Shifting towards a minimalist lifestyle.
Clutter is taking up space in my house. It’s collecting dust. It’s waiting to be used, but never is actually being used.
Being responsible for all of this STUFF is a background burden in my mind.
I mean, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been looking through old stuff and been like, “wow, I completely forget I had this.” It’s a sign. I have too much stuff and most of it I don’t need.
Minimalist approach
I was always one to say that minimalism was a fad. It wasn’t for me. I consider myself high maintenance. I like clothes. And shoes. Lots. Of. Shoes.
But, I find that taking care of all of this crap is stressing me out.
I don’t have enough room in my closet for all of my shoes, so twice a year I rotate my seasonal shoes. The ones that I don’t need for summer go into the garage all summer long. Then, when winter comes, I move the summer shoes up to my bedroom and the winter ones back down.
It’s kind of ridiculous.
Now, don’t worry. I am not telling you to get rid of your shoes. I am keeping mine. Well, most of them anyway.
But, this revelation that I’ve had lately has made me realize that I always thought I wanted MORE but I actually want LESS stuff. So, I am getting rid of stuff we don’t need or use.
Getting rid of the clutter
My method is simple. Every day, I pick one drawer, bin, box, closet or shelf and I find one thing to either donate, sell, or trash.
And, let me tell you. I already considered myself a neat and organized person. I’ve never been one to leave clutter around.
I am totally guilty of taking the glass that someone was still drinking out of and put it in the dishwasher. Yes, I am that person. In fact, my husband always jokes that if you stand still too long I might throw you out in the trash too.
“We need a new kitchen.”
This is what I tell myself all the time: “We need a new kitchen.”
My husband and I have talked about getting our kitchen redone quite often. It’s one of the rooms in our home that could really use some work.
The cabinets are old.
The countertops are not level and they are stained.
The door is crooked.
The microwave sucks.
The oven is outdated.
Estimated time to find a matching lid and container in our Tupperware cabinet is minimum 20 minutes.
So, yeah, we could drop $15-grand on a new kitchen. We could buy all new, better, and more stuff.
Every time a flyer shows up in the mail for granite countertops I feel a mixed reaction of bitterness and hope.
But, then what?
So, we get a new kitchen. It looks great. But, honestly, who cares? It functions exactly the same as the one I have now. And, in a few years, we will probably want to replace it all again.
I mean, of course, I’m not gonna lie, if I won a new, free kitchen I would be thrilled!
But, I am not going to go over all of the things that could be replaced every time I walk in my kitchen anymore.
A shift in perspective
Once when one of our daughters was sick, I suddenly had this somewhat indescribable feeling like… I don’t give a shit about my kitchen counters. They don’t matter.
My neighbors don’t give a shit about my kitchen counters. And, my family definitely doesn’t give a shit about my kitchen counters.
For the few times a year that I actually have company over, no one is looking at or caring about the kitchen counters. They just want to enjoy our company. No really, it’s that simple.
Actually, we recently bought a new couch and it was 3 weeks before anyone was actually allowed to sit on it. Not to mention, you can completely forget about eating or drinking while sitting on the couch. It will be years before that is allowed. My family loves these rules. #funtimes
Sometimes one event in your life completely changes your perspective. And, sometimes less really is more.
I am not even close to living a minimalist life, but damn getting rid of all this shit feels so freeing.
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Originally published at www.bridgettepetrino.com on March 3, 2017.
Originally published at medium.com