Minimalism

Matt and I have been on the path of minimalism this year.  I have read so much about how minimalism and mindfulness go hand in hand.  It just kept popping up as I learned about mindfulness, happiness, living your best life.  

I also saw it from the flip-side: My mom realized that she and my dad are a few years from retirement, and may possibly move at that time or become snowbirds.  So what was she going  to do with all of the "stuff" that they had accumulated over the years?  My siblings and I have all moved out. They don't need as much space or as much stuff as they once did.  The thought of having to pack everything up at once to move was a good wake up call for her to begin that process now, while she has the time to go through it room by room.  I inherited my mindset of "this item is still good; what if I need it in the future?" from my mom.  But if she could start to sort her possessions and declutter, then I could as well.

The holidays also helped it sink in that we needed to minimalize.  Christmas with a toddler is an explosion of gifts.  We are blessed with an adorable two-year-old son who has all of his family smitten and wrapped around his finger.  And who doesn't love seeing a child's face light up with a new toy that you got just for him?  But suddenly, we were faced with the job of having to find places to put all of these new items.

So we started small.  We looked for the easy stuff.  The items that had collected dust older than my son.  The duplicates.  The clothes that hadn't been worn.  The DVD collection that had pretty much been forgotten about.  Every weekend, we were making trips to Goodwill or Thrifty Shopper.  We were making progress.  And with each bit of progress, we wanted to challenge ourselves more.  

It was time to dive into some of the tougher things to part with.  Gifts that  we'd been given that still looked brand new.  Furniture that was in excellent shape, but just didn't make sense in our current home.  I will never be the person that just throws items of value away.  The thought of it going to a landfill to sit for hundreds of years hurts my heart.  But some of these items, I also didn't want donate.  In some cases, there were things that were costly purchases at the time, so it was hard to picture just getting rid of it for nothing.  That feels greedy or selfish to an extent, but it was a mental block that I am sure others have felt too.  So here is how I overcame that.

1) We did sell some things on Facebook marketplace.  We had set a goal to save $1000 towards a summer vacation in August, and put all FB sales towards that.
2) We posted some things on Facebook for our friends and family to take if interested.  Sure, I might get $50 for that bench, but who knows how long it might take to sell, and how nice to picture it helping out a family or friend out for free.
3) We realized that we would much rather have an item out in the world getting used thanxa collecting dust or buried under boxes of stuff.  

One of the best examples of point 3 involves a beautiful bench or settee that we were given by my cousin when she was moving last fall.  This bench was beautiful- carved black wood with a light blue velvet upholstery.  I could picture it looking so pretty at the end of our bed.  Except our master bedroom was too small to fit it.  As with other items, it was relegated to the basement, some boxes placed on it over time, waiting until I found the perfect use for it.  

With the realization that the bench "deserved" more than I was giving it, I put it on Facebook marketplace.  I had no idea if the bench was worth $50 or $500 because there was no tag on it (and my cousin did have a lot of nice pieces and antiques).  But I put it on for $100, and soon got a message from a charming older woman.  She loved it, and we agreed to meet up.   

When she picked it up, she told me how she and her husband were renovating a barn on their property to host weddings, and this piece would be just perfect for the look they were going for.  I got goosebumps.  One of my daydreams involves having an event venue in a refurbished space, whether a barn or old factory or what.  Knowing that "my" bench was going to be part of a similar plan made me absurdly happy.  It made it a lot easier for me to start shedding even more items, knowing they will have better use than I am currently giving them.

Give it a try.  Is there something you have been holding on to, yet never actually use?  Picture it sitting another 5 or 10 years or more.  And then having to just throw it out because it has become damaged over time.  Then picture gifting or selling that item to someone who will cherish it and use it and enjoy it.  What a great feeling!  You can do this.  I'd love to hear how it goes!