Becoming a Minimalist in 5 Weeks
Are you maintaining belongings you don’t even use? Renting storage space for items you haven’t used in years? Interested in the minimalist way of life? It’s certainly a simpler way of living. I recently formulated a plan to go minimalist. My plan involves weeding out a portion of my personal possessions each week for 5 weeks. I’ll focus on one category a week until I meet my goal.Maybe my plan could help you too!
Week 1 – Clothes and shoes
Most people have more clothes than they need. I intend to donate all the clothes that don’t fit. Yes, even the skinny clothes I’ve been shrinking into. They’re a bit out-dated anyway. Giving away the fat clothes might even encourage me not to go there again. Anything I haven’t worn in 6 months is out the door too. As for my dressier outfits, I’ll have to pick and choose. I’d like to get my wardrobe down to a weeks worth of everyday outfits, plus a few for special occasions.
Week 2 – Memories
I still have a ton of photos from back in the day. I plan to organize and weed through them. I also have lots of drawings, notes and school work I saved when my kids were small. Then, there’s the grand-kids, of course. I’ll have to pare it all down, give some to the kids and toss the less significant stuff. It’ll be the hardest part of going minimalist. I’ll soften the blow by framing and hanging some of it. After all, it’s not much use just sitting in a box anyway.
Week 3 – Decor
Knick-knacks are just glorified clutter. I have several boxes of different decor things sitting around in case I want to redecorate. How silly is that? I also have curtains I don’t use any more, old bed covers and assorted linens. Some of them don’t even fit the bed we have. What’s the point of keeping them? I have no idea. So out they go. Clutter in the home just creates clutter in the mind as far as I’m concerned. It’s just more things I have to worry about storing and maintaining.
Week 4 – Garage, shed and storage
OK, this might take two weeks. The garage is a pretty big mess and it’s mostly the boyfriend’s department. He’ll likely need a little nudge. Luckily, we don’t have a storage unit. We do have a room in the basement that needs to be gone through, though. I also plan to tackle the food cupboards. Surely someone could use all the canned goods we’ve accumulated over the past few years. If they’ve been around more than 6 months, I’m going to assume we’ll never eat them. I’ll also be going through various closets throughout the house in search of unneeded items.
Week 5 – Furnishings, appliances and electronics.
I’m betting that by week 5, I’ll be feeling a lot less encumbered by my stuff. There will likely be furnishings we no longer need for storage. I’ll say goodbye to any furniture, appliances and electronics that we don’t use daily. That old humongous TV in the basement will go out at the end of the driveway with a free sign on it. So will anything else too bulky to load up for the thrift store. I believe that going minimalist will help others and help my state of mind. You know, I’m breathing better already just writing this list. I hope it helps you clear your clutter too.
More from Jaipi:
5 signs your house should be featured on “Hoarders”
The Dangers of Hoarding – Putting Yourself and Loved Ones at Risk
The Easy Ten Step Hoarders Cleaning Guide and Why I’m Qualified to Write It
