Minimalist living is a lifestyle that gravitates towards simplicity, clarity, intention, and purpose.
It starts off with decluttering one's material possessions, freeing space to own only what is necessary and has meaning. There's no cookie-cutter approach to a minimalist lifestyle. One could live in a 3 bedroom home, keep a room full of books and be a minimalist. "Does it spark joy for you," Marie Kondo's voice chimed. If you nodded to that question, then the library becomes a part of your lifestyle.
Minimalist living entails freeing oneself from the obsession to possess and a life of excess.
A Minimalist at Heart
When I was 5 years old, I was expected to put on my Sunday best to go to church. I wore a red plaid dress with a white baby collar. It was simple and neat. It came unfortunately with a white eyelet tunic that covered the dress.
The red dress already looked beautiful without the garment, so I made a decision to leave the tunic in my room. I walked towards the door to join the family on their way out but my Mom grabbed the belt behind my dress and insisted that the tunic be put on.
I reasoned out, something I rarely did because expressing one's opinion was forbidden at home. I asked why a beautiful dress needed to be covered with a white lace overall. The extra layer made it hotter, itchy, and uncomfortable. It was impractical even to my kindergarten self.
"Sssh..." my reasoning was dismissed. Apparently, it was all for the sake of fashion and aesthetics. And if I were to argue further, I'd be left grounded in my room and will be punished after Sunday service.
I cried. There was a struggle and I was forced to put it on. To cut the long story short, I wore the ugly tunic to church in order to keep the peace.
That was the beginning of my minimalism journey.
Keeping Up Appearances
I can't remember how many watches I have lost for I didn't enjoy the feeling of something dangling on my wrist.
Growing up, we were fed the importance of appearances, the dream that in order to be happy, we should have a huge and beautiful white house on the corner block. I watched my ever fashionably dressed Mother bring home two new pairs of shoes per week while she spent her weekends with her side hustles to make ends meet.
Beautiful dresses. Boxes of shoes. New Furniture. Debt.
Living with Less
My Mom retired early and my Dad had sadly passed away two years before I finished college. I remember when the baton of responsibility was passed to me on my graduation day at the age of 22, I immediately wore the hat of a breadwinner, the weight of the whole family of 5's responsibility on my shoulders.
I took control over managing the household finances and cut down the unnecessary items we didn't need. That was my first lesson with living with less. I took on extra jobs to be able to pay all the bills. I sold things in our family home that we no longer used. I calculated things in my head and was kept at the edge of my toes. Our electricity got cut a few times and I read books outside under the street lamp.
I walked 4 kilometers daily to save jeepney fares. Despite having an almost empty wallet back then, I felt joy during those walks. They stirred a fire in my belly, a hunger to make things better for myself and for my family. What stood out was this silent feeling that everything is okay beyond what the eyes could see.
Freeing Oneself of Clutter
I have always been drawn to simplicity and order as a child. Back then, organizing and decluttering our home gave me a sense of calm from all of the chaos our external lives threw at us that was beyond our control. At least, clutter I could get rid of.
It still is a holiday family joke among siblings how they all ran and hid their stuff before I enter a room. Clothes and clutter found on the floor went automatically straight to the bin.
Immersing in One's Desires
When I found work overseas, gained independence while earning generously, I enjoyed a comfortable shopping lifestyle for many years. A credit card or two (which I cut into small pieces when I lived with @iamyohann), a car boot full of shoes, dresses to impress clients, and indulgences to fill desires rooted in my material deprivement.
I took pleasure in them, don't get me wrong, they satiated the fire in my belly, the need for more material satisfaction. That, however, came with a price. The responsibilities and sustaining that lifestyle meant I was stuck in a job I hated.
My Takeaway
Mind you, I still enjoy high-quality items and luxurious experiences but I have observed over the years that any purchase always had meaning or purpose behind it. I'd never buy anything just because it's beautiful or the trend.
I had to experience satisfying my desires only to learn that ephemeral happiness doesn't last. The purging process felt like demolishing an old building. Peeling away the layers of paint to reveal what's there beneath.
My journey to minimalist living took decades. Slowly shedding off possessions from a two-bedroom home in Dubai to a 20 ft container that we owned when we moved back to the Philippines, now all reduced to a quarter of that.
I hope to share these experiences with you in the community from minimalist packing while traveling, downsizing possessions, organizing, minimalist design, simplifying life, and consuming less.
Are you ready to embark on the minimalist path?
Thank you for reading!
"I am an old soul who simply loves coffee, who finds joy and beauty in both tangible and the unseen."
Curiosity and imagination lead to unexpected experiences. Interested in Nature, Places, Roads Less Traveled, Minimalism, Authentic Living, Anything French, and International Cuisine. Feel free to follow her, re-blog, and upvote if you enjoy her content.
Very nice post!
I like to think that I live minimalistically. I've done large purges of things at multiple key points in my lifetime and it always feels good to so so. Like a weight is lifted. Tbh it often feels better to throw stuff away then to buy stuff lol. I have noticed that things and stuff, have a way of creeping into my life over time though. I have dreamed of owning a tiny home in the past. I invision it in my mind. But I would also like to own a large plot of land. a tiny house on a big property that I could grow gardens and such. Minimalist for possessions and maximilist for nature. That would be ideal for me
Wow we are so alike @leaky20 I have the same dream of land with a tiny house. I sold my home last year to go make this a reality and then home prices in the US, specifically Utah and Idaho, where I was looking for land sky rocketed. I went on a land looking trip last December and again this October. I really want to make this dream a reality. I think it will be another year or so. When I sold my house I moved into a room my friend was renting. I thought this will be perfect to only have things that will fit in my tiny house! It is just fine. I will need to get things, especially kitchen things or my own tiny house some day.
Hello Sara @sjarvie5, that's a lovely story to share here in the community too. Your process in selling your home, parting ways with stuff that no longer holds your vision for the present and future. May your dream of a tiny house in a big plot of land full of greens come true.
Thanks I didn't even think of that. I will share it. I am sure I have more to share as I have thought of myself as a minimalist for many years now. Right now I have been thinking about "Intentional" and how that plays into what I do, own, my relationships and time. I would like to write a bit about this too.
@sjarvie5 I hope that dream comes true for you. It sounds amazing. Yeah the housing market is crazy in Canada as well, it seems like an issue in a lot of countries these days.
Hi @leaky20, thank you, it can be so calming and the exhilaration of letting go of stuff feels rewarding. It is true that we don't realize how much we have acquired until we move house again.
Love the idea of an easy-to-manage-sized house in a big property filled with greens. I'm sure this new Minimalist Community would love to hear your stories, insights, and experiences on minimalism.
I'll check out that community. I didn't known it existed. Sounds interesting
Yes! Tiny house, big land!!!! The dream.
Hey @discoveringarni, what a beautiful story! This resonates with me on so many levels.
I do think that my chosen profession brought me on a path to hoarding too, and I'm happy that I now have to freedom to rid myself of it all and go back to the basics.
I do like to make the most of what I have, and it pains my soul to listen to persons constantly thinking about buying and upgrading to the next thing.
I like to sit back and appreciate things around me whether perfect or not, after all, I only want what has value around me anyway.
I do look around me everyday, and I'm constantly making note of everything and always seeing what else I could do without, instead of what else I need.
I am so enthused by your journey and strength to embark on what you felt was right regardless of your upbringing.
Great insight to your journey!
I am looking forward to learning more about your minimalist journey through this community.
Thanks for stopping by:)
Hi Milly @millycf1976, I wish we could tell each other these stories over a glass of wine. I think both of us have heard snippets of our stories during our conversations.
I can relate to that. I went out on a date back in my 20s and he went on and on about some fashion sales somewhere, my eyes just glazed over, and could hardly believe that the man in front of me had thicker makeup than I had.
That's a beautiful practice and a fresh way of seeing it. Thank you so much for creating this community. Living with the essentials leaves a lot of room to breathe and an abundance of spirit.
I do wish we could have more conversations for wine too:)
My gosh! I'm happy you survived that experience.
Yes, I do recall many of your stories😍
I guess this is the place for us to share them now:)
I could relate to hating anything that's dangling... That's why I don't have any jewelry. I could see my mom in your mother...
Glad to read your article...
Hi @junebride, same here, I usually am content wearing rings but sometimes depending on the mood, I wear bracelet gifts from friends if there's a special occasion for sentimental reasons. Do you wear any jewelry sometimes, if yes which one?
Amping, hope all is well over there with the typhoon. Keep safe!
I remember telling my wife when I rented a new apartment that this would be an exercise in minimalism. We have it now cluttered to the lid, wherever an apartment's lid would be.
And I do like minimalism in art, too. Apart from my blogging photographs, I aim at making minimalistic photos more often than not. Me shooting for the sake of fine art is rare nowadays, though. Time is at the minimum instead of the other way around.
Hello Manol @manoldonchev, stuff has a way of accumulating unnoticed over time especially when we're sharing spaces with our loved ones who may see things differently.
I have a kid who loves to hoard carton boxes, plastic bubble wrap, and anything from the bin and upcycles them to play with. As you can imagine, it's like a tornado just passed over the rooms of the house. It used to drive me nuts, well it still does but it makes her happy. So we made an agreement that for as long as they're in her room, they're safe but if they make their way into other rooms of the house, they're considered gone lol.
Do share your journey here into taking minimalistic photos and your love for minimalism in art.
Since the pandemic happened, i started looking into the minimalist lifestyle. Thus there are few things that i cant let go because i believe that its an essential needs in my life, i already does some big changes in my life towards the (lets say) almost an minimalist. And i have never feel more content while buying things ever since.
Hello Nafirah @firayumni, the pandemic really impacted and shifted many endeavors, careers, and lifestyles. It taught us the value of time and what we hold most valuable in our lives. Well done for creating big changes, hope you'll share them, going through the process, your expectations vs the reality here in this new community.
Arni, thanks for sharing your story. That is really amazing that you remember that experience and what it meant to how you feel about the things around you. What you said about walking also impressed me. In our world today we want the most convenience and to have nothing bad or hard. I am a firm believer that is ok to have hard things in our lives. It helps us grow, see others, see ourselves, see the world, like you did on that walk.
Hello Sara @sjarvie5, thank you for your kind and meaningful words. Whenever life hits hard, mental images of those walks looking up in the sky, feeling the ground beneath my feet with every step, give me hope, strength, and reassurance to keep going.
That's beautifully said. We learn so much by going through difficult moments.
I am excited to get to connect with you in a different way in the community!
Trying to apply minimalism in a house with a mom who is a hoarder is hard (old magazines from 2005 still here!). HAAHAHA I guess I have to own my own house 😅🤣
Love the way you write by the way!! :))
Hi @chillwithshanna, Ayayay, living with a hoarder is not easy 😱 I can imagine. Maybe start with your personal space? Unless some of the stuff found their way to invading your space too?
Thank you so much for your kind words 😊
That is the power of self-discovery, you have discover yourself and you sticked to your plans...that is a way to achieve greatness.. ..keep it up...
Hi @famimora, thank you for your powerful words. Cheers to that!
Yes dear.. cheers..
Hello @discoveringarni,
Love the new banner. I will keep my post shorter next time to be more minimalist lol
Haha! No the length was perfect!😊
I guess to add real value, the length of post cannot be minimal. That's an exception to the requirements of minimalism 😆
That's a relief 😁, okay noted.
😄
I still can manage with few piece of clothes and 3 meals a day - running after luxury is never ending.
Hello @sanjeevm, well done you, that's great to hear. Contentment is bliss🙏
I don't consider myself a minimalist, but I also don't consider myself to be living in excess. Seeing a minimalist lifestyle as portrayed in a TV documentary, I was drawn into its core principles. However, I didn't indulge myself too on those principles because I gave myself an allowance to enjoy life's excess considering the deprivation while growing up. So while I have not embraced the minimalist lifestyle yet, this post has resonated with me in so many layers.
Even when I was deprived of the luxuries in life while growing up, I always consider myself to be living in moderation. I won't gorge on food so I'll stop eating when I feel full. I have not been so addicted to something because being able to satisfy my curiosities is enough for me. This is just me projecting, but I can feel that if I embark on a minimalist journey, it would not be so difficult for me.
I'm more drawn into this:
I think those things are what matters. The rest are just icing on the proverbial cake.
I think you're already living it by example since you take things in moderation and don't live in excess, focusing more on experiences and purpose behind every decision you make. I guess I won't qualify as an extreme minimalist or the purist either as shown on TV.
I liked what Sadiya, a vlogger of Pick Up Limes said about her experience in what she wishes she knew before starting minimalism,
I too agree that being a minimalist will be natural to you.
Yeah! It's really a decision for ourselves and to ourselves. We don't answer to anyone but ourselves. Wait. Does cutting ties with people who don't matter to you can be considered minimalism? Because I'm really good at it. 😁
Guess what, yes it is 😁 under establishing meaningful relationships. As part of being authentic and truthful to oneself, cutting ties is inevitable at times.
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The purging process felt like demolishing an old building. Peeling away the layers of paint to reveal what's there beneath.
This struck a chord.
I'm in this process, too.
I admire your discipline and hard work (helping your family) and wish you continued success and peace in the New Year 🙏
Hello Yahia @yahia-lababidi, wishing you a joyful and peaceful New Year.
My apologies for the late reply. We have been hit by a super typhoon and we were cut off from the rest of the world since December 16th. We just found a signal today so here I am catching up with replies.
The recent experience made me realize that the purging process continues. My biggest takeaway from those moments is the sparks of Aha or eureka. Thank you for your insightful comment. May whatever you're going through be a smooth and graceful one and may this year bring you success, peace, joy, love, and light.
So sorry, @discoveringarni to learn about typhoon, and hope you/family are safe and sound. Nature can be humbling that way... and an incentive to reflect, deeply.
New Year off to a good start here, thanks, with family visiting and an upcoming talk that might interest you, on the inspiration of the desert (talk about minimalism!)
https://www.wisdomwayscenter.org/events-calendar/118q3emrhg8rzzlqijuwl4hzmgj899
Great start of the year! Thank you for sharing your upcoming talk.
Cheers, wishing you Good News 🤗
Thank you for this post, Arni. I love living with less. only get something that I need and it is necessary for my life. I reduce my working clothes to exact 5 so I don't have to think to much about what to wear. It is the most brilliant thing that I've done for myself. There are a lot of things that I can learn to live a minimalist lifestyle and I am so ready for it.
Hi Dora @dora381, firstly hope you had a wonderful start to the year. I know my greetings might be late but I'm greeting you a Happy New Year nonetheless. Thank you for your understanding, we have been hit by a strong typhoon and had no internet connection for the last 20-21 days.
It must feel so light and peaceful to be able to reduce your working wardrobe. Looking forward to hearing about your minimalist fashion tips.
Thank you Arni. I am so sorry to hear about the typhoon. Are you and your family ok? I watched some videos on Facebook and could see how strong the typhoon was.
I also celebrate the Lunar New Year so technically the new year will last from now til Feb. Thank you for your wish and Happy New Year to you and your family, to a wonderful 2022 ahead.
Hi @dora381, awesome practice of celebrating the New Year for that long. I haven't seen any of the videos yet but it's crazy how water was able to penetrate through window seals and the wind impact on everything. We're thankfully safe and okay. We had power back during the New Year so we're back to normalcy in a way.
Great post. Sounds like you always resisted unnecessary things that had emotional and financial costs. I have always fiercely resisted buying things because of appearances- how ridiculously frivolous and part of the bigger issues of a world DYING from thoughtless excesses! None of it makes us happy.
You're right..
Order calms the chaos. My house is the most minimalist when I'm stressed! Just don't look in my cupboards 🤣🤣🤣
Hello @riverflows, sorry for my extremely late reply. We were able to connect to a phone signal today after being hit by a super typhoon last 16th of December.
Absolutely. After weeks of limited water, no electricity, and basic essentials, it made me see so many things in a different light. Having water in the tap is a luxury and will never forget the elation of seeing it when turning on the faucet. The world is sadly dying.
How stress inspires and motivates order in the home is so true! 😂
When I start alphabetizing the spices in the spice rack, I have to question myself what's going on. 😂
My greeting might have come so late but I'm wishing you a Happy, Peaceful, and Joyful 2022. May this year fulfill your heart's dreams and wishes.
Gosh sorry to hear things have been tough.
Haha once I arranged my books in colour order. That was actually quite satisfying.
Hope things are gradually getting better for you x
Haha, arranging books in colour order is satisfying indeed. 😁
Thank you 🙏 wishing you a wonderful day
Good post ... I am on the same journey, slowly but surely...
Hi @deeanndmathews, thank you for your message and my apologies for my late reply. We have been hit by a typhoon and we had no phone and internet connection for almost three weeks. May 2022 bring good surprises and blessings that would make you enjoy the journey even more.
And you also -- a strong recovery from the typhoon and clearer skies ahead to you!
Thank you so much 🙏
This is a really nice article! Thanks :)
Here’s a little story of my case of decluttering and minimalism…
I started purging a few years back in anticipation of moving to a new place soon. As I live very small I got annoyed of always have stuff laying around. I also don’t like moving. Mainly because of all the stuff to carry around. Stuff I sometimes didn’t even take out of the box from when I moved the last time.
It turned out I would stay longer at my current place. And suddenly I got hooked with the decluttering. Without realizing, I was living the minimalist lifestyle.
The last hear though, I noticed I started to accumulate stuff again. Slowly, without realizing. Soon I will get rid of some stuff again. Some things are not necessary!
Hi @michelmake, firstly allow me to greet you with a happy new year. Sorry for my late reply. We have just received an internet signal today after we got hit by a big typhoon three weeks ago. I'm now catching up on all comments which I'm happy to receive.
Thank you for sharing what got you into living the minimalist lifestyle.
Moving inspires minimalism. Suddenly we find ourselves in an inventory of what to keep and what to throw or give away. It's amazing how much stuff we unconsciously amass in such a short period of time. I think that's okay, for a time whatever stuff accumulated was needed at one point in time. It reminds me of a baby tub I wanted to give away and didn't get a chance to.
I'm glad we kept it because it was a lifesaver when we had no water in the faucet after the storm. Perhaps some things are meant to stay for a while as long as we're aware of things we needed to let go. Am I making any sense?
Hi @discoveringarni, happy new year to you too! I saw your post on the Typhoon. I hope you managed to get things organized a bit. Intense!
Indeed I threw out some stuff that I later needed. Especially some very specific cooking tools. My solution was simply to borrow whatever I need from friends. That way, we can have a communal set of stuff shared among us.
Since my last reply to your post I have been noticing that it's time to spend some time on purging again. My house is cluttering up slowly again and it is time to stop that.
All the best from the Netherlands, MM
Sharing cooking tools is a great idea! Will keep that in mind. Just recently gave a microphone away to the community space because I haven't used it for years. The next evening, there was karaoke so at one point it made me wonder if that was a good idea. haha, at least they were happy, it made them forget about the storm for a bit. 😁 Have a great evening to you there and happy decluttering!
Reading your post just made me realized how much of a minimalist I am. Lol, I always thought something was wrong with me, cos I don't buy things unless I need them, I am always decluttering once I don't see the need for something. I prefer things that look simple to those chaotic.
Really enjoyed reading, I should do more research on minimalistic lifestyle 💕
Hello @wems, it sounds like you're a minimalist at heart. Would love to hear about your minimalist living journey. My apologies for my late reply, we have been hit by a typhoon that knocked down the power supply and internet. Grateful to have received a temporary internet connection today so I'm now catching up. Hope you had a beautiful start to the year. Cheers!
Very nice and inspiring post.
I love the teaching of your life experience and your way of sharing it.
Best regards.
Hello @orlandogonzalez thank you for your kind words. My sincere apologies for the late response, we just found a phone and internet signal today after the typhoon that hit us last December.
Have a blessed and peaceful 2022!
Have you ever used 5D planner software? nice to meet you
Hi @resyiazhari, I don't think I have, nice to meet you on the Hive too.
You can find out, it looks like it fits your field
Dear @discoveringarni,
Do you mind supporting the HiveBuzz proposal for 2022 so our team can continue its work next year?
You can do it on Peakd, ecency,
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We wish you a Happy New Year!
Hello @hivebuzz, thank you for your message and my apologies for the late reply..will check it out. Happy New Year!
Thank you. Looking forward to getting your support for our proposal 🙂⏳