Darphynia's Diary

It's hard to believe we started the #MinsGame nearly 31 days ago!  Where has the time gone?  So far, we have piled up an incredible number of "things" we have accumulated over the years.  It's easy to forget how much you have until it is all put in front of you.  We are starting to run out of things to put in the pile, which is good in a way.  We just have to remember not to accumulate more.  I think we (the collective "we") often gather more things after we have gone through a "spring cleaning" bout, for various reasons.   In just a few days we will have a photo up of everything we will have to donate/sell/toss.  Have you thought about downsizing?  We'd love to know about your experience(s)! Stay beautiful!

We are four days into the #MinsGame, and that means we have gotten rid of 10 items!  The box is beginning to fill up.  This whole process is far easier than I imagined it would be.  I think the difficult part will be the initial upkeep.  Hopefully it won't be a constant battle between needs  and wants .  But isn't a lot of this a mindset?  If I think about everything I have, I don't really need  any more, well, anything.  Since I have been replacing single-use or limited-use items with products that will supposedly last years (provided I don't break or ruin them), I won't have a need to buy replacements for some time.  You can read our other articles about those purchases here .  Combining paring down with our no-spend July should make for an interesting time.  You know, never did I ever think about how my purchases would affect anything.  It is just stuff.  But in having more things to sift through and take care of, ...

I don't remember how I first read about The Minimalists .  I think it was when I was researching small space organization and de-cluttering.  One of the ads for their documentary video popped up, and I was intrigued.  Around the time I saw them, I was also looking into the whole "Zero Waste Movement".  The two ideals seemed to coincide a bit.  Minimalism isn't just about living with less, but living with more meaningful items that you will use (the same with zero-waste), as opposed to having lots of items sitting around collecting dust.  What I love about that is (1) having less means not having to search endlessly for something you've misplaced and (2) you have more money to spend on experiences or items that will last versus fast-fashion and impulse buying.  Not that you need to follow any specific model, and there are no directions or specific rules-- minimalism is not as constricting as it sounds.  Aside from things like holiday wrapping paper...

This week I have decided to focus on minimalism.  I never really thought about how much "stuff" I was accumulating until I moved some things to storage.  Holy s**t!  I have more than enough items.  Do I think that people should never spend or buy things?  No.  But, I want to see what it's like to focus on being present and here rather than on what I want to buy.  Plus, my wallet will surely thank me.   This will be a huge challenge because I am a sucker for samples.  If it is something I will use, then I'll take it, but other than that, I will, "...just say no."