Minimalist in Training

As you may have seen on my Instagram page, Kate Williams of Sonoma Index-Tribune, our local newspaper in Sonoma Valley, interviewed me recently. The story ran Friday and you can read it here. 

In the article, Ms. Williams discusses the 30-Day Minimalism Game that my husband and I undertook in January. I thought I would expand on that in today’s post. 

Before we began our challenge, Bill and I watched “Less is Now” on Netflix, a documentary by The Minimalists about – you guessed it – minimalism. The Minimalists also created the Minimalism Game. 

Here’s how it works:

For all 31 days of January, we got rid of the number of things that corresponded to that day’s date. On the 1st, we each got rid of one thing. On the 2^nd, we each got rid of 2 things, and so on until the 31st, when we each got rid of 31 things.

This pile of stuff is about 2/3rds of what we chose to say goodbye to. The rest was in the garage waiting to go to donation, given away, or tossed out because it was too worn to donate. 

Between the two of us, we have unburdened ourselves of over 1000 things! It was exhilarating to remove all that unwanted stuff from our lives. 

Bill and I pledged to make changes going forward so we’d never have to do this challenge again. It was a fantastic organizational project but more than that, it was a learning experience. 

When the Minimalism Game concluded at the end of January, I posted about the experience on Instagram. It’s been a month now and I’d like to share an update. 

• My online shopping habit has diminished greatly. For the entire month of February, I bought a set of resistance bands for the gym (replacing an older set), a tube of tinted lip balm, a cover for my MOTR, and 4 books. I also bought a swim top and two swim bottoms. 
• In January, while in the midst of the challenge, it became rather obvious to me that I had quite a robust online shopping habit. And that habit had been going on for a long, long time – decades. I wanted to do something about it so I began being mindful of my purchases. I started writing down the things I wanted, or thought I wanted, in a space in my monthly calendar. I have a running list and as I move through the month, I check off the things I bought and cross out the things I have decided I no longer want. One rule is that after writing the item down, I have to wait one full day before I buy it. In other words, I need to sleep on it. If I’m still certain I want to buy that item the next day, I will. But usually I have lost interest and it’s crossed off the list.
• At the end of each day in my planner, I write down what I bought that day. If I didn’t buy anything, I write that phrase at the bottom of the column. I have many more “Didn’t buy anything today” notes than items in my planner, I am happy to report.  

• I love being able to find things! I know exactly what I own and where to find it. That was not the case prior to our challenge. 
• I am still getting rid of things, even after saying goodbye to over 1000 items. It’s an ongoing process. 
• I gave away our previously stuffed under-the-bed storage bins and now all of our folded items fit in our two dressers. I am proud to say I know all of their contents. 
• I can get dressed in an outfit I like in seconds. Before the challenge, it took me ages to riffle through all my clothes – that were in three locations – to pick out an outfit. 

Most of my fall/winter wardrobe

• I can tell I have more work to do as far as shopping urges go. With my drastic weight loss, I will eventually need to replenish parts of my wardrobe. The trick is choosing things I will want to wear, that will last and look good on me. Easier said than done, but I am in no hurry.

I don’t know that I will ever be a true minimalist. But I like this lighter, more organized household and lifestyle. And since my husband and I are on a fixed income in retirement, it would be a smart move to get a handle on my shopping habit.

Tomorrow is March 1^st, the beginning of a new month. Of course you can begin the 30-Day Minimalism Game anytime, but I always look at the first of a month as a great starting point for challenges. 

If you are interested in ditching some clutter, cutting back on shopping or both, I would encourage you to watch The Minimalists’ “Less is Now” documentary and consider trying the challenge. If you want to watch the documentary later and get the details on the 30-Day Minimalism Game, here’s a short video.

Let me know if you have any questions! 

Adrienne