When is it enough?
I have spent quiet some time thinking about our stuff.
It was about a year ago when I noticed an increasing amount of Articles, Posts, Youtube Videos about Minimalism, reducing Consumption and worshiping less stuff. At first I didn't read, scroll down or listen. I wondered how one can possibly not WANT to go shopping, as this was an essential part of our free time. Isn`t all the money we earn with our hard work there to spent it? What`s the point in earring it in the first place if not to spend it on stuff?
Change came, however, as it usually does, over time...
I never spent a lot, I could`t justify to spent all, coming from a family where money was never plenty available, so with my first salary I started saving. I needed the safety net and comfort of having a bit, just to be safe, in case... you just never know.
We moved into a bigger flat one and a half year ago. The flat felt too big and empty, so we added furniture and decorations. We had an extra rooms as a closet, so we bought bags of clothes, and as a passionate reader, every quarter I bring home a bag of books.
So when Spring came around and the yearly feared and detested spring cleaning was finally due, I couldn't`t do it. I opened drawers and closets, wondering where all this stuff came from, how it ended up in this place, and how the hell should I clean anything if it was full with stuff? So I had to start decluttering. It was overwhelming, and it still is. I started with some research and of course came across the Marie Kondo Method, where people get rid of 80% of their stuff, sometimes in one go. That could`t work out for me, I`m afraid. Throwing away all that didn't bring me joy or is essentially needed? I NEED five black jumpers, at least! And every one of them is a bit different then the other, isn't i?
But something got stuck. I started wandering around the flat, opening all closets and drawers, admiring the treasures they hold, but closed them quickly again, I wasn't ready yet. I needed to start smaller. After seeing everything, I realized I needed more then an afternoon or a weekend, I couldn't just declutter, I needed to organize. So here we go, overwhelmed again, where should I start?
I began small. Very small indeed. I bought a clear box with a lid. A lid was crucial, it needed to be entirely closed so no dust (or especially spiders 😈) would get inside. And I collected all of our paper napkins in it. Task done for Day one. The next box followed, it was for travel sizes of cosmetic products. The next one for cleaning clothes. When I collected all of them, I sorted through them and got rid of old ones. Slowly I could get to the bottom of the first drawers and actually could clean them out 💪
Of course more stuff appeared at the bottom, but the overall picture started to come together.
It has been four weeks now since I started, uncountable bags of trash carried out by my brave husband after work and three full car loads to the recycle station at weekends. It is a slow progress, some things are very easy to get rid of. The things I can`t decide on stay for now and need to get tackled again later. Clothes and Books are the hardest. Books because I just love them too much. Clothes because you never know when you might need them, especially as I have an unsteady weight. I still need to figure out a way on how to deal with them. For now I have a box (of course, what else) for bottoms that don`t fit at the moment 😳
Some things were surprisingly easy: Make-Up! I use the same things every day: BB Cream, Concealer, Mascara and Liner. I found five dried up Mascaras, fancy sparkling eyeshadows, 7 red lipsticks (some never used...), blushes that made me look like a clown, 5 almost identical shades of pink nail polish, broken brushes and mirrors, etc....
I still kept some of the extra stuff for special occasions, but the Make-Up Draw is now half the size it used to be, and I was never happier with it. Every Morning I admire my small collection, every product has it`s place where it goes back right after use, I just need to wipe down the counter once a week and have a perfectly neat and clean space to get ready. Surprisingly satisfying.
I am far away from being a Minimalist. I am much further away from stopping consumption. But I actually came home from a shopping trip with nothing and not feeling unhappy because nothing fitted, but rather I could`t find anything that I didn't already own. A completly different feeling...
It was about a year ago when I noticed an increasing amount of Articles, Posts, Youtube Videos about Minimalism, reducing Consumption and worshiping less stuff. At first I didn't read, scroll down or listen. I wondered how one can possibly not WANT to go shopping, as this was an essential part of our free time. Isn`t all the money we earn with our hard work there to spent it? What`s the point in earring it in the first place if not to spend it on stuff?
Change came, however, as it usually does, over time...
I never spent a lot, I could`t justify to spent all, coming from a family where money was never plenty available, so with my first salary I started saving. I needed the safety net and comfort of having a bit, just to be safe, in case... you just never know.
We moved into a bigger flat one and a half year ago. The flat felt too big and empty, so we added furniture and decorations. We had an extra rooms as a closet, so we bought bags of clothes, and as a passionate reader, every quarter I bring home a bag of books.
So when Spring came around and the yearly feared and detested spring cleaning was finally due, I couldn't`t do it. I opened drawers and closets, wondering where all this stuff came from, how it ended up in this place, and how the hell should I clean anything if it was full with stuff? So I had to start decluttering. It was overwhelming, and it still is. I started with some research and of course came across the Marie Kondo Method, where people get rid of 80% of their stuff, sometimes in one go. That could`t work out for me, I`m afraid. Throwing away all that didn't bring me joy or is essentially needed? I NEED five black jumpers, at least! And every one of them is a bit different then the other, isn't i?
But something got stuck. I started wandering around the flat, opening all closets and drawers, admiring the treasures they hold, but closed them quickly again, I wasn't ready yet. I needed to start smaller. After seeing everything, I realized I needed more then an afternoon or a weekend, I couldn't just declutter, I needed to organize. So here we go, overwhelmed again, where should I start?
I began small. Very small indeed. I bought a clear box with a lid. A lid was crucial, it needed to be entirely closed so no dust (or especially spiders 😈) would get inside. And I collected all of our paper napkins in it. Task done for Day one. The next box followed, it was for travel sizes of cosmetic products. The next one for cleaning clothes. When I collected all of them, I sorted through them and got rid of old ones. Slowly I could get to the bottom of the first drawers and actually could clean them out 💪
Of course more stuff appeared at the bottom, but the overall picture started to come together.
It has been four weeks now since I started, uncountable bags of trash carried out by my brave husband after work and three full car loads to the recycle station at weekends. It is a slow progress, some things are very easy to get rid of. The things I can`t decide on stay for now and need to get tackled again later. Clothes and Books are the hardest. Books because I just love them too much. Clothes because you never know when you might need them, especially as I have an unsteady weight. I still need to figure out a way on how to deal with them. For now I have a box (of course, what else) for bottoms that don`t fit at the moment 😳
Some things were surprisingly easy: Make-Up! I use the same things every day: BB Cream, Concealer, Mascara and Liner. I found five dried up Mascaras, fancy sparkling eyeshadows, 7 red lipsticks (some never used...), blushes that made me look like a clown, 5 almost identical shades of pink nail polish, broken brushes and mirrors, etc....
I still kept some of the extra stuff for special occasions, but the Make-Up Draw is now half the size it used to be, and I was never happier with it. Every Morning I admire my small collection, every product has it`s place where it goes back right after use, I just need to wipe down the counter once a week and have a perfectly neat and clean space to get ready. Surprisingly satisfying.
I am far away from being a Minimalist. I am much further away from stopping consumption. But I actually came home from a shopping trip with nothing and not feeling unhappy because nothing fitted, but rather I could`t find anything that I didn't already own. A completly different feeling...
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