By miss minimalist |
Every Monday, I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.
This week, we have a wonderful submission from Jan. She explains why she started on her minimalist journey, and describes the progress she’s made so far. If you’d like to learn more, please visit her blog, Finallygettingtoeven.com.
Jan writes:
My place on the roadway of this minimalist life so far:
I got my financial house in order, finally seeing things for what they were and had become and how weighted down personally I was from the debt load that I was carrying upon my shoulders on a daily basis. My gratitude comes from the ‘enlightenment’ and then the ‘empowerment’ of finally being able to say “you know, I just don’t WANT to do this anymore”.
My biggest problem has always been that it’s not that I didn’t know HOW to get out of debt. I just didn’t care enough to finally do anything about it. Then in 2009, the light came on, (I can’t explain how or why) it just did….
So with the help of places like the internet & financial blogs, I was able to visit and remind myself daily what I was trying to accomplish, and I am so thankful that this has happened as I look around me at my family, friends, neighbors, strangers and I see all the struggling that is going on, and I know that I very well could have been one step away from being able to ‘walk a mile in their shoes’.
My husband and I paid off an enormous amount of credit card debt in 2009…something that I should have never had to begin with, even if I was carrying 0% interest on the cards. That is still thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of junk that I had purchased one way or another. It was NOT money being dumped into savings that could have actually been worth something to me in the future.
Then came the physical purge. Once I STARTED feeling lighter I took a look around at my surroundings. While I have never been a HUGE collector of ’stuff’, I still managed to have way more than I was comfortable with. So I started the elimination process. And with each item going out the door it made it all the easier to send the rest packing right behind it. This went on for quite some time as I continually made my way around the house over and over again, removing more each time, until, well there was nothing left to move out. All surfaces were clean and clear, drawers, closets emptied of 80% of their contents (yes, that much) and all I could see now were rooms that were airy & spacious.
And for the first time in my life I felt FREE. The burdens of debt & clutter that had been holding me down and choking the breathe out of me were gone. My mood lifted, my attitude adjusted. I became calmer, more patient and more than likely a little more tolerable to be around.
And while I have accomplished this much, I still consider myself to be in the ‘kindergarten’ stages and will continue to work hard to learn and live this newly embraced lifestyle that I have discovered.
And that is my story, so far….thanks for listening….
Jan
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By miss minimalist |
My husband and I travel a lot, and people sometimes ask us if we worry about our apartment while we’re gone. Our answer: not particularly. The reason: we have nothing to steal.
Sure, we have stuff—clothing, kitchenware, books, and a few pieces of furniture. However, I can’t imagine anyone wanting any of it. And if they need it so badly that they have to steal it, they probably need it more than we do.
Anything we have of value—like our iPods, cell phones, cash, and wedding rings—is almost always with us.
The only thing I’d even come close to “worrying about” is my laptop. However, it’s old enough to have little street value, and heavy enough to be unappealing to most thieves. I’d be more irritated to have to reconstruct its contents (which I could, from backups) than upset about its loss.
In fact, if it weren’t for personal safety issues (or having to evict a squatter that moves in in our absence), we could just as well leave the door unlocked.
Nine years ago, the apartment in which we were living was burglarized. The thief went through a tremendous effort to break down the door (actually tearing apart the jamb), and I love to imagine the look on his face when he saw this:
 Our minimalist apartment, circa 2001 (living room on left, bedroom on right) (And before anyone feels compelled to criticize our aesthetics, please remember that this was nine years ago—we were young, broke, and thought fairy lights were the ultimate in home décor. Our tastes have become a little more sophisticated since then; though admittedly, I still love fairy lights!)
Ok, back to the robbery. Now I know your typical thief isn’t exactly a rocket scientist, but you’d think that anyone seeing those two rooms would decide not to waste their time.
Not our thief. Undeterred, he ransacked every closet and drawer, optimistic that he’d find the treasure we’d surely hidden away.
His take: a portable CD player, an empty purse, a lipstick (!), and a ziplock bag of Canadian coins. When I think back on the incident, I still picture a cross-dressing burglar, jamming to some tunes, heading north to spend approximately three dollars of Canadian money.
When I returned home to find the mess, I called the police immediately, as I was afraid the robber might still be on the premises. An officer showed up a few minutes later. He looked around the apartment, eyes wide, and said, “Wow, he really wiped you out.” I couldn’t help but laugh as I rattled off the four missing items. He looked at me incredulously: “Are you sure that’s all he took?”
“Yes, officer. I’m sure.”
“Okay…” he replied, still not sure whether to believe me—but he seemed pretty happy that the police report only took a few minutes to fill out.
People say that a home burglary can be a devastating experience; but for us, life went on as usual. If it happened again today, I’d feel the same—as long as I’m not home at the time, I really don’t care what anyone takes. It’s just another great benefit of being a minimalist: the fewer your things (and the less attached you are to them), the fewer your worries.
Moral of the story #1: If you’re living a life of crime, don’t bother to rob a minimalist.
Moral of the story #2: Life is much easier when you have nothing to steal.
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By miss minimalist |
Every Monday (when I have participants) I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.
Today, I’m happy to present Deb’s story. I think it’s a wonderful example of how we can continue on our minimalist journeys, even when our personal circumstances make it a little more challenging.
Deb writes:
My name is Deb. At 57 I’m still working to reduce the things I live with. I have been a minimalist most of my life. Unfortunately, I was raised by two pack rats. When my father died in 1993 my mother left their very full 3600 sq ft home and started living with me. I was able to reduce the load to fit it into 1440 sq ft.
Over the years since then my mother (who is 82 now) has moved around with me as I followed my job adventure. Each move helped reduce the load more. I think this is our last move until Mom passes on since it is getting harder on both of us to move. Very slowly I am helping my mom learn to let go of all the things she has accumulated over the years. We have a long way to go.
I need very little to live and there are days when all of the stuff we live with drags on me. One good thing though is that Mom doesn’t like clutter any more than I do so all of her stuff is in drawers, cupboards or boxes and not out on counter tops and tables. Mom wants to hang onto everything because she might need it again. I like to give things away because I don’t use it. If I need it again someday I can borrow it. There is very little that I would need on a regular basis.
The other day I was talking to my best friend. We realized that for a small studio apartment would be all I would need if it were just me. Give me lots of light, my laptop, a good chair, a bed, and a way to cook and I’m set.
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By miss minimalist |
I used to think that being fed up with “stuff” was a symptom of modern times. Globalization has made material goods inexpensive and widely available, and satisfying our consumer desires has become almost too easy.
However, philosophers have been railing against materialism for millenia — well before megamarts and “everyday low prices” came on the scene.
I thought I’d share some of this ancient minimalist wisdom with you today. First, because I think it’s inspirational, and second, because I have a thing for philosophers (in my book, brains are much sexier than brawn!).
I’ll be on the road for a few days, so hope these deep thoughts will tide you over until I return. If you’ve commented before, your new comments should appear immediately; first-timers, yours will stay in the queue and be published as soon as I’m back.
I’ve focused today on ancient Western philosophers, and will devote a future post to my favorites from the East. So, without further ado, here’s some minimalist food for thought:
“All things were ready for us at our birth; it is we that have made everything difficult for ourselves, through our disdain for what is easy.” –Seneca, c. 4 BC – 65 AD
“Philosophy consists in avoiding excess in everything.” –Pythagoras, c. 570 BC – c. 495 BC
“It is better for you to be free of fear lying upon a bed of straw, than to have a golden couch and a lavish table and be full of trouble.” –Epicurus, c. 341 BC – c. 270 BC
“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” –Marcus Aurelius, 121 – 180 AD
“I threw my cup away when I saw a child drinking from his hands at the trough.” –Diogenes, c. 412 BC – 323 BC
“Money, which ever since it began to be regarded with respect, has caused the ruin of the true honour of things; we become alternately merchants and merchandise, and we ask, not what a thing truly is, but what it costs.” –Seneca, c. 4 BC – 65 AD
“To you, all you have seems small: to me, all I have seems great. Your desire is insatiable, mine is satisfied. See children thrusting their hands into a narrow-necked jar, and striving to pull out the nuts and figs it contains: if they fill the hand, they cannot pull it out again, and then they fall to tears.—’Let go a few of them, and then you can draw out the rest!’—You, too, let your desire go! Covet not many things, and you will obtain.” –Epictetus, 55 – 135 AD
“Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity.” –Plato, c. 427 BC – c. 347 BC
“The only wealth which you will keep forever is the wealth you have given away.” –Marcus Aurelius, 121 – 180 AD
“How many things are there which I do not want.” –Socrates, c. 469 BC – 399 BC
“By sowing frugality we reap liberty, a golden harvest.” –Agesilaus, c. 444 BC – 360 BC
“Make thyself all simplicity.” –Marcus Aurelius, 121 – 180 AD
{If you’d like to read more about minimalist living, please consider subscribing to my RSS feed, or signing up to receive new articles by email.}
By miss minimalist |
Every Monday (when I have participants) I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.
I don’t have anyone scheduled after today’s post, so I’d love to receive more stories. I know there are more Real Life Minimalists out there — don’t be shy! 
Today, A Working Rachel tells us about her minimalist lifestyle, and her own experiment with the 100 Thing Challenge. She also writes about personal finance on her blog — check it out to learn more!
A Working Rachel writes:
Hi, I’m Working Rachel. I think the biggest reason for my minimalism is that I’ve moved a lot. My first big move was to Germany when I was ten. Even then I found it kind of fun to pick which items would be in the big “3-month” shipment, which items would go in the smaller “2-month” shipment, and which I would bring with me on the plane.
In college my parents moved to England, and the experience of lugging suitcases full of keepsakes and “out of season” clothing on international flights made me committed to only keeping things that really mattered to me. I decluttered most of my childhood possessions, and for several months I got rid of one thing a day. 10 years later, the only thing I regret getting rid of is my stamp collection. My favorite teddy bear and a few papers mean more than having boxes full of childhood clutter.
I’ve stayed fairly minimal throughout my twenties, but over the past year I’ve gotten more extreme again. Recently I made a list of my possessions, and I have about 400 personal things, including books, but not including the things I share with my boyfriend, like kitchen items. I’m an avid reader and used to own several hundred volumes. I now own about 50 books total: a favorite fiction series, some things that are out of print or hard to find, and signed copies of a few favorites. For everything else, I rely on the library, the Internet, and Paperbackswap.
Right now I’m experimenting with living with 100 things for 30 days—clothes, books, hobby items, personal care things, and so on. Two weeks in, it’s been surprisingly painless. I’ve only used about 75 of the 100 things. I’m getting a little tired of my mini-wardrobe, but haven’t missed any specific clothes, so I think I mostly need to be more creative with what I have. I’ll be taking a business trip next week, which will be the real test of the experiment, since I’ll need to dress up.
I don’t think I could ever go to 100 things total, but I like the idea of slowly decreasing what I own. I’m working on digitizing most of my papers, including my journals. I’ve typed up several middle school and high school journals, saving only a few special pages. This sounds like sacrilege to a lot of people, but to me it means I can search and access my old journals easily without having them fill an entire shelf of my bookcase.
My minimalist ideal used to be to fit my life into a backpack or carry-on suitcase, ready to go anywhere at the drop of a hat. I’m still a minimalist, but my minimalism is more rooted. Now my ideal is a calm, serene house, free of clutter, a house that helps me concentrate on what’s important in my life and possessions that help me get things done rather than getting in the way.
{If you’d like to read more about minimalist living, please consider subscribing to my RSS feed, or signing up to receive new articles by email.}
By miss minimalist |
Thank you so much for visiting!
If you’re interested in minimalist living, I think you’ll enjoy the following posts:
By miss minimalist |
 [Earlier this year, I ran a series called Real Life Minimalists, in which I invited readers to submit their own stories. I’d love to revive it, and thought I’d start by jumping into the ring myself. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.]
When I started this blog, I had no idea what kind of response I’d receive (to be honest, I never expected more than a handful of people to read it!). I didn’t know if people would find my minimalism a little weird, somewhat wacky, or way off the deep end. Most of all, I didn’t know if there were any other kindred souls out there.
Therefore, I chose to remain anonymous. That way, I could write about how many shoes, towels, or paperclips I owned without having to answer for my “eccentricities” in real life. I could wax poetic about white walls, empty rooms, and naked windows without putting my name on these musings.
Along the way, however, I discovered that this is who I am. I’m the woman who sold all her possessions and moved to a foreign country. I’m the woman who owns four pieces of furniture, and eloped with her wedding dress in a ziplock. I’m the woman who travels the world with a tiny bag, loves living without a TV, and would like to eat every meal out of a single bowl.
And I’m proud to be her!
Therefore, I’ve decided to come out of anonymity: I’m Francine Jay, and I’m a minimalist.
I’m an American writer currently living in England. I published my first book, Frugillionaire: 500 Fabulous Ways to Live Richly and Save a Fortune, last summer.
 So what’s a minimalist doing writing about frugality? Actually, I’ve found that the two pursuits often go hand in hand.
The book isn’t about clipping coupons, or finding the lowest credit card rates; it’s about saving money by simplifying your life. My goal was to make saving easy and enjoyable, and explain how one could live a rich life by consuming less.
(Click here if you’d like a peek at the Table of Contents and Introduction.)
If you’re interested in reading it, you can pick it up on Amazon.com; for those of you downsizing your books, it’s also available on Kindle.
When I’m not writing, I enjoy traveling, doing yoga, reading philosophy, and rambling the English countryside. Although I’m a city girl at heart, I’ve recently become enamored with strolling through pastures of sheep and meadows of wildflowers.
My short term goals are to publish a second book, and make more of my own food from scratch (like bread, yogurt, and tofu). I’d also love to learn to snowboard, speak Japanese, and play pedal steel guitar.
My long term goals are to see as much of the world as possible, and make some kind of positive contribution to society (I’m not sure exactly how yet, but I’m working on it!).
By writing about minimalism, I hope to promote it as a lifestyle alternative. I want others who are dissatisfied with consumer culture to know they’re not alone. I think it would be wonderful—for ourselves, for the Earth, and its other inhabitants—if we all learned to live with a little bit less.
Well, I hope that takes a little of the mystery out of “Miss Minimalist.” You can still call me “Miss M” if you like, or Francine if you prefer. And now that you know who I am, stop and say “hi” if you see me on the streets of London…
{If you’d like to read more about minimalist living, please consider subscribing to my RSS feed, or signing up to receive new articles by email.}
By miss minimalist |
 My new, super-light luggage! A few months ago, I wrote about the contents of my carry-on (Minimalist Travel: What’s in My Suitcase). This is the only bag I travel with, whether I’m going away for one week or three months. You can read about it in detail in my earlier post, but generally it contains a packing cube of clothing, a toiletry bag, and odds and ends like guidebooks, energy bars, camera, iPod Touch, umbrella, etc. in the pockets. After years of overseas travel, I had this system down to a science.
Now that I live in England, however, I’ve been spending a lot of long weekends visiting European cities. And truth be told, my little carry-on is simply too big for these quick jaunts!
In order to maximize our travel time, my husband and I usually book a very early flight the day we arrive, and a very late flight the day we leave. Therefore, we often wind up carrying our bags for much of the first and last days. (Sure, we could leave them at the hotel, but we don’t like to “waste” time going back to get them if we have a full schedule.)
My objective, then, was to pare down my luggage to the size of a large purse. That way, I could enjoy sites, shops, restaurants, and walks without the carry-on on my back.
[EDIT: For those who have asked about my new bag (pictured above), it's available on Amazon (affiliate link).]
My strategy: for a 2-day trip, I don’t pack a change of clothes; for 3 days, it depends on the itinerary; for 4-5 days, one change. This system might not be for everyone, but it works for me. (I have no problem doing laundry in the hotel sink if necessary.)
Therefore, my packing cube contains (at most) one pair of pants, one top, pajamas, underwear, and socks. For 2-3 day trips, I skip the cube altogether, and stuff the pajamas, underwear, and socks in a large ziplock bag.
I never worry about packing shoes, since I only travel with the ones on my feet.
The contents of my toiletry bag remained much the same; however, I’ve been able to reduce it to half the size by “miniaturizing” as much as possible. I never take soap, shampoo, or conditioner, and I use travel or sample sizes of everything else.
When I arrive at the hotel, I dump the toiletry bag and clothes, and use the bag as a purse (eliminating the need to pack an additional “day” bag).
I’ve tested my new system of “extreme light travel” on a few trips now; and I’m happy to say, it’s worked like a dream!
It’s amazing how lightly you can travel if you want to. Now, if I could only pare down to what fits in my coat pockets…
{If you’d like to read more about minimalist living, please consider subscribing to my RSS feed, or signing up to receive new articles by email.}
By miss minimalist |
.
“If there were no
cherry blossoms
in this world
How much more tranquil
our hearts would be in spring.”
-Ariwara no Narihira, Kokinshuu
Every year, I look forward to cherry blossom season with great anticipation. I love to sit under the pink clouds of delicate blooms, and wax poetic on the beauty of life. (A few years ago, I fulfilled a lifelong dream, and spent two glorious weeks in Japan doing just that.)
When we lived in the US, my husband and I planted our own Yoshino sakura in our backyard. We’d while away whole afternoons lying under its branches, drinking sake, reading haiku, and letting the spring breeze scatter thousands of pink petals upon us.
This year, we visited Britain’s national collection of cherry trees at Batsford Arboretum in Gloucestershire, and were also fortunate enough to encounter quite a few during our walks in the English countryside.
I used to think life would be more beautiful if the cherries bloomed all year round; but, somewhere along my minimalist journey, I realized that life is more beautiful because they don’t.
Their very ephemerality is what makes cherry blossoms so special. They only bloom for two weeks each year – and sometimes less, if rain and wind strip their branches of petals prematurely. We have no control over when they enter or leave our lives; we can only wait patiently for them to flower, appreciate every minute they’re in bloom, and then watch the petals fall to the ground.
In fact, hanami (cherry blossom viewing) can teach us much about minimalist living:
1. Seek beauty in nature, rather than in stores. You can’t buy a beautiful sunset, a star-filled sky, or a field of wildflowers at the mall—nor can you wrap them up, take them home, and display them on a shelf. Instead of filling your home with decorative objects, look outside to satisfy your desire for aesthetic beauty.
2. Appreciate things without owning them. Don’t feel the need to acquire everything you fancy. Be satisfied to “window-shop,” and appreciate the beauty of a necklace or artisan vase—just as you would a spring flower—without bringing it home.
3. Go with the flow. Don’t try to control the events, things, or people in your life with an iron fist. You’ll feel much happier, and more serene, if you let things happen of their own accord.
4. Nothing lasts forever. Recognize that you can’t hold onto everything indefinitely, and that some of the most beautiful things in life are the shortest-lived.
5. Let things go. Cherry blossoms fall at the height of their beauty, rather than withering on the branch. Allow possessions to fall from your life in the same way, like petals scattered to the wind. (For example: donate your wedding dress or heirlooms before they deteriorate in the attic.)
While I’m always a little sad when cherry blossom season ends, I come away from the experience with new enthusiasm for my minimalist lifestyle. They remind me of the insignificance of material items, and how little one needs to truly be happy.
{If you’d like to read more about minimalist living, please consider subscribing to my RSS feed, or signing up to receive new articles by email.}
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