Simple Living
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to create a shabby living space. Even if you want to live a minimalist lifestyle, your home needs some type of storage for your reusable mason jars and cotton shopping bags.
When I first thought about living a more minimalistic lifestyle, naturally I thought I would just de-clutter everything that I own, donate items I no longer use, and call it a day. But then I would go shopping and find bargains for knit sweaters for Fall and garden gnomes displayed on the clearance racks. Naturally, I can’t resist a good bargain, so I would give in, purchase what I like then feel guilty after.
I realized that living a minimalist lifestyle doesn’t necessarily mean you have to limit your wardrobe to having two of everything. There is no rule book on minimalism, there are only ideas and helpful tips. You just have to decide what is a practical approach on how to live with less, while not sacrificing comfort, style, and what you love.
Have a Plan
Start by jotting down some goals on what you want to organize or declutter. Having a plan of action will enable you to focus on one task at hand. One of my goals was that I wanted to keep my living space simple, yet still have some intricate items that reflect my love for nature. I also wanted to condense my wardrobe to clothes I know I would wear rather than keep in my closet and never see the light of day. These were two tangible goals that were easy to accomplish and maintain.
Hoarder or a Collector?
For your wardrobe, if you want to make a conscious decision to downsize then keep clothes that will truly be worn. Eliminate clothing that doesn’t properly fit you and toss them into the donate pile. Next comes the hard part. Figuring out which clothes you want to keep despite whether or not you have worn the garment on a regular basis, never worn at all, or never worn it, but are saving it for a “special occasion”.
Apparently, I had quite the amount of clothes with the tags still on them. Either I’m a fashion hoarder or have been living like a hermit this whole time. I’ll go with both.
If you have trouble deciding what to keep or toss then leave your closet alone for the time being. Remember there is no timeline when organizing and decluttering. You can always periodically go through your wardrobe and decipher what to keep and what to remove.
Seek Inspiration
Your home should reflect what you like. If you like nature, incorporate that in your living space by adding artwork or pictures of different landscapes and scenery. Before you go shopping, look at magazines and search on Pinterest for inspiration and ideas on home decor.
For my living space, I wanted my apartment to feel more spacious so I decided to have only a few pieces of furniture in one of the living rooms. Having less furniture makes the room more spacious and less clutter for me to dust. And by adding white curtains to the windows makes the room brighter and more inviting.
Resist the Urge to Buy, Save Your Money
The most important tip of all is to resist the urge to buy decor that you don’t have the space nor goes with your theme. Just because a picture of a giraffe wearing a flower crown is cute and affordable, doesn’t mean you have to buy it. And when it comes to where to shop, you can hunt for bargains and quality items at HomeGoods. And never turn away from a local yard sale or thrift shop. You just might be lucky in finding that handmade vase from Portugal or that vintage record player you have been searching forever for.
Your Little Oasis Awaits
Whether you want to downsize and keep clutter to a bare minimum or you’re the complete opposite and want to display your collectibles throughout your house, have a plan and seek inspiration. Donate what you no longer use or wear to charity. Resist the urge to spend money on home decor you don’t need. And most importantly, have fun creating the living space you’ve always dreamed about.
