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Monday, July 23, 2018

My Minimalism Series: Why Minimalism?

Hey y'all! Today I will be writing about a topic that in full honesty is fairly new to me. I have done a lot of research about minimalism in the past few weeks- be it in the form of YouTube videos, podcasts, posts from other bloggers, and Pinterest, and I finally feel like I have enough of a grasp on it to blog about it.
Many equate minimalism with all white, modern furniture and owning literally nothing (other than baggy neutral clothing), however, that's not what it is at all. Minimalism is about living with only what we need in order to appreciate the things we already have. It aims to reduce our consumption, save money, and helps us to realize how truly blessed we really are and realize how we often take what we have for granted. I have already begun to implement minimalist principles into my travel, my wardrobe, my spending/savings, my beauty routine, and a ton of other areas of my life.

My minimalism journey began in order to save a little money. I was never one of those people that made huge purchases, instead, I've always been one to habitually make small ones- ten dollars here on a cute top, five dollars there on another accessory I didn't need- probably once or twice a week. At the end of the month, I always found myself in the exact same predicament: I didn't know where exactly my money had gone, I just knew I had spent too much of it. In the spring, I sat down and decided I didn't need any of what I was buying. I had too many tops, too many dresses, and not enough savings.

I began purging my clothing- eventually getting myself down to about 75 pieces (more like 80 now) and only keeping the essentials. I did the same with my makeup, my shoes, my books, and my bags. I let go of everything that didn't bring me joy, I hadn't used in over nine months, and I simply don't have use for anymore. Before I purged, I was scared that I would feel regret for getting rid of so many items that I had paid for or items that people had thoughtfully given to me as gifts, but getting rid of unnecessary clutter felt so freeing. I finally felt like I had control over the things in my life rather than feeling as if those things had control over me. I felt more organized, my space felt much more relaxing and it had much more visual appeal, and I felt like each item in my space had a specific purpose.

So why minimalism?

  1. Reduces our consumption: As Americans, we have a tendency to be wasteful and over-consume. We buy way too much frivolous stuff for no reason that serves us no real purpose and has no legitimate function. By intentionally buying less stuff, we are reducing our insane consumption rates.
  2. Saves money: Buying less means saving more money! The average American household is $137,000 in debt (Sun, 2017). While that debt does include things that are essential such as housing, cars, education, etc., much of that debt can also be attributed to things that are not necessary. Younger generations have become increasingly more comfortable with financing their goods rather than buying what they want/need outright leaving many families in precarious financial situations. By buying less unnecessary items and only buying what is essential, you spend less money, therefore accruing less debt. Eventually when you do need to pay for something important (medical bills, education, etc.), you'll have the money to do so since you saved by not buying what you didn't need. It's a win-win!
  3. The most important part: Minimalism itself is definitely not referred to in the Bible at any point at all, however, minimalism is simply a tool that helps you get rid of the things in your life that are unimportant in order to focus on the things that are important to you. In the Christian life, this means we can use minimalism is a tool to devote more of our free time and energy into furthering the Kingdom. 1 Samuel 12:24 says: "Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you." When we serve Him with all of our free time and energy rather than serving the things of the flesh, we are giving Him what He deserves and what He commands: the "number one spot" in our lives. Getting rid of the non-essential things that only remove us from serving Him and hinder us giving Him our all truly makes us able to focus our attention on God rather than worldly things that don't really matter. I feel that minimalism has also helped me really just how good God is and how consistently He provides for us whether we realize it or not. We often take for granted the things that we already have in search of the latest and greatest thing we can possibly have. We replace our phones every two years, buy the season's trendiest clothes, and focus so much on what the world thinks of us that we forget to thank God for the way He has provided for us already. We constantly pray "God-give-me-this-thing-that-I-don't-really-need-but-really-want" and ask Him to give, when in reality, He has already provided and given but we choose to take what He has provided for granted. Psalm 107:8-7 says: "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." We need to be praising God for the amazing things He has done for us!
These are the reasons I chose minimalism! I will include a couple pictures of minimalist rooms for inspiration. I am a very visual person and enjoy seeing how others have incorporated minimalism into their space- so I hope this will be an encouragement to you! I personally like a more rustic or "shabby chic" style, so those are the pictures I have included. I will get pictures of my own re-organized bedroom soon- I have been out of town and haven't been able to take any! As soon as I can, I definitely will. All pictures are courtesy of HomeEdit. I have included a link at the bottom of the post so you can check out more of their pictures!













Do any of you feel like you're interested in trying to adapt a more minimalist lifestyle? Why or why not?

Blessings! 
Tiffany 

https://www.homedit.com/minimal-rustic-bedrooms/minimal-wood-floor-for-bedroom/ (link for more pictures)

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