Our homes are filled to the eaves with stuff – clothes, books, mementos of past events, random decor, and furniture, just to name a few. It can be incredibly cleansing letting go of all this stuff.
Becoming a minimalist, or living a minimalist lifestyle means getting rid of anything that isn’t essential or is no longer useful.
Going minimalist seems like it might be intimidating to start, but once you get in the groove you’ll never want to go back to a cluttered, materialistic lifestyle. PSECU created this info graphic on how to become a minimalist that will help you get started.
If you’re not sure where to begin, here are a few more tips and tricks to help get you started.
Do you have multiple versions of one item – like 15 pairs of jeans, or something like that? Start ditching duplicate items. You’ll clear up a ton of space and won’t have stuff that you never use taking up closet space.
Many of us put off decluttering or living minimally because of our emotional attachment to many items. Disassociate yourself from your belongings – getting rid of them will be a lot easier if you’re not thinking about all the good times you had with them. Of course, if there is something that holds special value to you and fills you with joy, then keep it.
We’ve all got stuff that we hang on to on the off chance that we might use it someday. If you’re going to use it, then use it. Otherwise, toss it. This definitely applies to things like that stack of old magazines that you’re never going to read again.
How many pairs of shoes do you have in your closet? Now, how many of them do you wear on a regular basis. You don’t generally need more than three or four pairs of shoes – work boots, dress shoes, running shoes, sandals. The rest should be tossed or donated depending on what kind of shape they’re in.
How many dishes do you really need? If you’ve got a ton of chipped or cracked dishes in your kitchen, it’s time to start tossing them. Keep enough dishes to serve you and your family and maybe a couple extras for company and clean out the rest.
Do you have broken things that you keep swearing up and down that you’re going to fix but they just sit around and collect dust? Toss them. They’re just adding to the clutter and taking up space.
Picking out new things is fun but don’t go for cheap and plentiful – they’ll end up breaking and costing you more money in the long run. Choose quality over quantity so you don’t have a bunch of extra things cluttering up your home. Instead, save that money. Think of what you could buy if you saved the money that you spent on things you really didn’t need!
If your bathroom looks like you could start your own Bath and Body Works, it’s time to declutter. Keep the stuff you use daily and toss the rest. If it’s unopened and not expired, it could even work as a gift for your next Secret Santa at work! The same thing goes for beauty appliances, makeup and towels.
Do you have a huge collection of DVDs or music discs? If they’re still in their original cases, they’re probably taking up a ton of room. If you can’t live without your discs, consider relocating them from their plastic cases into something like a CD/Disc Wallet – that way you can still enjoy your movies offline while saving a ton of space. If you prefer to live in the digital age, consider digitizing your collection instead, and selling or donating your discs.
Even your bills and banking can all go digital – opt for paperless statements so you don’t have a ton of paperwork floating around, do your banking online and even set up online bill pay so you don’t even have to keep a checkbook around. PSECU offers direct deposit, mobile payments like Apple Pay, online bill pay, mobile apps, and more!
Figure out why you want to declutter your home and have minimalist lifestyle. Maybe you want to be able to travel without a truckload of baggage or you need to downsize to a smaller home. Whatever the reason, having a motivation will make decluttering easier.
Now that your home is decluttered, it’s tempting to spend a lot of money filling it with new things. Don’t give in. You’ll just undo all your hard work. When you need to buy something new, be smart about it and don’t just buy something because you saw it on a late-night infomercial unless it’s something you’re really going to use every day.
Read Next: Why I’m Becoming a Minimalist…and You Should Too!