Save. Live. Be Minimal.
Today we’re going to unpack one of the biggest misconceptions about simple living: the idea that you can’t be a minimalist with a family. We’ll talk about what minimalism actually looks like in a real household, why parents often feel like it’s impossible, and practical ways to start decluttering and creating systems that make everyday life easier.
There’s a quiet kind of happiness that doesn’t get a lot of attention in a loud and hectic world. It’s called contentment — and it grows best not when we buy more, but when we learn to love and care for what we already have. Often what is right in front of us, is what is best for us.
Let’s chat about what that actually looks like for our very real, not-so-perfect lives. Not the perfectly curated, minimalist-white-house version. I mean real homes, real budgets, real closets, real life.
Thinking about a no buy year? Learn how underconsumption and intentional spending can save money, simplify life, and ditch consumerism.
Owning more stuff won’t make you happier. Once a need is met, continuing to meet that need by buying more stuff doesn’t actually increase happiness or fulfillment.
If you find yourself on social media very often, you may have heard of this little trend called “deinfluencing” and “underconsumption”. Deinfluencing is meant to be the opposite of influencing, or getting people to buy things or buy into things. In the same vain, underconsumption is mean to highlight a normal or minimal level of consumption, primarily in the US. In the social media world where being an “influencer” is a coveted thing, deinfluencing is rocking the boat. While I’ve been largely absent from my social media for the last two years, even I’ve been influenced to buy things online. So let’s dig into the world of why deinfluencing is so important and what we can learn from our new favorite trend.
In this part of Minimalism Myths, we talking all about “just in case” items. All minimalists think just in case items are bad. Right?! Yes and no. It is true those just in case items can clutter up your home, but it’s also good to be prepared… just not for every single scenario!
Several months ago, I felt in a weird slump. After settling into our beautiful new home and starting a new job, you would think that my life would feel… more put together. Better, in some way. Our home was bigger and brand new, my job paid significantly more than my previous position. But yet, I felt unsatisfied. I felt the withdrawal from reality and was escaping into my phone. After a long hard think about what could be wrong, I realized that my problem wasn’t my real life – it was my virtual one. So I did a social media detox for what was intended to be just a few weeks that is now going on over 90 days.
This isn’t a “how to” guide or how a social media detox works (you should visit my blog post HERE for that). This post is meant to be my push for you to think about how social media makes you feel. From ads, to influencers, to what your friends are posting. It all makes you feel something – whether that be good OR bad.
Read my experience and then take stock of your digital life. Are you spending too much time online and then too much time offline comparing your life to someone else’s?
Before we found minimalism, I tried everyway possible to save money – even extreme couponing! I had a stockpile and a coupon binder. I was *that* couponer. But my ways of over-consumption changed whenever we found minimalism and made it our own flavor – frugal minimalism.
Stuff in your house driving you nuts?! (You’re not alone!) Feel like you need to get rid of it all? Here are some practical tips to not only get your spouse on board with minimalism, but how to make minimalism work for your family.
I’ve recently received a lot of questions on where and how we store our extra items. These people have the best intentions by wanting to get their home organized. As much as I love that and I’d love to help, more storage solutions are not the answer. You need less stuff. Owning less is the best storage solution you’ll find out there.