Curious about minimalism? Read about my 18-month journey of decluttering and finding peace in less.
I Cannot Call Myself a Minimalist
For the past eighteen months, I’ve been focused on decluttering and reducing excess. I estimate I’ve let go of about 30–40% of my belongings. However, I wouldn’t call myself a minimalist. I still have more than one plate and spoon per person in my kitchen. I enjoy variety in my wardrobe and love dressing up. I also have hobbies that I want to make space for in my home. Above all, I appreciate beautiful, inviting spaces and want my house to feel that way.
Growing Up I Wasn’t Taught to Let Go
Growing up, my family was very frugal. We never wasted anything—not food, not items. We used our belongings until they were completely worn out. We also never threw anything away. My parents and grandparents were incredibly resourceful and skilled; the idea of hiring someone to do something never even crossed their minds.
Both my parents and grandparents collected many things they thought they’d use someday. I’ve always had a lot of stuff in my house and couldn’t imagine not having it, because I never knew anything different. I wasn’t taught to let things go.
I Saw a Lot of Potential In Stuff
Modern conveniences have stopped me from learning many of those skills. Although I saw my parents doing everything, as an adult I didn’t learn some of those things—like canning or preserving food—which I now wish I knew how to do.
As a wife and mother, I’ve always tried to bring as many things into our home and life as possible. Especially if people were giving away free items, I was the one who would always accept them. I saw potential in everything and imagined myself being able to do something with all that stuff that would make it useful someday. But, of course, I wasn’t able to do all those things. I wished to be that kind of person, but it was my fantasy self, not the real me. In reality, I didn’t have the time or capacity to do most of those things.
More Stuff – More Work
About 18 months ago, I learned about minimalism and began applying some of its principles. But I don’t consider myself a minimalist. I still have many things—especially the ones I enjoy, like clothes, jewelry, home decor, and craft supplies.
Through this journey, I’ve learned that more stuff means more work. Observing my home, I’ve noticed that we constantly accumulate things. We often go shopping and order items online. We receive gifts for various occasions several times a year. Somehow, we get free items from different places. We get mail every day. Essentially, we have a few new things entering our home daily. Without a system to manage this influx, we’d quickly be overwhelmed by stuff and not know what to do.
Should I Go Further With Minimalism?
So, I’m determined to continue decluttering little by little because it’s necessary to keep the house under control. But I don’t know if, at any point in my life, I’ll need to become a minimalist with just the basic necessities. If I’m in a situation where I can’t do much and my energy is low, I’ll know it’s time to let go of more.
That happened before, when I broke my arm and couldn’t keep up with the housework. The mess and cluttered spaces were really frustrating, and I felt like a failure in my homemaking. But now, I’m ready to take care of a little more than just the bare minimum, and I think that’s okay.
I have also experienced having fewer things in my home—it requires much less work than before I decluttered. I can put it this way: I’ve embraced some principles of minimalism to the point where I feel comfortable and at ease with housework. I’ll consider decluttering further and becoming more minimalist if my situation changes and I see the need for it.