Moving towards Minimalism

Minimalism has many faces and is expressed in millions of different ways. It is adaptable to your own personal lifestyle and is a lifestyle that has been growing in popularity over the last several years. There is no "right way" to be a minimalist and I think that's one of the most appealing things about it.

I just started this one recently. Yes, I am still reading 3 other books. Yes, I realize I have a problem. No, I'm not going to do anything about it. × This book is motivating me to clean and purge all the stuff in our house we haven't used in 6 months or so. This is my plan for hubby's vacation. I can't wait! I haven't actually told him yet, sssh! But his vacation isn't until July so I have time to actually read the book and get plenty of boxes and people lined up to buy our crap. Maybe we'll even have a garage sale. I've never hosted a garage sale before. Should be fun! × × × #momlife #babyfun #toddleradventures #momblog #momblogger #mommyblogger #mommyblog #mumlife #mamalife #onenerdymomma #instamom #momsofinstagram #momsofig #babiesofig #babiesofinstagram #kidsofig #kidsofinstagram #toddlersofig #toddlersofinstagram #toddlers #babies #minimalism #keepwhatyouneed #tosswhatyoudont #konmari #livesimply #simplyliving

A post shared by Mallory⚡One Nerdy Momma⚡ (@onenerdymomma) on May 19, 2017 at 9:58am PDT

I first heard of minimalism last winter when several of my mom bloggers and vloggers were reading and raving about Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.I thought "hey, I've got Barnes and Noble giftcards just waiting to be used, I'll check this one out." Thus I began my minimalist journey. It turns out, the KonMari method is just a little to extreme for me, and I couldn't finish the book because her desire for tidiness was coming off a little too obsessive to me and it was giving me anxiety, but it did open a door that I will never close again.

Over the course of the next few months, I read/listened to everything I could get my hands on to help me figure out how to have a minimalist lifestyle while raising two small boys and living with my husband who didn't seem open to the idea. I think, when he heard me say "minimalism" he pictured bare walls, a single white couch, no decor, 5 shirts, 2 pairs of pants, and an otherwise empty and uninviting home. It literally took months for me to explain what I was picturing (because I wasn't really sure what I wanted in the beginning anyway) before he started to see what I was getting at and now I think he's getting on board. 

I love our library. It hasn't officially opened since the hurricane, where they had over 4 feet of water and some pretty severe damage, but their digital library is amazing. I've been borrowing audio books for months now and I have to say, if you need a book to get you started toward minimalism, especially if you have kids, you need to check out The More of Less. Joshua Becker writes thoughtfully and honestly about what it's like to transition and typical family of four (himself, his wife, and their two kids) from your average consumer driven lifestyle to a more minimalist and happy way of being. 
His words reached me and made minimalism seem like a much more attainable goal than anything Marie Kondo had said. He wasn't worried about things "bringing me joy" when I touched them. He was real. Do you need it? Do you use it? Does someone else need it more? Would someone else benefit from this item more? That mentality has helped me purge so much crap from our home, it's honestly a little embarassing. I wish I had taken "before" pictures of our home. Or even just our closets. We have donated at least a hundred pounds of clothes in the last 6 months.

I'm moving us toward a more minimalistic lifestyle, slowly but surely. I've also discovered how to borrow and download audiobooks from the library. I'm loving this. I get to "read" while I'm cooking, driving, even shaving my legs! It's fantastic. I honestly don't know why I didn't do this sooner. × Plus, audio book rentals falls happily in that minimalistic mindset. Borrowed digital media. It doesn't even take up space on my phone. Talk about winning! × × #momlife #babyfun #toddleradventures #momblog #momblogger #mommyblogger #mommyblog #mumlife #mamalife #onenerdymomma #instamom #momsofinstagram #momsofig #books #goals #readallthebooks #booksarelife #minimalism #minimalist #minimalistintraining #mininalismwithkids #audiobooks #winning

A post shared by Mallory⚡One Nerdy Momma⚡ (@onenerdymomma) on Aug 18, 2017 at 2:10pm PDT

A lot of the books and podcasts I've read or listened to have been pushing for a more minimalistic existence to create a stronger relationship with Christ. I think that's great, but if you know anything about me or us,  you'd know that's not a motivating factor for us. I'm not Christian. Neither is my husband, so obviously neither are our kids. That being said, when they start referring and talking about Jesus and his minimalist life, I compare him to Buddha and just keep trucking. The idea is still the same: have less stuff, be a happier person/family/home. Religion has nothing directly to do with it, but if you want to add a religious edge to it, go ahead! It's clearly applicable and relevant. 

One of my favorite quotes about minimalism is something along the lines of "you're never going to be done." You will never reach a point in your minimalist journey when you say 'yep, I've made it. This is the end.' because minimalism is a lifestyle choice, just like anything else. There is no end because you are always changing, growing, and evolving. Minimalism is a journey and there will always be more things to change, purge, clean, or donate. That's just life. My other favorite quote is this: "You minimalism will not look like mine. That's ok. Minimalism looks different on everyone." We are driven to compare ourselves to others. It's one of the major reasons why "capitalism" works so well. We are always trying, subconsciously or otherwise, to outdo or out-own each other. Minimalism is about getting perspective and focusing on the things that really matter. Not what we own or how our stuff compares to someone else. Life should be about building relationships that are thriving and last a lifetime. My boys won't remember all the toys they had, but they will remember the adventures we go on. 

I've collected and linked all of my favorite minimalist resources that I've found helpful over the last year and I will continue to add to this list as I find more useful books, podcasts, instagram pages, youtube pages, etc. If you have any that you espeically love, please add them to the list! I love checking out and sharing new ideas and tips.

Minimalist Resources for Newbs (with kids)

Books:

• The More of Less by Joshua Becker
• Minimalist Parenting by Christine Koh and Asha Dornfest
• Grace Not Perfection by Emily Ley
• 7 by Jen Hatmaker​

Podcasts:

• ​The Minimalists
• Minimalist Moms Podcast

Other:

• Minimalism: A Documentary About The Important Things This documentary is available to stream on Netflix!

Instagram:

• MinimalistMomlife
• AmandaMuse
• Nesting Story
• The Minimalists
• MinimalistMomsPodcast
• Megan Ericson
• Diane Boden

YouTube Channels:

• MinimalistMomlife
• Jessica Avery
• AmandaMuse
• Nesting Story​