!
That is what I did to pass my time, which is fine if that is what you love, but I was doing it out of habit and once I stopped I didn’t miss it at all.
In my free time, I have started a YouTube channel, we have traveled to New Zealand, I have read about 10 books or more in the last 8 months. I can’t believe the amount of time I was wasting.
- I have a lot more free time because I am not having to waste a lot of my time organizing my stuff. I use to constantly have to organize toys and cupboards to try and fit everything in and now I just clear it out ha ha.
Eco Friendly
- We are trying to become more eco-friendly in our house. There are a lot of small changes that I am making and have made to be less wasteful.
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- We no longer buy water! What a waste of money and all that plastic that is ruining our environment. We have a water purifier and we use reusable
bottles. - We don’t use paper towels as much. Grant always used a paper towel to dry his hand and I finally convinced him to use a towel. I actually hid the
paper towels, we still have them for an emergency, but we don’t use them very often. - I have stopped using plastic wrap.
- Unplug everything that we are not using.
- I try to turn off the lights and use natural light during the day.
- Schedule all of my shopping in one trip where I am already out so there is less driving.
- I only do super full loads of laundry.
- Bring my own bags to the market and when shopping I try to pick glass bottles instead of plastic.
I started buying eco-friendly products instead of the products I use to buy. - I am cooking more food at home and making more homemade snacks instead of packaged snacks.
- When I buy packaged foods I look for things that have the least amount of packaging
- I have gone to using bar soap in the shower (saving the environment from those huge plastic soap bottles)
- Reusable diapers. I had used them on and off, but when we are home I am using them.
- We no longer buy water! What a waste of money and all that plastic that is ruining our environment. We have a water purifier and we use reusable
Read More:
Second Hand Clothes + Minimalism
Decluttered Kids – Before and After
Waking up at 5am – How my life has changed!
Decision Fatigue – Do you have this?
How to do a Seasonal Declutter
We are defiantly not perfect, but we are trying our best to make a small difference. I am currently researching more ways to cut our waste.
- Spending our money on experiences instead of things. We have been taking a lot more day trips around California and using our money we are saving on vacations. As well as saving for the future.
- We are eating healthier. After watching some documentaries and reading lots of articles we have learned about how important it is to buy non-gmo and organic food. Not only for your health but for the future of our world. I know it can be a little more expensive, but when it’s possible I try to buy organic food.
Watch Our Minimalist Journey
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I love this! There are so many small benefits that add up to overall life change on this minimalism journey. It truly is a “find your own way” type experience, but I agree with you–the slow method–while not dramatic and instant, is still incredibly effective for families. It’s been three years for our family, and I am still going through areas and letting things go that I wasn’t ready to part with before.
You make an excellent point that by going slow, it actually reduces regrettable decisions because you’re making slower, rational decisions. I love that! I think it also helps my young daughter too. I started minimizing right after she was born, and now at 3 she’s very aware of what disappears, so slow also helps her to adjust and appreciate the little changes. Keep it up, you’re making incredible changes!
I agree slowly decluttering has really helped us with not making the wrong decisions. That is great you have been able to help your daughter adjust slowly to the decluttering. I hope you have a great day.