I’m so excited that I received an advanced copy of Love People, Use Things by The Minimalists. I’ll disclose that I received this advanced copy for free, but there were no requirements, so this blog post is 100% my own doing. {If you’re not familiar with The Minimalists, make sure to check out their website! So much great content.)
At the end of each chapter, they ask practical questions and give practical things to do. I love that this is a book that promotes immediate application and action. Admittedly I’m not great at doing this part of books, so as I went to start answering the questions from chapter 1 in my notebook, I considered that it might be a great option to answer these as a blog post! Also a fun way to keep me accountable…
I will disclaim, too- I started pretty heavily purging and minimizing about 2 years ago, and I’ve been steadily purging every so often ever since. {I wrote a post all about the start of our journey with that here. Please know our house no longer looks anything like the photos in that post. Should probably update that, ha!} However. I can tell I’ve been stressed during my busy season and have been indulging in some retail therapy. This isn’t something I’m usually drawn to, it’s just been easy to get caught up in the past few months for whatever reason. So this is very timely.
Chapter 1 is all about our relationship with stuff. This is pretty standard Minimalist talk with letting go of our material possessions and evaluating our relationship with what we own. Just a little background and context for the questions!
What is enough for you and your household? (Be specific- amount of bedrooms, televisions, coats in the closet. Think closely about the things that actually add value to your life.
I feel like since we’ve started a minimizing journey a while back, we actually are aware that we don’t need a ton. One tv, 3 bedrooms, 1-2 coats each. Though since Dan is permanently working from home, I do think we’ll eventually need a house with a separate room for an office. Working out of our bedroom is not ideal for either of us long term. Enough to us is living within our means and having the time and resources to pursue the life we want.
What are you afraid to let go of? Why?
I can’t say I’m necessarily “afraid” to let go of anything. I think I have a really hard time letting go of things if they were gifted because I never want to offend anyone.
What is your freedom worth? What are willing to give up to be free?
I think our freedom is worth everything- our financial freedom and our time freedom. That’s one of the things I love most about living more minimally. It allows us the freedom to really pursue a life with more travel and adventure. I do go through stretches of time where I get very caught up in consumerism. The new top that’s only $10 or a new book instead of waiting for the library. These things don’t seem like much in the moment but do add up and start stealing our financial freedom.
What is the real cost (beyond the financial cost) of holding on to your possessions?
It causes me anxiety! When I feel like I’m constantly cleaning up the house and picking up stuff, it makes me really stressed and anxious.
How will shedding the excess make room for a more meaningful and enjoyable life? Be specific. The clearer your vision, the more leverage you’ll have while decluttering.
I’m able to be so much more present when there’s not a lot of stuff. I feel like lately I’ve always been nagging the kids to pick up or spending all my spare time cleaning and tidying. Again, it gives me anxiety to just have stuff everywhere, so it’s hard for me to just ignore it. I’d love to be able to clean up quickly with less stuff so I can spend more time being present with my kids and husband. I’d love to not always feel behind on cleaning up our home.
Have you gone on your own minimizing/purging journey? I’d love to know your experience and motivation! And leave a comment if you’ve never done this but are interested! I love talking about this so much! If you’re interested in this book, you can pre-order it here!
No Comments