Embracing Minimalism, a community journey

Over the past 4 years I've had an increasing interest in minimalism. My excitement to learn more and read about others' experiences has left a digital crumb trail behind me as I've reposted articles, shared quotes, and reflected in online forums as my own personal journal. I did not set out to start a revolution, just document for my own sake of reference. Well in that documentation process, I gained some interest from friends and what moved from "likes" on my FB posts, grew to interactive comments and questions, then direct emails to ask me for direction on simplifying and in person conversations with folks I didn't even know were paying attention! 

My friend Mel planted an idea with me this fall that perhaps I have a minimalism prowess to share and that others would be interested in hearing my experiences and thoughts. So I've been chewing on that idea for a bit on what kind of platform I could share about living simply. There is a huge part of me that has been reluctant because of self-doubt. I look at my home and think not all of my spaces are photo worthy of a minimalist-how-to. And I wonder, do I actually have anything of greater value to share than what is already out there? But what I do have are friends that trust and know me, and so maybe serving as a curator of all the minimalism tips and resources out there can be valuable. And what I also strive to be great at is authenticity. So maybe sharing some real life pics helps to emphasize what I truly believe, that minimalism is a unique journey and looks different for everyone. 

So if you want to join me on a new year adventure, I will be gathering a cohort of friends to communicate with for the month of January 2017. I will email you every 2-3 days and share stories, encouragement, tips and resources on creating your own minimalism- which could be decluttering your stuff, your schedule, or your mind. What I know to be true about minimalism is that it is counter-cultural and therefore best lived in the support of community. If you want to be part of that community in January, send me a note, email, comment, post, direct message, etc! 

Becoming Uncluttered

You may have seen my shout outs over the last two years for the blog I read, Becoming Minimalist by Joshua Becker. He wrote a new book this year, The More of Less, and as an incentive to pre-order I got to participate in his new online course called Uncluttered. We are at the half way marker now, 8 weeks in, 8 more to go. We've tackled assignments by specific rooms each week and are now moving into the mindfulness habits of how to keep things that way. This isn't an organization course, it is a minimizing, purging course. The social support has been pretty great, 7k new friends across the world in a private Facebook group to post our questions, challenges and successes together. But this blog post isn't an advertisement for that.

The thought shared this week is about the power of sharing our story and having both support and accountability for holding ourselves to this new way of life. Whether you are changing a habit like eating healthier or curbing your purchases, naming that for yourself and letting others hear it can create a powerful ring of support. So I thought I'd share one of the latest pictures that I posted with the Uncluttered group:

Here is a look at the garage getting attacked today! Since we are having beautiful weather (70s) with low humidity it felt like a great day to approach this task since I wouldn't be rushing to beat the heat. So the top photo is a before look at what the side of our garage has been (minus a few bikes the kids had already wheeled out). The middle photo is what the space looked like after I cleared it all out and swept the bench and floor! I'd love to leave it just like that it looks so pretty! But the task ahead of me is sorting through the 3rd photo- all the items on the lawn to decide what is trash, what can be shared with others, and what still serves its purpose and is a need for our family. 

I am surprised so far how much trash I've just thrown away like broken bubble wands, old receipts, broken plastic toys. When we lived in our 1k square foot home in Virginia it was really easy to avoid indoor toys because of limited space, but it opened the floodgates to collecting a gang of outdoor things for the kids to play with since we had the under house storage. We sure do appreciate having a garage now and the ability to park both of our cars in it. So the goal for today is to keep that the priority and be able to find the things we want to play with and move along the things we do not!

I sent the pics to Jonathan so he knows what we are undertaking today, but I'm looking forward to the look on his face when he drives home tonight and pulls in to this uncluttered space!

More Purging

I have had a surprising amount of people talk with me about the minimizing posts or purging articles and quotes I've posted on Facebook over the last seven months. It's been an encouraging community to continue and reflect with the value of getting rid of things you don't need. I follow a blog that helps to share weekly inspiration because this is not the norm for living and in order to carry out this counter-cultural lifestyle, encouragement and community is needed. So I wanted to drop a few updates on where my head continues to be around all that.

Our church community hosted another Freesale last week that allowed me to share a lot of our things that had collected over the past year in our attic and in my bathroom shower (used for purging storage). I didn't realize how much that pile had grown until we took it all down the week before to see what kind of shuttle system would be needed. Well, it was enough to borrow and trailer and fill it! What a great feeling to see all that stuff exit our house, and get to see many of the faces of joy and appreciation from those who walked away with for free that night. There were a few items in there that I had a hard time purging, my two winter coats (I downsized to just 1 instead of 3 this winter) and my first luggage set that I got when I was a teen. I saw a young girl carry that suitcase all around the school cafeteria that night, holding on tight until her family was done and she proudly carried it out. I wish I didn't need this kind of closing the loop gratitude to know my stuff will live on happily without me, but I do.

In addition to sending items out the door to the Freesale, I have also been gathering bags for sharing with friends.

• One bag is Heath's clothing from last summer that no longer fits and things from this past winter he has already outgrown. We have a neighbor friend who is a year and a half behind him and the perfect size to inherit the hand-me-downs. 
• Another box of baby clothing I found in the attic is being shipped to a friend for her kiddo to enjoy. We have not decided how large our family will be, but what I have accepted is that we have always been provided for and there is not a need for me to hold onto things when someone else could be using them right now! 
• One box of our University of Arkansas gear that has gone unworn for the past 4 years is being shipped to friends still living in the state who will get use out of it. This was a great lesson as we anticipate another move in our future. At the time it seemed impossible to let go of these items, but as we grew our affiliation to another university and college town, there was no way we were going to wear Razorback gear for as many days of the week as we owned. (We do still each have an item that we love and wear- woo pig sooie!)
• Another bag is filled with a few books, puzzles and toys that will be donated to Reese's daycare classroom. These items are very gently used and with other items to access similar to it at home, it seems there will be more value received by adding it to the kids' collection there where it will be well loved by many- Reese included!
• The last bag is filled with our regular recyclables that will go to Heath's classroom at daycare. About every third week we take a similar sized bag in for him to share with the art and media center in his room. The bag typically includes: egg cartons, toilet paper or paper towel rolls, reusable plastic containers, oatmeal carton, magazines. It is really easy for us to pull these items that we'd usually put in the recycle bin outside for collection, to first get loved by some creative 4 and 5 year olds!

If you are interested in some reading, this is a great read for aspiring minimalists with kids. I'd never thought about considering the kids' play space to be like my office and what kind of non-chaos is required in order to focus. http://dallas.citymomsblog.com/why-i-got-rid-of-the-toys/

Have any of you been purging lately? Where does your stuff go? Any tips?

Up next on my challenge list/reflection is how to better control what comes in so that this purging cycle will not always have to happen.

Selling the Grey Wolf

This spring season we are in the job search as Jonathan concludes his time as a PhD student at Virginia Tech. (3 chapters down, proposal-2 chapters-defense to go!) We have LOVED our time in Blacksburg and the community that has become our extended family. We had hope that staying would be an option, but as search processes have played out, that is looking less likely. So as we continue to travel and apply nationally, the truth that we need to prep for a move is becoming our reality. Thankfully, the minimizing journey of this past year has helped immensely in thinking about the simplicity of what remains and what we would want to journey with us. Sadly, the grey wolf doesn't make the cut!

Two years ago, our family was blessed to inherit the Manz family car that had circulated through J's parents and both brothers before preparing to donate. Since we had been living with just the one car that we shared and Jonathan had an upcoming internship that would have him driving 45 minutes away twice a week for the semester, this car joined our family at the right season! But that season is over. We don't 'need' a second car, and while the grey wolf has been mostly good to us, she isn't worth trailing nationally with us. 

After having some work done at the mechanic the past couple weeks and passing inspection, I was ready to move this girl on before she overstayed her welcome. With Heath not well and home with a fever this week, I had some extra time yesterday to put a Craigslist ad together and do my Kelley Blue Book research to post. I listed it at the fair market value, or best offer. Then a reminder of God's provision showed up.... 30 times! I didn't check my email account until after dinner, 10 hours later, to see the overwhelming response of people interested in the grey wolf- not even one of those was a spammer. Overwhelmed, I started with the first one in and replied with more information and offering they could look at the car tonight or tomorrow. Within 5 minutes they responded, I called back, and 15 minutes later they were here in the car test driving. 

A dad and his senior in high school daughter came together to explore the car. She is going to be at Hokie in the fall and has been saving for a car to purchase so she can commute to classes from the town next door. We could not have picked better buyers! The dad modeled great empowerment by letting his daughter make the call, "it's your money sweetheart, I can just tell you this is a great car in excellent condition for its age and this is a fair price." She said, "I want it!" 

And because I have seen God's faithfulness show itself in the details and unexpected bonus ways, I have to share about my breakfast table conversation with Heath this morning. I explained to Heath that we had exciting news that the grey wolf was going to have a new owner and it was a student who is coming to Virginia Tech who has been saving her money, just like he has been saving his money in a jar. "She saved her money just like me?!" Yep. And when she pays us for the car, do you know what mom and dad are going to do with that money? "Save it?" Yep, because our family wants to save so we can buy a van like we rode together in Florida. So you are saving your money, and this girl saved her money, and our family is going to save our money. Heath says, "And Opa saved his money too so he could buy 2 boats- a fishing boat and a fast boat!" Yep, that's right, you come from a family of savers, do you think you will save your money so one day you can buy a car when you go to college? "Yes!"

Minimalist Closet Update

Back on January 11th I wrote about my closet purge, the first significant step in my minimizing journey. If you missed it, you can read or re-read here: http://jonathanandlyndsy.blogspot.com/2015/01/becoming-minimalist-downsizing-closet.html
When I placed my clothes back on their new black velvet hangers, I hung them up backwards so that I could track which items I had worn. Once they were washed and placed back in the closet, the hanger was turned the other direction. (J has done this each time we've moved or changed seasonal clothing out- it works great to encourage the purge!)

Well today, March 10th (58 days later) I finally wore the last piece in my closet that was on a backwards facing hanger. In the last two months, not once have I felt that I didn't have enough options of what to wear. (In fact, I've ordered another free 'sell bag' from Twice and removed additional items that just weren't fitting me right and I pulled out of the closet to pass on). In the last two months, nobody has commented about the repeat pants or tops I've worn.

A lot of friends have reached out in the last couple of months and commented or questioned about this minimizing effort. My enthusiastic response?  You have to try it! Life changing. The clothing closet was the first and best step for me. I love picking out things that are mostly business/ business casual to wear 7 days a week that I feel good in. I have not missed the old items nor the abundance.

Weekend Downsize- Dresser

I went into this weekend thinking that I was going to work on our bathroom cupboards in the next step of purging. I know there is a bag of bath toys in one that has not been opened for at least a year and a half, and I'm sure a few bottles of medicine that are past due. But before I could get my hands on them I noticed a moving truck in my neighbor's driveway. I went outside to explore and learned that one of our favorite VT students and neighbor, Pat, was moving out after getting a job over winter break. His folks own the house and he was one of the first Blacksburgans we met upon moving here 3.5 years ago. Heath was not even walking when Pat came over to say hi. Since then he has had the patience of a saint to have Heath explore in his yard and crash the college student tailgate by taking time explaining how to play things like "beersbie" or "frisbee bucket." We will really miss Pat, in the same way we miss the original roommates (good community) in that house, Joe and Cheese (Steve).

As Pat was telling me about the move, he offered that there was a ton of furniture he still had to purge. I told him if he had a dresser I was looking to downsize the one in our room. He did! And that gracious guy carried it right on over and into my bedroom!

4 and 2 half drawers that are slimmer and more narrow than my big 9er

I quickly turned around and posted my 9 drawer beast of a dresser as free to a mom's group on Facebook and it was just as quickly spoken for! So my weekend efforts were placed into clearing out the larger dresser, purging the items I no longer needed/wore. I asked myself, how many socks do I really go through in a week knowing we do laundry every Saturday. I was affirmed that 15 pair of white athletic socks was about 12 too many, because I don't run nor work out or play sports with regularity that I'd need them. TMI- after two kids my chest and butt have shifted sizes too and a few bras and underwear were moved out. Asking the questions of 'do I need?' continues to become easier.

Next weekend- back to the bathroom cupboards!

Keeping it real

Lest you think my entire house looks as clean as my bedroom minimizing makeover, I felt compelled to share a peak into a few of the other spaces. This is a common look for a weekday, plenty of dumping stations.

It's a journey folks! (Why I am valuing my bedroom as a sacred space right now!)

More minimizing: Jewelry and dresser tops

Monday was a glorious holiday for our home with the unique combo of our work being closed, but the kids' daycare still open. We enjoyed getting a lot of chores done around the house, uninterrupted, and having conversations with each other, uninterrupted, about life things that are kind of important like our budget and impending job searches. (Perhaps more on those topics at a later time). I wanted to share the progress I've made on my minimizing journey after Monday.

Earrings

AFTER

BEFORE

My goal was to see the jewelry I had more clearly and eliminate the pieces that I know I absolutely have not worn since moving to Virginia 3.5 years ago. So this was not an extreme purge, but I did toss out dollar store earrings I never wear anymore or singles that the matching pair has not revealed itself in years. I've gathered these into a plastic box with dividers (for sewing thread) that I also have not used. So they are able to be passed on for the next lucky attender of our community free sales. (The singles I threw away)

Necklaces
After removing the necklaces I have not worn in years, I recalled Heath enjoying quite a few of them when I let him play dress up. So I selected five that are durable and would be safe for his classroom to donate to their dress up box so 20 kids have daily access to get more use out of them than I have.

BEFORE

AFTER

Dresser Tops
In reading a lot of encouragement from minimalists, I have found a running theme to start with yourself/the areas that you have control over, before making over the shared living room space for example. Another theme has been to have a 'trial period' to test drive before purging something completely. So with those ideas in mind, the other needed step for me Monday was to clear off the tops of our two dressers in our bedroom.

The dresser tops are a constant battleground for accumulating more piles of things, sometimes clothing, sometimes random stuff that could be designated to a 'junk drawer' but instead lives on top of our dressers. So I began with cleaning up all the items that needed a home (some of which moved to the garbage) and then asked J if he would be willing to give our two decoration pieces a trial run of being out of sight. He agreed, so I boxed up two candle centerpieces that we have owned since getting married and placed the box out of our way in the guest room. I said we'd leave it out for 2 weeks before re-assessing, but the space and freedom of not having things in our room for only a day is so glorious I don't know that we will go back. Right now the only decor in our room are personal photos.

I feel like dancing in these open spaces now- our room feels huge!

Becoming Minimalist: Downsizing the closet!

I've been on a 'becoming minimalist' journey the last couple of months, reading articles and blogs that have encouraged me to de-own and purge. Some of the encouragement has been to get rid of physical stuff, and some of it has been to reduce non-stuff like negative thoughts, screen time, multi-tasking (great read here: http://www.becomingminimalist.com/the-10-most-important-things-to-simplify-in-your-life/). Over our winter break we spent time with my family at the cabin in northern California which was a great opportunity to unplug without cell service or internet access. It was an awesome way to kick off the new year with a focus on simplicity!

One Christmas request I listed this year, and my brother in law and sister in law indulged me with!, was a set of slim line velvet hangers (one of those totally adult gifts where you think man am I grown up getting giddy over hangers!). After reading this post by someone who created a 40 hanger closet, I was inspired to continue my minimizing path and thought a set of pretty hangers that would make me feel like I was choosing items from a boutique each morning would help. So today was a significant day of progress in that realm!

BEFORE

AFTER

I pulled everything out of the closet and onto my bed to carefully examine each piece's worthiness of the new hanger and a chance to return to the closet. 

I had been reading about such closet makeovers and clothing purges for awhile so I think my mind was set and made this process much easier. In all of the minimalistic outlook, I keep saying it is just mental. My mind was bought into this idea of the downsize and having fewer options to labor over each day. I've been so excited to go to my closet in the morning and start the wearing rotation through my remaining items. (30 tops and 8 pants are now in there, compared to the 65 tops and 20 bottom hangers; I did move ~10 items over to our guest closet to hold onto for spring). The closet is also looking a lot cleaner after purging a few pairs of shoes, unworn hats and items we will say 'went to the Christmas storage box for a white elephant party next year.

If you are interested in reading more about minimizing I love these tips- especially the questions to process in order to "Ruthlessly Purge!" http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2013/08/27/clutter-free-forever-vintage-tips-for-an-organized-home/ 

Travel Season: Packing Light

I've always been intrigued by the life of minimalists. There is something refreshing to me about moving day when all of my things are confined to one tight van/truck/pod. After college there was a two week period I floated around couches and kept my belongings in my civic. I loved that time; saying all I needed, fit in that small space. Well adding a kid to your life definitely has challenges to keeping this minimalist perspective. Any parent can tell you how difficult it is to keep people from buying your child a plethora of stuff for birthdays and holidays. And after a few short months it can feel like their stuff exploded all of over your house.

Growing up in my family's household my dad (in an urge to leave for a trip) would repeatedly say, well if we don't have it packed, we can always buy a new one when we get there. If you know my dad the penny-pincher this sounds like an uncanny statement to throw your money at something you already own at home. So here's the catch- he just wanted to leave. He wanted us in the car, seats buckled and ready to get out of town. But guess what? I have trouble remembering a time when we actually forgot something that we thought we needed so desperately that we had to buy a new one when we got there. It's just stuff. And I think that mantra has stuck with me.

Something about travel (specifically air travel) brings me back to that peaceful space of keeping it to just the basics. I get excited for the challenge of seeing how little I can get by with and thrilled when we can save money on less baggage fees because of it. I recognize that I may be crazy unique in this perspective, and so I give you my origin of thoughts first to decide whether you may just dismiss this post altogether and keep with your sufficiently packed ways. I'm ok with that.

So when we are flying somewhere, I first ask myself 'what I can borrow, buy or do without when we get there?' Here are a few things that have made the short list (specific to the tot):
Borrow: pack-n-play/crib, blankets and bedding, stroller, car seat, high chair, toddler plates/utensils, bibs, toys
Buy there: disposable diapers (when we won't have access to washer/dryer to cd), food for Heath, medicine as needed
Do Without: 'his' toys, multiple stuffed animals (we take one)

It's been a huge blessing that when we fly to CA, my parents have a set of everything-baby since they've been official grandparents for coming up on five years now and have my niece and nephew in the same town who've had sleepovers. I realize not everyone has a grandparent pick them up at the airport and have a car seat preloaded for them to buckle right into. For us, in the infant carrier stage this was huge to not have to lug ours around on a few flights or check it and let who-knows-what happen. We've traveled to Oregon twice now with Heath and while I don't have immediate family with extra sets of things, I do have great college friends. And I've just learned to ask. And it has been wonderful to receive borrowed items for the week (thank you Lisa and Erika!). If you start to think about the items you personally own and don't use every day (like maybe it is your pack-n-play), wouldn't you loan it to a visiting friend rather than have it sit in a closet? So think about people you might ask for a loaner. We even asked my best friend Kaylee for her car this past OR trip and she said yes! (thanks KK)

When it comes to my personal belongings in packing, I also think about what I can use where we are going. Do we have access to a washer/dryer? If so, we usually pack half the amount of clothing and do laundry halfway through our trip. I've never heard my friends or family complain that I wore the same shirt twice in my visit when it was smelling fresh and clean. My morning routine is minimal and I'm not one to be attached to certain products, so also on the list of using what is already there is shampoo/conditioner and sometimes a hairdryer too. When we are visiting my parents this is made even easier because I feel comfortable making myself at home in my mom's bathroom and closets. Wearing the same size shoe has even lead me to pack less footwear, seriously.

So as we prepare to get on a plane this coming Wednesday, I will begin my packing. For our family of three for fourteen days we will check one bag (large garment bag size), and carry on one diaper bag, one backpack with laptop and potentially one small roller bag if we decide to take our cloth diapers. If we forget something, we'll borrow or buy it when we get there.