Francine Jay - Miss Minimalist: Inspiration to Downsize, Declutter, and Simplify

Miss Minimalist

Inspiration to
Downsize, Declutter,
and Simplify

By
Francine Jay

Miss Minimalist : Inspiration to Downsize, Declutter, and Simplify
Copyright 2011 by Francine Jay
Published by Anja Press (www.anjapress.com)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the copyright owner, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

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Once upon a time, I had too much stuff: too many clothes in my closet, too many books on my shelves, too many tchotchkes on my mantel, too many plates in my cupboards.

According to marketers and advertisers, I should have been delighted. After all, more is better, right?

Not for me, it wasnt. All that stuff was draining my wallet, my energy, and the joy out of my life. Not only didnt I need half of it, I didnt even want it.

So I made a change. Until that point, my possessions had increased with each passing year. But then, I decided to shift things into reverse: I vowed to no longer acquire, but to declutter. I would declutter and declutter, until I could declutter no more.

The process was nothing short of exhilarating! I hadnt anticipated the high Id feel when taking a bag of discards to the Goodwill. Id never imagined the freedom that would result by emptying my shelves and cabinets.

And thus, a minimalist was born. I became convinced that having less stuff could make us happier people.

I was so thrilled over this epiphany, I wanted to grab a bullhorn and shout it from the rooftops. Being a shy sort, I wrote it down insteadin a series of articles exploring my adventures in minimalist living.

My musings range from the practical to the philosophical, and everything in between. Sometimes I channel Thoreau, sometimes I quote Socrates, and sometimes I simply wax poetic on the number of shoes, glasses, or towels I own.

I hope you enjoy this peek into my minimalist lifeand perhaps be inspired to simplify your own!

Dear Stuff,

Im not sure how to break this to youbut the time has come for us to part ways. Sure, we have a long history, but we simply cant go on pretending that were still happy together.

It seems that after all these years, our relationship has lost its spark. I recall the magic of when we first met: how your shiny newness caught my eye, how I vowed to have you at any price, how excited I was to bring you home.

It didnt take long, however, for the novelty to wear away. Maybe it was the thrill of the hunt, but once you were mine, you no longer seemed quite so attractive. In fact, much of the time, you just seemed to be in the way.

Whats more, you never really lived up to your promises or expectations: owning you didnt make me any smarter, happier, cooler, or sexier. Instead, our relationship drained my energy and my wallet. Ive spent untold hours (and dollars) keeping you looking nice and in good repair, protecting you from theft, and moving you around when Ive had to relocate.

To be honest, though, your presence in my living room, bedroom, kitchen, and closets is stifling me. I cant help but wonder how youve expanded so much over the years. Im getting tired of stepping over you, cleaning around you, and generally wondering what to do with you. I need some space, some serenity, some room to breathe.

Of course, youre not entirely to blame; I was no angel, either. Though I kept a roof over your head, I never really lavished you with attention. I shoved you away in boxes and closets, sometimes neglected to maintain you, and all too often simply ignored you.

Therefore, I think youll also be better off without me. Youll have a happier life with someone elsesomeone who wants you, needs you, and appreciates you for what you are. And dont worry, I wont be so cruel as to leave you out on the curb. Ill post flattering photos of you on Craigslist, sing your praises on Freecycle, and contact charitable organizations to find you that special someone.

So I guess this is goodbyeLets part without regrets, and look on this as a new beginning. I already feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and Im ready to embark on a new lifeunencumbered, footloose, and full of possibility!

Yours Truly,

Me

A lot of people think being a minimalist is akin to being a monkliving a sort of ascetic lifestyle in which you deprive yourself of worldly things simply for the sake of it.

Others regard minimalists with polite curiosity (why ever would you want to have an empty house?), or write us off as a bit quirky.

What gets lost in most considerations of minimalism is the true joy that can be found in the lifestyle. I think thats the number one reason most of us adopt it: to make ourselves happy.

To this end, Ive decided to wax philosophical on the top ten benefits of being a minimalist.

1. Less stuff = less stress. The fewer possessions you have, the less you need to worry about maintaining, repairing, insuring, protecting, and paying for them.

2. Less stuff = more freedom. Possessions are like anchors, tethering us to our houses (to store them), and our jobs (to pay for them). When you dont have a houseful of stuff, youre much more mobile and able to take advantage of opportunities as they arise.

3. Less stuff = more time. It takes time to plan for, research, and acquire a purchase (from driving around to stores, to surfing the web for consumer reviews). And it takes time to clean, maintain, and keep stuff in order once you own it. The less stuff you buy, the more time you have for other (more pleasurable) pursuits.

4. Less stuff = more money. The less you buy, the more you save. And who wouldnt be happier with a little more money in their bank account?

5. Less stuff = less pressure to consume. When people know youre a minimalist, they dont expect you to have the latest and greatest toys and status symbols. In fact, they dont expect you to have anything at all.

6. Less stuff = less to clean. I prefer not to spend my weekends dusting around tchotchkes, and corralling wayward items into drawers, bins, and closets (and I suspect Im not the only one!) Whats more: when youre a minimalist, your house is more likely to look halfway decent when someone drops by unexpectedly.

7. Less stuff = more opportunity to be creative and resourceful. I love the challenge of meeting a need, or completing a task, without purchasing something extra.