My Minimalist Journey: Possessions

About a month ago, I helped my parents move for the first time in almost 30 years. It was a frustrating experience for me because 30 years of accumulation filled their house, and the new, smaller home would not fit all of their stuff. My father in particular did not want to get rid of anything even though he "did not want to trash the new house" like they had their previous one. I grew up in a hoarder's house, and I could barely think straight while living there.

I had my own problems, though. If anyone asked me what my favorite form of exercise was in high school, my answer would always be shopping.

I loved going to the mall, scanning clearance racks and sales for a good deal. It was the best high my little good-girl self could get.

My closet was relatively small, so I'd go through my stuff and donate a trash bag full of clothes at least twice a year, when switching out seasons.

I was a collector, though. My bedroom had more books than everything else combined. The best shopping sprees were the ones at Borders, Walden Books, or Barnes & Noble. I'm getting excited now just writing about those hauls. I was the proud owner of two copies of my favorite book, Pride & Prejudice, thank-you-very-much (although I lost one copy by lending it out to a friend). I was my friends' library, although I was never really any good at keeping track of who had what. I still took pride in my extensive collection.

My school would have an annual auction and flea market at the end of the year, and in the last hour of the flea market, they gave away bags of stuff for $1. I filled mine up with glassware and knickknacks for my future home. I was prepared for life on my own.

Although I held on loosely to my stuff, I still accumulated quite a bit. I was a retailer's dream consumer.

In college, I heard about human trafficking. It's a cause that I became very passionate about. I looked at my Slavery Footprint and was astounded that I was a part of the problem, but I didn't know what to do about it.

A few years passed, and I had my own place with my husband. We became pregnant with our first child, and I wanted to give him a fresh start. I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo this time last year and promptly got to work.



Kondo's method is pretty straightforward. Pick up everything in your possession (one at a time), and keep it if it brings you joy or discard it if it does not. Useful things, like tools or kitchen utensils can be kept if you actually use them. The joy is found in their practicality. She dives deeper into her method in Spark Joy, which I would highly recommend to anyone drowning in clutter.



I actually went through all of my possessions last year and got rid of quite a lot - donating and selling on craigslist. I read Spark Joy earlier this year and realized that I still had quite a bit that I needed to discard. We had a yard sale and donated what didn't sell.

Now, I think about future purchases for at least a month prior to making them. I don't go shopping for fun, but instead find entertainment in other things, like reading the shelves of books I still own and never got around to reading. When I do make a purchase, I research and try to buy ethically sourced, high quality goods where I can. I shop thrift stores for specific items and don't bring anything home unless I absolutely love it.

I have space to think, and I'm beginning to love my home. Plus, baby-proofing is a whole lot easier without clutter.